OLBI warmly congratulates Assistant Professor Catherine Levasseur for receiving a $51,000 research grant from the Insight Development Grant program, sponsored by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). This funding, which spans from 2021 to 2023, is earmarked for a project on the language socialization experiences of youth enrolled in francisation programs in Francophone minority settings in Canada.

This qualitative research in sociolinguistics answers the following question: How do multilingual, young adults who received francisation services in minority settings use the French they learned after they graduate from high school? This research will produce a better understanding of the post-graduation language socialization experiences that positively or negatively affect the adoption or use of French by these young adults.

The results of this project will be useful for Francophone communities in minority settings in Canada, particularly for education professionals, because they will reveal factors that influence the continued use of French in these youth. The results will help explain why, how, and under what circumstances these youth decide to speak, or not speak, French after leaving high school. Eventually, these results will guide practitioners and researchers to ways to promote positive and inclusive French language experiences for this segment of the population.

It is a continuation of Catherine Levasseur’s doctoral research and her first project, as a young researcher, to receive funding by a granting agency. Bravo!

Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages Mélanie Joly recently submitted to Parliament the Annual Report on Official Languages for 2019–2020. This report describes the Canadian government’s efforts to highlight official languages during the 2019-2020 fiscal year. It presents an overview of the various measures taken by federal institutions to foster the development of official language communities in minority settings and to promote French and English in Canadian society.

Moreover, 2019-2020 marked the 50th anniversary of the passing of the Official Languages Act. This year was crucial to modernizing and strengthening the Act so that it can continue to meet the needs and aspirations of Canadians.Read the Annual Report on Official Languages for 2019–2020.

Why not start the new academic year by improving your second language! OLBI is offering free courses in French and English for uOttawa administrative and teaching staff. These online courses are also often open to their family members. You must first take a language placement test, and then enroll before September 24 for the fall 2021 term using the online form!

We also offer two distance second-language courses for professors. The first course is for those who would like to improve their writing skills for publication in scientific journals. While the second course is for professors who want to chat with their peers in their second language. Sign up for this free training before September 24; classes start on October 4, 2021! Learn more about English and French-language courses for professors.

Explore statistics on official language communities in minority settings in Canada thanks to this dashboard created by the Official Languages Branch (Canadian Heritage) Research Team. Learn more about these populations by reviewing their demographic, linguistic, socio-economic, or sociocultural profiles and their enrollment in minority language educational programs.

Explore the Official-Language Minority Communities Dashboard.

Check out the first video of our new series, OLBI professors present their research projects. Listen to OLBI Professor Laurence Thibault explain the essence of her research about learning languages through theatre in less than three minutes. Watch the video narrated by Laurence Thibault. It is available in French with both English and French subtitles.