–Dantong
I know a Chinese immigrant family in Montreal, after participating several family parties with them, I discover some interesting and typical family language policies which are influenced by political, economic, and cultural factors, similar to what has been talked about by Xiao Lan Curdt-Christiansen (2009).
This Chinese immigrant family was from Taiwan, my friend Chen moved to Montreal with her parents when she was 10. Her father can speak Taiwanese, Mandarin, English, and learned a little bit of French after he came to Quebec. Her mother can speak Taiwanese, Mandarin, and a little English. And my friend Chen can speak fluent Taiwanese, Mandarin, English and French. Through several conversations with her, I realize that her language repertoire is closely linked to some “invisible language planning” (2009) which is embedded in a particular context of Montreal.
Continue reading “How many languages do you need to speak as an immigrant in Montreal?”