Values and choices of exogamous couples

¢ What sense of belonging to each community would
we like our children to have?

¢@ Which linguistic and cultural identity would we like
our children to adopt?

Your answers reflect your values with respect to bilingualism
and biculturalism. These values fundamentally influence your
choices and decisions about language and culture in your
home—that is, the linguistic and cultural environment you
want to create and live in. They will also affect your choice
of preschool services (such as daycare and nursery school)
and schooling for your children.

If you and your spouse feel that both French and English
have considerable value, and if you embrace both francophone
and anglophone culture, you will likely want your children
to acquire what we call balanced additive bilingualism.

Balanced additive bilingualism

Balanced additive bilingualism, as it applies to children of
francophone-anglophone couples, means that the children
are highly proficient in English and French, possess a strong
sense of belonging to both the francophone and anglophone
communities, enjoy a strong bicultural identity, display a
positive attitude toward francophone and anglophone culture,
and give equal social status to both languages.

Parents who opt for balanced additive bilingualism want their
children to:
¢ know the mother tongues of both parents (English and
French) very well;
have a strong sense of belonging to, and a desire to
be part of, both the francophone and anglophone
communities;
appreciate the richness of francophone and
anglophone culture;
¢ be very proficient in English and French, and
maintain these language skills throughout their lives;
¢ be able to attend college or university in French or in
English; and
« be able to find employment requiring English and/or
French language skills.

But what can exogamous couples living in a predominantly
anglophone environment do to ensure their children learn
two languages and feel they belong to two cultures—in other

16

Iufo-Parents

words, acquire balanced additive bilingualism? Research
shows that three environments contribute to the development
of balanced bilingualism and biculturalism in a minority
francophone setting. What are these environments, and what
role can each play in developing balanced additive
bilingualism?

The influence of three
environments on the
development of balanced
additive bilingualism

é

Children’s linguistic and
cultural development is
shaped by their learning
and life experiences in three
environments: the family,
the school, and the social
and institutional milieu.

Research shows that in a predominantly anglophone
setting, exogamous couples who want their children
to develop balanced additive bilingualism must base
their actions on the following fundamental principle:
emphasizing the weaker or more fragile language in
the region—in other words, French—will ensure their
children develop balanced additive bilingualism.

Each environment plays a specific, complementary role that
contributes to the goal of developing balanced additive
bilingualism. Let’s first look at the role of the social and
institutional milieu.

Francophone school

In a majority anglophone setting, the francophone school
plays an essential role in developing balanced additive
bilingualism, and it’s important for parents to understand
this role.

French first-language education is designed for students who
have francophone roots and who, if they come from
exogamous families, may have more than one first language
(for example, French and English). Only francophone schools
provide an almost completely French-speaking institutional
sphere. Instruction takes place entirely in French from