Government of Canada
Symbol of the Government of Canada

English with a twist in Montréal

English with a twist in Montréal

English-speaking Montrealers reveal their heritage and what part of the city they grew up in every time they speak. The Gazette, in a five-part series, examines English spoken by residents of British, Jewish and Italian backgrounds. Professor Charles Boberg, a sociolinguist at McGill University, calls these distinctive ways of speaking English “ethnolects.” The area where anglo-Montrealers live and the fact that most Montrealers are French-speaking also have an impact on how English is spoken here. To find out how to distinguish one anglo-Montrealer from another, read Hear that 'O' in anglo?