Italian language in Canada: Difference between revisions

The '''Italian language in Canada''' has been widespread since the 19th century, particularly due to [[Italian diaspora|Italian emigration]]. According to the [[Canada 2021 Census|2021 Census of Canada]], 1,546,390 [[Canadians]] (4.3% of the total population) claimed [[Italian Canadians|full or partial Italian ancestry]],<ref name=":5">{{Cite web|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810033801|title=Ethnic or cultural origin by generation status: Canada, provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and census agglomerations with parts|last=Government of Canada|first=Statistics Canada|date=2022-10-26|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|access-date=2022-10-26|archive-date=2022-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026151326/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810033801|url-status=live}}</ref> and Italian is the ninth most widely spoken language in Canada with 547,655 speakers, as well as 319,505 [[Demolinguistic descriptors used in Canada#Mother tongue|mother tongue]] speakers.<ref name=2021lang/> [[Italian language|Italian]] is also being learned as a foreign language in [[Canada]] by 37,375 students as of 2019.<ref>Ministero degli Affari esteri, Rapporto diffusione italiano -– 2019, p.19.</ref>

Immediately after the [[unification of Italy]], the young nationit experienced the phenomenon of emigration on a massive scale. While until that time the migratory destinations had been mostly European, starting in the second half of the 19th century [[Transatlantic migration|transatlantic emigration]] to the [[Americas]] emerged, in the direction of lands that became typical destinations for Italians.<ref name="Troilo">{{Harvtxt|Troilo|2011|ref=Troilo 2011|p=2}}</ref> The first immigrants, most of whom came from [[Basilicata]], [[Sicily]], [[Apulia]], [[Piedmont]], [[Lazio]], [[Abruzzo]] and [[Molise]], settled in Canadian lands in isolation; they were mostly single men who had left their country of origin due to population growth, lack of work and high taxation, intending to return soon.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Troilo|2011|ref=Troilo 2011|p=3}}</ref>

By the 1880s Canada was a booming country in need of major infrastructure works that could improve transportation and communication between the vast areas of its territory. Dating back to these years was the construction of major railroad and canal sections that generated a growing demand for labor. The number of Italians moved to Canada for the construction of the Canadian railway, the [[Canadian Pacific Railway]],<ref>{{Harvtxt|Scarfi|2011|ref=Scarfi 2011|p=46}}</ref> in the 1881 census amounted to 1,849 citizens.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Cameron|2004|ref=Cameron 2004|p=73}}</ref> Around the turn of the century, there was a further growth in the number of Italians in Canada, with a change in the migratory flows, consisting not only of adult men between the ages of twenty and forty-five, but also of women and children. From 1900 to 1913, although in smaller numbers than in the United States, Brazil and Argentina, Canada welcomed about 60,000 Italians, mostly from the south ([[Calabria]], [[Abruzzo]], [[Molise]] and [[Campania]]) and the northeast ([[Veneto]] and [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]]) who went to settle not only in the industrial hubs in [[Ontario]], [[Toronto]] and [[Ottawa]], but also in small towns.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Troilo|2011|ref=Troilo 2011|pp=4-54–5}}</ref> Among them, the following cities have a significant presence of the Italian community even today: [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]], [[Guelph]], [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]] and [[Thunder Bay]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=https:1996cen//www12.statcan.gc.ca/English/census96/data/tables/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=1&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=15511&PRID=0&PTYPE=89103&S=0&SHOWALL=No&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=9&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=|title=1996 Census of Canada: Data tables – Population by Ethnic Origin (188) and Sex (3), Showing Single and Multiple Responses (3), for Canada, Provinces, Territories and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1996 Census (20% Sample Data)|last=Government of Canada|first=Statistics Canada|date=1998-02-17|website=www12.statcan.gc.ca|access-date=2019-09-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190812184631/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/English/census96/data/tables/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=1&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=5216&PRID=0&PTYPE=89103&S=0&SHOWALL=No&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=9&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=|archive-date=2019-08-12|url-status=live}}</ref>

These years also saw the birth of the so-called ''[[Little Italy|Little Italies]]'',<ref name="Franzina">{{Harvtxt|Franzina|1989|ref=Franzina 1989|p=3}}</ref> neighborhoods with a strong Italian presence. Within these cities there was a move away from the typical occupations required of Italians, namely those of laborer and factory worker: Italians had the opportunity to open small businesses and practice the trades that had been learned in their countries of origin. Many of them became barbers, shoe repairers, grocers, fruit vendors and bakers. These stores thus began to characterize the appearance of Italian neighborhoods. There soon developed what is called a "migratory chain,"(MacDonald and MacDonald, 1964)<ref>A concept initially defined to describe Italian emigration to Australia and subsequently used for all migratory phenomena.</ref> that is, emigrants who arrived in the great oceanic country generally went to form homogeneous aggregates according to the geographical area of origin, creating a network of solidarity and economic, linguistic and social support.<ref name="Audenino&Tirabassi">{{Harvtxt|Audenino|Tirabassi|ref=Audenino e Tirabassi 2008|2008|pp=43-4843–48}}</ref> Thus migrants from the same region, and often even the same municipality, went to live in the same cities, the same neighborhoods, even the same streets. Migrants learned about opportunities, methods of travel, obtained employment and housing through social relations with those in the land of destination.

The migration "boom" from Italy to Canada occurred from the end of World War II and involved to a greater extent those from [[Lazio]], [[Abruzzo]], [[Friuli]], [[Veneto]], [[Campania]], [[Calabria]] and [[Sicily]]. There were also numerous Italians from [[Istria]] and [[Dalmatia]] who emigrated to Canada as a result of the Julian-Dalmatian exodus (also known as the [[Istrian exodus]]). Between the early 1950s and the mid-1960s, approximately 20,000 to 30,000 Italians immigrated to Canada each year,<ref name=pier/><ref name="troilo">{{Harvtxt|Troilo|ref=Troilo 2011|2011|p= 11}}</ref> surpassing those who went to the United States during the same period.<ref name="Gabaccia">{{Harvtxt|Gabaccia|ref=Gabaccia 2009|2009}}</ref> In the late 1960s, the Italian economy experienced a [[Italian economic miracle|period of growth and recovery]], removing one of the primary incentives for emigration.<ref name=pier>{{cite web|url=http://www.pier21.ca/culture-trunks/italy/history|title=History -– Pier 21|website=www.pier21.ca|access-date=2017-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721010049/http://www.pier21.ca/culture-trunks/italy/history|archive-date=2017-07-21|url-status=live}}</ref> 90 percent of the Italians who immigrated to Canada after World War II remained in Canada, and decades after that period, the community still had fluency in the Italian language.<ref name=Stanger-Rossp90>Stanger-Ross, p. [https://books.google.com/books?id=tjFrv_4PmdcC&pg=PA30 30].</ref>

In 2019, Canada received the 11th highest number of Italian emigrants, and among non-European countries was the fourth highest after Brazil, the United States and Australia.<ref>''Rapporto Italiani nel Mondo-2019'', Fondazione Migrantes della Conferenza Episcopale Italiana. Available at [https://www.migrantes.it/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2019/10/Sintesi_RIM2019.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200410190451/https://www.migrantes.it/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2019/10/Sintesi_RIM2019.pdf|date=2020-04-10}}</ref> Compared to the past, the skills of migrants have changed as today there are many researchers, skilled workers and entrepreneurs. In 2018, more than half of the Italian citizens who moved abroad (53% percent) had medium-high educational qualifications: 33,000 high school graduates and 29,000 college graduates.<ref>''Italia, in 10 anni espatriati oltre 180 mila laureati'', in ''L'economia'', 16 dicembre 2019.</ref><ref>Report Istat, ''Aumentano gli italiani che si trasferiscono all'estero, diminuiscono le immigrazioni'' [https://www.istat.it/it/files/2019/12/REPORT_migrazioni_2018.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213155621/https://www.istat.it/it/files/2019/12/REPORT_migrazioni_2018.pdf|date=2024-02-13}}.</ref> Highly qualified people are in demand in Canada in areas that are lacking in the territory, particularly in information and communication technologies.<ref name="Avveduto">{{Harvtxt|Avveduto|ref=Avveduto 2004|2004|p=14}}</ref>

| 1996<ref name=1996cen>[https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/English/census96/data/tables/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=1&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=1192&PRID=0&PTYPE=89103&S=0&SHOWALL=No&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=5&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= Immigrant Population by Selected Places of Birth (84) and Sex (3), for Canada, Provinces, Territories and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1986-19961986–1996 Censuses (20% Sample Data)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322035831/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/English/census96/data/tables/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=1&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=1192&PRID=0&PTYPE=89103&S=0&SHOWALL=No&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=5&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |date=2021-03-22 }}, [[Canada 1996 Census|1996 Census of Canada]]</ref>

| 2001<ref>[https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=62125&PRID=0&PTYPE=55430,53293,55440,55496,71090&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2001&THEME=43&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= Place of birth for the immigrant population by period of immigration, 2006 counts and percentage distribution, for Canada] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211010072331/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=62125&PRID=0&PTYPE=55430,53293,55440,55496,71090&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2001&THEME=43&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |date=2021-10-10 }}, provinces and territories -– 20% sample data, [[Canada 2001 Census|2001 Census of Canada]]</ref>

| 2006<ref>[https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-557/T404-eng.cfm?Lang=E&T=404&GH=4&GF=1&SC=1&S=1&O=D Topic-based tabulations|Place of birth for the immigrant population by period of immigration, 2006 counts and percentage distribution, for Canada, provinces and territories -– 20% sample data] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813090211/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/hlt/97-557/T404-eng.cfm?Lang=E&T=404&GH=4&GF=1&SC=1&S=1&O=D |date=2019-08-13 }}, [[Canada 2006 Census|2006 Census of Canada]] {{Cite web |url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=1&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=89202&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971%2C97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |title=File not found &#124; Fichier non trouvé |access-date=January 4, 2020 |archive-date=July 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701114242/http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=1&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=89202&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971%2C97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |url-status=dead }}</ref>

| 2021<ref name=2021imm>{{cite web|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810030701|title=Immigrant status and period of immigration by place of birth: Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions|website=[[Statistics Canada]]|date=26 October 2022 |access-date=2022-10-26|archive-date=2022-10-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221026123851/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810030701|url-status=live}}</ref>

| 2012<ref>{{cite web |access-date=27 May 2015 |title=Numero iscritti suddivisi per ripartizioni estere |url=http://servizidemografici.interno.it/it/content/statistiche-aire-anno-2012 |archive-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117021202/http://servizidemografici.interno.it/it/content/statistiche-aire-anno-2012 |url-status=live }}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

| 2017<ref>[http://ucs.interno.gov.it/files/allegatipag/1263/int_00041_anagrafe_degli_italiani_residenti_all_estero_-aire-_2018.pdf Censimento AIRE 2017] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231027151945/https://ucs.interno.gov.it/FILES/AllegatiPag/1263/Int_00041_ANAGRAFE_DEGLI_ITALIANI_RESIDENTI_ALL_ESTERO_-AIRE-_2018.pdf |date=2023-10-27 }}.</ref>

| 2022<ref>{{cite web |access-date=2024-02-10 |title=Anagrafe degli italiani residenti all'estero (A.I.R.E.) -– INT00041 ed 2023 |url=https://ucs.interno.gov.it/ucs/contenuti/Anagrafe_degli_italiani_residenti_all_estero_a.i.r.e._int_00041-8067961.htm |archive-date=2022-01-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120105405/http://ucs.interno.gov.it/ucs/contenuti/Anagrafe_degli_italiani_residenti_all_estero_a.i.r.e._int_00041-8067961.htm |url-status=live }}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>

Data from 2011 on the use of Italian by young Italian-Montrealese in the family context report that "38% of them speak Italian, solely or in combination with other languages, in interactions with their mothers and 34% percent in interactions with their fathers, while if only Italian is considered, these percentages drop to 3%three percent with their mothers and 7%seven percent with their fathers."<ref>{{Harvtxt|Villata|ref=Villata|p=49}}</ref> The percentages of Italian-only use go up in interaction with grandparents: 60 percent of young people speak only Italian with their grandmother and 58 percent speak only Italian with their grandfather.<ref>''Regional languages in Italy and Italian abroad -– two different languages with the same problems.'' According to the author, these percentages could be due to the fact that, in order for their children to be proficient in two languages, parents have adopted the language strategy: 'one person, one language'.</ref>

| 2006<ref>[https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=89199&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=701&Temporal=2006&THEME=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= Population by Mother Tongue (27), Showing Age Groups (13)], [[Canada 2006 Census|2006 Census of Canada]] {{Cite web Webarchive|url=http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=1&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=89202&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971%2C97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |title=File not found &#124; Fichier non trouvé |access-date=January 4, 2020 |archive-date=July 1, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130701114242/httphttps://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?TABID=1&LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=8920289199&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971%2C97154,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0701&Temporal=2006&THEME=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |url-statusdate=dead 2013-07-01}}, [[Canada 2006 Census|2006 Census of Canada]]</ref>

| 2021<ref name=2021lang>{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&DGUIDList=2021A000011124&GENDERList=1,2,3&STATISTICList=1&HEADERList=0&SearchText=Canada|title=Census Profile, 2021 Census – Canada|date=August 17, 2017|website=Statistics Canada|access-date=August 17, 2022|archive-date=October 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171027195802/http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/imm/Table.cfm?Lang=E&T=31&Geo=01&SO=4D|url-status=live}}</ref>

| 1991<ref>[{{Cite web |title=Topic-based tabulation:L9105 – Population Able to Speak Various Non-official Languages (11), Showing Age Groups (13b) – Canada, provinces and territories, census divisions and census subdivisions | date=21 August 2018 |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/English/census91/data/tables/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=1&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=58&PRID=0&PTYPE=4&S=0&SHOWALL=No&SUB=0&Temporal=1991&THEME=110&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322035831/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/English/census91/data/tables/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=1&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=97&PRID=0&PTYPE=4&S=0&SHOWALL=No&SUB=0&Temporal=1991&THEME=110&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |archive-date=March 22, 2021}}</ref>

| 1996<ref>[{{Cite web |title=Population Able to Speak Various Non-official Languages (73), Showing Age Groups (13A) and Sex (3), for Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1996 Census (20% Sample Data) | date=3 March 1998 |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/English/census96/data/tables/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=1&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=13637&PRID=0&PTYPE=89103&S=0&SHOWALL=No&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=6&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= Population Able to Speak Various Non|archive-official Languages (73), Showing Age Groups (13A) and Sex (url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221120013044/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/English/census96/data/tables/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3), for&DETAIL=1&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=1&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=13637&PRID=0&PTYPE=89103&S=0&SHOWALL=No&SUB=0&Temporal=2006&THEME=6&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Divisions and Census Subdivisions, 1996|archive-date=November Census (20% Sample Data), [[Canada 1996 Census|1996 Census of Canada]]2022}}</ref>

| 2001<ref>[https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=55542&PRID=0&PTYPE=55430,53293,55440,55496,71090&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2001&THEME=41&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= Population by Mother Tongue (27), Showing Age Groups (13)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210322035832/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census01/products/standard/themes/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=55542&PRID=0&PTYPE=55430%2C53293%2C55440%2C55496%2C71090&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2001&THEME=41&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= |date=2021-03-22 }} [[Canada 2001 Census|2001 Census of Canada]]</ref>

| 2006<ref>[https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=89189&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=705&Temporal=2006&THEME=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF= Population by Mother Tongue (27), Showing Age Groups (13)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326025633/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=1&PID=89189&PRID=0&PTYPE=88971,97154&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=705&Temporal=2006&THEME=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=|date=2023-03-26}} Various Languages Spoken (147), Age Groups (17A) and Sex (3) for the Population of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2006 Census -– 20% Sample Data, [[Canada 2006 Census|2006 Census of Canada]] }}</ref>

| 2011<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census Profile – Province/Territory, Note 20 |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Data=Count&SearchText=Canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=Non-official%20language&B1=All&Custom=&amp;TABID=1 |titlearchive-url=Census Profile – Provincehttps:/Territory, Note 20 |date/web.archive.org/web/20190107050543/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?Lang=8 February 2012E&Geo1=PR&Code1=01&Data=Count&SearchText=canada&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&A1=Non-official%20language&B1=All&Custom=&TABID=1 |accessarchive-date=2020-01-04January 7, 2019}}</ref>

| 2016<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/lang/index-eng.cfm|title=Census Profile, 2016 Census – Canada|date=August 2, 2017|website=Statistics Canada|access-date=January 4, 2020|url-status=live|archive-date=February 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214194405/https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/hlt-fst/lang/index-eng.cfm}}</ref>

| 2021<ref name=2021know>{{Cite web|url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810021701|title=Census Profile, 2021 Census – Canada|date=August 17, 2017|website=Statistics Canada|access-date=August 17, 2022|archive-date=November 16, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231116205812/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810021701|url-status=live}}</ref>

A distinction is made in the literature of the Italian-Canadian language into ''italiese'' and ''italianese''. The combination of English, Italian dialects and standard Italian gives rise to ''Italiese'', a term coined by Gianrenzo Clivio in 1975, referring to the language spoken by the descendants of Italian immigrants in Canada. ''Italiese'' has the morphosyntax of standard Italian, a largely English vocabulary and the typical pronunciation of the dialect of the area of origin.<ref name=Italianese>{{Cite web |title=Italianese |url=https://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/italianese_(Neologismi)/ |website=treccani.it}}</ref>

The term was later employed to refer to English used in the [[United States]], [[England]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], and recently it is also used in Italy to refer to borrowings from English.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Villata|ref=Villata 2010|2010}}</ref>

''Italiese'' differs from the language spoken in French-speaking areas, ''Italianese'', in that the language borrowings come not only from Canadian English but also from Canadian French, another official language of Canada spoken particularly in [[Quebec]], [[Ontario]] and [[New Brunswick]].

Thus, ''Italiese'' and ''Italianese'' consist of a mixture of Italian dialect, standard Italian (although not spoken fluently by the majority of speakers), borrowings from [[Canadian English]] or [[Canadian French]], and represent a common Italian code for communication between speakers of different dialects. Pronunciation varies depending on the dialect of origin of the speaker.<ref name=":3" Italianese/>

* ''cippe'' (cheap).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canadian Italian: How Language Adapts to Environment |url=https://www.mhso.ca/ggp/Polyphony/Can_Italian_language.html |access-date=2024-04-19 |website=www.mhso.ca |archive-date=2022-01-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121050909/http://www.mhso.ca/ggp/Polyphony/Can_Italian_language.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

* "''tronco''" (trunk).<ref>{{cite web |access-date=8 September 2020 |archive-date=19 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200119010145/http://italicissima.com/2013/10/14/italiese-its-not-just-for-immigrants-anymore/ |title=Copia archiviata |url=https://italicissima.com/2013/10/14/italiese-its-not-just-for-immigrants-anymore/}}<!-- auto-translated from Italian by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>.

From the lexical point of view in Italian-Canadian, the phenomena of [[Calque|calquescalque]]s are also frequent, that is, "a particular type of borrowing for which in the receiving language the word is not taken over, but its structure is reproduced,"<ref>[{{Cite web |url=https://www.garzantilinguistica.it/ricerca/?q=calco |title=Dizionario ''Garzanti Linguistica'' voce ''Calco''] |access-date=2024-04-18 |archive-date=2024-04-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418172656/https://www.garzantilinguistica.it/ricerca/?q=calco |url-status=live }}</ref> such as "''aspetto per''" (Eng. I'm waiting for), "''fa senso''" (Eng. it makes sense), "''guardi bene''" (Eng. you look well [good]).

The use of [[Diminutive|diminutivesdiminutive]]s is very common, e.g., forms such as "''È passato un trocchetto''" (Standard Italian "''camioncino''", Eng. little truck), "''bechiceddra''" ("small bag", from bag, influenced by the [[Languages of Calabria|Cosentino dialect]]) and "''loncitieddru''" ("little lunch", from lunch, influenced by the Cosentino dialect) are attested.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Zanfino|ref=Zanfino 2013|2013|p=122}}</ref>

Regarding nouns and any errors determined by their use, there is a significant difference between the first generation and the second generation: 2.8% and 5.0% of the nouns used by the two groups of speakers, respectively, have deviations from the standard. While 65.5% of the errors are due to incorrect use of gender, 35.5% refer to number. These percentages confirm what has been shown by studies on learning Italian as a foreign language: gender is acquired later<ref>{{Harvtxt|Reinke|2014|ref=Reinke 2014|pp=156-158156–158}}</ref> than number. The errors mainly concern nouns in the plural (85.1 percent) and the feminine gender and to a large extent may be related to language contact with the French language; this could explain forms such as "''artrose''" (instead of "''artrosi''") on influence from French ''arthrose'', a "''libre''" (instead of a "''libro''") on influence from ''livre'', "''le tax''" (instead of "''tasse''") from ''les tax'' and "''le program televisive''" (instead of "''i programmi televisivi''") from French ''les programs''. In addition, 26.3 percent of the errors concern the application of the -i ending, of class I (e.g. ''libro''/''libri'') and masculine class III (e.g. ''fiore''/''fiori''), to nouns that belong to the inflectional class II (e.g. ''personi'' instead of ''persone'').<ref name=":31" /> In this case there is no influence of French but one of the hypotheses to explain this phenomenon is the contact with some Italian-Romance dialects such as [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]], which uses a single plural gender marker (Rohlfs, 1968; Varvaro, 1988). The deviated forms cannot be due to an influence of English, since in this language there is no reference to gender except in special cases. On the contrary, knowledge of the gender rule would lead to its addition where not necessary in terms present in the standard vocabulary and would be the consequence of forms attested in the language used by Italian-Canadians such as ''barro'' (bar), ''sporto'' (sport), ''nordo'' (north), ''sudo'' (south) and ''clubi'' (club). Some nouns such as ''associazione'', ''generazione'', ''informazione'', etc., frequently become invariable and are used in the singular, most likely in analogy to the inflectional class II ending in -e; it is therefore possible that speakers already perceive the ending -e as a plural marker. The same conclusion is reported by Chini (1995) in his study on the acquisition of Italian as L2 and by Bettoni (1991) on spoken Italian in Australia.<ref>{{Harvtxt|Reinke|2014|ref name=Reinke 2014}}<":1"/ref>

The first generation of Italian-Canadians, according to Reinke's studies,<ref>{{Harvtxt|Reinke|2014|ref=Reinke 2014|pp=160-161160–161}}</ref> make errors in the use of personal pronouns in 1.1% of cases, the second generation in 3.0% of cases. On some occasions, by Sicilian descendants, the Sicilian form ''idu'' is used instead of ''lui''. In general, the most frequent error is the use of the second person plural ''voi'' instead of the third person singular ''lei'' (66.6%).<ref>{{Harvtxt|Reinke|2014|ref=Reinke 2014|pp=160-161160–161}}</ref> This can be traced in part from linguistic contact with French where the polite form is, in fact, the second person plural ''vous''; in part the phenomenon is also present in the Italian language although in rare, archaic cases or those expressing deep respect. ''Voi'' is, moreover, currently considered the polite form in several Italian regions such as [[Calabria]], [[Naples]], northern [[Apulia]], [[Rome]], [[Ticino]] and [[Corsica]] (Rohlfs 1969), [[Campania]] (Radtke 1988) and [[Sicily]] (Varvaro 1988).

89.9% of the verbs used during interviews conducted by Reinke<ref name=":2">{{Harvtxt|Reinke|2014|ref=Reinke 2014|pp=158-160158–160}}</ref> with Italian-Canadians belong to standard Italian: the first generation used 4.3% wrong forms and the second generation 16.9%. In general, there was a tendency not to use the [[Subjunctive mood|subjunctive]] (98.4% of cases), a tendency that is also manifested after all in Italy (Berruto, 1987). In thirty interviews only two forms of the subjunctive were recorded as being used correctly ("''sembra che sia una cosa buone''", "''a meno che non piova''") along with two phenomena of overcorrections ("''e allora ecco perché ci sia la differenza''", "''so(no) veramente, come si dice, non mi vengono''"). The subjunctive is replaced by the expressions ''forse'', ''probabilmente'', ''può darsi'' ("''credo che forse ha ragione''") or the future tense, an orientation also observed in spoken Italian in Italy. Another frequent error observed in dialogues is the omission of the conjunction che ("''non penso [che] sarà come adesso'' / ''penso piuttosto'' / ''sarà come a New York, mi sembra [che] sarà un po' difficile you know''"), probably due to the influence of English since the word that, under certain conditions, can be implied.<ref name=":2" /> The tendency to avoid or misspell the subjunctive can be traced largely to the limited use of the subjunctive in the dialects of southern Italy, areas from where emigration to Canada has mostly been active. A further reason can be traced to the widespread idea of the difficulty in its use and its low functionality, so much so that in countries where Italian is learned as a second language it is the last verbal tense to be studied.<ref>{{Treccani|acquisizione-dell-italiano-come-l2_(Enciclopedia-dell'Italiano)|acquisizione dell'italiano come L2|autore=Giuliano Bernini|anno=2010}}</ref>

In addition, code-switching is found, both in writing and speaking, to differentiate those dialogues and situations that occur in the home environment from the language used at work or in the community. For example, in the case of three Italian-Canadian authors such as [[Nino Ricci]] ([[Leamington, Ontario|Leamington]], 1959), [[Frank G. Paci|Frank Paci]] ([[Pesaro]], 1948), and [[Mary Melfi]] ([[Rome]], 1957), Italian and its dialects are employed to identify those who belong to the Italian community, for dialogues and for terms used in family intimacy (Camarca, 2005). Code-switching in literature is also employed as a tool to increase the realism of certain scenes, to highlight the importance of the language and culture of belonging (Jonsson, 2005) and to represent the author's internal voice when it appears within the narrative text (Callahan, 2004).<ref>{{cite bookjournal |author=Michela Baldo |url=https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/italiancan/article/view/38535 |title=Baldo, Michela. Italian-Canadian Narratives of Return. Analysing Cultural Translation in Diasporic Writing. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2019. |journal=Italian Canadiana |year=20192022 |volume=33 |pages=313–314 |doi=10.33137/ic.v33i.38535 |ref=Baldo 2019 |access-date=2024-04-19 |archive-date=2023-11-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231130180132/https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/italiancan/article/view/38535 |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Italian language teachingculture in Canada ==

-– Italian-Canadian Cultural Association (ICCA) of [[Nova Scotia]];

-– ''Patronato Italo-Canadese Assistenza agli Immigrati'' (PICAI);

-– ''Centro Scuola Dante Alighieri'' (CESDA);

-– Hamilton''Società Dante Centre forAlighieri Italian– LanguageComitato anddi CultureEdmonton'';

=== ItalianNewspapers mediaand in Canadamagazines ===

* {{Cite book |lastlast1=Audenino |firstfirst1=P. |title=Migrazioni italiane. Storia e storie dell'Ancien régime a oggi |last2=Tirabassi |first2=M. |publisher=Bruno Mondatori |year=2008 |location=Milan |pages=43–48 |ref=Audenino e Tirabassi 2008}}

* {{Cite book |last=Avveduto |first=S. |title=La mobilità delle alte qualifiche in Europa, Canada e USA in Studi emigrazione, anno XLI |publication-date=December 2004 |pages=889-910889–910 |ref=Avveduto 2004}}

* {{Cite book |last=Blake |first=Raymond |title=From Rights To Needs. A History of Family Allowances in Canada 1929-19921929–1992 |publisher=UBC Press |year=2009 |location=Vancouver-Toronto |pages=13-2213–22 |ref=Blake 2009}}

* {{Cite book |last=Bumsted |first=Jack M. |title=A history of the Canadian peoples |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2007 |location=Oxford |pages=394-405394–405 |ref=Bumsted 2007}}

* {{Cite book |lastlast1=Cherchi |firstfirst1=P. |title=Gli italiani e l'italiano nell'America del Nord |last2=Reed |first2=C. Seno |publisher=Longo Editore |year=2010 |isbn=978-88-8063-659-5 |location=Ravenna |ref=Cherchi e Reed 2010}}

* {{Cite book |last=Franzina |first=Emilio |title=Emigrazione transoceanica e ricerca storica in Italia: gli ultimi dieci anni (1978-19881978–1988), in Altreitalie |publication-date=April 1989 |ref=Franzina 1989}}

* {{Cite book |lastlast1=MacDonald |firstfirst1=John S. |title=Chain Migration Ethnic Neighborhood Formation and Social Networks, in The Milbank Memorial Fund Quarterly |last2=MacDonald |first2=Leatrice D. |year=1964 |pages=82–97 |ref=Macdonald e Macdonald 1964}}

* {{Cite book |last=Marshall |first=D. |title=The Social Origins of the Welfare State. Québec Families, Compulsory Education and Family Allowances |publisher=Wilfrid Laurier University Press |year=2006 |location=Waterloo (Ontario) |pages=184-188184–188 |ref=Marshall 2006}}

* {{Cite book |last=Messina |first=N. |title=Considerazioni sull'emigrazione italiana dopo l'unità (1876-18791876–1879) |year=1976 |location=Naples |pages=247–251 |ref=Messina 1976}}

* {{Cite book |last=Servizio studi Camera dei deputati |first= |title=Le attività nel campo della promozione culturale italiana all'estero nell'anno 2017 |year=2019 |publication-date= |ref=Servizio}}

* {{Cite journal |last=Tirabassi |first=Maddalena |year=2002 |editor-last=Bevilacqua |editor-first=Piero |editor2-last=De Clementi |editor2-first=Andreina |editor3-last=Franzina |editor3-first=Emilio |title=Gli italiani sul web |journal=Storia dell’emigrazionedell'emigrazione italianaItaliana |location=Roma |publisher=Donzelli |volume=2 |pages=717-738717–738 |ref=Tirabassi 2002}}

* {{Cite book |last=Zanfino |first=A. |title=Sui calabresi a Toronto Associazionismo, folklore e... «italiese», in Rivista calabrese di Storia del ‘900'900 |year=2013 |pages=109–122 |issn=2281-5821 |ref=Zanfino 2013}}