Language Varieties as Social Practices: Evidence from Two Minority Francophone Communities in Canada

Abstract

AbstractThis article shows that linguistic variation is part of a speaker’s social repertoire and is used to achieve specific purposes. In order to better understand how social forces in specific contexts influence language varieties, I examine linguistic practices and the representation of these practices unfold in two economic settings involving minority francophone communities in Canada: a call centre (in southern Ontario) and the tourism sector (in Alberta).