Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!julian!uwovax!gerard
From: GERARD@uwovax.uwo.ca (Gerard Stafleu)
Newsgroups: can.general
Subject: Re: Canada: one or two cultures?
Message-ID: <3190@uwovax.uwo.ca>
Date: 25 Jul 89 15:19:30 GMT
Organization: University of Western Ontario, London, Ont., Canada
Lines: 22

In article <232@ccu.UManitoba.CA>, ndonald@ccu.UManitoba.CA (Nick Donaldson) writes:
> About Canada's cultures. It seems that many people have reduced Canada's
> cultures to French and English. We cannot forget our other cultures, although
> they may not be as prevalent as these two. I wonder how people in places like
> Belgium and Switzerland manage. 

Switzerland is doing quite well, I think.  This is probably due to their 
strict compartimentalization forced by the mountains.  These mountains 
have made Switzerland in to a country different from the rest for 
millenia (ask Ceasar about it, some time!).

How is Belgium managing?  Recently the government there fell over a 
language issue.  Belgium is, unfortunately, not managing very well as 
far as languages go.  "Language struggle" is a houshold term there.  
There is occasionaly violence (though not wide spread) in the border 
region between the two languages.

Canada is not doing too bad.  This is probably because French is located 
in the main in Quebec.  Troubles only arise when you try to mix 
languages.  When we stop trying that, many troubles will go away.  
Switzerland shows that one country can very well have several languages. 
If you don't try to force mixing them.