Abstract
This chapter moves from print media data to online media data by presenting findings from a case study focusing on a “language ideological debate” about the use of English and French in the 2010 Vancouver Olympics opening ceremonies. Drawing on two online news stories and commentary as data, findings suggest that language ideological debates such as this might arise as a result of the tension between Canada’s official identity and the identity of individual Canadians. Since most Canadians are not French–English bilingual, the identity of the nation as “bilingual” does not necessarily map onto the identity of individuals. English speakers who deny the equality of French may be attempting to justify their identity as “authentic” Canadians.
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Notes
- 1.
The editorial standpoint of these newspapers (Canadian federalism in The Globe and Mail and Quebec nationalism in Le Devoir) should be borne in mind with regard to findings. The largest French Canadian daily newspaper (La Presse) is federalist-leaning but was not selected because access to online comments was unavailable.
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Vessey, R. (2016). Language Ideologies in Online News and Commentary: The Case of the Vancouver Olympics. In: Language and Canadian Media. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53001-1_5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53001-1_5
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