DCHP-2

French immersion DCHP-2 (October 2016)

• n. — Education, French relations

  a method of teaching the French language by using French as a medium of instruction for most subjects.

  Type: 1. Origin — Immersion refers to a second-language teaching methodology (of any language) where instruction is carried out in the language to be learned (see OED-3, s.v. "immersion"). French immersion originated in the mid-1960s in Quebec (see the 1984 and 2000 quotations), then spread rapidly across the country (see the 1973 and 1988 quotations) (see Chart 1). Often presented in contrast to core French, immersion arguably produces better speaking skills than other methods (see Wesche 2002 for a history of the approach), yet dissenting voices exist (see, e.g. the 2015 quotation).
  See also ITP Nelson, s.v. "French immersion", COD-2, which marks it "Cdn".

  See also: anglophone  core French  early immersion  late immersion  

  • Immersion is now used as a method of language instruction for a wide variety of languages, including heritage languages, i.e. languages spoken by immigrants and Canadian-born ethnic group members and their families at home.

  • 1969  French Immersion A 3 week residential intensive program for Grade 11, 12, and 13 students -- 21 July-8 August. 
  • 1973  Not surprisingly, French immersion programs in Ontario's public educational system were first introduced in Ottawa, a city where the need for bilingual skills is particularly obvious yet where students are leaving high school unable to communicate adequately in the second language.
  • 1984  In this last decade the St. Lambert experiment has become a landmark in French language education not only in Canada but around the world. Immersion programs which have modeled the St. Lambert experiment now exist in every major city in Canada outside Quebec and in a dozen cities from Plattsburg, New York to San Diego, California in the United States.
  • 1988  Across Canada, French immersion has never been more popular. Parents are racing to get their 5-year-olds into the programs. Over-all enrolment has more than doubled since 1982 to 200,000 students. 
  • 1993  The latest statistics aren't available, but Pat Brehaut, president of Canadian Parents for French, has found that despite the slackening of interest in the question of national unity, there has been no lessening of parental enthusiasm for French immersion. 
  • 2000  Thirty-five years after its bold launch in the Montreal suburb of St-Lambert, French immersion has spawned devoted fans -- and ardent detractors. 
  • 2004  The other fascinating element is that over the last 30 years, through what we call French Immersion Education, we have changed the linguistic skills of our Anglophone population. 
  • 2015  If the commissioner wanted to improve relations maybe she should start with our schools. Our French immersion programs are a joke. The vast majority of graduated students cannot pass the proficiency tests. It is not for lack of participation or need.