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Wikipedia says a bit over 600, 000 Canadians speak German while about 1.4 million Americans speak German, even though Canada is 9 times smaller in population.
That is surprising to me. Are the German-Canadian communities newer than German-Americans (this is something I don't really feel matches my impression; by contrast, it seems Italian or Chinese immigrant communities do seem newer in Canada than in the USA)? Or do more German-Canadians retain their language, or perhaps do more people learn German in Canada?
I do believe it though. My university and apparently many other unis in ON have a large exchange program set up for Ontarian and Baden-wurtemburg students. Kitchener was formerly called Berlin, ON, and has the second largest Oktoberfest outside of Germany.
I had a friend over from DLand this summr and we hitchhiked to Ottawa. In Renfrew (I think) a guy overheard her speaking, noted her accent and then all of the sudden they were speaking German.
Maybe because immigrants to Canada are more recent in general? I don't actually know if that is true, but it seems like it could be. I feel like Canada puts less pressure to integrate on immigrants than in the USA, but that again is just a quick anecdote.
Maybe because immigrants to Canada are more recent in general? I don't actually know if that is true, but it seems like it could be. I feel like Canada puts less pressure to integrate on immigrants than in the USA, but that again is just a quick anecdote.
That's interesting. In fact, that was a thread question I just asked on this forum before asking this one!
Wikipedia says a bit over 600, 000 Canadians speak German while about 1.4 million Americans speak German, even though Canada is 9 times smaller in population.
That is surprising to me. Are the German-Canadian communities newer than German-Americans (this is something I don't really feel matches my impression; by contrast, it seems Italian or Chinese immigrant communities do seem newer in Canada than in the USA)? Or do more German-Canadians retain their language, or perhaps do more people learn German in Canada?
What explains this?
600,000 that speak German sounds about right to me. I think German-Canadian communities may be older than German-American communities due to the early influx in the mid 1700's of ethnic German immigration and settlement in Canada. See history at the link below. Canadians of German ethnicity presently make up just over 10% of Canada's population - 3,179,425 as of the 2006 census - so probably more than that now.
Most of the German speakers I know came in the wake of WW2. Perhaps we were more liberal in allowing emigrants from Europe over? There was also ethnic bloc settlements in the Prairies, and mennonites in Ontario, both of which may have led to the high German speaking population.
Most of the German speakers I know came in the wake of WW2. Perhaps we were more liberal in allowing emigrants from Europe over? There was also ethnic bloc settlements in the Prairies, and mennonites in Ontario, both of which may have led to the high German speaking population.
I would suspect that those traditional German sects (hutterites, mennonites) make up a significant number of these german speakers. About 28% of Saskatchewan identifies as german. Wikipedia claims there are about 30, 000 german speakers in the province.
The rest of the prairies has similar demographics. I didn't know there were many mennonites in Ontario, but I trust you're correct. I've run across hutterites in BC, too.
That's awesome. German is dying out in the US, and so are all academic German programs and exchanges. It has to be the communities who keep that stuff alive, and in the US there are really not many German-speaking communities left.
Canada has an officially higher standard of living than the US, thus possibly more reason for Germans to expatriate there instead of America. I know many Germans who have moved and are moving to Canada, not a single one moving to the US in recent time.
I would suspect that those traditional German sects (hutterites, mennonites) make up a significant number of these german speakers. About 28% of Saskatchewan identifies as german. Wikipedia claims there are about 30, 000 german speakers in the province.
The rest of the prairies has similar demographics. I didn't know there were many mennonites in Ontario, but I trust you're correct. I've run across hutterites in BC, too.
But I still can't find decent German baking anywhere in Saskatchewan
But I still can't find decent German baking anywhere in Saskatchewan
The best usually comes from the Hutterites. Not sure where you are exactly, but most of the colonies are listed here, with contact information :Hutterite Contact Directory
Howard's in Maple Creek is good, as is Schimmel's in Swift Current. There's a place in Rosetown, too, run by some Mennonite ladies, but I forget what it's called.
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