# Bilingual and multilingual cities and regions



## Atlantiz (Apr 14, 2018)

I opened this thread because this is a theme that amazes me!

I love this subject: how is life in bilingual and multilingual cities in your country?

I´m not talking about immigrant communities, cosmopolitan cities, like Latinos in Los Angeles, Pakistani people in London or Filipinos in Dubai, I´m talking about cities where there are areas where people speak more than one language and especially where the city feels divide by both or more cultures. I know that this is a reality in many places in the world, not only in small cities, but also in big cities like Montreal, Barcelona or Cape Town.

I´m also not talking about a community within a country that speaks more than one language in a region even when they are a marjority, like German Brazilians in South or Native Brazilians in North - they are still brazilians that speaks both languages, but the city is not divided geographically or culturally between portuguese speakers of germans speakers, or between portuguese and Tupi speakers.

So...

a) How the school system is handle? 

b) What is the main language in government and in media? How is the TV programs? And for business and jobs? Which language people prefer in musics?

c) There are areas where in north zone only "X language is spoken", south zone only "Y language is spoken" and in downtown everybody mingles?

d) Which languages produce more slangs in the area and which is more conservative?

e) Do the different languages areas perceive lives differently - like the "Röstigraben" line between German and French Switzerland? 

f) Which culture is more urban and which is more rural?

In Brazil this is a reality only of small to medium cities located in our borders where some bi-national cities even share the same street or avenue. This led to development of a common language "Portuñol" where Spanish and Portuguese are mixed, but also where many knows how to speak both languages. 

This video shows the reality of a city located in Uruguay - Brazilian border, some people could speak both languages [in this video bellow the first guy started the interview in Spanish then, in the middle, he switched to Portuguese]. Rivera in Uruguay and Santana do Livramento in Brazil share the same avenue and square, some kids of the same family are born in different countries, sometimes your father is from one country and your mother from other, sometimes you go to school in one country, while you go shopping in another....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UGAN0FRd50

Brazil left and Argentina in the right side of the same avenue [Barracão in Paraná State in the left, Bernardo de Irigoyen in Argentina in the right and the buildings in the picture is in another brazilian city located in another state - Dionísio Cerqueira in Santa Catarina State].
[/QUOTE]
http://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/vida...s-uma-so-comunidade-afeh3fscnlk3e68kkhsbfahqm

Tri-point area of Foz do Iguaçú[Brazil], Cidade del Este [Paraguay] and Puerto Iguazú [Argentina].










Brazil located in the left [Ponta Porã city] and Paraguay in the right [Pedro Juan Caballero].


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## BriedisUnIzlietne (Dec 16, 2012)

This is a really interesting thread! Nice! I'll try to post something later.

How are border controls done in those border cities? Is there none? It's nice that people can easily move from one side to another, but does it also cause some problems?


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## VilleMarie (Apr 17, 2018)

Montreal is still (as of 2018) a predominantly French-speaking community, even if English remains the second largest language in the area. I think around 2000-2001, there was a threshold for Montreal to become predominantly English a speaking, but ever since, many French speakers from around the globe have established themselves here, therefore counterbalancing the phenomenon. In fact, you'll be surprised as to how little both North and Southshore dwellers speak fluent English nowadays, yet they are considered parts of Montreal community, without doubt.


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## Atlantiz (Apr 14, 2018)

I believe that for residents that are no border control. And not only this, people can live on the other side without any citizenship or residence procedure.

The border with some countries [Paraguay and Bolivia] is problematic, due narcos. In the Pedro Juan Caballero and Ponta Porã border the police can "invade" the other country if they are chasing someone [an agreement was made between Brazil and Paraguay Government in 2016].

In the Paraguay-Brazilian border usually the commercial dynamic work like this: Brazilians goes to Paraguay to buy gasoline and home eletronics since is cheaper there. But Paraguayans comes to Brazil to elementary education and public health. Usually Brazilians goes to the other country for tertiary education, since is easier and cheaper to get in. 

Brazilian media is usually more present and more praised - TV signal and music - , so many people learn Portuguese not only with the neighbors, but also through soap opera, news and tv shows.

In Paraguay there is a specific demographic situation: the brasiguaios [brazilians living there since 1960]. They behaves as an "alien" community close to the border. There are about 350k of them living in Paraguay but there is no integration at all. They still speak portuguese and Brazil still works as their "motherland" even living there after 2 or 3 generations.


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## Atlantiz (Apr 14, 2018)

Since 2005, Brazil and its neighbors developed the "Escola de Fronteira" an educational program in these twin cities.

Once a week a teacher from one country goes to the other to teach in his native language. The program works in 20 bi-national cities.


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## Atlantiz (Apr 14, 2018)

Greater Montreal 

-66,5% spoke French
-13,2% English

Greater Montreal is more francophone than Montreal city itself, but still the French speaking population is a marjority in the urban core. From the maps I´ve seen, the English speaking population is located in the West zone of the Island of Montreal.


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## VilleMarie (Apr 17, 2018)

Yeah. The 'real' percentage would be around 60% French and 25% English, considering mother tongues. Fluent speakers of both should represent about 75% of Montrealers.


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## Slartibartfas (Aug 15, 2006)

So what are the official numbers then?


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## Rekarte (Mar 28, 2008)

BriedisUnIzlietne said:


> This is a really interesting thread! Nice! I'll try to post something later.
> 
> How are border controls done in those border cities? Is there none? *It's nice that people can easily move from one side to another, but does it also cause some problems?*



There is a problem of drug trafficking, arms and smuggling at the border, but this is done by criminals of various nationalities, there is no problem involving ordinary people


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## sepul (Sep 7, 2009)

Few cities in the world ar as diverse as KL, and certainly no other Asian city can rival KL diversity and multiculturalism (also Malaysia as a whole).


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## 009 (Nov 28, 2007)

sepul said:


> Few cities in the world ar as diverse as KL, and certainly no other Asian city can rival KL diversity and multiculturalism (also Malaysia as a whole).


Singapore says hello


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## Kavim91 (May 30, 2011)

sepul said:


> Few cities in the world ar as diverse as KL, and certainly no other Asian city can rival KL diversity and multiculturalism (also Malaysia as a whole).




I disagree.

Greetings from a White Singaporean.


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## MerynnTrant (Apr 4, 2018)

Cajun is a language unique to the US. spoken alongside English in Lousiana


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## MerynnTrant (Apr 4, 2018)

there is also Hawaiian in the state of Hawaii


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## gandhi.rushabh1992 (Dec 10, 2010)

Many cities in India are multi-lingual, mostly those who are outside the Hindi speaking belt. 

Delhi is an exception, though being bang in the middle of the Hindi belt, has large communities of people speaking other languages. There are 3 million Punjabis, 1.5 million Bengalis, 1 million Tamilians, 1 million Malayalis and a host of other communities. All of these people are at the very least bilingual (not counting English).

The cities outside the Hindi belt are bi or multilingual by default since almost everyone speaks Hindi apart from their mother tongue in these areas. Bangaluru being a cosmopolitan city in the South has large communities from other southern states and a huge Hindi speaking section apart from native Kannada speakers. 

Then the border areas of two states speaking different languages are pretty interesting too. These villagers understand both languages and there are sizable communities of each group living in the other state. 

At a regional level, there are linguistic divides within certain states like Karnataka (Kannada speakers and Tulu speakers), Gujarat (Gujarati speakers and Kutchi speakers), Jammu and Kashmir (Hindi/Urdu speakers and Bodhi speakers in Ladakh) and many more. Some of these languages have some common roots while others are really distinct from each other. 

I am constantly amazed by the diversity of the nation I live in!


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## gandhi.rushabh1992 (Dec 10, 2010)

How come cities in Ontario have almost everything in both English and French while Montreal and Quebec City were overwhelmingly French when it comes to signage, restaurant menus and other urban aspects. 

I would say there is a greater need for English signage in French Canada than vice versa. Although as a tourist I had a fun time speculating what all the French words meant. The time in Toronto helped of course (Sortie written below Exit everywhere and so on).


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## the spliff fairy (Oct 21, 2002)

Most major Chinese cities, especially on the booming coastal regions will be speaking their local languages, outside languages and Mandarin as a lingua franca. Even in Mandarin ground zero, Beijing, something like 37% of the population speak at least a secondary language.


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## legolego (Feb 12, 2009)

Languages &/ Idioms in Italy











less detailed:


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## jlvillalba (Nov 18, 2008)

There are some areas between France and Spain, like Los Límites/Els Límits in Gerona province, as you may notice it means "The Limits", as a towns where each pedestrian side belongs to a different country. Between Navarre and France (upper Navarre region) there are some commercial areas on the border line, to offer cheap food, gas and alcohol to the french people


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## TEBC (Dec 26, 2004)

Barcelona


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