David Heap

Introduction to the special issue on Hispanic linguistics in Canada

Linguistics in Canada is a vibrant, flourishing field. In the Canadian research context, the social relevance of the formal study of languages and linguistics is wellunderstood. The Canadian Linguistics Association and the Canadian Journal of Linguistics have a strong tradition of linking the theoretical studies of language with the native languages of Canada and those of regional and immigrant groups. This issue on Hispanic linguistics is both relevant and timely. Beyond the traditional historical ties between Canada and Latin America, the demographic presence of Spanish speakers in Canada is changing. The last few decades have seen the arrival of successive diasporas of immigrant groups from different Latin American countries, at times tied to political conflict and economic changes, at times the result of active Canadian immigration policies and family reunifications. Recent census data show that the number of residents who declare Spanish as their mother tongue is increasing. The 2006 census, recently released by Statistics Canada, reports that 345,345 inhabitants (i.e., 1.1% of the countrys population) have Spanish as their mother tongue (Statistics Canada 2006). These speakers are unevenly distributed across the country. In the two most populated provinces, Ontario and Quebec, 1.3% and 1.5% of residents, respectively, report Spanish as their mother tongue (Statistics Canada 2006). In Ontario, Spanish has become the fifth most frequent mother tongue, after English, French, Chinese, and Italian (Ministry of Finance 2008). Within the academic context, Canada has been a pioneer in research into secondlanguage acquisition and learning. Names such as Patsy Lightbown, Nina Spada, Merrill Swain, Jim Cummins, Fred Genesee, among many others, are known internationally by anyone who is interested in bilingualism and second language acquisition. In the 1980s, within this rich research context, the framework of generative grammar was first applied to the field of second-language acquisition. Among the leading researchers in Canada to follow this path were Lydia White at McGill and Juana Liceras, now at the University of Ottawa. Both of these scholars have supported the training of generations of scholars who have focused on the acquisition of Spanish