LOCAL CHANGES IN LINGUISTIC BALANCE IN THE BILINGUAL ZONE

This issue of minority populations and linguistic change for anglophon e and francophone groups in Quebec and Ontario is very important, affe cting relationships between the groups and individual perceptions of s ocial power. This paper begins an analysis of linguistic change in the transition or contact zone of bilingualism along the Quebec-Ontrio bo rder in the period 1961-86. Written in both languages, it describes ch anges in absolute numbers and percentage share of the total population of the minority group, anglophones in Quebec and francophones in Onta rio. It defines regions of change, and, combining the two measures in a series of graphs, shows levels of change at the local level.