Anglophone, Francophone

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• “Anglophone” and “Francophone” used as nouns
• ”Anglophone” and “Francophone” used as adjectives
• Capitalization
• Additional information

“Anglophone” and “Francophone” used as nouns

The noun Anglophone refers to someone who speaks English, usually as their mother tongue. The noun Francophone refers to someone who speaks French, usually as their mother tongue.

• In 2021, 55% of Canadians reported being Anglophones and 20%, Francophones.

“Anglophone” and “Francophone” used as adjectives

The adjective Anglophone means “relating to people who speak English.” The adjective Francophone means “relating to people who speak French.”

• The Théâtre Cercle Molière is the oldest Francophone theatre company in Canada.

You can replace these adjectives with the terms English-speaking and French-speaking, respectively.

• In Canada, official language minority communities are English-speaking communities in Quebec and French-speaking communities outside of Quebec.

However, when referring to things, rather than people, use English-language and French-language.

• The exchange students from Quebec were encouraged to read English-language [not Anglophone] books to practise their skills.

Capitalization

Some sources capitalize the words Anglophone and Francophone, whereas others don’t. While both the upper case and lower case form are accepted, Canadian government usage is to capitalize both words, whether they are used as nouns or adjectives.

• Both Anglophones and Francophones participated in the Francophone Summit held in New Brunswick.

Additional information

• Anglo-
• Franco-
• Capitalization: Languages