# Tri-lingual cities **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 4, 2021, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612 "2021-06-04T12:04:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mark\_Finn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/34f0e0/32.png) [@Mark\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mark_Finn)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/22 "2021-06-05T11:09:49Z")
In addition to Montreal’s 21%, the 2016 Canadian census data shows Toronto and Vancouver around the 10% mark for tri-lingualism. Two other countries - Lebanon and Finland - have numerous 3+ language speakers. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 11:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/23 "2021-06-05T11:29:10Z")
In Pakistan in the big cities many many people can speak Urdu, English and one more language (Punjabi, Pushto, Sindhi, Gujarati being the most common). I wouldn’t consider all the ones who claim to be multilingual to actually be fluent in English, but certainly more than capable of having a conversation on most topics without a problem. I can’t find any statistics though. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/24 "2021-06-05T12:20:21Z")
St Jean Pied de Port in France seems to have a large population speaking French, Spanish and English, a good percent also know German. It is the contemporary start of the most popular route the French Way of the pilgrimage Camino de Santiago, as such it caters to a lot of international pilgrims. It is just on the French side of the boarder of France/Spain, usually the next overnight is in Spain. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/25 "2021-06-05T13:40:02Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > You mean Brussels? Or certain other parts of Belgium From what I understand, many Belgians, and also many Dutch, are quadrilingual. The four languages being Dutch (Flemish), French, German, and English. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/26 "2021-06-05T14:50:25Z")
At least. The townships tend to be mixed in the larger cities, as well, so there tends to be a mixed language like _Iscamtho_ or some other tsotsitaal as well, that everyone speaks in addition to their pure mother tongues. TV and popular music has lead to a popularization and lithification of this township _lingua franca_. So 4 languages - English, Afrikaans, mother tongue and _tsotsitaal_, at a minimum, plus many people can speak other languages e.g A Zulu in Soweto may also speak some Sotho and some Shona. ---
**Author:** ![FastDan1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fastdan1/32/427_2.png) [@FastDan1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FastDan1)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/27 "2021-06-05T17:05:16Z")
I believe it’s not terribly uncommon for people in Beirut to know Arabic, French, and English. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/28 "2021-06-05T17:16:36Z")
That was the first city that came to mind. It seems like all the Beirutis I know speak all three. Actually a couple of them speak Armenian as a first language in addition to the other three. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/29 "2021-06-05T17:26:39Z")
A good chunk of people here in Shanghai can speak 3 languages: Mandarin Chinese, English and Shanghainese. Shanghainese, like all other provincial languages, is officially a “dialect” but that’s just because the written language is the same. The spoken language is probably more different than, say, Spanish and Italian. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/30 "2021-06-05T18:35:36Z")
One would think a great many folks in Manila can speak English, Spanish, and Tagalog. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/31 "2021-06-05T19:00:28Z")
I haven’t lived there in many years, but I suspect Ottawa has a similar proportion of trilingual residents as Montreal. As a huge chunk of the jobs in Ottawa are in the government/civil service and military, and you basically have to be French/English bilingual to even get your foot in the door, plus it’s got a large immigrant population that will likely be sending their kids to French immersion schools…there you go. Many people with whom I grew up slide easily between three languages. And I guess a bit off-topic because it’s nowhere near being a big city (or even a city), as a Welsh student I’m kinda fascinated by the Y Wladfa, the Welsh colony in Argentina. The dialect is a very distinct one, as it has adopted a number of Spanish loan words, and it’s considered a sign of class and education to be able to speak Welsh. I’ve seen photos of trilingual (Spanish-English-Welsh) signs there, not sure how much of that is for tourists (“Hey kids, for winter break, we’re going to the Chubut Valley!”) but I’d imagine there’s a fair number of people who can handle all three. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/32 "2021-06-05T20:55:54Z")
Windhoek, Namibia has English, German, and Afrikaans along with several native languages. English is the official language, but only 3% of the people speak it at home. As the capital Windhoek draws people from all around the country. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/33 "2021-06-05T21:17:21Z")
Another West European city besides the aforementioned Brussels and Luxembourg where many citizens are probably tri-lingual is Strasbourg. As a French and former German city, as well as the seat of the EU parliament, many people will speak French, German and English. Of course this is just an anecdote, but I met a woman two years ago who incorporated the pan-(West-)European idea perfectly. She was born in Scotland, was raised in France, married a German and was living and working in Strasbourg. She was applying for German citizenship at the time because of the Brexit. She spoke English, German and French perfectly. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2021, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/34 "2021-06-05T22:39:22Z")
The OP’s question is vague. Is the question officially trilingual, whatever that may entail or what’s spoken by a high percentage of the population? Hong Kong - Hong Kong Cantonese, British English and Beijing Mandarin. I give the qualifiers because they each have their localized accents (dialects?). I can’t speak or read either Cantonese or Mandarin, but IMO Cantonese is not a dialect. It’s a language distinctively different from Beijing Mandarin and highly colloquial with words and phrases that can’t be written in Hanzi. I think Macau may be quadlingual (is that the term?). Officially, Macau Cantonese and Portuguese, plus Beijing Mandarin and English. I suspect a large number of the business people in Manila can speak Tagalog, English and Ilocano. Taipei may also be quadlingual. Taiwanese Mandarin, Beijing Mandarin, English and Hokkien.(though this may be considered a dialect). Okinawa has Japanese, English and Okinawan. Like Cantonese, Okinawan is officially considered a dialect by the Japan Government, but it’s distinctly different, developed during the independent Ryukyu Kingdom. Sadly, it’s a dying language, spoken mostly by the older generation. In Hawaii we have English, Hawaiian (though mostly limited to phrases and words by the majority of locals) and Hawaii Pidgin English which has been deemed an official language of Hawaii: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian\_Pidgin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawaiian_Pidgin) _“If u can undastan da kine talk, u local!”_ (If you can understand pidgin English, you’re considered a local!). ---
**Author:** ![Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hypnagogic_jerk/32/4252_2.png) [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypnagogic_Jerk)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/35 "2021-06-06T18:49:42Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > One would think a great many folks in Manila can speak English, Spanish, and Tagalog. English and Tagalog, quite possibly, but Spanish? Is that still spoken in any meaningful way in the Philippines? Upon doing some reading, there are some projects to revive the use of Spanish in the Philippines, but [as per this article](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-10/inside-the-push-to-bring-back-spanish-into-the-philippines/11356590) there are only 0.5% of the population that speak it. > [@veryfrank](#): > > I haven’t lived there in many years, but I suspect Ottawa has a similar proportion of trilingual residents as Montreal. Very unlikely. The number of jobs that require French in Ottawa is actually fairly limited, and even in the federal public service, not all positions require it. As for French immersion schools, they’re essentially an elite anglophone phenomenon. There are some immigrant children who study in French immersion, but not that many. I’d except French-English-another language trilinguals in Ottawa to be essentially the same demographics who are also French-English-another language trilinguals in Winnipeg or other cities in English-speaking Canada: immigrants from francophone African countries who speak their native language, French as the official or administrative language of their country of origin, and English after immigrating to Canada. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/36 "2021-06-06T19:21:11Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > As for French immersion schools, they’re essentially an elite anglophone phenomenon. That’s an odd claim. Speaking as someone who attended an immersion school, I can attest it was pretty middle of the road. I knew working class family kids, but zero rich ones. Given that it’s free, why would it be elite? ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/37 "2021-06-06T19:29:34Z")
> [@Hypnagogic\_Jerk](#): > > The number of jobs that require French in Ottawa is actually fairly limited, and even in the federal public service, not all positions require it. Then things have changed a lot since my Ottawa schooldays (though the 1980s). Back then, there was a mantra drilled into us about how we needed to take extra French Literature classes in HS so we could get the blessed Bilingual Certificate, without which one would never qualify for any work in the government. It as treated at the time as a key of near-mythic power, as far as employment in the capital was concerned. I was living out of the country when the ‘95 referendum happened and for several years afterwards, so I don’t know first-hand how attitudes towards Quebec and the French language changed throughout the latter half of that decade. But I remember that there was a suspicion borne out by anglos’ attempts to find work that the gatekeepers to the Feds were strictly Quebecois, and you would be dismissed with a shrug as “not bilingual” even if you spoke French like a native Parisien, but happened to have an English last name. Have spent my uni years in Montreal during the latter days of the Bill 101 language battles, that seemed depressingly plausible. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/38 "2021-06-06T21:02:41Z")
> [@md-2000](#): > > Toronto - I heard someone once say it was the third-largest Italian city, plus everyone learns French in school. (or is supposed to). While my wife and kids are fluent in French, they are all the product of French immersion. On the other hand, I did “regular” French from grade 4 to 10. I can puzzle my way through a newspaper article but I’d have no chance of a conversation in French. ---
**Author:** ![FinsToTheLeft](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/finstotheleft/32/2930_2.png) [@FinsToTheLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FinsToTheLeft)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2021, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/39 "2021-06-06T21:08:32Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > That’s an odd claim. Speaking as someone who attended an immersion school, I can attest it was pretty middle of the road. I knew working class family kids, but zero rich ones. Given that it’s free, why would it be elite? Certainly among the parents of our kids friends, getting them into a non-standard track - French immersion, gifted, etc. - is seen as a poor man’s private school. I think it’s typically less inclusive of some demographics because a non-native Anglophone wants their kids to speak English better than they do, so don’t tend towards FI. It’s not definitive, my kids have had kids who have immigrated from China, India, and Russia among other countries, but it tends towards a richer group. ---
**Author:** ![Didi44](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Didi44](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Didi44)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/40 "2021-06-07T01:10:55Z")
_English and Tagalog, quite possibly, but Spanish? Is that still spoken in any meaningful way in the Philippines? Upon doing some reading, there are some projects to revive the use of Spanish in the Philippines, but [as per this article](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-10/inside-the-push-to-bring-back-spanish-into-the-philippines/11356590) there are only 0.5% of the population that speak it._ In the late 90’s, when I sold VoiceStream (pre-T-Mobile) phones, I sold a phone to an older Filipino lady. I showed her that the phone had a Spanish menu, thinking that all older Filipinos could read and speak Spanish. She couldn’t. LOL. Thankfully, I knew the menu system by heart and was able to return the phone back to English. I suspect speaking Spanish for many Filipinos may be viewed as a memory of an unpleasant time of occupation. Same with the Chinese and Koreans who lived during the Japanese occupation. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2021, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612/41 "2021-06-07T05:39:43Z")
I was told by someone who grew up in India that it was common to be tri-lingual there. She said that you would learn the local dialect, you’d also learn the national dialect Hindi, and you’d also learn an international language, usually English. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tri-lingual-cities/943612.md?page=3)