The Case of the Word Métis in Candian English

After a brief introduction on the state of art on Canadian English, the essay dwells on the naming of the ‘natives’ in Canadian English from a historical perspective. The case study develops a sociolinguistic perspective on the word Métis, its usage in time, and the production of derogatory expressions associationed with the political and social status of the Métis. The last section gives voice to the Métis world through the analysis of texts –literary works and newspapers—underlining the impact of cultural and linguistic hybridity in the Canadian multilingual context.