The value of languages in an elite English-French bilingual school

Drawing on Bourdieu's (1999) theory of language and symbolic power, this thesis examines the distribution and valorizations of linguistic resources in an élite English-French bilingual school in Toronto, Canada. Focusing on observations of classroom and non-classroom interactions, interviews with students, teachers, and administrators, and documentary analysis, the study analyzes the type of educational provision offered by the school and the participants' perceptions of the school's language policy and linguistic practices. The research findings showed that the school provides its students with two kinds of highly valued symbolic capital, English-French bilingualism and internationally recognized educational credentials, and thus, prepares them to enter an international élite job market. The school functions primarily in the interests of anglophone and English-speaking allophone students. It promotes a strong interest in multilingualism in European dominant languages, with a special emphasis placed on Spanish. English remains the dominant language of the school.