Things Are Not Always What They Seem

French-English Differences and the Problem of Measurement Equivalence

Bibliographic Data

ID6239533
AuthorsAndré Blais (0000-0003-4292-110X, Université de Montréal), Elisabeth Gidengil (0000-0001-8198-5654, McGill University)
Year1993
Volume26
Issue3
Pages541-555
Publication date1993-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCanadian Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0008-4239 • E-ISSN: 1744-9324
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0008423900003449
OpenAlexW2144864714
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited19

This study examines the problem of achieving linguistic equivalence in Canada-wide surveys that rely, as they must, on two different questionnaires, one in English and one in French. It is argued that this is a crucial problem which needs to be dealt with squarely. Since language does not coincide neatly with territorial boundaries in Canada, there will always be some francophones outside Quebec and some non-francophones within Quebec who are not interviewed in their first language. A comparison of responses given in both languages by members of the same language group enables the investigator to distinguish true cultural differences from mere artifacts of measurement. That methodology is applied to one specific issue, support for electoral democracy

Democracy · Equivalence (formal languages · Linguistics · Political science · Sociology · Canadian Identity and History · Law · Philosophy

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