In Québec, a number of people believe that being bilingual is merely an excuse to not learn French, and thus they feel that bilingualism encroaches upon French. They reason that if you see a sign that is both in English and French, then you&#x27;ll feel no need to learn French, and thus French would lose ground. Since there is English all around Québec, English is in no similar peril.<p>There may be some merit to this theory, in view of the fate of Welsh or Gaelic in the British Isles, or of French in Louisiana or the Canadian Maritimes. It may well be that Québec&#x27;s stubbornness against English is the only thing that is keeping the language alive. Even so, I wish that true bilinguals, of which there are many, especially in the Montréal area, would not become the collateral damage of this fight.