In Canada, an allophone is a resident whose first language is neither French nor English.^[1][2] The term parallels anglophone and francophone, which designate people whose mother tongues are English and French, respectively. Some sources do not consider native speakers of Indigenous languages to be allophones.^[3]

The word "allophone" (from Greek ἀλλόφωνος allóphōnos "speaking a foreign tongue")^[4] is formed from the Greek roots ἄλλος (állos), meaning "other", and φωνή (phōnḗ), meaning "sound" or "voice".

The term became popularized during the Quiet Revolution as French Canadian society in Quebec sought to integrate immigrants, most of whom had traditionally integrated into the English-speaking community. As integrating immigrants was deemed essential to assure the survival of French-speaking Quebec in light of plummeting birth rates, demographers devised this category to monitor the integration of immigrants into French- and English-speaking communities. Because allophones often adopt English, French, or both languages at home or learn one language before another, they can be grouped into English or French communities based on home language or first official language learned.

In 2006, 20% of the population of Canada was allophone.^[5]

• Official bilingualism in Canada
• Languages of Canada