two solitudes

English - English

Definition of two solitudes in English English dictionary

The historical and, by some accounts, current dysfunctional relationship between the Anglophone and Francophone groups in Canada, characterized by poor communication and mutual exclusion

In tracing the development of the discipline in twentieth century Canada, it became evident that demography had progressed through a number of periods. The years to 1950 represented a period of parallel and fairly independent growth in English-speaking and French-speaking regions, with little contact and communication; it is best described as a period of one science, two solitudes..

Etymology

() First used by German poet Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) and applied to Canadian society in the title of a 1945 novel by Canadian author Hugh MacLennan.