Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA) is the variety of English spoken in Canada. English is the first language, or "mother tongue", of approximately 18 million Canadians (58.4%), and more than 28 million (67.5%) are fluent in the language. 74.2% of Canadians outside Quebec speak English, as a mother tongue. Within Quebec the language spoken drops to just 11.2% as most residents are speakers of Quebec French.
Canadian English contains elements of British English and American English in its vocabulary, as well as many distinctive Canadianisms. In many areas, speech is influenced by French, and there are notable local variations. The phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax and lexicon for most of Canada are similar to that of the Western and Midland regions of the United States. The Canadian Great Lakes region has similarities to that of the Upper Midwest & Great Lakes region and/or Yooper dialect (in particular Michigan which has extensive cultural and economic ties with Ontario), while the phonological system of western Canadian English is virtually identical to that of the Pacific Northwest of the United States, and the phonetics are similar. As such, Canadian English and American English are sometimes classified together as North American English, emphasizing the fact that the vast majority of outsiders, even those from English speaking countries, cannot distinguish Canadian English from American English by sound. Canadian English spelling is largely a blend of British and American conventions.