Quebec French is highly diglossic. Many times, they are ashamed of their own usage, That's why Quebecois is rarely written or used in TV News (which is very different from the situation, let's say, in Argentina where there is strong pride for local linguistic usage, so local grammar appears everywhere: vos instead of tu, Ustedes instead of vosotros and so on). How would anyone respect Quebecois when they are not respecting themselves ?
French language in Canada?
''Interintelligibility of formally and informally spoken Quebec French with Metropolitan French is a matter of heated debates between linguists. If a comparison can be made, the differences between both dialects are probably larger than those between American and British English, but not as large as those between Brazilian Portuguese and that of Portugal and certainly less than those differences between standard German and Swiss German. Francophone Canadians abroad have to modify their accent somewhat in order to be easily understood, but very few francophone Canadians are unable to communicate readily with European francophones. European pronunciation is not at all difficult for Canadians to understand; only differences in vocabulary present any problems.
Television shows and movies from Quebec often must be subtitled for international audiences, which some Quebeckers perceive as offensive, although they themselves sometimes can hardly understand European slang. Recent increases in reciprocal exposure are slowly improving interintelligibility, and even slang expressions have been crossing the ocean in both directions.
In general, European French speakers have no problems understanding Quebec newscasts or other moderately formal Québécois speech. However, they may have great difficulty understanding informal speech, such as the dialogue in a sitcom. This is due more to idioms, slang, and vocabulary than to accent or pronunciation. However, when speaking to a European French speaker, a French speaker from Quebec is capable of shifting to a slightly more formal, "international" type of speech.
Quebec's culture has only recently gained exposure in Europe, especially since the Quiet Revolution (Révolution tranquille), and the difference in dialects and culture is large enough that Quebec French speakers overwhelmingly prefer their own "home grown" television dramas or sitcoms to shows from Europe. The number of such TV shows from France shown on Quebec television is about the same as the number of British TV shows on American television: they are seldom broadcast except on obscure cable channels.
Canadian French was once stigmatized, among Quebecers themselves as well as among Continental French and foreigners, as a low-class dialect, sometimes due to its use of anglicisms, sometimes simply due to its differences from "standard" European French. ''
(Wiki)
Television shows and movies from Quebec often must be subtitled for international audiences, which some Quebeckers perceive as offensive, although they themselves sometimes can hardly understand European slang. Recent increases in reciprocal exposure are slowly improving interintelligibility, and even slang expressions have been crossing the ocean in both directions.
In general, European French speakers have no problems understanding Quebec newscasts or other moderately formal Québécois speech. However, they may have great difficulty understanding informal speech, such as the dialogue in a sitcom. This is due more to idioms, slang, and vocabulary than to accent or pronunciation. However, when speaking to a European French speaker, a French speaker from Quebec is capable of shifting to a slightly more formal, "international" type of speech.
Quebec's culture has only recently gained exposure in Europe, especially since the Quiet Revolution (Révolution tranquille), and the difference in dialects and culture is large enough that Quebec French speakers overwhelmingly prefer their own "home grown" television dramas or sitcoms to shows from Europe. The number of such TV shows from France shown on Quebec television is about the same as the number of British TV shows on American television: they are seldom broadcast except on obscure cable channels.
Canadian French was once stigmatized, among Quebecers themselves as well as among Continental French and foreigners, as a low-class dialect, sometimes due to its use of anglicisms, sometimes simply due to its differences from "standard" European French. ''
(Wiki)
Is the Quebec French considered redneck by French French speakers? Is French French considered posh sounding to Quebec Speakers?
"Quebecois French uses less Anglicisms than French French."
Quebec has a few well-known instances whre they avoid anglicisms, like "fin de semaine" vs. "weekend," and "courriel" for "e-mail" (although "courriel" can also be heard in France now.) However, Quebec uses scores of words in daily life borrowed from Anglo technology, business, etc., during the 200+ years that they were more or less cut off from France. And Quebec uses many calques (word-for-word translations) of English terms, that reflect the reality of living in North America (eg., educational terms).
Standard Quebecois French (like broadcasters) is fairly easy to understand, but many colloquial versions are something else. Try looking for "MME WALMART" on Google video (a Wal Mart commercial from Quebec) and see how different it sounds.
Quebec has a few well-known instances whre they avoid anglicisms, like "fin de semaine" vs. "weekend," and "courriel" for "e-mail" (although "courriel" can also be heard in France now.) However, Quebec uses scores of words in daily life borrowed from Anglo technology, business, etc., during the 200+ years that they were more or less cut off from France. And Quebec uses many calques (word-for-word translations) of English terms, that reflect the reality of living in North America (eg., educational terms).
Standard Quebecois French (like broadcasters) is fairly easy to understand, but many colloquial versions are something else. Try looking for "MME WALMART" on Google video (a Wal Mart commercial from Quebec) and see how different it sounds.
Quebec French does not sound French at all, it sounds like another Romance language...
try this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=smceQIf6HQQ
try this:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=smceQIf6HQQ
1. I started taking French in the first grade and stuck with it straight through to the end of high school (I'm in Ontario). It was what they call "core" French, as opposed to immersion. It's nowhere near as effective as immersion, but by the end of high school I was quite proficient.
2. I would tend to ditto Lalonde on this one.
3. No way!
2. I would tend to ditto Lalonde on this one.
3. No way!
Bonjour, je suis prof de francais au Canada. (sorry about accents, I'm on a laptop)
1. Anglophone students in Canada learn French in the entire country; however, the amount of years varies by province. I teach in Ontario and it is obligatory to have French from 4th grade to 9th grade. The provincial average is 4x per week for 40 some minutes. That being typed, it varies on the school board. In my district, Kitchener-Waterloo; French instruction starts in 1st grade and the students have it 4x a week until 9th grade.
Many students continue in high school in Core French (every day as a subject). By having French for that many years, most students are proficient. The above poster mentioned immersion, which my district also offers at a few elementary/high schools. There are over 350,000 Canadian English speakers in Immersion schools, who will end up being ideally bilingual.
I would say the provinces supporting French the most for Anglophones is Ontario, New/Nouveau Brunswick (is a bilingual province), and Manitoba. There are over 500,000 native and active French speakers in Ontario.
2. We teach French. The language is practically identical no matter where in the French speaking world one lives. The accent is quite different in Switzerland, Belgium, Nice, Paris, Corsica, Martinique, Montreal, or Manitoba; however, native speakers have minimal difficulty in comprehending speaking. We do teach Quebec vocabulary; however, we also teach French vocabulary from the Carribean and Africa.
3. I would say most Francophones speak better English than Anglophones speaking French; however, that is changing. Every year, more and more Canadians become bilingual! When I teach, I use music quite a bit. Check out these clips from Youtube.com They are songs from Quebecois artists famous throughout the world. You will notice they are easy to comprehend, even though they are from, "la belle province".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFNkSLLQq3E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v4Nl2GBCx4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2D8jOzG7NM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI7ACvKxdoQ
check out this commercial for the montreal metro, it is hilarious
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcC31r1BxBY
1. Anglophone students in Canada learn French in the entire country; however, the amount of years varies by province. I teach in Ontario and it is obligatory to have French from 4th grade to 9th grade. The provincial average is 4x per week for 40 some minutes. That being typed, it varies on the school board. In my district, Kitchener-Waterloo; French instruction starts in 1st grade and the students have it 4x a week until 9th grade.
Many students continue in high school in Core French (every day as a subject). By having French for that many years, most students are proficient. The above poster mentioned immersion, which my district also offers at a few elementary/high schools. There are over 350,000 Canadian English speakers in Immersion schools, who will end up being ideally bilingual.
I would say the provinces supporting French the most for Anglophones is Ontario, New/Nouveau Brunswick (is a bilingual province), and Manitoba. There are over 500,000 native and active French speakers in Ontario.
2. We teach French. The language is practically identical no matter where in the French speaking world one lives. The accent is quite different in Switzerland, Belgium, Nice, Paris, Corsica, Martinique, Montreal, or Manitoba; however, native speakers have minimal difficulty in comprehending speaking. We do teach Quebec vocabulary; however, we also teach French vocabulary from the Carribean and Africa.
3. I would say most Francophones speak better English than Anglophones speaking French; however, that is changing. Every year, more and more Canadians become bilingual! When I teach, I use music quite a bit. Check out these clips from Youtube.com They are songs from Quebecois artists famous throughout the world. You will notice they are easy to comprehend, even though they are from, "la belle province".
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFNkSLLQq3E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v4Nl2GBCx4&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2D8jOzG7NM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oI7ACvKxdoQ
check out this commercial for the montreal metro, it is hilarious
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcC31r1BxBY
In a place like Montréal nearly everybody is to some extent bilingual.
I found in Montreal some people who were able to speak only French, and not a word of English. Other claimed that they were able to spoke English and they were lying. I woudn't recommend going to Montreal without speaking at least a couple of words of French, you will never know when you will find a Francophone fanatic or an ignorant one.
Standard Quebecois French (like broadcasters) is fairly easy to understand, but many colloquial versions are something else. Try looking for "MME WALMART" on Google video (a Wal Mart commercial from Quebec) and see how different it sounds.
The only thing that I remember from Walmart in Quebec was the slogan: "Moins cher tous les jours" which wasn't exactly true. I spent money there like a drunken Sailor.
In general even that I'm not a native English speaker I would prefer to live in English Canada but not in Quebec (even though I'm somewhat fluent in French).
I found in Montreal some people who were able to speak only French, and not a word of English. Other claimed that they were able to spoke English and they were lying. I woudn't recommend going to Montreal without speaking at least a couple of words of French, you will never know when you will find a Francophone fanatic or an ignorant one.
Standard Quebecois French (like broadcasters) is fairly easy to understand, but many colloquial versions are something else. Try looking for "MME WALMART" on Google video (a Wal Mart commercial from Quebec) and see how different it sounds.
The only thing that I remember from Walmart in Quebec was the slogan: "Moins cher tous les jours" which wasn't exactly true. I spent money there like a drunken Sailor.
In general even that I'm not a native English speaker I would prefer to live in English Canada but not in Quebec (even though I'm somewhat fluent in French).
"The accent is quite different in Switzerland, Belgium, Nice, Paris, Corsica, Martinique, Montreal, or Manitoba; however, native speakers have minimal difficulty in comprehending speaking. We do teach Quebec vocabulary; however, we also teach French vocabulary from the Carribean and Africa."
TY for your interesting post. I guess this means that the accent is the Canadian, not the Parisian one. Would a teacher with a Parisian accent be welcome?
TY for your interesting post. I guess this means that the accent is the Canadian, not the Parisian one. Would a teacher with a Parisian accent be welcome?