Lovin' Language

Hey Cool Catz,


I don't think anyone truly understands how many different opinions there are on the topic of French and English within Montreal, until they actually live here. Here are some examples I found that illustrate what I'm talking about:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/frenglish/Montreal+English+true+sais+quoi/6941480/story.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Take this article, "Montreal English Has A True Je Ne Sais Quoi", for example. In summary, this article puts a positive spin on the use of French and English within Montreal. People will switch effortlessly between French and English -- sometimes within one sentence. It states that two out of three Montrealers are bilingual and due to an increasing number of immigrants, people are now more and more trilingual, as well. 

I grew up in the suburbs of Toronto, Ontario attending French Immersion school from Grade 1-12. I would've said I was fluent walking out of my high school doors. Man, I was so wrong. There's definitely a huge difference between French within the class room and real conversational French. To improve my speaking, I'm now working at a small sandwich shop in the heart of Montreal. The article is accurate when it says people will switch from French to English mid-sentence. I usually find people don't have a problem when they can tell I'm trying my best to speak French, but at times some people are just plain rude. One time I asked a woman what she would like to order (in French), and she said: "en Francais, s'il vous plait"... In general, I find a condescending tone when I speak French. So, although this article is right when it says the two languages are very integrated, it's not always a perfect little town, as the author suggests.

Now, take for instance this article: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/blogs/dailybrew/walmart-quebec-court-over-bilingual-signs-184246273.html

Here is a recent article about how Walmart is taking the Quebec government to court because they're being forced to change their name to "Le Magasin Walmart". This change is to ensure Walmart is following Section 63 of Quebec's French Language Charter that says a company's name must be in French, and as of this year, applies to trademark names, as well. Costco and Gap are also being asked to change their names to French. 

Maybe it's because I'm a native English speaker, but I find this ridiculous. As the article states, it's not like any of these names mean anything in English. I don't think the change in name will attract a significantly larger amount of French speaking customers. It'll just be a huge inconvenience  for Walmart to change all their signs.

(The best line is when the article explains that "Le Magasin Walmart" translates to "The Walmart Store", the author then writes: "That should clear things up." Too funny.)

As you can see, the spectrum of opinions on the language debate is huge!! What's your opinion on the use of French and/or English?? Leave me a comment!

Speaking of ridiculousness, look how weird dogs can be:

Clearly they will never be as sophisticated as cats:

Catch you later!!