diamondsz
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Language police
Posted: 06-06-08 12:45pm
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I know it sounds weird but they actually
exist.
Quebec is the only province that the
majority of people are French although
English is trying to integrate itself
within the community only to be stopped by
language police. My first language is
French, so I hav respect for both side but
heres the issue.
EVERYTHING MUST BE in FRENCH, they are so
scared of loosing the Frenhc culture that
they have implented or treat English
people almost as 2nd class citizens. If
you work in a store and require a
bilingual sign, the English sign must be
smaller (by a big amount) to the French
sign. English schools lack necessary
funding and French schools are provided
with a huge sum although you have to
understand that it is still a majority
over minority.
In regards to work unless you speak French
fluently you are denied a job but if you
go elsewhere your English can be rusty and
still get a good job.
They always say it is to preserve the
French culture but then you ask, how much
can it be taken out of context before
other cultures start feeling like their
loosing their traditions etc......
A link for those who havent heard about
Language police
http://en.wikipedia.or
g/wiki/Office_qu%C3%A9b%C3%A9cois_de_la_la
ngue_fran%C3%A7aise
Yes you can actually get fined or loose
your business if you English isnt removed
or made smaller.
http://ww
w.efc.ca/pages/media/convergence.18jun97.h
tml
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cmyked
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
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Posted: 06-06-08 13:17pm
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I think everything needing to be in French
is a bit silly; I know I wouldn't be
offended if things started being in
spanish; heck, I'm in southern florida so
a lot of stuff is in spanish! Sometimes
it's a spanish sign all by itself. We have
several spanish TV stations. There are
signs in spanish in the hallways of my
mother's school!
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marvel
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Posted: 06-06-08 13:18pm
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Ugh.
I remember there was a shop in Montréal,
I believe, that was called LaineWool (or
something of the sort). It sold.. you
guessed it, wool. The shop owner got fined
because "Wool" was in the title and it
wasn't to code (smaller, less visible than
its French counterpart, Laine).
I understand that Québec wants to feel
like it's a distinct society... and, I
admit, it is. Nowhere else in North
America can you get the unique European
feel of Québec City... Montréal is the
second largest french speaking city in the
world next to Paris.. BUT.. Canada is
BILINGUAL. This whole language police
thing is ludicrous.
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Beline
Supporter
Joined: 01 Mar 2008
Posts: 499
Location: , South Africa
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Posted: 06-06-08 15:31pm
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I hate discrimination. In South Africa we
have 11 OFFICIAL languages. No
discrimination there, although it is a ***
to complete a government document. 
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Mabel
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Posted: 06-06-08 15:34pm
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| cmyked
wrote: | | I think everything needing
to be in French is a bit silly; I know I
wouldn't be offended if things started
being in spanish; heck, I'm in southern
florida so a lot of stuff is in spanish!
Sometimes it's a spanish sign all by
itself. We have several spanish TV
stations. There are signs in spanish in
the hallways of my mother's
school! |
I'm in Washington State and I can't buy a
product at the store or read my local
newspaper without needing to know Spanish.
We also have several Spanish speaking tv
stations.
My point is: It ain't just in Florida!
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cmyked
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Posted: 06-06-08 16:58pm
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I never intended to mean it was just
Florida.
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Mabel
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Posted: 06-06-08 17:08pm
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| cmyked
wrote: | | I never intended to mean it
was just
Florida. |
That wasn't aimed at you (or anyone). Take
a chill pill.
It was meant to show a larger scope of the
fact that a type of language police are
everywhere. We can't have a box of, say
mac & cheese without both English
& Spanish directions. Why is that?
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cmyked
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
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Posted: 06-06-08 21:45pm
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Because America is bilingual. Now I do
happen to believe that an immigrant should
learn any country's native language, but
what if that country happens to have two
native languages? I think America is
moving towards this; it would be neat to
be a nation that speaks both spanish and
english.
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Mabel
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Posted: 06-06-08 22:50pm
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I don't believe it is neat to be
the first wave of people who were not
taught that second language. That goes for
both the Spanish speakers who don't speak
English and the English speakers who don't
speak Spanish. It is confusing and
frustrating.
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marvel
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Posted: 06-07-08 00:06am
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| cmyked
wrote: | | Because America is
bilingual. Now I do happen to believe that
an immigrant should learn any country's
native language, but what if that country
happens to have two native languages? I
think America is moving towards this; it
would be neat to be a nation that speaks
both spanish and
english. |
The USA isn't officially bilingual,
though, is it? It's not written into the
consitution or federal law, right? I'm
assuming all the Spanish is merely for
marketing purposes because Spanish is so
prevalent.
In Canada's case, we are officially
bilingual. Ideally everything is supposed
to be in french, but anything pertaining
to the federal and some provincial
governmental offices, documents, phone
centres, services MUST all be in both
english and french. That's why this issue
that the initial poster brought up is
somewhat tumultuous.
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cmyked
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Apr 2008
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Posted: 06-07-08 12:44pm
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It's not officially bilingual, but there
is more than one language spoken in it. It
SHOULD be official.
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marvel
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Posted: 06-07-08 13:04pm
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| cmyked
wrote: | | Because America is
bilingual. Now I do happen to believe that
an immigrant should learn any country's
native language, but what if that country
happens to have two native languages? I
think America is moving towards this; it
would be neat to be a nation that speaks
both spanish and
english. |
It's incredibly challenging. Use Canada as
an example. French and English are our two
native languages. It's very, very hard to
manage both languages, especially when one
is the clear minority and tries to protect
its cultural integrity. I'm not an
opponent of having two official languages
(especially when these languages are
representative of a culture that has been
prevalent in the geographical area for
centuries, even before English), but it
causes a lot of friction. Though it wasn't
solely a language problem, in 1995, I
believe, Québec held a referendum to
separate from Canada. I'm not even kidding
when I say that the result was 51% for
staying with Canada and 49% for
separation.
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cmyked
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 28 Apr 2008
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Posted: 06-07-08 13:16pm
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No, I believe it. As an American, I've
been told not to visit Quebec unless I
knew fairly fluent French.
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-Tanya-
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 08 Dec 2007
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Posted: 06-07-08 18:23pm
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| Beline
wrote: | | I hate discrimination. In
South Africa we have 11 OFFICIAL
languages. No discrimination there,
although it is a *** to complete a
government document. |
Ah! Praat jy afrikaans? Ek is n
Afrikaner!
I'm from South Africa, too. But
immigrated to Canada in 1996. My
Afrikaans is not very good now. I can
speak it easily still, but my writing is
not baie good.
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killbill
Experienced User , Rather EHEALTHy
Joined: 23 Jan 2008
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Posted: 06-07-08 21:21pm
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| marvel
wrote: | | cmyked
wrote: | | Because America is
bilingual. Now I do happen to believe that
an immigrant should learn any country's
native language, but what if that country
happens to have two native languages? I
think America is moving towards this; it
would be neat to be a nation that speaks
both spanish and
english. |
It's incredibly challenging. Use Canada as
an example. French and English are our two
native languages. It's very, very hard to
manage both languages, especially when one
is the clear minority and tries to protect
its cultural integrity. I'm not an
opponent of having two official languages
(especially when these languages are
representative of a culture that has been
prevalent in the geographical area for
centuries, even before English), but it
causes a lot of friction. Though it wasn't
solely a language problem, in 1995, I
believe, Québec held a referendum to
separate from Canada. I'm not even kidding
when I say that the result was 51% for
staying with Canada and 49% for
separation. |
Hooray for Elijah! 
Canada has a lot of native languages but
they aren't french and english in a lot of
people's opinion. My native language is
Cree but you don't see any laws being made
to protect that. It is still spoken by a
lot of people but it is slowly dying out.
It's hard not to resent laws that protect
the language of the Quebecois when there
are no laws to protect native languages,
many of which are dying out due in no
small part to residential schools who beat
the language out of many a native child.
My mom was punished with a switch or strap
or by being made to kneel on marbles if
she spoke her own language at school, even
in the school yard and she didn't even go
to residential school. That's why she
still speaks it today, because she was
able to speak it at home. I have deep
sorrow in me that I don't speak my
mother's language, but she was taught that
it was wrong and she didn't teach her
children. It was only when we were grown
that she realised what we had lost and now
I struggle to learn. I know that many
other native people carry that grief as
well; grief for a part of your culture
and identity that is missing. Language is
so important because it carries the values
and the nuances of a culture that can't be
translated. So, while I can understand
where they are coming from, it is hard not
to feel angry that they still have what so
many indigenous people have lost, (in this
country and in many others.)
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diamondsz
Extremely EHEALTHy
Joined: 07 Oct 2005
Posts: 3333
Location: , Candyland-Canada
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Thanked:159
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Posted: 06-08-08 16:19pm
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The younger you are is when we will pick
them up quicker, now my problem is why are
they trying to preserve it with the older
generation when they should be working
with the younger ones. In order to get
any type of job you need to be bilingual
in French and English, well in Ottawa
anyways.
Marvel I remember that referendum, it was
kind of scary, to think that I would have
to pay a toll to leave my province, Im so
happy we didnt separate.. The last thing
I needed was to be stuck in Quebec.
Cmyked you can go to Quebec even if you
dont speak the language, the outaouais
region and Montreal are extremely
multi-cultural/bilingual, its more so the
rest of it.
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marvel
Supporter
Joined: 09 Sep 2007
Posts: 1104
Location: Toronto, Ontario (but only a private message away)
Thanks: 50
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Posted: 06-08-08 17:41pm
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| killbill
wrote: | | marvel
wrote: | | cmyked
wrote: | | Because America is
bilingual. Now I do happen to believe that
an immigrant should learn any country's
native language, but what if that country
happens to have two native languages? I
think America is moving towards this; it
would be neat to be a nation that speaks
both spanish and
english. |
It's incredibly challenging. Use Canada as
an example. French and English are our two
native languages. It's very, very hard to
manage both languages, especially when one
is the clear minority and tries to protect
its cultural integrity. I'm not an
opponent of having two official languages
(especially when these languages are
representative of a culture that has been
prevalent in the geographical area for
centuries, even before English), but it
causes a lot of friction. Though it wasn't
solely a language problem, in 1995, I
believe, Québec held a referendum to
separate from Canada. I'm not even kidding
when I say that the result was 51% for
staying with Canada and 49% for
separation. |
Hooray for Elijah!
Canada has a lot of native languages but
they aren't french and english in a lot of
people's opinion. My native language is
Cree but you don't see any laws being made
to protect that. It is still spoken by a
lot of people but it is slowly dying out.
It's hard not to resent laws that protect
the language of the Quebecois when there
are no laws to protect native languages,
many of which are dying out due in no
small part to residential schools who beat
the language out of many a native child.
My mom was punished with a switch or strap
or by being made to kneel on marbles if
she spoke her own language at school, even
in the school yard and she didn't even go
to residential school. That's why she
still speaks it today, because she was
able to speak it at home. I have deep
sorrow in me that I don't speak my
mother's language, but she was taught that
it was wrong and she didn't teach her
children. It was only when we were grown
that she realised what we had lost and now
I struggle to learn. I know that many
other native people carry that grief as
well; grief for a part of your culture
and identity that is missing. Language is
so important because it carries the values
and the nuances of a culture that can't be
translated. So, while I can understand
where they are coming from, it is hard not
to feel angry that they still have what so
many indigenous people have lost, (in this
country and in many
others.) |
^totally agreed.
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Beline
Supporter
Joined: 01 Mar 2008
Posts: 499
Location: , South Africa
Thanks: 131
Thanked:150
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Posted: 06-21-08 14:14pm
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| -Tanya-
wrote: | | Beline
wrote: | | I hate discrimination. In
South Africa we have 11 OFFICIAL
languages. No discrimination there,
although it is a *** to complete a
government document. |
Ah! Praat jy afrikaans? Ek is n
Afrikaner!
I'm from South Africa, too. But
immigrated to Canada in 1996. My
Afrikaans is not very good now. I can
speak it easily still, but my writing is
not baie
good. |
Afrikaans op ehealth! Never thought I’d
see the day. I’ll send you a pm.
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billyclem
New User, Becoming EHEALTHy
Joined: 03 Sep 2008
Posts: 2
Location: Washington state,
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Posted: 09-07-08 11:57am
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| Ingi
wrote: |
I'm in Washington State and I can't buy a
product at the store or read my local
newspaper without needing to know Spanish.
We also have several Spanish speaking tv
stations.
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Just do as most everyone else, speak
SPANGLISH!  I
live in Benton county (15% hispanic),
which is surrounded by Franklin co. (56%),
Grant co. (33%) and Yakima co. (39%).
It is a pain in the butt, Spanish is so
prevalent that it seems we either need to
legally go English only or bilingual.
Bill 
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-Tanya-
Active User, Really EHEALTHy
Joined: 08 Dec 2007
Posts: 607
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Thanked:44
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Posted: 09-09-08 20:42pm
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| Beline
wrote: | | -Tanya-
wrote: | | Beline
wrote: | | I hate discrimination. In
South Africa we have 11 OFFICIAL
languages. No discrimination there,
although it is a *** to complete a
government document. |
Ah! Praat jy afrikaans? Ek is n
Afrikaner!
I'm from South Africa, too. But
immigrated to Canada in 1996. My
Afrikaans is not very good now. I can
speak it easily still, but my writing is
not baie
good. |
Afrikaans op ehealth! Never thought I’d
see the day. I’ll send you a
pm. |
Ek het nog niks van jou gekry nie!
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