Quote:
Originally Posted by begratto
Yes, one can very easily deny it.
For having worked in retail and customer service during my student years, I can affirm with 100% certainty that English-speaking Montrealers do not, in any way, hesitate to go right in a shop or restaurant and start speaking English : they just assume that the 12$/hour employee is fully bilingual - which is true most of the time, but not always.
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I'll second this. As an anglo-Montrealer for some 25 years, I've rarely if even encountered any rudeness or linguistic drama in a retail or service setting. I can personally attest to not feeling uneasy about going inside a shop and speaking English.
I prefer to speak French in these settings but my partner is an ROC'er (anglo Canadian from outside of Quebec) whose French is very limited. She has also encountered no issues.
Also, as "English" is not a race and Montreal is a multicultural city (anglo and franco populations alike), I don't think the claim that there is
institutionalized linguistic racism towards the anglophone minority in Montreal is valid.