Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Nashe

Have I come to the right place to ask for someone to explain "wee fee" to me please? (WIFI)

I've only ever heard it pronounced that way by techs I've talked to based in Montreal. Is that normal?

I've only ever heard it pronounced the same way as in English when in Quebec. But friends have told me that in France they pronounce it as "wee-fee."

I probably heard it pronounced in Quebec at hotels more than anywhere else but in the federal public service it's also pronounced the same way in English and French.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

There is no logical explanation, just as there is no logical explanation for why Edmonton always gets an English-style pronunciation from francophones, whereas Vancouver gets a French one.

Vancouver is a name of Dutch origin so maybe that has something to do with it?

I believe French was the most common European language in British Columbia in the first half of the 1800s so that also likely played a role.

----------------------------

The family name "Vancouver" itself originates from the Dutch "van Coevorden", denoting somebody from the city of Coevorden, Netherlands.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver

I read that Coevorden is know in French as Couvorde.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

PS: Can you EVER imagine a Québécois singing "J'aime plus Montréal" ? The French are an odd species really.

I could imagine a hardcore separatist signing that complaining about immigrants, anglophones and the city's politicians.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Today there should definitely be Cuba on there.

I think Acajack mentioned before how a number of Quebecers view Cuba and how they act when there. I've certainly seen it myself.

[Xelebes]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Canadian cities are extremely rarely mentioned in songs in English, even by Canadians. There are probably more songs in French than in English that mention Toronto, not always nicely!

Off the top of my head:

Modernettes - 509 (Punk) ― Vancouver
Al Oster - 918 Miles (Country) ― Whitehorse
Big Sugar - All Hell For a Basement (Rock) ― Medicine Hat
Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach (Synthpop) ― Toronto
Gaby Haas - Edmonton Polka (Polka) ― Edmonton
SNFU - Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump (Punk) ― Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump
Christian Hansen - Ma Me O (Synthpop) ― Ma Me O / Edmonton
Feist - Mushaboom (Synthpop) ― Mushaboom / Halifax
Doug Hutton - Rat River Trapper (Country Rock) ― Rat River, Edmonton
P. Goldberg - The Saskatoon Rag (Ragtime) ― Saskatoon
Mac Beattie - Swingin At Hotel Renfrew (Country/Jazz) ― Renfrew
Johnny Cash - The Girl From Saskatoon (Country) ― Saskatoon
Arrogant Worms - The Last Saskatchewan Pirate (Coffeehouse) ― Regina
Frankie Rogers - Thinking Of Houston (Country) ― Houston (BC)
Winnipeg's Most - Winnipeg Boy (Hiphop) ― Winnipeg

[OldDartmouthMark]

To add to that (also off the top of my head):

The Kings - This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide (Toronto. errr... Tuhranna )

Crush - Strung out in Saskatoon

The Guess Who - Runnin' Back To Saskatoon

Trooper - Cold, Cold Toronto

Just about every Stompin' Tom tune...

I know there are a bunch more, but it's getting late and I'm tired...

[kool maudit]

Owen Pallett was good for that. "The CN Tower Belongs To The Dead" and the refrain in "This Is The Dream Of Win & Regine" where he sings "Montreal might eat its young, but Montreal won't break us down".

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by Xelebes

Off the top of my head:

Tom Cochrane - Life is a Highway (Vancouver)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Today there should definitely be Cuba on there.

I think Acajack mentioned before how a number of Quebecers view Cuba and how they act when there. I've certainly seen it myself.

Yes, Cuba and Dominican Republic should be there.

Not sure what I said about how Quebecers behave in Cuba? Some of them behave badly there and some of them don't. Probably fairly similar to any segment of any group that finds itself in a place with unlimited booze and leisure time.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by OldDartmouthMark

To add to that (also off the top of my head):

The Kings - This Beat Goes On/Switchin' to Glide (Toronto. errr... Tuhranna )

Crush - Strung out in Saskatoon

The Guess Who - Runnin' Back To Saskatoon

Trooper - Cold, Cold Toronto

Just about every Stompin' Tom tune...

I know there are a bunch more, but it's getting late and I'm tired...

Of course you can find some but of these and the others mentioned, only Runnin' Back to Saskatoon and Life is Highway, and maybe Stompin' Tom's body of work, could be considered "mainstream".

There are a few others too. Maybe The Coldest Night of the Year by Bruce Cockburn, which alludes to Scarborough.

[Acajack]

Regarding Céline Dion and her lasting global fame, consider that tens of millions of ladies of all ages in countries like India and China probably know who she is.

My parents and in-laws don't even know who Drake is, and they live in Ontario which is his home province.

(Probably the best rival to Céline for the title of Canada's most famous singer ever would be Shania Twain.)

[thebasketballgeek]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Regarding Céline Dion and her lasting global fame, consider that tens of millions of ladies of all ages in countries like India and China probably know who she is.

My parents and in-laws don't even know who Drake is, and they live in Ontario which is his home province.

(Probably the best rival to Céline for the title of Canada's most famous singer ever would be Shania Twain.)

We can look at Billboard for a more objective measure of who’s more popular here.

Céline Dion: 4 #1 hits, 10 top 10 songs, and 21 songs in the top 100

Drake: 13 #1 hits, 76 top 10 songs, and 328 (not a typo) songs in the top 100. Not to forget that he’s literally the most streamed artist on Spotify of all time. He basically had a 10 year reign of terror on the entire Rap industry. I can’t believe this is even an argument lmao.

Not only that but Drake has an argument that he is the most popular artist in the entire planet for Gen Z and Millenials. I don’t think that could be said for Céline Dion throughout any age group. He is easily the most famous artist in Canadian History.

Sure tens of millions of old people in India and China know Céline Dion, but hundreds of millions of youth in those same countries know Drake.

Also gonna throw out there that Justin Bieber is more popular then Céline as well and by almost any objective measure too. There has never been a time in history that Canadian artists and music have been more relevant than in the last 5-10 years. Too bad you old heads don’t listen to this type of music because these artists are arguably Canada’s biggest cultural export in the 21st century.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by thebasketballgeek

We can look at Billboard for a more objective measure of who’s more popular here.

Céline Dion: 4 #1 hits, 10 top 10 songs, and 21 songs in the top 100

Drake: 13 #1 hits, 76 top 10 songs, and 328 (not a typo) songs in the top 100. Not to forget that he’s literally the most streamed artist on Spotify of all time. He basically had a 10 year reign of terror on the entire Rap industry. I can’t believe this is even an argument lmao.

Not only that but Drake has an argument that he is the most popular artist in the entire planet for Gen Z and Millenials. I don’t think that could be said for Céline Dion throughout any age group. He is easily the most famous artist in Canadian History.

Sure tens of millions of old people in India and China know Céline Dion, but hundreds of millions of youth in those same countries know Drake.

Maybe someday. I don't dispute that.

But for now the truth is that my kids and their friends know both Drake and Céline. My parents and their friends only know Céline. Lots of people in my generation (40s and 50s) don't know Drake but know Céline.

And it's not just because they live in Quebec.

Pretty sure a huge proportion of young people all around the world would know this song:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyl8eKa6faA

And this one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2RnxZnubCM

[thewave46]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Today there should definitely be Cuba on there.

I think Acajack mentioned before how a number of Quebecers view Cuba and how they act when there. I've certainly seen it myself.

That was 1982, so Cuba was less a thing.

But it's not just a Quebecois thing. My intoxicated countrymen - regardless of province - do make me proud whenever they flood a warm destination. Far too much booze, far too little clothes for their body type, far too obnoxious. The English-speaking ones just have the advantage of blending in with the locals in the United States.

Maybe not as proud as some of the English feel about their brethren flooding Spain, but on the scale.

[Acajack]

While not really off-base at all, note that the map was drawn by Montreal Gazette cartoonist Tim Burke.

Whereas something like this completely idiotic in the Canadian, North American and global contexts:

https://smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital...rip=all&w=375&sig=Nw6Ju-yEGkHsyUYyS7aLGA

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I've only ever heard it pronounced the same way as in English when in Quebec. But friends have told me that in France they pronounce it as "wee-fee."

I probably heard it pronounced in Quebec at hotels more than anywhere else but in the federal public service it's also pronounced the same way in English and French.

I heard Wee Fee a lot in my recent Quebec travels.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Xelebes

Off the top of my head:

Modernettes - 509 (Punk) ― Vancouver
Al Oster - 918 Miles (Country) ― Whitehorse
Big Sugar - All Hell For a Basement (Rock) ― Medicine Hat
Martha And The Muffins - Echo Beach (Synthpop) ― Toronto
Gaby Haas - Edmonton Polka (Polka) ― Edmonton
SNFU - Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump (Punk) ― Head Smashed In Buffalo Jump
Christian Hansen - Ma Me O (Synthpop) ― Ma Me O / Edmonton
Feist - Mushaboom (Synthpop) ― Mushaboom / Halifax
Doug Hutton - Rat River Trapper (Country Rock) ― Rat River, Edmonton
P. Goldberg - The Saskatoon Rag (Ragtime) ― Saskatoon
Mac Beattie - Swingin At Hotel Renfrew (Country/Jazz) ― Renfrew
Johnny Cash - The Girl From Saskatoon (Country) ― Saskatoon
Arrogant Worms - The Last Saskatchewan Pirate (Coffeehouse) ― Regina
Frankie Rogers - Thinking Of Houston (Country) ― Houston (BC)
Winnipeg's Most - Winnipeg Boy (Hiphop) ― Winnipeg

Great list. Impressive recall (esp. SNFU!). Also: "Running back to Saskatoon" (The Guess Who). Gino Vanelli begins "For your love" with the following lyric: "When I think about those nights in Montreal..." The Tragically Hip mentions "Toronto" in at least one song. In "Life is a Highway", Tom Cochrane talks about "Vancouver's lights".

But back to the raison d'etre for this thread: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7--QUEBEC!!!!"
• Video Link

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Great list. Impressive recall (esp. SNFU!). Also: "Running back to Saskatoon" (The Guess Who). Gino Vanelli begins "For your love" with the following lyric: "When I think about those nights in Montreal..." The Tragically Hip mentions "Toronto" in at least one song. In "Life is a Highway", Tom Cochrane talks about "Vancouver's lights".

But back to the raison d'etre for this thread: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7--QUEBEC!!!!"
• Video Link

As a bonus, that song actually references both Toronto and Ottawa!

[Acajack]

Ottawa and Hawkesbury represent!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByV2m8kdDA8

[Acajack]

Winnipeg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiuWPt6idB8