Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

And how do you call that?

Underpants or underwear. Although if I were feeling extra Canadian, I might say "gotch" (or one of its variants). There's also "briefs", although that seems to be more a fashion/retail term in my mind.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

And how do you call that?

Bobettes!

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Underpants or underwear. Although if I were feeling extra Canadian, I might say "gotch" (or one of its variants). There's also "briefs", although that seems to be more a fashion/retail term in my mind.

I've never heard "gotch" so that must be an Anglo-Canadian blind spot of mine.

Now, if I were to cross over into the other solitude to visit KW in Ottawa, in a store over there I would probably ask for "briefs".

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Underpants or underwear. Although if I were feeling extra Canadian, I might say "gotch" (or one of its variants). There's also "briefs", although that seems to be more a fashion/retail term in my mind.

I only ever use "brief". I think the Brits have another word for it.

In the French of France, it's called "slip". The female version has a different name for it.

[niwell]

I always thought it was "gitch". Though I haven't really heard it much since growing up in Alberta - maybe the Ontario version is different!

Originally Posted by Acajack

Maybe "note", though. I've definitely heard that. And actually say it myself.

Yeah, simply "note" comes up occasionally.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by niwell

I always thought it was "gitch". Though I haven't really heard it much since growing up in Alberta - maybe the Ontario version is different!


....

Gotch, gitch, gonch - it seems to vary from place to place. I can't say I've heard it for many years.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by niwell

I always thought it was "gitch". Though I haven't really heard it much since growing up in Alberta - maybe the Ontario version is different!

Don't really know that one either. Iiiiiiiiiiiintersting.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Bobettes!

Wiktionary has this quote from Le Devoir. Pray tell me which Anglo-Canadian newspaper would ever write such a sentence.

La caméra s’arrête longuement sur le corps superbe du héros mettant son chandail, dormant en bobettes, dardant sa prunelle incendiaire sur les femmes pâmées, jouant du beau biceps.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Wiktionary has this quote from Le Devoir. Pray tell me which Anglo-Canadian newspaper would ever write such a sentence.

Quasiment poétique, non?

[hipster duck]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

Anglo-Montrealers often don't have much if any raising, at least those of Mediterranean or Jewish origin (which is a lot of them).

(* Anglo-Montrealers often and bizarrely say "soft drink")

I haven't encountered it too much, but I know a few examples of posh Anglo Montrealers that have the "Justin Trudeau accent", which is very clean, polished and well enunciated. If I had to pick one accent from the English speaking world to teach ESL with, this would be it.

Techno DJ/producer Tiga, who attended Lower Canada College, has this accent too. I work with a senior guy in my company with a French name from Montreal who also has this accent when he speaks flawless English, but I don't know him well enough to ask him if he went to some fancy private school.

But these people are the only three examples I know. Is this [still] a thing?

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

Trousers or pants?

Pants except when talking to an actual Brit who might think you mean underwear.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by hipster duck

I haven't encountered it too much, but I know a few examples of posh Anglo Montrealers that have the "Justin Trudeau accent", which is very clean, polished and well enunciated. If I had to pick one accent from the English speaking world to teach ESL with, this would be it.

Techno DJ/producer Tiga, who attended Lower Canada College, has this accent too. I work with a senior guy in my company with a French name from Montreal who also has this accent when he speaks flawless English, but I don't know him well enough to ask him if he went to some fancy private school.

But these people are the only three examples I know. Is this [still] a thing?

Tiga is a kind of Montreal posh. Bohemian family but on the western slopes of the mountain. I knew a circle of post-LCC and adjacent guys that grew up in Westmount and did a lot of partying in various parents' chalets in Hudson and the Laurentians who were of this sort, so I know what you mean.

There is something identifiably Canadian about this dialect. Kind of ur-Canadian in a weird, "when Anglo Montreal used to run things" way.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Gotch, gitch, gonch - it seems to vary from place to place. I can't say I've heard it for many years.

I always thought that was a western thing

[Acajack]

Eccentric global musician Chilly Gonzales (not his real name) is a bit like this as well.

Here he is with legendary British interviewer David Frost. He sounds very "Northeastern North American".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3XTVuLOkO8

And here he is in French, with a Parisian interviewer. He actually says some pretty interesting things here.

https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=97...ve&vld=cid:a0ba740a,vid:t88ioCN8HT4,st:0

[kool maudit]

Come to think of it, a lot of those Anglo Montreal Gen X St. Laurent guys sound similar. Chilly Gonzales, the Chromeo guys, James DiSalvio. Suroosh Alvi sounds like this too although he is originally from Ottawa I think.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

Come to think of it, a lot of those Anglo Montreal Gen X St. Laurent guys sound similar. Chilly Gonzales, the Chromeo guys, James DiSalvio. Suroosh Alvi sounds like this too although he is originally from Ottawa I think.

There is also that thing with a lot of those guys that they go from Montreal to either New York or Los Angeles. The now-disgraced Dov Charney is in that group, too. Montreal operates like a city-state in those circles.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

There is also that thing with a lot of those guys that they go from Montreal to either New York or Los Angeles. The now-disgraced Dov Charney is in that group, too. There is that lack of Canada curiosity.

Or Europe, in the case of Chilly Gonzales (Michael Beck?).

[Acajack]

GINI index (economic inequalities), Quebec compared to selected countries

https://x.com/RepubliqueEcon/status/1877491959708700712/photo/1

(Note that the Canadian figure includes Quebec, so Quebec brings Canada's index down slightly. So the GINI index for the ROC is higher than indicated there.)

[New Brisavoine]

^^Where is the ROC there?

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by Acajack

GINI index (economic inequalities), Quebec compared to selected countries

https://x.com/RepubliqueEcon/status/1877491959708700712/photo/1

(Note that the Canadian figure includes Quebec, so Quebec brings Canada's index down slightly. So the GINI index for the ROC is higher than indicated there.)

Interesting though I think the math isn't so simple as the higher levels of poverty in Quebec means without them our GINI might be lower.