Quebec, the French Language, and Quebecois Identity

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

I disagree. Most don't know the Dominican Republic (how many Canadians know it anyway?)

Almost everyone, but they know little about the country outside of the resorts, so it’s superficial knowledge. Everyone knows it’s a Spanish speaking country though.

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

People in Massachusetts are probably more aware of the Northern Ireland conflict than of the Québec separatism shenanigans.

There’s quite a few people in Massachusetts who know little about the separatism issue at all. But most know that French is spoken up there to some extent. There’s a significant historic connection between Quebec and New England that’s hard to ignore. There’s many “French”* surnames all over New England for instance.
*(sic)

[harls]

Originally Posted by le calmar

Almost everyone, but they know little about the country outside of the resorts, so it’s superficial knowledge. Everyone knows it’s a Spanish speaking country though.

Guy from France knows more than us peasants, le calmar. Why question his authority?

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by harls

Guy from France knows more than us peasants, le calmar. Why question his authority?

*Your* authority for sure has been seriously challenged recently, by your own compatriotes (for the time being).

[YOWetal]

Originally Posted by le calmar

Quite a bit of people in Massachusetts don’t know much about the separatism issue at all. But most know that French is spoken up there to some extent. There’s a significant historic connection between Quebec and New England that’s hard to ignore. There’s many “French”* surnames all over New England for instance.
*(sic)

Lots of educated Americans are very aware. Of course lots more, probably most, imagine it's something like Spanish in California. A lot of Canadians even are shocked everybody doesn't speak English even in Montreal.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by P'tit Renard

Americans don't equate Montreal with Quebec though.

Some don’t I suppose but it’s still on the radar as a foreign place that speaks another language. To them it’s « French » (sic!).

More alien than say Toronto in the Buffalo or Detroit areas. I would say that southern Ontario for these Americans is more foreign-ish than truly foreign in their minds.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

People in Massachusetts are probably more aware of the Northern Ireland conflict than of the Québec separatism shenanigans.

The Québec situation as in the politics or simply as a place nearby in a foreign country that mainly speaks French?

The politics? Not really.

But for our basic existence, yes.

About 25% of the population in NH VT ME and RI probably have French Canadian origins of some kind. Even in Mass there are a lot. The Boston Bruins anthem singer for 40-50 years was an American named René Rancourt.

[Acajack]

As for NYC I was not saying that they know lots about us. Just that we exist. This is much more than the rest of the US generally, as I said.

In NYC when I am there people pick up on the fact I am speaking French and some even try to practise a few words of it with me. It’s a global sophisticated city.

This literally never happens in Syracuse or middle America. A lot of the time I sense people might think we are speaking Spanish.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

In NYC when I am there people pick up on the fact I am speaking French and some even try to practise a few words of it with me. It’s a global sophisticated city.

Weird. No one has ever picked on me for speaking French in NYC. (thinking of it, dunno whether I ever spoke French in NYC... how did you speak French in NYC?)

PS: Oh, actually, I did speak French once in an Afghanese restaurant in Manhattan with a cousin of mine (who now lives in Montréal as it were). No one seemed to notice. In fact that's what I like about the US: people don't care and don't notice. You can behave however you want, nobody pays attention, which is great. The exact opposite of Paris where you're on constant notice, constantly watched, which I hate.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by Acajack

About 25% of the population in NH VT ME and RI probably have French Canadian origins of some kind. Even in Mass there are a lot. The Boston Bruins anthem singer for 40-50 years was an American named René Rancourt.

I was checking, it appears Donald Trump has 0 French Canadian ancestry. That's pretty rare for Americans.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

(thinking of it, dunno whether I ever spoke French in NYC... how did you speak French in NYC?)

Occam’s Razor says, probably with his wife and kids.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

I was checking, it appears Donald Trump has 0 French Canadian ancestry. That's pretty rare for Americans.

When they’re not that “old-stock”, no, it’s not that rare. Trump doesn’t have to go up many levels in his family tree to find people born on your side of the pond.

[dreambrother808]

Originally Posted by lio45

When they’re not that “old-stock”, no, it’s not that rare. Trump doesn’t have to go up many levels in his family tree to find people born on your side of the pond.

His mother was born in Scotland and his father was the child of German immigrants .

[ToxiK]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

His mother was born in Scotland and his father was the child of German immigrants .

Not according to Bill Maher...

https://youtu.be/WB4sGX0R5ak?t=169

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

Occam’s Razor says, probably with his wife and kids.

Voilà.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by dreambrother808

His mother was born in Scotland and his father was the child of German immigrants .

In fact he could have been French, as his German family is from the wine-making village of Kallstadt, in the Palatinate, which was annexed by France at the Treaty of Lunéville in 1801. Kallstadt was in the canton of Durckheim, in the arrondissement of Spire, in the département of Mont-Tonnerre.





Alas it was seized by Austria in 1814 and then ceded to Bavaria in 1816.

Funny enough, if some of Trump's ancestors were born/married/died during the French period (1795-1814), then the civil registers should contain their actes de naissance/mariage/décès in... French! It would be fun to see the birth certificate of a Mr Trump (ancestor of the US president) in French.

So one can say without the stupid Russian campaign of 1812, Trump today would be just a little grumpy Frenchman from Eastern France (with a Palatinate accent probably, although local accents in Alsace are fast disappearing).

[le calmar]

Originally Posted by New Brisavoine

although local accents in Alsace are fast disappearing).

I know a someone from Alsace, and he has quite the thick accent

[Loco101]

I'm surprised that nobody commented about the Parti Québécois being at only 30% in the Léger poll. Even in the regions the party only has 33%. It may be a situation will there will be a split vote in many ridings both provincially and federally in Quebec.

[le calmar]

The PQ may be slightly weakened for the time being, but it doesn't suffer from vote split like the PLQ and the CAQ, which are both trying to appeal to non/soft-sovereigntists that are not convinced that a referendum is the way to go in the current climate. The reason being that QS barely has a heartbeat at this point.

[New Brisavoine]

Originally Posted by le calmar

I know a someone from Alsace, and he has quite the thick accent

It's fast disappearing among the younger generations. Most of them don't have a regional accent anymore.