#language laws

(National Language Laws)

Hunyo 19, 1940 - isang kautusang pangkagawasan ay ipinalabas ni Jorge Bacobo, Kalihim sa Pagtuturong Pambayan, na ituro ang Wikang Pambansa sa mga paaralang publiko at pribado. (June 19, 1940 - a decree was issued by Jorge Bacobo, Secretary of National Education, to teach the National Language in public and private schools.)

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Panahon ng Hapones - nagkaaroong isang paaralan pagkakataon ang ating bansa sapagkat ang ipinalit sa wikang Ingles bilang panturo sa mga paaralan ay ang sariling wika. (During the Japanese era - our country was a school opportunity because what replaced English as a teaching language in schools was the mother tongue.)

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Mistakes and a Serenade

Once again, I made mistakes. I’m ageing and, perhaps, exhausted. I wrote “learning English as a second language” instead of “learning French as a second language.” My text should read: In this respect, I would like to repeat that, in Quebec, learning French as a second language should be in the curriculum. Moreover, I would not prevent French-speaking students from enrolling in an English…

Quebec’s Language Laws, a Preface

Marc-Aurèle de Foy Suzor-Coté, Wet Snow, Arthabaska (detail), around 1919, oil on canvas. Gift of Mrs Ruth Soloway, 2012 (55-004.45) Photo: Bernard Clark Apologies I apologized for not posting an article for a very long time. I lost my Microsoft password and could not answer one of the questions that would lead me back. Not in a million years would I have used the name of my first pet, one of…

Le Vieux de ’37 (The Old Man from ’37) par Henri Julien An Introduction I am writing posts on Quebec’s Language Laws, but I am stepping in gently. French Canadian nationalism begins with Pierre-Stanislas Bédard. (See also Pierre-Stanislas Bédard, fr Wikipedia.) French Canadian nationalism also dates to the Rebellions of 1837-1838, a painful memory. Bill 96 Although Bill 96 was passed in May…

Today is Canada Day. Despite division, I celebrate Canada Day.

Pierre Elliott Trudeau by Yousuf Karsh (Photo credit: Wikipedia) Canadiana 1 (page)←Canadiana 2 (page)← https://michelinewalker.com/2022/06/21/language-laws-in-quebec-bill-96/ Les Anciens Canadiens I have written several posts on Philippe Aubert de Gaspé’s Les Anciens Canadiens. I used a translation entitled Cameron of Lochiel. Cameron of Lochiel is the title Sir Charles G. D. Roberts gave to…

Language Laws. A thorny subject. As of Confederation, French could not be language of instruction. Immigrants to provinces other than Quebec were educated in English.

—ooo— https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/bill-96-explained-1.6460764 Less than two weeks from now, Canadians will celebrate what is viewed as their birthday. In 1867, the Province of Canada, future Quebec and Ontario, and two maritime provinces, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, confederated. This year, Canada’s birthday follows the passage of language laws in Quebec. Bill 96 was voted into…

Every party (even the Parti Québecois!) voted against it for different reasons, except, surprisingly, the leftist party Québec Solidaire.

It’s one thing to learn French when you move to a majority-French province. But being asked to become fluent in six months is impossible unless you’re in a full immersion environment.

I actually did French immersion in high school, and like all school kids we had French classes from kindergarten upwards, but because I wasn’t actually using French on a daily basis, I didn’t really become fluent until my twenties, working in retail with bilingual clientele. I can’t imagine anyone getting to decent everyday French (much less understanding the joual dialect) that quickly.

The real sticking point is that the new laws force social services and doctors to communicate with their patients in French, with exceptions for a few “historically” English or bilingual institutions.

Imagine being in an accident, half conscious, and being asked if you have any allergies or conditions in a language you don’t speak, or even if you do speak it, you’re not fluent enough in medical terms to answer questions or describe what you’re experiencing. Doctors can face fines or worse if they’re caught speaking English to a patient.

Don’t get me wrong; I’m very pro-French. I roll my eyes at people who have lived their whole lives in Quebec and never learned the language, who whine when they have to make an effort. Yes, it makes sense to send immigrant kids to French schools; I’d even agree that English CEGEP and university students should take more classes in French.

Medicine in Quebec (2)

Nature morte avec oignons par Marc-Aurèle de Foy Susor-Coté (Fine Arts Canada) —ooo— The above is a copy of Susor-Coté of still life entitled Nature morte avec oignons (Still life with onions). It is the work of Marc-Aurèle de Foy Susor-Coté, a prominent Canadian artist and a friend of my grandfather’s family. The legend goes that my grandfather met my grandmother when she was an employee of…