What do France-French think of "French" people in Quebec?

[Anonymous]

Nothing. Literally. Metropolitan France does not stop to remember that there are other francophones in the world. I am one of them, BTW. I've heard more about the different cultures of La Francophonie since moving here from Paris, than all my formative years in that city.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read that the French spoken in Quebec is equivalent to what the English colonists spoke and that the language sounds more stagnant and old-fashioned to the French. Is this true? In any event, Quebec is beautiful and I was so envious and impressed how the Quebecois switched effortless between English and French.

The English colonists spoke English not French...

What?? You're kidding. The English colonists spoke English?? I had no idea.

No. What I meant is that French language stagnated similarly to what it would sound like if we spoke colonial English today, hence the word "equivalent" and not "is" or "was." In other words, Canadian French sounds like Ye Olde French to the French today.

That's silly. Why would the French language "stagnate" in Quebec, any more than any other language? Every living language changes over time.

I don’t know if that’s true. That’s why I’m asking. Maybe stagnate wasn’t the right word.

From my Lonely Planet guide:

“Quebec settlers were relatively cut off from France once they arrived in the New World, so the French you hear today in the province, known colloquially as Quebecois, developed more or less independently from what was going on in France. The result is a rich local vocabulary, with its own idioms and sayings, and words used in every day speech that haven’t been spoken in France since the 1800s.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent time in Paris with a French Canadian friend, and people definitely looked down on her accent. Seemed similar to the way some Americans might view a Southern twang.

This is absolutely true. Lived in France for several years and the French definitely think the people in Quebec are hokey.

In all honesty, the French think the rest of the world is hokey.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Nothing. Literally. Metropolitan France does not stop to remember that there are other francophones in the world. I am one of them, BTW. I've heard more about the different cultures of La Francophonie since moving here from Paris, than all my formative years in that city.

And this is why I adore the French, Parisians in particular. You understand us, because you are "jerks" too. America and France, sitting in a tree, laughing at the nerds in Germany...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I spent time in Paris with a French Canadian friend, and people definitely looked down on her accent. Seemed similar to the way some Americans might view a Southern twang.

I presume similar to how awful the distorted Mexi-Spanish comes across in Spain. Literally don't even know what they're saying half the time.

What the f@ck are you talking about?

Mexican spanish is not distorted.

Your racism is showing.

- native Spanish speaker, not Mexican nor Spanish.

Excuse me I live in California and Mexican Spanish is the worst, the accent is awful and yes people in Spain do laugh about it like they do about Canadian accents in France.

+1, Mexican/Central American Spanish is the rube version of Castilian Spanish

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quebecoise person here. Not french. Quebecers are charming but more laid back bordering on dirt baggy compared with parisiennes. I'd say more like spain or even portugal vis a vis france.

Wut?

Translation: Quebec is full of lazy country bumpkins. Not sophisticated like France.

Um, Montreal is a world class city. And I'd put Quebec City in the top 10 of North American vacation destinations.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read that the French spoken in Quebec is equivalent to what the English colonists spoke and that the language sounds more stagnant and old-fashioned to the French. Is this true? In any event, Quebec is beautiful and I was so envious and impressed how the Quebecois switched effortless between English and French.

The English colonists spoke English not French...

What?? You're kidding. The English colonists spoke English?? I had no idea.

No. What I meant is that French language stagnated similarly to what it would sound like if we spoke colonial English today, hence the word "equivalent" and not "is" or "was." In other words, Canadian French sounds like Ye Olde French to the French today.

That's silly. Why would the French language "stagnate" in Quebec, any more than any other language? Every living language changes over time.

I don’t know if that’s true. That’s why I’m asking. Maybe stagnate wasn’t the right word.

From my Lonely Planet guide:

“Quebec settlers were relatively cut off from France once they arrived in the New World, so the French you hear today in the province, known colloquially as Quebecois, developed more or less independently from what was going on in France. The result is a rich local vocabulary, with its own idioms and sayings, and words used in every day speech that haven’t been spoken in France since the 1800s.”

Right. So, modern Quebecois developed from the language spoken by the Quebec settlers, and modern French developed from the language spoken by the people who stayed in France. Just like modern American English developed from the language spoken by the English settlers, and modern English English developed from the language spoken by the people who stayed in England. American English also uses idioms and words that people in England no longer use (for example, "I had gotten lost" vs. "I had got lost)" but you wouldn't say that we're all running around speaking 1620s English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read that the French spoken in Quebec is equivalent to what the English colonists spoke and that the language sounds more stagnant and old-fashioned to the French. Is this true? In any event, Quebec is beautiful and I was so envious and impressed how the Quebecois switched effortless between English and French.

The English colonists spoke English not French...

What?? You're kidding. The English colonists spoke English?? I had no idea.

No. What I meant is that French language stagnated similarly to what it would sound like if we spoke colonial English today, hence the word "equivalent" and not "is" or "was." In other words, Canadian French sounds like Ye Olde French to the French today.

That's silly. Why would the French language "stagnate" in Quebec, any more than any other language? Every living language changes over time.

Quebec *literally* has language laws that prevent modern language usage. For instance, in certain places, you're only allowed to use the formal "fin du semaine" instead of the modern "le weekend" used in france. So yeah, they have spent 100 years rebelling (informally and formally) against evolution of language in quebec.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read that the French spoken in Quebec is equivalent to what the English colonists spoke and that the language sounds more stagnant and old-fashioned to the French. Is this true? In any event, Quebec is beautiful and I was so envious and impressed how the Quebecois switched effortless between English and French.

The English colonists spoke English not French...

What?? You're kidding. The English colonists spoke English?? I had no idea.

No. What I meant is that French language stagnated similarly to what it would sound like if we spoke colonial English today, hence the word "equivalent" and not "is" or "was." In other words, Canadian French sounds like Ye Olde French to the French today.

That's silly. Why would the French language "stagnate" in Quebec, any more than any other language? Every living language changes over time.

Quebec *literally* has language laws that prevent modern language usage. For instance, in certain places, you're only allowed to use the formal "fin du semaine" instead of the modern "le weekend" used in france. So yeah, they have spent 100 years rebelling (informally and formally) against evolution of language in quebec.

But France does too. Not to mention that if you type "Quebec weekend" into Google, you get lots of French-language hits. So evidently the laws don't work very well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Quebecoise person here. Not french. Quebecers are charming but more laid back bordering on dirt baggy compared with parisiennes. I'd say more like spain or even portugal vis a vis france.

Wut?

Translation: Quebec is full of lazy country bumpkins. Not sophisticated like France.

Um, Montreal is a world class city. And I'd put Quebec City in the top 10 of North American vacation destinations.

To Parisiennes?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:French people love Quebec. Montreal is full of them. The majority of immigrants in Quebec are from France

No they are not. Check your facts.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read that the French spoken in Quebec is equivalent to what the English colonists spoke and that the language sounds more stagnant and old-fashioned to the French. Is this true? In any event, Quebec is beautiful and I was so envious and impressed how the Quebecois switched effortless between English and French.

The English colonists spoke English not French...

What?? You're kidding. The English colonists spoke English?? I had no idea.

No. What I meant is that French language stagnated similarly to what it would sound like if we spoke colonial English today, hence the word "equivalent" and not "is" or "was." In other words, Canadian French sounds like Ye Olde French to the French today.

That's silly. Why would the French language "stagnate" in Quebec, any more than any other language? Every living language changes over time.

Quebec *literally* has language laws that prevent modern language usage. For instance, in certain places, you're only allowed to use the formal "fin du semaine" instead of the modern "le weekend" used in france. So yeah, they have spent 100 years rebelling (informally and formally) against evolution of language in quebec.

It is called Bill 101. You get fined for using another language on your signs, esp if it is equal or bigger than the font size of the French translation. My dad worked as a doctor at a health clinic and was fine $10,000 for having a sign for seniors in both French and English with the same font size.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read that the French spoken in Quebec is equivalent to what the English colonists spoke and that the language sounds more stagnant and old-fashioned to the French. Is this true? In any event, Quebec is beautiful and I was so envious and impressed how the Quebecois switched effortless between English and French.

The English colonists spoke English not French...

What?? You're kidding. The English colonists spoke English?? I had no idea.

No. What I meant is that French language stagnated similarly to what it would sound like if we spoke colonial English today, hence the word "equivalent" and not "is" or "was." In other words, Canadian French sounds like Ye Olde French to the French today.

That's silly. Why would the French language "stagnate" in Quebec, any more than any other language? Every living language changes over time.

I don’t know if that’s true. That’s why I’m asking. Maybe stagnate wasn’t the right word.

From my Lonely Planet guide:

“Quebec settlers were relatively cut off from France once they arrived in the New World, so the French you hear today in the province, known colloquially as Quebecois, developed more or less independently from what was going on in France. The result is a rich local vocabulary, with its own idioms and sayings, and words used in every day speech that haven’t been spoken in France since the 1800s.”

To be “pure laine” (ie Québécois) means that you can trace your ancestry to the original French settlers. However, Quebec culture has been influenced by relations with Indigenous peoples (ie the fur trade) and Irish settlers who found commonality with the French because of Catholicism.


Right. So, modern Quebecois developed from the language spoken by the Quebec settlers, and modern French developed from the language spoken by the people who stayed in France. Just like modern American English developed from the language spoken by the English settlers, and modern English English developed from the language spoken by the people who stayed in England. American English also uses idioms and words that people in England no longer use (for example, "I had gotten lost" vs. "I had got lost)" but you wouldn't say that we're all running around speaking 1620s English.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read that the French spoken in Quebec is equivalent to what the English colonists spoke and that the language sounds more stagnant and old-fashioned to the French. Is this true? In any event, Quebec is beautiful and I was so envious and impressed how the Quebecois switched effortless between English and French.

The English colonists spoke English not French...

What?? You're kidding. The English colonists spoke English?? I had no idea.

No. What I meant is that French language stagnated similarly to what it would sound like if we spoke colonial English today, hence the word "equivalent" and not "is" or "was." In other words, Canadian French sounds like Ye Olde French to the French today.

That's silly. Why would the French language "stagnate" in Quebec, any more than any other language? Every living language changes over time.

I don’t know if that’s true. That’s why I’m asking. Maybe stagnate wasn’t the right word.

From my Lonely Planet guide:

“Quebec settlers were relatively cut off from France once they arrived in the New World, so the French you hear today in the province, known colloquially as Quebecois, developed more or less independently from what was going on in France. The result is a rich local vocabulary, with its own idioms and sayings, and words used in every day speech that haven’t been spoken in France since the 1800s.”

To be “pure laine” (ie Québécois) means that you can trace your ancestry to the original French settlers. However, Quebec culture has been influenced by relations with Indigenous peoples (ie the fur trade) and Irish settlers who found commonality with the French because of Catholicism.


Right. So, modern Quebecois developed from the language spoken by the Quebec settlers, and modern French developed from the language spoken by the people who stayed in France. Just like modern American English developed from the language spoken by the English settlers, and modern English English developed from the language spoken by the people who stayed in England. American English also uses idioms and words that people in England no longer use (for example, "I had gotten lost" vs. "I had got lost)" but you wouldn't say that we're all running around speaking 1620s English.

To be “pure laine” (ie Québécois) means that you can trace your ancestry to the original French settlers. However, Quebec culture has been influenced by relations with Indigenous peoples (ie the fur trade) and Irish settlers who found commonality with the French because of Catholicism.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I read that the French spoken in Quebec is equivalent to what the English colonists spoke and that the language sounds more stagnant and old-fashioned to the French. Is this true? In any event, Quebec is beautiful and I was so envious and impressed how the Quebecois switched effortless between English and French.

The English colonists spoke English not French...

What?? You're kidding. The English colonists spoke English?? I had no idea.

No. What I meant is that French language stagnated similarly to what it would sound like if we spoke colonial English today, hence the word "equivalent" and not "is" or "was." In other words, Canadian French sounds like Ye Olde French to the French today.

It is closer to 17th century French than French from France but as much as you think.