The Daily Chit-Chat

[Jordan]

Eh. People in Quebec should quit being so darn paranoid. Their culture won't be diluted, and they can pass laws that apply only in the province. If Canada just lets Quebec have the laws they insist on, it won't harm a fly. :3 (it's not like they're going to be better off as an independent country anyway)

As a Vietnamese, I have to say that in terms of preserving culture and language, having your own country definitely helps. XD

 

[Melody]

I still disagree. The 'Dilution' can stop if Canada simply allows no lawsuits for not offering english service so to speak and if they allow Qubec to make it's own laws to preserve it's culture. That shouldn't be too hard really. If Quebec became it's own country, there would be many problems. If Quebec people are too stubborn to accept change then as a country it will stagnate anyway.

 

[Feign]

Quebec City it is, and also in a remote town not to far from the US border. I love Quebec city though. And I know enough French to get by.

 

[Yusshin]

It's Canada that doesn't want to change; Quebec wants to protect its heritage, and Canada wants to infringe on that by favouring the rights of anglophones.

Canada should stop being a bish, I say :P Quebec's done nothing wrong but revolt against discrimination towards THEM, not towards anglophones lol

Since Quebec learns French and English til they're 17, every province in Canada should do the same. It's only reasonable. When a major event occurs, it should be 100% French and English - not 20-80, French-English.

The Quebecois would be so happy just by those minor changes, that the Bloc Quebecois would disappear o_o

 

[Feign]

With the English Provinces, French is taught up to grade 6 (mandatory) and then on it is optional.

 

[Melody]

Both Canada and Qubec itself need to give a little and meet in the middle. I certainly agree that Canada shouldn't drop French as a supported 'official' language, but neither should they make everyone learn more than basic French.

 

[.little monster]

Both Canada and Qubec itself need to give a little and meet in the middle. I certainly agree that Canada shouldn't drop French as a supported 'official' language, but neither should they make everyone learn more than basic French.

I think it's more than reasonable for a government to make an official language mandatory in schools, all schools, beyond year 6.

 

[Melody]

I somewhat agree, but I also feel that it's also crucial for people to be able to choose another language in their school years. People learn languages far easier when they're younger. If someone wants to learn a different language than the ones required, they should be able to start the third language as early as possible because when you get older, learning a language can be difficult because adults don't like to 'grow up' again while learning another language. xD

 

[Alakazam17]

With the English Provinces, French is taught up to grade 6 (mandatory) and then on it is optional.

I had to learn it up until grade 9. O_o

Language aside, the main thing that strikes me about Canada VS Quebec is that in the rest of Canada, diversity is more welcomed. Whereas in Quebec, their French identity seems to take preference.

I read in the paper the other day that a woman was kicked out of a language class in Quebec because she was wearing a niqab. :/

Story here

 

[.little monster]

I somewhat agree, but I also feel that it's also crucial for people to be able to choose another language in their school years. People learn languages far easier when they're younger. If someone wants to learn a different language than the ones required, they should be able to start the third language as early as possible because when you get older, learning a language can be difficult because adults don't like to 'grow up' again while learning another language. xD

People have the ability to know more than two languages. There are politicians who speak more than 10 languages fluently.

You can offer other languages as people are studying French. Next year I am taking French 1 and Afrikaans 1, there is a teacher from Cape Town who speaks fluent Afrikaans and is offering to teach it.

Not to mention that is along with the required English course in year 12 and I have already taken 3 years of Spanish.

 

[Yusshin]

It's mandatory to learn English in Quebec; if you don't pass all years of English, up until Grade 12 (Secondary 5, there), you don't get your diploma.

Why shouldn't it be the same for French? It's not like it's Spanish we're asking for; we're asking for the same in return of the rest of Canada. We learn the other official language that isn't our mother tongue; the rest of Canada should learn French as a mandatory subject until Grade 12.

In Ontario, it's mandatory until Grade 9, but you can easily be pulled out of it if your parents complain. It's ridiculous; you complain in Quebec, and they don't care. "You pass that English test, nubcakes! Or no college for you!" That's what they say, and I completely understand.

What I don't understand is how the rest of Canada, the anglophones, are so self-centered. French isn't that hard to learn; you might need to study a bit, but you know, learning other languages actually IMPROVES you're birth tongue. If you only know one language, do you know how stupid you'll feel trying to travel to other countries? If you don't feel stupid / shamed, then you're one of those people who try to force English down the throats of everyone wherever you go.

And that's just wrong.

[Edit]

Actual, Quebec has the one of the top five most diverse cities in the world - Montreal. All sorts of languages, ethnicities, and groups float around that city. It's so harmonous. Barely any crime.

Schools in Canada generally offer Spanish, French, and German. Some even offer Italian and Latin.

So while you're learning French, who is VERY similar to Spanish and Italian, you can learn another one easily. They're too similar.

 

[Cherrim]

With the English Provinces, French is taught up to grade 6 (mandatory) and then on it is optional.

It's mandatory until grade 9 in Ontario. o.o

It's Canada that doesn't want to change; Quebec wants to protect its heritage, and Canada wants to infringe on that by favouring the rights of anglophones.

Canada should stop being a bish, I say :P Quebec's done nothing wrong but revolt against discrimination towards THEM, not towards anglophones lol

Since Quebec learns French and English til they're 17, every province in Canada should do the same. It's only reasonable. When a major event occurs, it should be 100% French and English - not 20-80, French-English.

The Quebecois would be so happy just by those minor changes, that the Bloc Quebecois would disappear o_o

I firmly believe the Quebecois would just find something else to complain about. >_> If they hate that English is mandatory for them, they should petition their provincial government to change it. I do agree that it'd probably be better if more Anglophones learnt a higher level of French, but I think you can legally drop out of school in Ontario before age 17 so lmao, I think grade 9 is an acceptable cutoff. :(

Don't get me wrong--I adore the French language (or, well, Parisian French... I HAAAAAAATE Quebecois French xD)--but I don't think things should be 100% French/English. :| If it takes place in Ottawa, yes it should be because that city's our capital and practically sits on the border of ON/QC. In the case of anything else, it should pretty much be in the language the province speaks. We already make a lot of concessions to the French. I realize they're a minority and French is still an official language but I still think they complain too much over nothing.

edit: I also want to add that, honestly, I think a lot of anglophones are stupid. My high school barely even HAD a grade 12 French class--I think they might've merged it with the grade 11 French class because of lack of people continuing to that level. (My memory is fuzzy on this though. xD) Sooo many people just abhor French in high school. :( It might have something to do with the fact that Ontario's school system is honestly the worst one I've ever had the misfortune of being in but... people just don't get French. They don't WANT to get French. Making it mandatory for all years of school would just ruin averages even more than it already is, so I see little incentive for ON to change their curriculum requirements. In addition, although I hate to say it, in any province but Quebec, you can get along just fine for your entire life if you don't know French. The only detriment is that you can't read both sides of your cereal box. You want to move to another province? Sure thing! So long as it's not Quebec, you'll have absolutely no problems getting used to it and no language barriers. :( So there's also no incentive for students to continue on their own unless they actually like learning languages.

 

[Yusshin]

It's mandatory until grade 9 in Ontario. o.o

I firmly believe the Quebecois would just find something else to complain about. >_> If they hate that English is mandatory for them, they should petition their provincial government to change it. I do agree that it'd probably be better if more Anglophones learnt a higher level of French, but I think you can legally drop out of school in Ontario before age 17 so lmao, I think grade 9 is an acceptable cutoff. :(

Don't get me wrong--I adore the French language (or, well, Parisian French... I HAAAAAAATE Quebecois French xD)--but I don't think things should be 100% French/English. :| If it takes place in Ottawa, yes it should be because that city's our capital and practically sits on the border of ON/QC. In the case of anything else, it should pretty much be in the language the province speaks. We already make a lot of concessions to the French. I realize they're a minority and French is still an official language but I still think they complain too much over nothing.

They don't hate that English is mandatory for them; they enjoy that, but they hate that French isn't mandatory for the rest of Canada.

Quebecois farmers talk like crap, but the French you learn in school and in Quebec is International French. It's different from Quebecois and France French - it's a French understood by all with relatively no flagrant accent.

They don't complain too much for nothing, when anglophones come in and bish at them constantly about not serving them in English, when we don't get served in French. There's no fairness in it. We have to serve them in English, but even in QUEBEC, the anglophones don't serve us in French!

All Quebec wants is language preservation, and all that demands is that Canadians go through what they do - learn the other language, in this case, French, until high school graduation.

It's really not that hard; people are just too narrow-minded to accept it.

As for your edit, the charter states you can move to any province you like through Mobility Rights; however, when anglophoes decide "Hey, let's move to Quebec!", most don't know French, don't want to, and try to force English on the people who live there.

Would you go to Morocco and try that? They speak French and Arabic there; no one speaks English, really. Do you know how disrespectful it is to go to another province, state, or country, and demand service in English when you should be speaking THEIR language, or at least TRYING? That's what pisses us off. JUST TRY LOL It's not that hard! It's the mentality:

"You can get along fine in life just knowing English."

It's not true. That mentality = I can get along fine, but hey, if there's someone who speaks another language, I'm'a force them to speak MINE because MINE is spoken more.

You need to learn other languages; you're ignorant if you don't. You might as well start with the languages of your country.

 

[Melody]

True, but if you have to offer two languages, you either have to extend the school day to cover it and the third "elective" language or other elective classes. (provided you get electives that early) or not offer elective languages at all, which is hardly fair to people who want to learn other languages.

I do feel the pain of being forced to learn a language you don't want to learn, I had to take spanish classes because they did not offer any languages I wanted to learn, and I hated it with a capital H.
(Mainly there was a requirement for some classes in another language). I do happen to agree, not everyone in the world should have to do more than master basic english, the english speakers equally should study the language of the country they're going to and master the basics of it.

 

[.little monster]

True, but if you have to offer two languages, you either have to extend the school day to cover it and the third "elective" language or other elective classes. (provided you get electives that early) or not offer elective languages at all, which is hardly fair to people who want to learn other languages.

I do feel the pain of being forced to learn a language you don't want to learn, I had to take spanish classes because they did not offer any languages I wanted to learn, and I hated it with a capital H.
(Mainly there was a requirement for some classes in another language). I do happen to agree, not everyone in the world should have to do more than master basic english, the english speakers equally should study the language of the country they're going to and master the basics of it.

You don't have to extend it at all. At least mine wouldn't.

Lets see:

We have 8 periods. 5 of which are taken by mandatory classes. English for all four years. Math, Science, and History, all for three years. That means for your last year of my school, you have 4 periods not taken by mandatory classes, one of which is lunch by the way.

So, you have three periods to fill with stuff you take because you want to. In my case this year, it is Gym/Art (each a semester), Spanish 3, and AP European History (I am taking two history classes, since that is an elective. Which means I will have an extra credit of history.) Next year, I will have 3 still because I am taking a Math and Science and History class still. So it will be, French, Afrikaans, and AP US History.

Most schools across the US do something like that, unless they have a block schedule.

Does that make sense? I have a feeling I worded it strangely.

Is it weird that I have better Spanish grammar than English grammar? :/

But we are talking about Canada~ Come Canadians~

 

[Yusshin]

This is the basic Ontario curriculum, which is for all of Canada:

Grade 9: 6 compulseries, including French already, 2 electives
Grade 10: 5 compulseries, no French, 3 electives
Grade 11: 2 compulseries, no French, 6 electives
Grade 12: 1 compulsery, no French, 7 electives

That would mean, adding French throughout highschool, your Grade 10 would become 2 Electives, Grade 11 would become 5, and Grade 12 would become 6.

I don't see a problem.

 

[pokejungle]

I had to learn it up until grade 9. O_o

Language aside, the main thing that strikes me about Canada VS Quebec is that in the rest of Canada, diversity is more welcomed. Whereas in Quebec, their French identity seems to take preference.

I read in the paper the other day that a woman was kicked out of a language class in Quebec because she was wearing a niqab. :/

Story here

I fully agree with both the teacher and the Immigration Prime Minister. No doubt, had I been in that class, I'd have made a complaint to the professor. It is anti-social behavior that obviously caused problems. Religion that will not bend is ridiculous.

NOT TO MENTION... Just like France, I also agree that full coverage of a woman should not be allowed because it promotes the draconian ideologies of female inferiority and subordination.

 

[parallelzero]

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

 

[Melody]

Ah ok. So perhaps Canadian schools wouldn't need to adapt so much if that's the common arrangement in all schools over there. I agree, block scheduling is evil. >O

Still, I don't belive that the Quebec people have the right to demand the rest of Canada be forced to teach French all throughout school, especially if they're not going to be in Quebec or anywhere close where they can actually use the French.

 

[Yusshin]

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

The original version (the original version of the song was French lolol):

O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux.
Car ton bras sait porter l'épée,
Il sait porter la croix.
Ton histoire est une épopée,
Des plus brillants exploits.
Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.
Protégera nos foyers et nos droits.

and Pachy, it's not about utility. It WILL be useful, but the main reason is respect. We're 1/3 of the country's population and if we learn English, you learn French. It's not like we're a mere one million. We're 10-12 million Canadians in Canada, maybe even more, who speak French across Canada.

Learning French will be beneficial later, too. In the same logic, we can demand never to learn English, but that would just cause a civil war.