Earth to anglos: This is Quebec. Bus drivers speak French

[vivreenrégion]

La différence, le français définit la culture, mais l'anglais beaucoup moins. L'anglais a perdu son côté anglo-saxon pour celui d'une langue de communication. Les anglo-saxons s'en vont vers une minorité au Canada. Ils font quoi pour la préserver ?

[IluvMTL]

I'm simply stating a fact, and that is that the need for french from non-quebecker is not as essential as the need for english in Quebec. This is just math speaking.

 

I'm not sure what this statement has to do with Quebekers deciding that French is a priority here, but I would like to say this:

 

 

With all repect, mark_ac, when I read some of your posts, you seem to present opinions or beliefs as facts, and a true fact is pretty much absolute and indisputable (like a mathematical equation). You also seem to interpret statistics or opinions of others as facts. A lot of people do this, but to have a solid discussion we shoudn't confuse the two.

 

One way to check ''facts'' is to verify the sources and the authors, especially their professional credentionals. That being said, in many cases, you're pretty assured that you'll find someone just as reliable ''proving'' the opposite. So a lot of the time we're really just expressing our opinions, or agreeing with the opinions of others (even so-called experts)...so it's pretty unfair to say they are facts.

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fact

 

fact

 

<input type="button" class="au" title="Listen to the pronunciation of fact" style="background-image: url(<a href=" http:="" www.merriam-webster.com="" styles="" default="" images="" reference="" audio-pron-hw.gif);"="" target="_blank">http://www.merriam-webster.com/styles/default/images/reference/audio-pron-hw.gif); border: 0px; cursor: pointer; height: 17px; margin: 0px 10px 4px 4px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 18px; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;">noun\ˈfakt\

: something that truly exists or happens : something that has actual existence

: a true piece of information

 

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/opinion

 

opin·ion

 

<input type="button" class="au" title="Listen to the pronunciation of opinion" style="background-image: url(<a href=" http:="" www.merriam-webster.com="" styles="" default="" images="" reference="" audio-pron-hw.gif);"="" target="_blank">http://www.merriam-webster.com/styles/default/images/reference/audio-pron-hw.gif); border: 0px; cursor: pointer; height: 17px; margin: 0px 10px 4px 4px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; width: 18px; background-position: 0% 0%; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat;"> noun \ə-ˈpin-yən\

: a belief, judgment, or way of thinking about something : what someone thinks about a particular thing

: advice from someone with special knowledge : advice from an expert

: a formal statement by a judge, court, etc., explaining the reasons a decision was made according to laws or rules

 

Modifié 9 janvier 2014 par IluvMTL

[IluvMTL]

I never see this sense of insecurity in France, Germany or Italy and i've travelled extensively through these countries.

 

What you refer to as 'insecurity' here and not in Europe....Don't you think it may have something to do with the automony of these countries (Quebec is not sovereign), the variety and number of countries and languages there and most importantly not having a huge English-speaking superpower living next door?

[IluvMTL]

3 questions

 

1.) what is official language of business and globalization? The default language when two non-english entities meet

 

2.) How widespoken is english, spanish or mandarin vs. french.

 

3.) How many people speak English, Spanish and French in North America

 

 

You will find the answers to these questions lead me to the conclusion i've presented.

 

Let me re-iterate. I speak French, I will continue to push for my future family to live and prosper in French and English, and will ensure that their kids also do the same. The mere point i'm presenting is that there's an imbalance and this causes tension. While I understand it, the truth remains that Quebec needs to be open to the world and shouldn't push repressive laws against english. I like Francois Legault's approach that there we need to incente people to speak French and convince business to be more pro-Francophone.

 

 

One question

 

What does this have to do with the subject of this thread, which is basically that it is normal to expect to be spoken to in French in Québec?

[IluvMTL]

Although many people believe in the supremacy of Engish (or American, as some US citizens call it), in a free and democratic society, no one is obliged to learn a second language, whatever the economic or other advantages there may be. You may not agree, but you have to respect that.

Modifié 9 janvier 2014 par IluvMTL

[BiloMtl]

I can't wait for this province to start public executions of people who do not speak the same language (i.e French) or do not conform to the "values charter". I know it is extreme, but it is a small possibility for that to happen.

 

Were you high on something when you wrote that?

[jesseps]

Okaaaay... speechless.

 

I am using extreme cases, how an open society can go from "peace loving people" to "psychotic/tyrannical"; North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan and Germany (pre-WII and post-WII) were all open and free. But certain individual(s) took away their freedoms and look where most of those countries are right now. Most are on the edge of decay and one manages to survive even with all the sanctions.

 

If it can happen there, it can happen here. I bet people that lived in those countries didn't expect it to get that bad. Things always start off small. Lets see were it goes.

 

 

Were you high on something when you wrote that?

 

Nope. When politicians start writing on the wall, who knows what will happen. When a government starts stepping on your basic freedoms, you know there is a problem. Who knows you might have a certain group of individuals come back and blow up mailboxes and even kill people because they dislike who they are.

Modifié 9 janvier 2014 par jesseps

[ToxiK]

3 questions

 

1.) what is official language of business and globalization? The default language when two non-english entities meet

 

The real official language of business and globalization is the language of your customers. If your competitor has the same product to sell at the same price and manages to do it in the language of the Customer while you are selling it in English, your competitor has a significant advantage over you.

[ToxiK]

We will see if English is still that common language when China becomes more powerful and influential. The key (as you mention, I think) is to know as many languages as possible (despite what the Anglosphere wants us to believe).

[plb]

La question de l'anglais comme langue d'échanges internationaux est une chose. Mais quel est le rapport avec le droit de recevoir un service public en anglais au Québec? La question est de savoir quels sont les services publics qui doivent être offerts en anglais dans la province? Si on suit la même logique que partout au Canada, les services fédéraux doivent être offerts dans les deux langues, mais aucune base juridique n'impose que l'anglais soit offert dans les transport municipaux. Pourtant, la plupart des agents municipaux font l'effort de parler anglais par courtoisie, même si rien de les oblige.

 

Mais si on monte en épingle dans les médias anglos l'histoire d'un agent qui a décidé de faire du zèle et qu'on en parle dans les médias anglais pendant des semaines comme si on vivait sous l'Allemagne nazie, c'est normal qu'un Américain se dise "wait a minute: are you getting nuts, guys? Where do you think you live?"