Posted on: 10-12-04 15:04:14
If I may add my 2 cents
I lived in Montreal for a year and became Bilingual. I speak and use french everyday now.
That was 7 years ago.
Montreal even though was a mainly French place even in those days, there was still a smattering of anglophones.
One could function in montreal without any french at all BUT always felt like an illeterate. There was no way one could miss the idiocy and animosity towards those who could not speak french
Now however the problem has increased several times. The anglophones are mostly gone and there is almost complete dominance of french in official circles at least.
There is no prospect of finding a decent job especially for a non french speaking immigrant. There are no more than 10000 desis left in that place, most of whom are there just to get "papers" and belong to the hoi poloi of desi society.
In my opinion the divide has yawned much wider now although the damand for separation has dwindled. The two are not neccessarily inter dependent.
Quote:
Orginally posted by Gapodi
There is no prospect of finding a decent job especially for a non french speaking immigrant. There are no more than 10000 desis left in that place, most of whom are there just to get "papers" and belong to the hoi poloi of desi society.
Gapodi ka khopdi phir gaya kya?
I am sorry, that is utter misleading crap!. From my own experience and by that of a circle of almost 30-50 desis here...that is not true at all and is a sweeping and foolish generalisation. Unless the Hoi Poloi that you talk about thrive in respected institutions and businesses like Bombardier, Rolls-royce,Concordia, McGill apart from smaller but reputed firms and the good IT firms here. Only one desi, that I know, works in a lower end job and thats more out of choice than anything else. Even in that case the partner is making 60+k.
No idiocy or animosity if you dont know French either...but then you always get back what you put out.
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My Khopdi was certainly fir gya tha that I decided to check it out in Montreal
It was a disaster.
When I came to Ontario, I had the job within first hour of landing. So Jake Bro, sorry, you are entitled to your opinion just as I am to mine
an amusing incident that comes ot my mind is of a poor newspaper seller, an immigrant bien sur, who was sued by the lady after buying a newspaper off him one morning. Why? Because he did not speak any french at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!
more jokes for the week end can be read at
http://www.cbc.ca/news/indepth/language/
or the following where a business was targetted because he dared to use a single word "take out" in English the signs in front of the shop
http://members.tripod.com/~angloquebecer/gaz0004.html
bon fin the semaine
Quote:
Orginally posted by Gapodi
When I came to Ontario, I had the job within first hour of landing. So Jake Bro, sorry, you are entitled to your opinion just as I am to mine
thats true...no arguments.
I was in TO for 2 yrs but not much luck with my career. My Mtl employer brought me here from TO(been here for 6+yrs) and thriving...i guess we(opinions included) are all a product of our experiences.
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Quote:
Orginally posted by Gapodi
bon fin the semaine
bon fin de semaine!
BTW: those things still do happen here...though increasingly rare...but your articles are a bit outdated. Chodo bhi na yaar
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It's possible that you're both right, jake and gapoldi; your experience of MTL depends on where you live.
if you live in outremont or lasalle, your view of the importance of french will obviously be different. remember the fable of the 10 blind men who were asked to describe an elephant: one felt the trunk and said it was a snake; the other touched the side and said it was a wall, etc.
Montreal is much like this. i lived downtown, in cote des neiges, Durocher and Jean Mance and the linguistic situation was completely different in each place.
I once went with a friend to a suburb in West MTL to get a book from the library. my friend had lived in quebec all her life and was in her own city. she asked the librarian in french where she could get such and such a book. the librarian looked at her like she was from Mars. people in the library, all anglos obviously, were openly snickling and enjoying her discomfort. no one made any attempt to speak french or help her. it was very embarrassing for me to see her being treated so rudely simply because she couldn't speak english.
in fact, much of the 70s separation movement was caused, IMO, not by friction between English and French Canada, but by this core of Westmount Anglos who refuse to even acknowledge the French fact of quebec. (and these are the ones who have migrated away, as you say, Gapoldi)
but you're right, i think, jake. these frictions have died down quite a bit. the time in the 70s when a french canadian being told, "Speak white!" if he tried to get service in french is long past... though some still remember it...
