Some people have PMed me asking about learning French. Here is the best way, in my opinion:
http://www.cmec.ca/olp/html/english/SLBP/SLBP_E_master.htm
It is a five week language course in Trois Pistoles in which you live with a French speaking family in rural Quebec. Sounds like hell? It is! But you learn French very very fast. The course you take during the day is taught by French professors and the credits count toward the degree you are taking. I went twice, both times for free; it was paid for by the federal gov't. The results are amazing: after 100 years of high school french i couldn't speak a word; but in just 5 weeks in Trois Pistoles i could speak fluent french !
There are other possibilities. You can study at a community college or even at a night school. However, in my opinion, you will learn French as well as a Canadian (i.e. very little) this way.
The Quebec gov't offers courses to newcomers and will even pay you to learn French. However, if they suspect you already know English, sometimes they will refuse you on the grounds that it is not worthwhile for them to "invest" in you since you have "gone over" to the English side anyway... for them, it is a war between English and French and in their opinion, if you speak English, you are already "one of the enemy". Maybe you don't understand what I'm saying, but if you live in MTL, you will.
Be warned though that strictly speaking, they don't speak French in Quebec. I've noted some Desis saying that 3 months will be enough to learn French and so on, and the problem is that they don't speak French in Quebec but "Joual".
(definition here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joual)
("joual" comes from the Quebec pronunciation of the French word "cheval"
It is a complex situation. Some Quebecois openly admit that Quebecois French is different but some are offended if you suggest such a thing. However, I was privy to a funny and embarrassing situation in MTL once. There was a group of tourists speaking in very broken English. The Quebec sales clerks asked them where they were from. The tourists answered, "France". "Why don't you speak French then?", the stunned clerks asked in French. "If we could find someone who spoke French, we would", was their insulting answer.
You may write this off to French arrogance, but the truth is that if a Frenchman lands in Quebec, I promise you he won't understand anything for the first month or so until he gets used to the accent. It is almost a sort of "creole", or "pidgen" the way some people speak it. But the truth is that many people speak very standard French, esp. on TV, and the accent and certain idioms are the main problems.
So in conclusion, you have to learn French, then forget it and re-learn Quebec French. It is a long process... and takes more than just a few months.
Bonne chance a ceux et celles qui ont le courage de tenter le coup la !
P.S. here are some personal websites on Trois Pistoles http://www.peak.sfu.ca/the-peak/2004-1/issue5/fe-troisp.html ; http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/Lab/3153/
Chris,
The language divide is not as great as it used to be. Your posts(a cpl now) of the animosity(english vs french) may well have been true a decade ago. I have been in Montreal for 6 yrs and have not faced the animosity, by virtue of being an English speaker. Its only the politicians off a bygone era who still cling to those feelings. Infact major youth members of the Parti québécois(leading sovereignist party) AND pollsters have adviced that sovereignity(which arose from the need to preserve language and culture) is a non-issue for many. This is particularly true in Montreal...AND among my French Speaking Colleagues.
http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/national/2004/09/23/sovereignty_040923.html
http://www.3mousquetaires.org/media/3mousquetaires_rapport.pdf
I agree that the language course that Chris advices maybe the way to go if you are serious about learning French.
3 months to learn French is a pipe dream.
Nice tips, Chris!!
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I hope you're right, jake. it is true that my view may be coloured by the fact that i studied at the University of Montreal which is a hotbed of quebec nationalism; the professors openly espoused separation in class and frowned upon any other viewpoint. student activism was also centered on language issues and colonization of the french language, etc.
in the workforce, as you have experienced, it's not a major issue. many pragmatic french canadians agree that separation would be an economic disaster.
i love montreal and i hope, as you say, the tensions have eased off. however, with the Parti Quebecois seemingly eternally in power with an agenda of separating from canada and holding yet another referendum, can the tension really ever be gone forever?
Chris, You will be happy to know that since a year or so ago...the Quebec liberals under Jean Charest rule the roost. That itself is an indicator of the discontent with the older govt. Recently, It does look that Charest has been loosing some credibility but hopefully the PQ will not come into power again on a referundum platform.
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oops! i'm out of touch with current events, i guess! thanks for the info and kind words.
Location: Ottawa (Now in Bangalore)
Posted on: 09-12-04 20:03:52
Quote:
Orginally posted by Chris
after 100 years of high school french i couldn't speak a word; but in just 5 weeks in Trois Pistoles i could speak fluent french !
Hmmmm Chrish didnt know you were that old
Now btw.. are there any resources to learn french for free for Canadian citizens living abroad ?
Genderme vs Police (French vs Qubecois)
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not that i know of, ON. the best way is through the CCF (Centre de culture francaise) which exists in most countries. it is a language learning center and library sponsored by the French gov't. it offers classes at very affordable rates and its mission is to promote french culture in the world.
it is usually based in the capitals of non-francophone countries.
as far as i know, quebec does not maintain an equivalent institution abroad.
why do you ask, BTW?
