Regarde ça! As-tu déjà vu ça? Tu me crois-tu? Speak Québec! is a fun and practical handbook designed to help both native English and French speakers understand and speak Québécois, the common tongue in Québec. Comprising over three thousand commonly used words and expressions, Speak Québec! provides a dynamic and accurate reference for daily Québec conversation, including clear examples of common sayings heard around the Province. It also includes a complete history of the language, and a guide to differences in pronunciation and grammar from International French. Designed for quick reference and practical usage, Speak Québec! is a terrific way to understand and appreciate one of the oldest, richest, and most inspired cultures in North America.
Speak Québec!
A Guide to Day-to-Day Quebec French
By Daniel KrausiUniverse
Copyright © 2016 Daniel Kraus
All rights reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-5320-0250-2Contents
Thanks, vii,
Preface, xi,
Introduction, xiii,
A Brief Linguistic History, 1,
General Pronunciation Tendencies, 7,
Slurs, 9,
Affricates, 10,
Diphthongs, 10,
Clipped Endings, 11,
Verbs & Conjugating, 11,
Structural Differences, 12,
Word-Level Changes, 14,
Sayings & Slurs, 16,
Swears and Insults, 18,
The Nouns, 18,
The Adjectives, 20,
The Verbs, 21,
Dictionary, 22,
A, 24,
B, 40,
C, 56,
D, 75,
E, 84,
F, 93,
G, 103,
H, 109,
I, 111,
J, 113,
K, 115,
L, 116,
M, 120,
N, 128,
O, 130,
P, 133,
Q, 149,
R, 151,
S, 156,
T, 165,
U,V, 174,
W, 177,
X,Y, 178,
Z, 179,
Conclusions, 181,
References, 183,
Online Sources, 185,
CHAPTER 1
A Brief Linguistic History
New France (?-1763)
The evolution of the Québécois language actually began in prehistory, long before the arrival of the first Europeans. The Inuit, Native Americans who had migrated thousands of years earlier across the frozen expanse of the Bering Strait, developed – unbeknownst to them – many words that survive in daily Québec parlance to this day. The First Nations – such as the Micmac, the Cree, and the Outaouais also had a hand in developing the modern Québec tongue, as their cultures grew and thrived and as they developed words for the unique world around them.
The arrival of the first French explorer (Jacques Cartier, in 1534) brought French traditions, language, and culture of the period to Quebec. Although Cartier made three separate trips to North America — travelling up the St. Lawrence River as far south as Montreal – it was only half a century later, with the founding of Quebec City in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, that France had a true foothold in the New World. The quickly blossoming fur trade in Quebec brought a rising tide of explorers to the province. With the founding ofVille Marie (modern-day Montreal) in 1642, French presence in the colonies increased quickly, and the development of the province of Quebec was afoot.
Although the language used in Quebec during this period largely reflected the accent of Paris (whence most of the earliest French settlers came), certain regional groups also brought their particular dialects – Normand, Basque, Flemish, etc. Many of the unique accents and linguistic tendencies identified in Quebec today date straight back to this period, and the reign of Louis XIV As would be expected, however, these new settlers lacked words for many of the things they encountered. The fauna, flora, and native culture about them had no equivalents even in rural France, and so these early pioneers began to use the native terms for things particular to their new world. These settlers adopted Native American words for modes of transport and items (toboggans, moccasins, etc.) they had never before encountered. The same held true for names of new animals (wapiti, caribou, achigan, ouananiche), which were simply phonetic transcriptions of the Native American names. The name ouaouaron (giant frog) in fact, derives directly from the Native American onomatopoeia for the deep bellowing sound the creature makes. A good number of city names in Quebec were derived from the Native American names for places – towns such as Chicoutimi, Tadoussac, Natashquan, and others. Many other modern Québec terms also evolved from these early days, drawn from agriculture, fishing, and winter survival.
British Control (1763–1840)
By the mid 18 century, the gradual arrival of British interests in the New World – most notably the 13 colonies bordering New France — began to significantly influence the original French settlers. The inevitable clashes between the two sides reflected the almost continuous state of war between their mother countries. The British and French approaches to colonization were notably different, however. Whereas the British remained in an essentially urban lifestyle, the French became familiar with the Native Americans, signed treaties with the tribes, and learned their languages. The significant linguistic overlaps with both English and the native tongues increased, and entirely new French words began to appear.
In September of 1759, the armies of British Major General James Wolfe and French General Louis Joseph de Montcalm clashed on the Plains of Abraham, just south of Quebec City. The British victory in this battle, and the fall of Quebec City to English forces, forever changed the future of New France. The other major French towns, such as Montreal, surrendered soon after. This victory prompted the departure of many of the wealthy French and French academics; those who did not return to France were on the whole tradesmen, craftsmen, and farmers, who had already put down familial roots in the New World.
Under the Treaty of Paris of1763, the King of France surrendered the full rights to the territory of Canada to the British monarchy. This transfer of power opened the doors to a flood of new English-speaking European colonists, who brought with them new ideas, words, and dialects. Many new terms that developed during this period were based on the perception and integration of these new immigrants, including words such as enfirouape (meaning "wrapped in fur"), a pejorative colloquialism for the wealthy English arriving in Quebec City in the post-war years.
Whereas Quebec's earliest commerce had been based on fur trading, the evolving social economy of Quebecers began to centre increasingly around agriculture. The years that followed the Treaty of Paris were marked by the establishment of the seigneurial system; some two hundred separate fiefs of land along the St. Lawrence River were owned by wealthy landowners, with the the land worked principally by farmers and tradesmen. These so-called habitants (those who lived and worked on the land) evolved the Québec tongue even further. The harsh winters, and the almost complete dependency on the St. Lawrence River, brought a spirit of strong independence – un sens débrouillard – to the culture and helped evolve a sense of savoir-faire that is noticeable in Quebec even today.
As the seigneural system continued to thrive, so did the deep roots of the Catholic theocracy that dominated much of Quebec, and its politics, for the century that followed. This religious influence markedly affected the language and brought many religious terms and words into common use.
The Birth of Canada (1840–Present)
As the Industrial Revolution sparked the rise of manufacturing, the process of Quebec urbanization accelerated, and the previously rural francophones began to increasingly answer the call of opportunity close to ports and commerce. By the late 19 century, Montreal had become Canada's premiere industrial centre, welcoming waves of European immigrants fleeing war in their homelands. Unfortunately, this quick urbanization caused tension between the British and French cultures. English – the traditional language of commerce – was being challenged for the first time as the province's language for business.
The middle of the twentieth century marked...
