Quebecois, a language or an accent?

Once upon a time, the French colonized North America. Then, the British came along to take possession of the land. This historical event resulted in a dispersion of the french language. A new way of speaking french was created called quebecois. This "dialect" was so far behind in term of correct syntax of sentences, that it was no longer put in the categorization of the pure french language. As time passed, this way of speaking became a real sign of identity in Canada.

With its funny pronunciation, most would actually think that quebecois is a language. Well all of you are wrong. Quebecois is derived from french but took some anglicism from the english influences of the country. It is an accent, just like "Marseillais"(very strong french accent in Marseille). Expressions such as "tabarnak" or "calisse", which has the meaning of swears, have been words of the province, but this creation of new words is seen in every country. Every country has their own expressions that other people may not understand. The way Quebecois people's way of speaking reflect their identities and cultural background.

We all have our own accent. The fact that an accent is not understood does not mean that it is a separate language. Saying that is simply an easy way to categorize the world and creates false assumptions. Quebecois may sound weird to your ears, but you get use to it at the end. It may even be possible that you develop a similar way of speaking if you find yourself around a lot of citizen of Quebec.


Océane Lefebvre