Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
In most of the US I would agree with you. Most states have pockets of Spanish speakers mixed in among the majority English speakers. However I do think you underestimate how much the American southwest is Hispanic in language and culture. There are places in Texas and New Mexico where Spanish is very much dominant. Does it rise to the level of the Frenchness of Quebec? I don’t know as Quebec is one place I have never been. My experience with Canada is mostly with Ontario.
.
I am familiar with all regions of the US.
While not identical, Quebec is more similar to the the level of where France is linguistically when it comes to French.
Cops talk on the radio in French and write out their reports in French.
Public schools K-12 and colleges and universities with French as the teaching language for all subjects.
Plans for buildings, highways, bridges, etc. are drawn up in French.
City council and public meetings are in French as is all official documentation.
The little printout you get with your order at McDonald's is in French.
The little stickers on the shelves under products in grocery and big box stores are in French.
Christopher Skeete, representing the Montreal suburb of Laval, speaking in Quebec's national assembly (equivalent to a state legislature). This isn't just a cutesy "let's speak French day". It's everyday business as usual.
While not identical, Quebec is more similar to the the level of where France is linguistically when it comes to French.
Cops talk on the radio in French and write out their reports in French.
Public schools K-12 and colleges and universities with French as the teaching language for all subjects.
Plans for buildings, highways, bridges, etc. are drawn up in French.
City council and public meetings are in French as is all official documentation.
The little printout you get with your order at McDonald's is in French.
The little stickers on the shelves under products in grocery and big box stores are in French.
And so on...
I certainly won’t dispute you since you live in Quebec and I have never even been there. (Actually I have always wanted to see it).
I can speak however on the US and it’s large Spanish minority. The big difference between the French in Canada and Hispanics in America is the fact that it is so geographically concentrated in one province in Canada. In the US it is spread out. Most Americans are used to hearing Spanish and many English speakers have learned at least some Spanish. While you won’t find whole state governments using it or even whole states dominant Spanish speaking in the southwest you will find whole regions of these states where it is dominant. The first time I saw a place like that it in south Texas I was stunned. Obviously I knew a lot of Spanish speakers lived there but to see the extent of it was surprising. I was equally stunned at the friendliness of the Hispanic population and surprised to see our flag displayed everywhere in an area that was not even English speaking. Of course not all these people are immigrants, the US has had a Spanish speaking component all the way back to when we won the southwest in the Mexican war in the 1840s.
I know the situation with French in Canada and Spanish in the US is not exactly the same but they are similar situations. They are handled very differently though as Canada has two official languages and the US has no declared official language. Canada manages the issue while the US takes a hands off approach. This may be because of different situations that exist in both countries. In the US there is little animosity between anglophone and Hispanic while in Canada I have always heard a fair amount of anger and resentment between anglophones and francophones exists. That would require the government to manage the situation. I had also thought that Quebec independence was a dying idea and that people in Quebec were more content with being part of Canada then they were 25 years ago at the time of the referendum. Is that not the case? Some of these things I read in these threads suggest Quebec independence is still a discussed option. Do a lot of people feel so strongly about this in Quebec that separation from Canada is what they want?
I certainly won’t dispute you since you live in Quebec and I have never even been there. (Actually I have always wanted to see it).
I can speak however on the US and it’s large Spanish minority. The big difference between the French in Canada and Hispanics in America is the fact that it is so geographically concentrated in one province in Canada. In the US it is spread out. Most Americans are used to hearing Spanish and many English speakers have learned at least some Spanish. While you won’t find whole state governments using it or even whole states dominant Spanish speaking in the southwest you will find whole regions of these states where it is dominant. The first time I saw a place like that it in south Texas I was stunned. Obviously I knew a lot of Spanish speakers lived there but to see the extent of it was surprising. I was equally stunned at the friendliness of the Hispanic population and surprised to see our flag displayed everywhere in an area that was not even English speaking. Of course not all these people are immigrants, the US has had a Spanish speaking component all the way back to when we won the southwest in the Mexican war in the 1840s.
Yes, I realize there is a difference in geographic distribution and such, but a few things about Canada.
About 15% of Canada's French speakers live outside Quebec. I used to be one of them. Most have roots in their provinces going back generations or even centuries. My family has been in Canada's Atlantic provinces for about 400 years. Some are people who have moved from Quebec or recent descendants of them, but many are not.
French speakers actually used to be more present in almost all of Canada (with the exception of British Columbia) but over a century or more they were suppressed and subjected to various degrees of forced assimilation similar to what was done to Cajuns in Louisiana in fact.
So the numbers would actually be higher if that had not taken place.
Also, pretty much anywhere in Canada no matter where you are you are exposed to French to some degree, and Anglo-Canadians who say they never see or hear French in their lives at all are perhaps being a tad disingeneous in order to serve their political or other views.
Every single consumer product in your household has English and French on it in Canada.
There are French language public schools (by this I mean that French is the main teaching languages for all subjects - except English language arts) from coast to coast including on the west coast which is a few 1000 km from where I sit.
Basically all anglo kids take at least some French as a second language in Canada no matter where they are.
There are French language media outlets from coast to coast as well.
Quebec is also the second biggest province in population and has the second-biggest city within it, and it's in the central-eastern part of the country in the middle of the most important corridor in the country.
Hard to ignore. It's not some island in the middle of the ocean isolated from everything else.
You actually need to cross Quebec by land in order to get to Atlantic Canada which has 2.5 million people or about 10% of English Canada's population.
Another thing is I don't think that even if you live in Laredo or East LA or Hialeah that you can get your Exxon credit card bill in Spanish, and your local city council meets in Spanish. Public schools also use English as the main teaching language.
I am geek for this stuff and have even checked out city council meetings in the most Hispanic parts of the US!
As I said, the true analogue would be Puerto Rico where basically all aspects of life are lived in Spanish by most people.
I guess you might say "officialdom" is what I am talking about.
The plans for my house when I had it built were in French.
The electrical panel downstairs has all of the breakers marked in French by the electrician: cuisine, sous-sol, chambre, etc.
My home insurance policy is in French.
My property tax bill arrives in French.
My mortgage documents are in French.
My car's registration papers are in French.
My auto insurance policy is in French.
My federal and provincial tax returns are in French.
My Windows operating system on my computer is in French.
My cable terminal and PVR for my TV is in French.
The electronic readout on the modem for my wifi is in French.
I have never communicated with any learning establishment (K-12 to post-secondary) that my kids have attended, in any other language but French.
.......Quebec is way more French than any U.S. state ......
Excluding Louisiana. But you never hear any Cajuns agitating to leave the USA.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
