Kevin Anderson
For convenience, we put most of Canada into one dialect across Canada, even though there are regional differences. In Quebec, there exists a special form of English, with a subset of words and phrases or borrowings from the French language. In Montreal, a culturally and linguistically varied population led to even more influence on the English language.
How does one describe a dialect? How do we get the information to describe the specific particularities a certain population has? Is it better to have an “insider” describe the particularities of a sub-set of language? Or, is it better to have an “outsider” notice these differences and then describe them? I would argue there are pluses and minuses between insiders versus outsiders making observations about language dialect. For insiders, knowledge of the socio-cultural fabric of the neighbourhood, the quirks, the expressions, the body-language etc. will allow access to the special language that makes it unique; but, how does one know their language is different from the norm as in the rest of Canada? Likewise, how does an outsider recognize the specific particularities of a population that is foreign to them? Will they be able to catch the particularities accurately?
I would argue that a dialect can be quite particular to specific individuals depending on their backgrounds. From my perspective, I sometimes disagree with observations made about Quebec English; however, at the same time, these discussions can be very useful. If we consider triangulation in qualitative research, we need to discuss language from many different angles, have a debate about it, and arrive at a truth. Van Herk (2018) discusses nonce-borrowings, “one-offs” that began as isolated usages of language, but eventually with repetition became borrowings and used in every-day speech. Van Herk (2018) also mentions how nonce-borrowings affect language and can “require a lot of contact, often for long periods of time” (p. 138) before they become long-term borrowings. English, French, and other languages have certainly co-existed for a long time in some parts of Quebec.
To get access to the various opinions on the special ways in which English Quebecers speak, the internet provides some examples. Although I agree with many terms that are mentioned on these sites, other times I disagree. Perhaps it is the different opinions that allow us to arrive at a conclusion as to what is and what is not a local Quebec English.
This article discusses how we say the “dep” instead of the corner store or convenience store. We say “all-dressed” pizza which means pepperoni, mushrooms, green pepper and cheese. We live in a “four-and-a-half (two-bedroom apartment) with a gallery (porch). We “open” and “close” the lights. These terms I agree with but then it says we say “planification”, “formation” and “animator”, which I agree less with. Maybe some other people in Montreal say these things? The article, however, gives us interesting insight as to how the different linguistic compositions of the different neighbourhoods affect language, resulting in different accents and dialects. What makes this article credible are the sources which provided a mix of expert and street-level opinions about Montreal English.
This online discussion forum links “open the lights” and “close the lights” with various other languages in a similar way when speaking English. The following video actually discourages the use of the expression “Open the light” but I will say it anyway (at least in Montreal)!
This webpage makes me wonder where they got their information from. In my opinion, for anything to be credible, we need sources or at least a second opinion. This site mentions expressions such as “Give me your coordinates” to get someone’s contact information, which I have never heard of. However, it does mention the word “terrasse” which refers to an outdoor patio. Also, a “cinq-à-sept’’ refers to an early gathering from roughly 5-7 p.m. The article shows, in my opinion, how one might speak if they are perfectly bilingual with French as a first language. Other examples include “la bise” for kissing people when greeting; “in the moon”, which is a translation of “dans la lune” in which the English equivalent would be “out to lunch”. I do say the “guichet” for an ATM machine though.
So, why don’t we write about Quebec English and share with each other the particularities that make our English unique in some ways? Maybe we can learn a few things from each other.
Reference:
Van Herk, Gerard. (2018). What is sociolinguistics? 2e Chichester, West Sussex, UK: Wiley-Blackwell.
