enough with the office de francaise
- Thread starter stoneeca
- Start date
Personaly, I think getting any answer is a good thing. If it's not in my mother tongue, too bad. If I really want an answer to my question, I'll find a way to translate it. If it's not important enough to do that, then I shouldn't have wasted the time/bandwidth posting it in the first place.
Using one of the popular theories here, that you should respond in the originating language of the thread. And mixing in a little "distinct society" attitude. I can't help but wonder if that means a Canadian started thread should only be answered by other Canadians. God knows the Americans sure can butcher the english language: Watch any Nascar race for proof.
Hockey? That's for queers who can't figure skate.
(That should end this language debate)
Using one of the popular theories here, that you should respond in the originating language of the thread. And mixing in a little "distinct society" attitude. I can't help but wonder if that means a Canadian started thread should only be answered by other Canadians. God knows the Americans sure can butcher the english language: Watch any Nascar race for proof.
Hockey? That's for queers who can't figure skate.
(That should end this language debate)
bobody1965 said:
bobody, ton message contient plusieurs idées dignes de profonde réflexion.
Mais je te soumet humblement que ce passé est révolu depuis bien longtemps. eg: depuis 40 ans, la majorité des premiers ministre et ministres au Canada sont québécois! Et même quand ce n'est pas le cas, il est très difficile sinon impossible de former un gouvernement majoritaire sans l'appui du Québec.
Au Kosovo, ils s'entre-tuent encore au sujet d'une bataille datant de 1385 A.D. Les musulmans sont encore aigris des croisades du moyen âge. etc. Ne pouvons-nous pas faire preuve de plus de sagesse?
Kepler said:
Montrez moi ça et je prendrai une photo.
À Sault Ste Marie...à Brockville...à Toronto?
Ècoutes. Le sort du français en Ontario, au Manitoba, au Nouveau Brunswick et en Nouvelle Écosse est comme celui de la Nouvelle Orléan.
Ça baragouine en français et ils sont née en anglais.
Mazingerz, I will reply in english, out of respect to you, as my ability to write in french is so bad, as any attempt would surely be insulting.
Eastern Ontario is probably as close to 50-50 en/fr as you're going to find. Most restaurants in Cornwall, Alexandria, and Hawkesbury, have bilingual menus and staff. Same thing for the hospitals, gas stations, stores etc, etc. In Alexandria, one of the major employers is "Moulures Alexandria". Not "Alexandria Mouldings". The name of the company has always been that way, because that's what the owner WANTED to call it. The same could not be said for Eaton's (if you are old enough to remember them) and their evil apostrophy.
The whole point of this thread was to express frustration at a few "fanatics", and the inequality of the way anglos are treated. Unfortunately, it has degenerated into personal attacks, and almost completely lost the original intent. English/French pride, and resentment towards others will probably never go away. Too bad.
Eastern Ontario is probably as close to 50-50 en/fr as you're going to find. Most restaurants in Cornwall, Alexandria, and Hawkesbury, have bilingual menus and staff. Same thing for the hospitals, gas stations, stores etc, etc. In Alexandria, one of the major employers is "Moulures Alexandria". Not "Alexandria Mouldings". The name of the company has always been that way, because that's what the owner WANTED to call it. The same could not be said for Eaton's (if you are old enough to remember them) and their evil apostrophy.
The whole point of this thread was to express frustration at a few "fanatics", and the inequality of the way anglos are treated. Unfortunately, it has degenerated into personal attacks, and almost completely lost the original intent. English/French pride, and resentment towards others will probably never go away. Too bad.
Common courtesy...
From reading some posters in this thread you would think that the entire French society of Quebec would fall apart just from showing a little common courtesy by answering an English poster in a language he can understand.
I know that there are some Quebecers that will never be happy until the rest of the world bows down to them and their 'superior language' and makes provisions for French service, or at least has the Journal de Montreal for sale, in the farthest reaches of the planet. But until that day comes to pass, (as if ), a bit of common decency and courtesy when replying to unilingual English posters would be nice to see. Just try it and see how much you would be appreciated for the valuable information you could share with everyone.
Fighting over language on the board is just as stupid, and futile, as fighting about it in the real world.
PS: A little note to mtwallet...a number of years ago I did a PC recycling job for the City of Hawkesbury. Every system was in French.
From reading some posters in this thread you would think that the entire French society of Quebec would fall apart just from showing a little common courtesy by answering an English poster in a language he can understand.
I know that there are some Quebecers that will never be happy until the rest of the world bows down to them and their 'superior language' and makes provisions for French service, or at least has the Journal de Montreal for sale, in the farthest reaches of the planet. But until that day comes to pass, (as if
), a bit of common decency and courtesy when replying to unilingual English posters would be nice to see. Just try it and see how much you would be appreciated for the valuable information you could share with everyone. Fighting over language on the board is just as stupid, and futile, as fighting about it in the real world.
PS: A little note to mtwallet...a number of years ago I did a PC recycling job for the City of Hawkesbury. Every system was in French.
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Equanimity said:
I'm not talking about the quality of the language. Backwards syntax and anglicized meanings are ubiquitous all over albeit much much more in the Outaouais region both sides of the river."
"Lui y'y appartieint un char" "As tu vus les canaries dans la cage?" "Passes moi le gravy."
The quality of french, english etc is not good anywhere. That is not my point.
What I am talking about is the proportion and quantity of french living and french culture. Assimilation into anglo-american culture is pervasive.
The question is not one of is that good or bad. The question is that it is a reality and that is that.
English canadians could not care less about assimilation into anglo-american culture. Especially the northern and eastern european who have no particular affinity for anglo-saxon british values and the queen.
However as a matter of of policy...culture is never far from the front burner in québec.
The deportation of the Acadians from their lands on the Bay of Fundy and the forced assimilation of the Cajuns and NOLA french into American culture are historical facts.
As are the shrinking french populations of St Boniface, Sudbury and Cochran
How it is done is not the question. It is occuring for whatever reason it is.
hydragoat said:You must have hated that, eh?
Why would I hate it? I have fully bilingual Windows on my home system. Choose the language I want to use and reboot. I have no problem with anyone using or speaking any language they want, anywhere they want. I have a problem with those that pass laws against just that to help them survive because they can't survive on their own merits or have enough children to ensure their culture's survival.
Roland, if I am replying to a French poster who has started a thread looking for information or help I would be more than happy to reply to him in French. I have absolutely no problems posting in French. But in general I post in English as that is the main language of the majority of posters and I believe of MERB as a whole.
Techman said:
Confucious says "Man who goes to bed with sex problem wakes up with solution in hand"
EagerBeaver said:
Sorry EB, but I agree with Roland...this is way out of line. So far, the only one (besides yourself) who's posting in this thread and find Mazingerz's French-only posting to be a problem is Techman. At least and as usual with him, he does that clearly and with class. Most others, including myself, don't seem to find all this to be a problem. Because we simply don't subscribe to your arguments, which you have repeated ad nauseam, that's make us language Nazis???
You reminded me earlier of Don Quichotte...now, you're sounding more like Napoleon just before his Waterloo...
Lion Heart
PS - My own French Nationalist tainted blood is starting to boil...this thread should be closed before a new holocaust begins here...
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Roland said:
You're right, this would be a bit over reacting in this particular case...then, how about an American-style selective and chirurgical preemptive strike?
Don't worry Roland...I agree with you and I've no intention to go to war over this...
Lion Heart
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You guys can go ahead and persist in whatever delusions you want to believe about Techman and myself being the only persons to believe in the point of view we have expressed in this thread.......apart from the fact that I have already alluded to the fact that there are many other persons I have spoken to who agree with us who have not posted in this thread (some of whom are not even bothering to click on this thread because they already know what it's all about and are thoroughly disgusted by the issue), one prominent bilingual poster sent me a PM agreeing with me.............he has not posted in this thread, I presume for the same reasons as the others who basically have been terrorized into silence with these kinds of posts. The difference between them and me is that they are afraid to speak their minds in this thread (or perhaps they just don't feel strongly enough to go to battle with those who expressed the contrary point of view), and I am not afraid, since I am not going to be intimidated into silence by so much sabre rattling against the cages of political correctness. It's funny how the same thing is now being repeated over and over (see Spiderman 15's comments earlier in the thread), which is indicative of some people starting to say to themselves: "what Techman is saying is logical.........so why isn't anyone agreeing with him?" And I now answer this question again, as I did previously when spiderman 15 asked the same question asked above earlier in the thread. And I stand by what I said.
Obviously Roland imported a quote I made from another thread and in another context (as the issue discussed in the quote arose from OTHER POSTERS raising the issue of why Karma's blog was posted in English only, given that she is a native Francophone without an excellent command of the English language (again we see a knee jerk reaction instead of paying attention to what is being said and by whom). Maybe you should all ask yourselves who is really trying to stoke the controversy and why you are all trying to justify your positions. I did not post again in this thread and had no intention to do so.......until Roland went and copy and pasted a quote that I made in a different thread and in a different context. At least one person was already fooled into thinking I made the post in this thread.
This is an Internet Board that exists in cyberspace. This is not a cafe in Montreal. My position remains the correct one. To those of you who have expressed agreement with me off the Board and/or PM'd me your support, thank you, and you can rest assured I will not give in to these bullies. My voice is your voice.
Obviously Roland imported a quote I made from another thread and in another context (as the issue discussed in the quote arose from OTHER POSTERS raising the issue of why Karma's blog was posted in English only, given that she is a native Francophone without an excellent command of the English language (again we see a knee jerk reaction instead of paying attention to what is being said and by whom). Maybe you should all ask yourselves who is really trying to stoke the controversy and why you are all trying to justify your positions. I did not post again in this thread and had no intention to do so.......until Roland went and copy and pasted a quote that I made in a different thread and in a different context. At least one person was already fooled into thinking I made the post in this thread.
This is an Internet Board that exists in cyberspace. This is not a cafe in Montreal. My position remains the correct one. To those of you who have expressed agreement with me off the Board and/or PM'd me your support, thank you, and you can rest assured I will not give in to these bullies. My voice is your voice.
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Dee said:
Dee,
I have no other explanation for why three very intelligent persons who are prominent posters on this Board told me in person last weekend that they agree with me, yet they have nary a supporting post in this thread. If you have a better explanation, please share it.
Roland,
I posted in Karma's blog because it was apparent to me, after Rumpleforeskin had raised the issue of Karma's blog being posted in English only, that there was a great degree of asymmetry between that and mazingerz posting in French to anglophone inquiries. Karma and mazingerz appear to me to have similar ability in terms of their written English. So yes, the hypocrisy of the two positions of Karma on the one hand and mazingerz on the other was striking to me. Karma is posting for what she believes is her widest possible audience (although I must admit that I am surprised she does not have a French translation of her blog). mazingerz, posting in French in response to an English question as he has done on many occasions, in doing so is clearly posting only for himself and without any respect to the question being posed and not at all helping the audience in that thread. Just making a statement. Think about that.........just making a statement with language. Who in history is famous for doing that?
I posted in Karma's blog because it was apparent to me, after Rumpleforeskin had raised the issue of Karma's blog being posted in English only, that there was a great degree of asymmetry between that and mazingerz posting in French to anglophone inquiries. Karma and mazingerz appear to me to have similar ability in terms of their written English. So yes, the hypocrisy of the two positions of Karma on the one hand and mazingerz on the other was striking to me. Karma is posting for what she believes is her widest possible audience (although I must admit that I am surprised she does not have a French translation of her blog). mazingerz, posting in French in response to an English question as he has done on many occasions, in doing so is clearly posting only for himself and without any respect to the question being posed and not at all helping the audience in that thread. Just making a statement. Think about that.........just making a statement with language. Who in history is famous for doing that?
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