It sounds absurd, but it is true. In the province of Quebec, Canada, a language police ensures that French is spoken. Even more absurd: Until recently, words such as cocktails and pasta were allowed on the menu. TRAVELBOOK knows which other words to avoid in Quebec.
French is the first language for about 80 percent of the eight million inhabitants of the province of Quebec. Of course, everyone can communicate in English, although English is not the official language. To ensure the correct use of the French language in the province, a language office has been established. Anyone who speaks very little French in Quebec will encounter the language police – and they have a lot to do.
Language police are regularly stationed in Quebec
The Quebec Language Bureau is asked to receive 4,000 complaints per year. The citizens go to the office when they find that they are not well informed in French. The linguists there ensure that, for example, on street signs Stay Instead of Stay standing. Your goal is to protect the French language, As TAGSAPEGEL writes.
Sometimes they go much further. A pastry chef also had to pay a fine because there were so many other language labels on his shop window that the French label was eclipsed. You are also not safe from the language police in a restaurant – strict rules also apply here. If a menu is multilingual, the French version should always be printed in bold font compared to other languages. After a long argument, words such as pasta and cocktails may now appear uncontrolled in the menu. In the past, the French “kokvetail” had to be written.
Incidentally, consumers in Quebec have the right to serve in French. The salutation is usually “Bonjour, Hello” – later it is decided in which language to continue.
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Probably the hardest choice ever
Quebeckers have long been considered unknown. The desire to separate from Canada has been expressed many times, but is not considered possible. The opportunity is wasted: In 1995, 50.58 percent of voters voted to live with Canada in an independence referendum. Today Quebec is considered “a nation within a united Canada”.
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The center of the state, Montreal, was founded by the French, but came under British rule in the 18th century. Due to the large number of migrants roaming the city, English was again the main language at that time. Mainly because of this, there is a lot of emphasis on making the French visible.
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