In canada, french is a language of ambition, not decline. Canada is located north of the united states and is a land of immigrants. Ntcs dictionary of canadian french language french. In what areas of canada is the french language spoken. Frenchspeaking scientists and technicians invented the hot air balloon, cinema, radial tires, smart cards, hdtv, the snowmobile, the saxophone, velcro and more. Part fact, part fiction, it is a testament to the authors integrity that she tells the. French is one of the two official languages of canada, and the federal government must provide services in french. A land surrounded by water on all 3 sides, it is flanked by the atlantic ocean, the labrador sea, and the hudson bay.
Together those groups comprise basically the entire provincial population. Many of us speak or read french, some of us fluently, but how much do we actually know about this language as it is spoken in canada. Find lots of interesting canada facts for kids in our canada travel guide for. If they win a majority, they intend to tighten quebecs already. Montreal is the largest city in the dominantly french speaking province of quebec, and the secondlargest in canada, after toronto. Canada is an officially bilingual country, with english and french official language communities. Quebec is the french speaking province in canada, steeped in history, rich in culture and an excellent choice for a family vacation. French canadians are descendants of canadas colonialera french settlers. Learn canadian french and speak with a beautiful aged accent of colonial france that has stood the test of time. French speaking canadians, known as frenchcanadians or francophones.
Its built on two levels and offers visitors a chance to live in a. A characteristic mode of landholding, known as the seigneurial system, began to evolve. So you have to go to quebec and immerse yourself in it. The first french settlement was established in 1605 at portroyal, near presentday annapolis royal, nova scotia. The name quebec, first bestowed on the city in 1608 and derived from an algonquian word meaning where the river narrows. This post was originally done in honour of canada s 145th birthday on july 1st, 2012. Perhaps the most renowned french canadian author of the 20th century was gabrielle roy, whose first novel, the. Canadian french is primarily spoken in canada, specifically new brunswick and quebec, but there are also communities of native speakers in parts of america. Most native speakers of the french language in canada live in. Some words used in the french language in canada are very different to the words used in france. French influence in canada its like visiting a foreign country without going abroad. Canadian literature canadian literature in french britannica.
Media in category french language maps of canada the following 51 files are in this category, out of 51 total. Today, people of french heritage make up the majority of native speakers of french in canada. Around 85% of the frenchcanadians reside in the province of quebec. French canadians also referred to as francocanadians or canadiens. Here are 12 french cartoons for kids to watch online, whether they are native french speakers or early language learners looking to practice their french. In addition, french is the official global language of canada. The french speaking population of canada is growing relatively fast, and more than fourfifths of the population of quebec province uses french on a daily basis. By 1645 settlers in canada and acadia were producing provisions for the fur traders and the annual ships. Francophoneanglophone relations the canadian encyclopedia. The character of french settlement the fur trade was not new france s sole enterprise.
Lawrence river, first explored by jacques cartier during his second voyage to north america in 1535, was colonized by france during the 17th and 18th centuries. The continuing activities of the separatist movement provide evidence of the persistence of resentment among many french canadians. Facts about canada, its provinces, and territories. Rivers and other water bodies appear black, while the surrounding rural countryside is faintly illuminated by moonlight. And french language schools across the country are full of students and staff from the maghreb, french speaking africa and haiti. The past thirtyfive years have seen a strong rebirth of the french canadians sense of cultural identity. In total, those whose ethnic origins are french canadian, french, quebecois and acadian number up to 11. French speaking canadians, known as frenchcanadians or francophones, are a much smaller percentage of the population, and more than 90 per cent of them live in quebec the only province where french is the language of daily life. The french language in canada the valley of the st. In new brunswick and ontario they now have access to frenchlanguage. The only problem is that it was printed in the early 1990s, so there are no references to todays electronic stuff like cell phones and oomputers. To help keep our communities safe, all our retail locations are temporarily closed until further notice. A chronicle of the french revolution by simon schama, love an. If you are interested in canadian french mainly quebecois,then this is the resource.
Its capital, quebec city, is the oldest city in canada. Formerly canadian french referred solely to quebec french and the closely related varieties of ontario francoontarian and western canada in contrast with acadian french, which is spoken in some areas of eastern quebec, new. Most live in the province of quebec, where they form a majority of the population. What are good textbooks and books to learn canadian french. Half a million native french speakers live in ontario and their flag, the francoontarian flag, is one of ontarios seven official emblems. Discover librarianselected research resources on new france colonial canada from the questia online library, including fulltext online books, academic journals, magazines, newspapers and more. A great many books have been written about unique englishcanadian slang or. Canadiens anglais, refers to either canadians of english ethnic origin and heritage or to english speaking or anglophone canadians of any ethnic origin. French canadians including those who are no longer frenchspeaking constitute the second largest cultural group in canada, behind those of english ancestry, and ahead of those of scottish and irish heritage. The colony was located in what is now eastern canada s maritime provinces nova scotia, new brunswick, and prince edward island, as well as parts of quebec, and presentday maine to. These students and teachers are a vibrant part of french. I tried to paint them a picture of the great outdoor playground we would experience in french canada.
The unbelievably distinct and unique frenchcanadian. Canadian provincesterritories by percentage of french speaking population with 79. At the same time, it is a long overdue study of the colonial social institutions, values, and experiences that shaped modern french canada. Constituting nearly onesixth of canada s total land area, quebec is the largest of canada s 10 provinces in area and is second only to ontario in population. We have hundreds of french books for kids such as world classics, short stories, fairy tales and basic picture books for both beginner and advanced french language learners. Our childrens french book library is a great resource for kids learning french. The majority of canadians speak english as first language, but french is the. Welcome to the first post, in a sevenpart series, on our very own canadian french accents. New france was a colony of france for 150 years, and during that time, 10,000 people, most of whom were from france, immigrated to the area. You will find it hard at first, because the differences. Keeping the french language alive in quebec the parti quebecois is leading the polls for next months provincial election in canada. It even has a small section in the back about acadian french in new brunswick and lousiana.
France is the most visited country in the world with 75 million tourists every year. In canada, 300,000 children are enrolled in french immersion programs, and 3 million adults whose mother tongue is not french speak french as a second. The making of french canadaa cultural history, is a candid exploration of the troubled historical relationship that exists between the inhabitants of french and english speaking canada. In fact, according to the 2016 census, french is the native language of around 7.
The fact that canada has not had substantial amounts of french immigration. For fellow canadians and those even mildly interested in canada i thought id put a blog together and give you 145 weird, fun and interesting facts about canada. Just a short drive from maine, new york, prince edward island or newfoundland, one can visit montreal or quebec city, the provinces capital with the same name. Find bestsellers, literary awards, new releases, classics and more. There is a lot of information if thats what you came for, thats what youll get. In response to strong and widespread nationalist pressure inside and outside the party, the parti quebecoisdominated assembly passed bill 101, known as the charter of the french language, which made french the only official language of quebec, established a schedule for making french the dominant language of work and stipulated that all immigrants entering quebec from other parts of canada and the world must enrol their children in frenchlanguage schools. The links for the 7 posts are just little further below. Canada facts for kids facts about canada family travel. The book is good and talking to some quebecers they agree with accuracy of the. French people take a tremendous amount of pleasure in mocking and mimicking the french canadian accent, but until theyve been to quebec and hung out with canadian french speakers, they dont know just how different the two versions of the language really are mark hachem is a lebanese canadian born and raised in montreal, quebec who nails the peculiarities of canadian french. It includes multiple varieties, the most prominent being quebec french.
Millions of canadians outside of the french dominant areas do possess at least an elementary proficiency of the french language, due. According to statistics canada s 2011 census of population, approximately 10 million people reported being able to speak in french. A land surrounded by water on all 3 sides, it is flanked by the atlantic ocean, the labrador sea. French evolved from galloromance, the spoken latin in gaul. Prologue canadian book distributor for french language books. It descended from the vulgar latin of the roman empire, as did all romance languages. French canada is a fun, easy international family vacation. Canada has produced a tv series of the famous elephant and there are many episodes of. Canada the character of french settlement britannica. Whether youre a beginner starting with the basics or looking to practice your reading, writing, and speaking. The book emphasizes a lot of what i knew from growing up canadian french. The canadian french language is not the only blending of french and british cultures. In recent years, there has been a slight decline in canada of canadians outside of quebec who are fluent in french.
In canada, 300,000 children are enrolled in french immersion programs, and 3 million adults whose mother tongue is not french speak french as a second language. French canadian translation services one hour translation. Learn french in just 5 minutes a day with our gamelike lessons. Blurry areas at top and bottom left are caused by cloud cover.
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