Xref: utzoo can.general:1822 can.politics:2825 Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!alberta!aunro!atha!philmtl!ray From: ray@philmtl.philips.ca (Raymond Dunn) Newsgroups: can.general,can.politics Subject: Re: postings in the French language Message-ID: <737@philmtl.philips.ca> Date: 2 Oct 89 21:53:43 GMT References: <1989Sep6.222038.2707@gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca> <1178@mannix.iros1.UUCP> <3837.251eb4d9@uwovax.uwo.ca> <1989Sep26.132533.12660@utzoo.uucp> <22345@looking.on.ca> <1989Sep29.130503.13587@telly.on.ca> Reply-To: ray@philmtl.philips.ca (Raymond Dunn) Followup-To: can.general Organization: Philips Electronics Ltd. - St. Laurent P.Q., Canada Lines: 36 >In article <22345@looking.on.ca> brad@looking.on.ca (Brad Templeton) writes: >Canada has two official languages, but if somebody came to you and asked >directions in English, to respond in French (when you know English) would >be rude. In article <1989Sep29.130503.13587@telly.on.ca> evan@telly.on.ca (Evan Leibovitch) writes: >In more recent trips that hasn't happened, ususally because I now ask in >French (1/2 :-). But the memories are certainly vivid, and the technique >was sometimes applied to tourists who didn't know better. I have come >across a number of Americans who won't vacation in Quebec anymore for this >reason. > >In this context, the actions were not only rude, but damaging to >both Quebec's reputation for hospitality and its economy. The usual anglophone assumption that this is being done to make some sort of cultural point rather than because the French speaker does not have the facilities in English to answer, even though the question is understood, is ridiculous. Yes, there have been occasions..., but for goodness sake, the majority of Quebecois are unilingually French! Should one expect to be answered in English in France? No? Then why do so in Quebec? I'm not quite sure whether to laugh or cry at the continued whining of unilingual English speakers that the French wont speak to them in English. This is hypocritical nonsense, and narrowmindedness of the worst kind. BTW I *am* unilingual English, with not *nearly* enough French to exist completely in that langauge (and regularly answer French questions in English)! -- Ray Dunn. | UUCP: ray@philmt.philips.ca Philips Electronics Ltd. | ..!{uunet|philapd|philabs}!philmtl!ray 600 Dr Frederik Philips Blvd | TEL : (514) 744-8200 Ext : 2347 (Phonemail) St Laurent. Quebec. H4M 2S9 | FAX : (514) 744-6455 TLX : 05-824090