Le groupe français 2016 - 2023 Les Voyageurs

[DaveBee]

I'm so excited to be moving over there.

I missed this news. Good luck Xenops ! Why so green? Like straight up, that ain't even livin'.

Thank you. It could just be me, but the looks happier than the . The looks happy, but the looks like "I'm smiling so much my cheeks hurt".

Speaking of the French Alliance in Boston, what would be the best way to utilize it? If I test into a class, how many people are in a class? Or would studying on my own + tutor a better use of time and money? Are there other perks I'm not aware of (like the cooking class)?

I'm not a member of an AF, but I think I'd complete self-study courses rather than testing into a group class, unless you're preparing for an exam. Just from the money angle. I think the benefit of an AF would be in the beyond textbook offerings, like the cookery class, or the drama club Scotroyene (?) mentioned at her local AF, or a book club.

Their events page lists an Open House on September 14, will you be in Boston for that?

[Speakeasy]

Earlier today, under a separate discussion thread, I commented: "Je me coucherai moins niaiseux ce soir! (often deliberately formulated as "... à soir" so as to emphasize the self-deprecation). Somewhat later, while searching the Internet for a good definition of the adjective "niaiseux", I came across a website that some of you might appreciate:

Québécois French Guide
https://offqc.com/2013/04/17/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-quebecois-adjective-niaiseux-584/

[Xenops]

I'm not a member of an AF, but I think I'd complete self-study courses rather than testing into a group class, unless you're preparing for an exam. Just from the money angle. I think the benefit of an AF would be in the beyond textbook offerings, like the cookery class, or the drama club Scotroyene (?) mentioned at her local AF, or a book club.

Their events page lists an Open House on September 14, will you be in Boston for that?

Yes, I will be in Boston then.

Earlier today, under a separate discussion thread, I commented: "Je me coucherai moins niaiseux ce soir! (often deliberately formulated as "... à soir" so as to emphasize the self-deprecation). Somewhat later, while searching the Internet for a good definition of the adjective "niaiseux", I came across a website that some of you might appreciate:

Québécois French Guide
https://offqc.com/2013/04/17/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-the-quebecois-adjective-niaiseux-584/

Here's a question: how different is the French in France versus Quebec? I know the pronunciation is different, but are they mutually intelligible?

[tomgosse]

Here's a question: how different is the French in France versus Quebec? I know the pronunciation is different, but are they mutually intelligible?

The answer is yes and no. The high register of Quebec French is easily understood by someone from France. This is the French that you will hear on CBC or Radio Canada. The low register, or joual, has enough different pronunciation and vocabulary to be a problem.

But sometimes people, both from France and Québec, find the other's French "bad". Québécois might find a European French accent too posh, and French people might find the Québec accent too rural.

Two examples: the first from almost forty years ago. I was living in Montréal and while walking home from work one day a man on the street stopped me and asked if I spoke English. After I told him I did he asked the way to McGill University. Now, he had a very thick French accent, so I asked him where he as from. He told me that he was from France. So, I asked him why he asked me if spoke English and not French. He went into a tirade on how bad the French in Québec was, and how he couldn't understand a word that these people were saying.

The second incident happened only two years ago. My French teacher and her husband took a drive up to Old Orchard Beach, Maine. It is a popular tourist destination for people from Québec. While having lunch she was eavesdropping on a couple from Québec. She told me that she found their accent very funny, and to her they sounded like hillbillies. And while she was apologetic for making fun of them, she kept saying how bad their French was.

So, don't be too put off about it. If you are shopping in downtown Montréal you will have no problem understanding or being understood by French speakers. If you go into more rural areas or the east end of the island it can be more challenging.

All the best,
Tom

P.S. I might add that my boss, who was from New Brunswick and an Arcadian, not a Québécois (there is a difference), always told me to learn to speak good French, and not to adopt a joual accent.

[Speakeasy]

The answer is ...

Je n’aurais pas pu faire mieux!

[PeterMollenburg]

Here's a question: how different is the French in France versus Quebec? I know the pronunciation is different, but are they mutually intelligible?

Thanks to tomgosse for sharing. I find these 2 videos somewhat enlightening on the topic of the differences between the two French variants:

[Alii]

Bonjour,

Après avoir "galérer" pour m'authentifier sur le forum. J'ai systématiquement un message qui me dit que j'ai dépassé le nombre de tentative infructueuse !!!

Tout ça pour dire que je trouve très sympa la vidéo de Benny

[tastyonions]

[DaveBee]

I sometimes wonder if a spelling reform of written french, to follow spoken french, would produce a grammar more like english, with verb conjugations within tenses largely disappearing.

[lavengro]

Here's a question: how different is the French in France versus Quebec? I know the pronunciation is different, but are they mutually intelligible?

Thanks to tomgosse for sharing. I find these 2 videos somewhat enlightening on the topic of the differences between the two French variants:

Thanks for posting these Peter, very interesting. Benny in the second video seems to have done his homework regarding French in Canada.

I am very surprised to hear the woman from Québec in the second video say that "Québec is the only bilingual province where they (Canadians) speak French, the rest of Canada is totally English" (starting around the 2:24 mark). There is a considerable amount of French spoken in the neighbouring province of New Brunswick / Nouvelle- Brunswick and loads of fully bilingual speakers in the province. Nouvelle-Brunswick is actually the only officially bilingual (French/English) province in Canada.