Faites à les miens rôti français, s'il vous plait
Make mine French Roast, please
By jim richmond
French is the official language of Quebec, Canada. And they do not take their language lightly.
The Quebec government has a 1-800 snitch line, where Quebecois can call and inform on violators.
The line is connected to something known as “La Commission De Protection De La Langue Francais.”
It doesn’t take much to get turned out.
It’s a crime in Quebec to print a YARD SALE sign with the English appearing larger and before the French VENTE DE GARAGE.
Or for a clerk in the 7-11 Store to say “hello” instead of “bonjour” first.
Penalties include fines and the revocation of business licenses.
Seems to me our Quebec French friends and neighbors are bucking a worldwide trend to make it easier for people to communicate comfortably and effectively across languages.
Some here in the U.S think everyone should speak English or be put in chains and on a boat back home to Tajikistan. But that's a definite minority viewpoint.
The fact is if you want to get ahead in this world, you need to read, write and speak English.
Spanish, Chinese, Russian and German also help a lot. Most of the world is bilingual, and being so has cognitive benefits.
For that matter, as an immigrant people, we Americans have never been much for snitching out our friends and neighbors.
As they say in the hood, “snitches get stitches.”
Take that Quebec!
“Pifs obtiennent des points.”