"Women are the men's future...La femme est l'avenir de l'Homme : Jean Ferrat Chanteur Français de renom..
Compliment à vous et à votre Institut
Michel Lacaux"
Chez Yankois
Renewing the French identity of New England
La Langue Aux Cheveux Blancs, Et La Langue Aux Cheveux Bruns: Old, Young, And Language.
Presque Isle is located in Central Aroostook County, in northern Maine. (Note: The real northern Maine, not Bangor!) It is not as heavily Franco-American as are the towns further north, but there are still quite a few residents with Acadian roots who speak French as a first language. They are nice people, but I am often frustrated with them because they cannot seem to grasp the concept that a relatively young person thinks French is worth keeping alive!
Most of these people are in their sixties, seventies, or eighties, and virtually all of them have white hair or a full head of gray. They speak French among themselves much of the time. They will not speak French to me, however, unless I PUSH THE ISSUE. I will be fifty in three years. But to these longtime senior citizens, I will always be a little kid because most of my hair is still dark brown and my voice still sounds young. Apparently, they think they are "saving a young kid" from a painful existence by speaking to me only in English.
The result is that they address me in English that's often broken, and God forgive me, but I find this both degrading and irritating. Broken English with a heavy French accent is an overexploited stereotype around here, and their insistence on addressing me this way does nothing to help the situation. I grew up with French at home too, and I think it makes far more sense for us to speak to one another in the language we all heard at home growing up, instead of promoting an old and insulting stereotype by making use of a brand of English that doesn't even sound truly Anglophone. Which is better? Speaking two languages well, or speaking only one language and speaking it poorly? Tourism is one of Maine's biggest industries, and many of our visitors come from Canada or Europe. Picture advertisements that read like this: Our young people can't speak French anymore, but come listen to their delightful imitation of the accent! It's awesome! Do you think that would go over well?
I realize that Franco-Americans in Maine have had it rough in this area since at least the eighteenth century. There is a long history of discrimination against Franco-Americans here, both in school and at work, and the Ku Klux Klan pushed for laws and policies that were both heavy-handed and cruel. Those laws and policies have harmed Franco-Americans on many different levels, and it would be both dishonest and insensitive to deny this. Still, those laws and policies have now been lifted, and I don't think it's a good idea for the French in this area to throw in the towel and allow hate groups like the KKK to win the war. That is exactly what will happen if the young do not learn to speak French. The Klan will win.
That is why I refuse to speak English to these elderly people who think they are "saving a young child." I don't want to be saved. I think the language should be saved instead. We live near the Canadian border. The French language and French-Canadian culture are not far away from here. It's not a good idea to raise the young unilingually in an area close to an international border. It doesn't make sense, culturally or economically. Donc, j'ai encore des cheveux bruns, mais je ne suis pas unilingue! Je vous encourage d'y penser, car si on n'y pense pas, on va finir, tôt ou tard, par le regretter..
Most of these people are in their sixties, seventies, or eighties, and virtually all of them have white hair or a full head of gray. They speak French among themselves much of the time. They will not speak French to me, however, unless I PUSH THE ISSUE. I will be fifty in three years. But to these longtime senior citizens, I will always be a little kid because most of my hair is still dark brown and my voice still sounds young. Apparently, they think they are "saving a young kid" from a painful existence by speaking to me only in English.
The result is that they address me in English that's often broken, and God forgive me, but I find this both degrading and irritating. Broken English with a heavy French accent is an overexploited stereotype around here, and their insistence on addressing me this way does nothing to help the situation. I grew up with French at home too, and I think it makes far more sense for us to speak to one another in the language we all heard at home growing up, instead of promoting an old and insulting stereotype by making use of a brand of English that doesn't even sound truly Anglophone. Which is better? Speaking two languages well, or speaking only one language and speaking it poorly? Tourism is one of Maine's biggest industries, and many of our visitors come from Canada or Europe. Picture advertisements that read like this: Our young people can't speak French anymore, but come listen to their delightful imitation of the accent! It's awesome! Do you think that would go over well?
I realize that Franco-Americans in Maine have had it rough in this area since at least the eighteenth century. There is a long history of discrimination against Franco-Americans here, both in school and at work, and the Ku Klux Klan pushed for laws and policies that were both heavy-handed and cruel. Those laws and policies have harmed Franco-Americans on many different levels, and it would be both dishonest and insensitive to deny this. Still, those laws and policies have now been lifted, and I don't think it's a good idea for the French in this area to throw in the towel and allow hate groups like the KKK to win the war. That is exactly what will happen if the young do not learn to speak French. The Klan will win.
That is why I refuse to speak English to these elderly people who think they are "saving a young child." I don't want to be saved. I think the language should be saved instead. We live near the Canadian border. The French language and French-Canadian culture are not far away from here. It's not a good idea to raise the young unilingually in an area close to an international border. It doesn't make sense, culturally or economically. Donc, j'ai encore des cheveux bruns, mais je ne suis pas unilingue! Je vous encourage d'y penser, car si on n'y pense pas, on va finir, tôt ou tard, par le regretter..
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Réponses à cette discussion
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Lien permanent Réponse de Le Canard Réincarné le -
Bonjour Paul. Voici un cas classique de frangouiche entre locuteurs francophones en milieu minoritaire jadis traumatisé. Ce champ est *miné et toxique* et il faut manoeuvrer avec grand soin. Il faut aussi amener dans de telles situations l'échange en territoire neutre, that is English, inject humour in the exchange and try heading back au français. Avoir du succès dans une telle manoeuvre est énergisant et conduit à de meilleurs échanges subséquemment. Ceci est possiblement applicable dans les échanges sur Chez Yankois. What do you think?
Dr. Frangouiche ;-)
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Lien permanent Réponse de Jon Tremblay le -
WOW! What an interesting dilemma, Paul! Maybe you should organize a road trip and send some of those oldsters here so they can experience firsthand what happens when that kind of thinking is not curtailed.
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Lien permanent Réponse de Victorserge0 le -
bonjour paul
J'ai beaucoup aimé ton texte. Je ne savais pas que le klu klus klan faisait aussi régnait la terreur dans le Maine.
Il faut que les francos retrouvent leur fierté et surtout rendent coup pour coup à toutes les attaques racistes de l'extrème droite nationaliste anglo-saxonne.
Ca fait pitié de voir les vieilles personnes enfermé dans leur sentiment d'infériorité et de colonisé. Espérons que cela change comme en Acadie et au Quebec où les francos se défendent mieux.
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Lien permanent Réponse de Le Canard Réincarné le
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Rendre "coup pour coup". Hmm. Pas d'accord. Voici mon raisonnement.
Communiquer avec des ainés qui ont été traumatisés n'est pas facile mais faisable lorsque les "blocages" sont mieux appréciés. Beaucoup de ces ainés ont développé un profond sentiment d'infériorité facile à éveiller et la tâche relève *presque* de la psychanalyse. Des arguments de logique leur rappelleront leur infériorité et ils décrocheront. Un animal meutri est très difficile à approcher. Un être humain, encore plus. Peut-il guérir en s'exprimant comme bon lui semble (-vs- "bien s'exprimer") sans se faire juger encore une fois? Pas en rendant "coup pour coup", ce qui est impossible en situation minoritaire à mon avis.
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Lien permanent Réponse de Victorserge0 le
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en disant coup pour coup je voulais dire se défendre tout simplement. L'époque où 175 000 membres du klan racistes et haineux faisait rêgner la terreur dans le Maine est terminé je l'espère. Si un imbécile de raciste s'en prend à un franco américain sur le plan racial ça doit se terminer au tribunal. Les francos ne doivent plus raser les murs dans la peur .
j'ai trouvé ce très bon lien sur la situation de francos dans le Maine : http://www.fawi.net/ezine/vol3no3/Belanger.html
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Lien permanent Réponse de Victorserge0 le
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autre moyen de rendre coup pour coup est tout simplement de reprendre son nom français quand beaucoup l'ont anglicisé ou ont été anglicisé de force. Le meilleur exemple est le célébre écrivain louis l'amour qui a repris son vrai nom anglicé en "la moore"
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Lien permanent Réponse de Jon Tremblay le
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Exactement ! C'est exactement ce que mon frérot et moi avons fait. On est né Trombley et maintenant on est Tremblay. Et si mon papa n'avait quasiment 80 ans, il l'aurait changé itou. Bonne suggestion, Victorserg ! Je suis Tremblay maintenant depuis si longtemps (25 ans +) que j'oublie de cette stratégie simple. Merci !
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Lien permanent Réponse de Raymond Gagnon le -
Paul -- So anything new regarding getting the oldsters to speak French to you? Maybe they're just use to speaking English with outsiders... update please!
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Lien permanent Réponse de Paul J. Gutman le -
Some of them are starting to come around. (After 14 years, it's ABOUT TIME!) One of the older members of the Knights of Columbus here who always spoke to me in broken English in the past finally spoke to me in French during one of our recent barbecues. It was a breath of FRESH AIR! We had a conversation that actually sounded AUTHENTIC, instead of having one that sounded like something out of an Alphonse & Pierre Joke Book! We sounded like real people, instead of sounding like caricatures! It's taken quite a bit of time to get to this point, but I hope the trend continues. Merci de m'avoir posé ta question, Ray!
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Lien permanent Réponse de Alexander Drainville le -
At least you have the option to hear native speakers of your mother tongue. I was a very young boy when French was spoken in the home, and then mostly by my grandparents. Since their death I haven't spoken any French at home, as my parents speak English exclusively - I guess they want to sound more American by not speaking a language other than English. The city where I live, Fall River, in the state of Massachusetts used to have a strong Acadien & Quebecois community. My grandmother even mentioned once that there was almost a unique dialect spoken in the area, although I don't know how accurate this is. At any rate, this is now gone. There are few if any Franco-Americans left in this area, and the few that do remain all speak English. (If I'm mistaken on this, I would be thrilled to be corrected.) As a result I've completely lost my accent and I speak only broken French at this point, much to my chagrin. If I could at least hear it spoken, I might be able to regain at least some of my accent and vocabulary. But I do understand what you mean... it would be nice to be able to speak it again. The difference here being that you are fluent, and I would be practicing to improve what little I can remember from my boyhood. And I never should have taken French in school, since the forced Parisien accent has killed what little remained of my grandmothers' accent.
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Lien permanent Réponse de Jon Tremblay le
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Monday, December 21, 2009
09:40
Bonjour Alexander:
Based on your note, I'll stick to English. My situation was/is very similar to yours growing up. I have a few suggestions for you:
1. See if you can get a copy of the film Réveil from someone or the library. It's well worth watching.
2. If you have internet (dial-up or high-speed), tune into Radio Canada and just start listening.
3. PC/laptop not in a convenient location? I ended up about 8 years ago buying a set of wireless speakers from Best Buy. (I've since bought 2 more sets.) Best "continuing-education" dollars I've ever spent! My PC is in the office upstairs and I can listen to internet radio anywhere in the house, garage or outside on the patio.
4. I just got word the other day of a brand new product on the market. Go here: http://eurotalk.com/us/store/learn/canadianfrench/talknow/cd
I have not checked this out myself, but will be after the holidays. It looks promising. The fact that it is titled "Canadian French" and not "French Canadian" is a good sign they are not idiots.
5. And finally, if you can wait until 4/1/2010 and are a self-learner, self-studier, I expect to have my web site up and in operation by then, which will be an online resource dedicated to JUST the Canadian French language as opposed to just another one of the endless "Learn French" web sites that exist already out there.
Hope you find this helpful. Know that there is at least one other person on the planet who can totally empathize with you and your situation. There is a certain truth to "Ignorance is bliss" as the more I've learned about my family's past and the history of the French Canadians in this country, the more and more cheated I've come to feel.
All that aside, Joyeux Noël!
Jon
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Lien permanent Réponse de Alexander Drainville le
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Bonjour Jon,
I'm very sorry for such a long delay in responding to this. But I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your reply. The resources you listed above are very useful. I can't wait to check out your website when it's up and running.
Thank you again.
Alex
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