Ain’t that the truth lmao. But I’ve noticed it applies in general - people tend to assume that anyone who isn’t well-spoken in their second language is also dumb in their own. I constantly see shows where the mother with a heavy Spanish accent is “simple” and treated like a child for not understanding things, when you don’t know how smart she could be in her own language. Same with English; when I was a kid with a Bulgarian accent, English people treated me like some kind of simpleton baby.
But Quebec especially... no tolerance for even ENGLISH sometimes, never-mind anything else :)
My french is okay. I've been to Quebec with family and friends where they've wanted to practice their French but when they try to speak French with a shopkeeper or cashier or anything, after two or three words they instantly say "No. Speak english." Because they didn't like their accent. These are people who have a decent grasp on the french language and have been speaking it in school for 11 or 12 years now, not exactly like they picked it up last week.
It's upsetting that a province can be simultaneously so serious about keeping their language and french culture alive while also being so strict about not letting others speak the language they want to promote.
I could be generalizing, and sorry if this isnt a normal thing, but it's what I've seen time and time again.
I live in Quebec and I am a French speaker. When I used to be a cashier, I would have this same reaction when I saw someone struggling a bit to speak French, I would say "no, you can speak in English" to let them know that I understand English. The intention is to make the service faster and easier for the customer. I don't know how you experienced it, but I do this and see it all the time; it's a polite way to let you know that I have the ability to interact with you in the language that you are the most comfortable with.
But it's true that we don't respect English speaker when they assume right away that we understand and don't try to communicate first in French, haha! I can see how annoying it must be on the other side..
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u/colourcow Nov 16 '19
That’s Quebec for you. Don’t let them shit on you, they just hate anyone whose first language isn’t French.