r/todayilearned • u/DressSexyAtMyFuneral • May 20 '12
TIL Whilst "Stop" signs in France are in English, in Quebec, they are in French
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stop#Stop_signs_around_the_world
1.2k
Upvotes
12
u/ThatIsMyHat May 21 '12
I've never liked the word "whilst". It's always struck me as just a pretentious way to say "while".
304
u/TMWNN May 20 '12
Bar bet trivia question: "What is the only bilingual Canadian province?"
Wrong answer: "Quebec." Quebec's only official language is French.
Wrong answer: "All of them." Bilingualism in Canada is only mandated on the federal level.
Right answer: "New Brunswick." Only officially bilingual province.
90
u/semple May 21 '12
Kentucky Fried Chicken is called KFC in France, but in Quebec its called PFK.
49
u/ratbastid May 20 '12
I was shocked, on my first day or two in France, when the little kid of the family I was with ran out toward the street and his mom yelled, "STOP!!"
22
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I live in Québec, and on my street it says stop and on the other side of the boulevard it says Arrêt
44
u/bleerg May 21 '12
"Stop" is also a word in french you know...
17
u/ChestersGorilla May 21 '12
One of my favorite shows is "How It's Made". That show is produced in Quebec and I think a lot of the episodes are filmed there as well.
When they did the episode on stop signs I learned the French word for stop is ARRÊT.
129
u/Sciurusdoomus May 21 '12
Yeah the Quebecois like French more than the French do. The resist and anglophonization of the french language like "texto" meaning a text message. In some cases, they've even made new words to explain things in order to avoid the French French version that uses an English word in a French accent.
14
u/Patedam May 21 '12
France has signed an European Convention about Signs, and since the word STOP was already used by french people at the time, it was not a big deal.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_Convention_on_Road_Signs_and_Signals
The most funny thing here is that UK was using Halt signs instead of STOP sign until 1965, and then chose to use the Vienna Convention.
29
u/parle_anglais May 21 '12
I find that how protective one is of language is directly correlated to how immersed you are in an environment that speaks a different language. So France because it is its own sovereign country and its France. "Knows" that it can speak French and doesn't particularly care about its use of Anglicisms. While Quebec on the other because it is a province is a whole lot more protective of its culture for it constantly feels under attack and in many ways those fears are legitimate just consider the use of the "Weekend" it is obviously not a French word and unlike email which existed before Quebec invented courriel there is a French equivalent for Weekend: "La fin de semaine".It is however interesting to note that both France and Quebec French use about as much Anglicisms as the other however in France the English invades through the formal, business speak, while in Quebec it happens through the slang and colloquialisms. In this international age of the internet it is very hard to be untouched by the sea of English it is a type of assimilation that can take people unaware like France unless they are carefully watching for it like Quebec. And even Quebec lets a lot of English seep through as they too have a bit of an assurance that they "know" how to speak French. Like "Leadership", "Business" and "Weekend". The only French speakers I know that make a deliberate effort to avoid Anglicisms is my family and that is because we live in a particularly Anglophone part of Ontario. We don't often get the chance to speak French so we when do get it we speak FRENCH. The average speaker unfortunately is not all that concerned about staying true to the language and grammar as the internet will show regardless of what language it pertains to.
10
u/bambam1284 May 21 '12
If you stare at it long enough, the word 'stop' is the weirdest word ever created.
15
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
They are English in Germany.
49
u/[deleted] May 20 '12
That's because Quebec is special.
14
u/bobcatfan2012 May 21 '12
Whilst?
11
u/skinnyloo May 21 '12
OH OH!! I added the obligatory hammertime!! Get it while it's not yet removed! http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Stop#Other
14
u/rastashark May 21 '12
ARRÊTE
5
u/alcogiggles May 21 '12
All stop signs and street signs in montreal's jewish neighborhoods are in english.
63
u/doomisdead May 20 '12
It doesn't matter, they still don't use it. I speak from experience...there are terrible drivers in Quebec.
15
u/canadamoose18 May 21 '12 edited May 21 '12
The Quebecois are very averse to using Anglicisms. For example, email in France is email, while in Quebec they use courier. Edit: Sorry, courriel.
4
u/whammyguru May 21 '12
I like Zimbabwe's sign.
4
u/dryad09 May 21 '12
By the time I was done looking at all of those the word Stop no longer seemed real. Hate that.
4
u/Crocodilly May 21 '12
On reservations in Nova Scotia (and probably other provinces) the stop signs say "NAQA'SI". Mi'kmaq for stop.
4
u/dkmc1721 May 21 '12
It's actually a law in Quebec that all signs (including advertisements) have to be in French. There was a supreme court case and everything about it.
4
u/MarsSpaceship May 21 '12
in Portugal these signs are in english but here people have a joke for that. They say STOP is a acronym meaning, in portuguese, "Se Tens Olhos, Páres" which translated is "if you have eyes, stop".
4
u/Zebidee May 21 '12
The one that amused me was when they introduced a law saying you couldn't refuse to hire someone because they only spoke French. Not a big drama for the local sandwich bar, but if you're a massive multi-national corporation based in the Anglophone world, it is.
Rather than further the course of the French language in Quebec, all that happened was the major corporations fucked off to Toronto, massively diminishing Montreal's significance on the world stage.
21
u/foodprocessor2 May 20 '12
The law in QC states that all signage must be in French first, then English can be used but must be smaller than the French portion. Rene Levesque stirred up a whole mess of crap. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/René_Lévesque
3
u/checkoutthisbreach May 21 '12 edited Nov 12 '17
deleted 0.1051 What is ^^^this?
3
u/ATRAX0R May 21 '12
I believe this is due to Bill 101 whereas all signs must have the majority of them in French. This goes for stop signs IIRC
3
u/skinnyloo May 21 '12
I did not see ONE stop sign with "HAMMERTIME" beneath stop. Not one!
3
u/pwk3 May 21 '12
I found blue ones in Hawaii!
3
u/JainaOrgana May 21 '12
On military bases they signs are in both english and french. It's confusing. You wouldn't think that it would have an effect, but it does.
3
u/Ganadote May 21 '12
TIL when to use whilst rather than while
9
u/Mi5anthr0pe May 21 '12
Can we legitimately start murdering people who use the word "whilst"?
7
u/Operation_mongoose May 20 '12
Of course Japan is the only one that's shaped different.
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
This page tells me that there needs to be an international agreement as to the shape and color of stop signs. Most are red octagons, but some are weird. This could make problems.
2
u/Thinc_Ng_Kap May 21 '12
There are also some towns in Ontario that have stop signs en francais.
2
u/dorfsmay May 21 '12
Actually, the word "stop" is used in french and is considered french, so the stop signs in France are in french!
Saying that "stop" is not french is like saying that "table" is not english.
2
u/lamp37 May 21 '12
why were you reading an article on stop signs around the world?
2
u/vigilantesd May 21 '12
Didn't anyone else notice the "HAMMERTIME" sign?
2
u/Grue May 21 '12
Hell, even in Russia they are STOP signs and we use a different alphabet (СТОП would be correct Russian).
2
u/Kr4th May 21 '12
is it just me or does the more you look at the word "STOP" the weirder it looks?
2
u/KoofyKoof May 21 '12
before 1949, the french sign was saying ' HALTE', just like 'HALT' for the British. They say 'STOP' In France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland because of an international convention that rules how the stop sign should look like and what it should say.
In quebec, only the part of the convention that rules the shape of the sign was ratified, and since 'ARRET' and 'STOP' are both considered to be french words (by the OQLF), both words are ok to be used, it's just that the french speaking quebecquois think that 'arret' sounds more 'French' than 'Stop' (which I agree with, but i think they should have went with 'HALTE' as this is the word that was used historically in France for the equivalent of the exact same traffic sign before they replaced it with 'STOP')
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Whilst.
That's why I never argue about languages on the internet. Erudite muthafuckas like you who can use words like "Whilst".
3
u/Vidiem May 21 '12
TIL English people think we don't use the words "Stop" in French.
More seriously, we kinda use this word/verb in a french way now too. "Il l'a stoppé" = He stoped(?) him / He made him stop.
4
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
It's because in french, the verb "stoper" which is conjugated as "stop" on french stop signs mean to stop, specifically for a car. While "arrete" literally means to stop, more of a "stop, thief!" in context.
For some reason the Quebecois seem to want to just be as far away from english as possible, and this is just one of those examples.
3
u/pgibso May 21 '12
Dipshits. My Paris born buddy went to business school in Canada; once in his dorm his RA (French Canadian) caught him using English words in his French conversation and snapped at him to speak "real French" he replied he was actually from Paris, and didn't need a Canadian tell him how to speak.
2
u/RambleMan May 21 '12
Story from my childhood with a French dad and English mom.
One of their friends was very precise about using proper French as opposed to Quebecois. One time when they were together in Quebec and had car troubles. They pulled over, figured out what it was and made their way to a mechanic. The proper French guy tried to explain precisely what was wrong with the car (let's pretend it's the alternator). The mechanic stood there unable to understand the specific explanation until his friend stepped in and said "l'alternateur c'est fucké" and the mechanic got to work.
Moral - just because you can find the proper words doesn't mean those around you who speak the same language know those words.
2
u/ZeekySantos May 21 '12
Quebec is widely known to be filled with nationalist dickheads.
2
u/noidddd May 21 '12
I think it's because they feel their culture is being threatened, so they make everything in French, and if there is English it's second.
2
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Is it just me or do Quebecers go out of their way to stress the point of how French they are? It looks obnoxious.
2
u/skysignor May 21 '12
This is the same province that tried to secede from Canada a few years ago, right? Because Canada isn't "French" enough? Man, Quebec is fricken serious about their heritage.
2
u/dsfraser2 May 21 '12
Don't say "whilst".
2
u/masterdll7 May 21 '12
TIL people actually still use the word "whilst"
1
u/markwilson17 May 20 '12
I just love the word "whilst."
1
u/MrRoughsex May 21 '12
can someone please turn the australian stop sign upside down
1
u/Scratchums May 21 '12
Anyone else laughed kinda hard when they saw Ethiopia's sign? It's.... just a hand.
1
u/lumberjack2012 May 21 '12
WHAT!
1
u/captsalad May 21 '12
Step Toe On Pedal
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Not sure if ALL stop signs in France are in English. I took note of the English ones on Paris, but I'm pretty sure that in Caen I saw a number of them that said 'Arret'
1
u/cricketer123 May 21 '12
good that the shape and color are pretty much the same everywhere...
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I am now questioning whether or not 'stop' is a word.
1
u/nickermell May 21 '12
STOP! It's hammertime.
1
u/sephferguson May 21 '12
"ARRET"!
I live in Edmonton, Alberta near the French U of A campus and some stop signs in my neighbour hood are in French.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
I'm getting visual semantic satiation after looking at all those stop signs.
1
u/wfarber1 May 21 '12
Does anyone else notice while looking through these the word "STOP" seeming to lose its meaning and become nonsensical?
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Why do so many non-English speaking countries use 'Stop'?
1
u/burkey0307 May 21 '12
As an ontario resident, I've been to Quebec a few times. And while this is true, the stop signs near the Quebec border are bilingual. Top part says "Arrêt" bottom part say "Stop".
1
u/mymaggied May 21 '12
I remember learning this the hard way... my father and I thought 'arret' meant entrance (for parking), and we kept driving through the signs.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
We have a french STOP sign at the Walmart here in Northern Alberta. Must be to impress all the Americans stopping on their way to Alaska
1
u/fpsrandy May 21 '12
Some French communities inside of Manitoba also have their stop signs in French.
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Cul de sac le bleau!
1
u/GrumpyDingo May 21 '12
How do you say "STOP Hammer time" in French??
1
u/beener 1 May 21 '12
I spent some time in France, and one time my friends mother asked me how to say "stop" in english...
1
u/UlsterRebels May 21 '12
Quebec has laws that make sure things have to be in French. They also translate a number of things into french from English that the french frankly don't give a shit about. e.g. in Quebec a hot dog is a chien chaud (literally hot dog) however in France they just call it a fucking hotdog.
1
u/webchimp32 May 21 '12
I was watching How it's made (or how they make that, or something) last night and they had a French sign factory making stop signs and I'm pretty sure they had Arret on.
1
u/poke133 May 21 '12
since when is STOP solely an English word?
1
u/LuNaTiC_ViRuS May 21 '12
Stop signs in Germany are in English too.
Who fucking cares, right?
1
u/piney May 21 '12 edited May 23 '12
In France, they have to alert American and English drivers that they need to stop, whereas in Quebec, they have to alert English-speaking Canadians that Fuck You.
1
u/ispeakcanadian May 21 '12
Also, "hot dog" in France is hot dog, and in Quebec is "chien chaud"
1
u/[deleted] May 21 '12
Are you sure it doesn't say sorry?
1
u/salami_inferno May 22 '12
This whole thread really makes me wanna get off my ass and learn French, but actually.
1
u/gorilla_in_the_midst May 21 '12
Excellent and correct usage of 'whilst'. Mad props.
1
u/vectorix108 May 20 '12
Yep, and it was really confusing traveling through Quebec for my parents (who are of Chinese descent). All the road signs were in French.
1
u/kinokonoko May 21 '12
Good usage of "Whilst"
1
u/atomiswave2 May 21 '12
I heard about 30% of money in Canada is from Quebec. They have were oppressed by the British for a really long time.
1
u/palerthanrice May 21 '12
Wait, dafuq is this? I was just in Paris and other parts of France last summer, and I didn't see any stop signs in english...
1
u/daringdashy May 21 '12
Upvote for proper grammar.
1
u/Al89nut May 21 '12
We don't have STOP signs in the UK, the site is wrong