Linguistic Chaos in Montreal

1
Linguistic Chaos in Montreal
2
(No Transcript)
3
1995 Referendum
Oui!
No Way.
4
History of Montreal
5
Northern Entry to the Continent

• Orig. Iroquois settlement called Hochelaga
• Discovered in 1535 by Jacques Cartier

6
Settlement of Montreal
7
Settlement of Montreal

• Orig. Iroquois settlement called Hochelaga
• Discovered in 1535 by Jacques Cartier
• Ville Marie founded 1642 (Iroquois gone)
• Defensible and accessible site
• Center of French settlement fur trade for 120
  yrs.
• Center of English commerce industry after 1760

8
Canal de Lachine
9
Downtown Montreal viewed from the Canal de Lachine
10
Settlement of Montreal

• Orig. Iroquois settlement called Hochelaga
• Discovered in 1535 by Jacques Cartier
• Ville Marie founded 1642 (Iroquois gone)
• Defensible and accessible site
• Center of French settlement fur trade for 120
  yrs.
• Center of English commerce industry after 1760
• Canal de Lachine creates industrial axis
  immigration magnet
• Golden Square Mile 1850-1930 70 of Canadas
  wealth
• St. Lawrence Seaway 1959

11
Montreal Today
12
Montreal Today
13
Population Density
14
(No Transcript)
15
Bilingualism
16
The Order of Chaos

• Bilingualism
• below 40 outside Montreal
• 40-100 on Island of Montreal
• Political tension around language
• Canada officially bilingual, mostly Anglophone
• Quebec officially monolingual
• language choice is politicized in Montreal
• impacts of politicization may be contradictory
  and counter-intuitive
• Complicated linguistic geography

17
(No Transcript)
18
(No Transcript)
19
(No Transcript)
20
Schematic Diagram of Montreals Linguistic
Geography
21
French and English mix

• many words like cool, gang, show, and tripper
  have found their way into French
• a few words like metro, dépanneur, CEGEP, and
  confessional (denominational) have found their
  way into Montreal English
• conversations flip-flop as bilingual friends with
  different mother tongues converse
• sentences flip-flop These shoes hurt here et
  juste en arriere (overheard on street) Cest
  pour ça que Ive been wanting to talk to you
  (overheard in café)

22
Language Politics

• As suggested above, the language games resemble a
  dance, a promiscuous mingling of languages
• People take delight in shifting from language to
  language at whim
• Nevertheless, language is a locus of heart-felt
  struggle in Quebec and in Montreal

23
The dance of English and French is less chaotic
than it appears.
24
Language Games

• Mr. Smith starts in French to show that he
  accepts that French is the official language of
  Quebec
• Mr. Tremblay switches to (almost perfect) English
  to show his good will and/or to avoid confusion
• If Smith does not acknowledge this good will by
  abandoning his attempt to speak French, this will
  be taken as a sign that Tremblays English is not
  good enough (a snub) and a sign of stupidity
  and/or vanity because Smith overestimates his
  (undoubtedly flawed) French
• However, if Jones becomes complacent and uses
  English first, he will encounter
  incomprehension or somewhat surly use of English

25
Axes of Variation in Language Games

• Time
• centuries (???)
• decades
• months
• Space
• East Island vs. West Island
• on island vs. off island
• public vs. private space
• Francophone vs. Anglophone establishments
• e.g. donut shop vs. pastry shop
• Ethnicity
• Anglophones are not necessarily Anglos!
• Many Italians, Greeks, Arabs, etc.
• Jewish population predominantly Anglophone

26
Political Context

• a linguistic island six millions de francophones
  perdus dans un océan danglophones
• René Lévesque (founder of the Parti Québécois)
  To be unable to live as ourselves, as we should
  live, in our own language and according to our
  own ways, would be like living without an arm or
  a legor perhaps a heart.
• linguistic peculiarity increasing through
  out-migration and in-migration
• Open conflict
• two failed referenda on sovereignty
• several unresolved constitutional battles
• rise of the nationalist Parti Québécois
• a spate of laws supporting Francisation

27
1995 Referendum
Oui!
No Way.
28
(No Transcript)
29
What is the meaning of the sovereignty movement?

• To redress historical wrongs
• To earn recognition as a distinct society
• To achieve autonomy in areas like media
  regulation and immigration policy
• To perpetuate French culture in North America

30
Law 101, of 1977

• most famous of many language laws signed into law
  under the P.Q.
• had three objectives
• restrict outdoor signage to French
• designate French as the official language of all
  workplaces in Quebec
• ensure that children of immigrants to Quebec will
  be educated in French
• was softened by constitutional challenges, but
  remains largely intact

31
Three signs in the Montreal area, one controversy
32
ARRÊT STOP
ARRÊT
STOP
33
Regulation of Signage

• General perception of Francophones a worthwhile
  project
• General perception by Anglophones vindictive and
  pointless regulation
• confusing eradication of the apostrophe Joes ?
  Joes
• confusing bilingual signs Av. Sherbrooke Ave.
• Richard Y. Bourhis (Psychology, UQAM)
• linguistic landscape is the strongest predictor
  of peoples perceptions of ethnolinguistic
  vitality
• so the sign law serves a purpose, whether or not
  its a purpose the Anglophones understand or
  support

34
The only English signs are relics of an earlier
era
35
Immigrant zones are key sites of linguistic
struggle
36
(No Transcript)
37
Why did Quebec lose in 1995?

• Jacques Parizeau (Quebecs premier) Its true
  that we were beaten, but by what? Money and
  ethnic votes.
• Universally recognized as a tasteless expression
  of anger, and a political gaffe

38
Other signs of ethnic division in the Montreal
urban landscape

• French dense, urban, stone/brick/concrete,
  sociable, prioritizes chance encounters and the
  sense of community
• English serene, suburban (lawns), dignified,
  prioritizes the protection of personal and
  familial privacy
• Other ethnicities conforms to English or French
  standard, though Italians have a special style

39
(No Transcript)
40
French districts e.g. Plateau-Mont-Royal
41
English districts e.g. a street in Westmount
42
Italian row houses in Lasalle
43
A quiet, civilized afternoon, lawn bowling in
Westmount
44
A less civilized pass-time, shopping at Marché
Jean-Talon
45
The Zone of Linguistic Confusion (Z.L.C.)

• Virtually all of Montreals tourist zone, plus
  the contact zone between East Island West Island

46
nominally Francophone
Z.L.C.
nominally Anglophone
47
The zone of linguistic confusion(Place dArmes)
48
The zone of linguistic confusion(la Vieux Porte)
49
The zone of linguistic confusion(Gare Central)
50
The zone of linguistic confusion(the Métro and
Parc Mont Royal)
51
The zone of linguistic confusion(Sherbrooke St.
to The Village)
52
MAIN POINTS SO FAR

• Montreals linguistic landscape can feel chaotic
  to a visitor, particularly since the tourist
  zones are in the Z.L.C.
• This chaos reflects history and geography
• Rise, fall, and resurrection of French control of
  Quebec
• Montreal as an island in an island
  (linguistically speaking)
• centripetal and centrifugal forces
• Allophone populations add to the complexity
• Political struggle over language adds to the
  tension

53
Nevertheless, most Montrealers wouldnt want to
live anywhere else

• What accounts for the magic of this city?
• Why do people fall in love with it?

54
Concluding Thoughts

• The key may lie in the role played by Montreals
  abundant public spaces
• pedestrian streets
• greenspace
• parks
• squares
• underground city
• The Other can never be truly a stranger in this
  kind of city

55
Greenspace
56
Great Greenspaces

• Parc Mont Royal 494 acres
• (just over half the size of Central Park, NY, but
  bigger than Zilker Park)
• Île St. Hélène 336 acres (1/2 fill)
• Parc Angrignon 200 acres
• Île Notre Dame, Parc Maisonneuve, Botanical
  Gardens, banks of the Canal de Lachine, banks of
  the St. Lawrence, etc.
• includes 67 miles of bike paths

57
(No Transcript)
58
Underground City

• 18 miles of interconnected spaces
• linked via the Métro
• provides access to
• shopping
• office buildings
• indoor skating rink
• hotels
• restaurants cafés
• four universities
• Montreals main performing arts center

59
Underground City
60
The dense urban fabric encourages communication
across political lines
61
Could these spaces be the glue that holds it
all together?