For the residents of Quebec, a phrase like le week-end has always been something of a faux-pas.
But now the stridently Francophone Canadian province is finally accepting that English words are here to stay.
Following a decision by the Office québécois de la langue française this week, English terms such as ‘grilled-cheese’ will now be acceptable for use in French, Quebec, according to The Globe and Mail.
The Canadian province of Quebec is easing restrictions against English after a recent decision by the Office québécois de la langue française
For decades, the gatekeepers of the French language in the Canadian province were adamantly opposed to English encroaching into the vernacular, perceived as undermining Quebec’s historical and cultural roots.
But that all changed after the office, known by its acronym OQLF, released a list of once banished words now permissible for use.
For example, the sandwich au fromage fondant can now be referred to as ‘grilled cheese,’ while pain grille is acceptable as just ‘toast.’
Le baby boom, referencing the post WWII generation, can now replace le bebe-boum while the unpopular balle molle is now just ‘soft ball.’
The OQLF, which has 15 full-time language terminologists and a staff of 230, is dedicated to finding French replacements for English terms.
Recent changes, however, have led the office to relax some of its policies, saying the decision will add to Quebec’s ‘linguistic enrichment.’
Terms such as ‘grilled-cheese’ and ‘Drag queen’ will now be acceptable for use in French, Quebec (Pictured: Quebec City)
‘We’ve added a certain amount of flexibility,’ said Jean-Pierre Le Blanc, spokesman for the OQLF.
‘Our policy will always be to aim to promote French terms, but if [English] terms have become part of common usage, we can accept them. It’s part of our linguistic enrichment.’
The recent announcement has already ignited firestorm, unsurprising to most Canadians where issues surrounding language and identity have sparked fierce debates in the province since the mid 1800s.
The recent announcement has already ignited firestorm, an issue that has sparked fierce debates in the province since the mid 1800s
Those concerns eventually became so paramount that laws were adopted in the province in the 1970s to guard against anglicisms.
Linguist and former OQLF employee Jacques Maurais went so far as to say that the OQLF decision marks the ‘era of voluntary enslavement.’
Yet now, as younger Quebeckers are living in a more prosperous era than previous generations, views concerning language and identity have become more relaxed.
‘Collectively, [francophone Quebeckers] have improved their status economically and politically. There are still insecurities, but there are fewer than before,’ said Chantal Bouchard, a sociolinguist at McGill University in Montreal.
‘People under 30 see English as less of a threat because they don’t have the impression they’re losing their language,’ she added.