French in the west

[Speedy von Vloppen]

I live near Boise, Idaho and am working hard to learn French for numerous reasons. Of course I'm in a border state and could easily drive up to Canada in a day, but the provinces close to me are English ones, not French. It would be easy for me to get to British Columbia or Alberta or even Saskatchewan. Unfortunately, the French provinces, Québec and New Brunswick, are quite far from me, way too far for a one-day drive. This leads to my question. Are there pockets of French speakers in the western provinces? If so, it would be worth it for me to take a mini-vacation up there. There are precious few opportunities to speak in French in Idaho. I have found a French club that meets at a coffee shop once a month. I also have a Skype partner from France. I speak with her once a week, both in French (to help me) and in English (to help her).

I'm not all that good at French yet, having only been studying it since September of 2012. However, I know from past experience that you only get good at a language by starting off being terrible, but using the language as much as possible anyway. That's how I became fluent in German. I went over to Switzerland and Germany and used my German every day. Here I have a French-language country immediately to my north. Plus, I've always wanted to visit Canada anyway.

[kimmy]

I think that what you're looking for is pretty much non-existent in Western Canada.

There are small communities around that used to have a French Canadian character-- St Paul or Bonneville or Grouard in Alberta, for example... but I think that French character has faded with each generation and is mostly gone.

Your best chance might be to come to BC's southern interior-- Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton-- during the summer. Quite a few Quebecois come to that area to work as seasonal workers in the orchards. It lets them travel, make some money, get together, drink and do drugs, throw up on stuff, harass the local residents, commit vandalism, and generally create a terrible impression of French Canadians in general.

-k

[ReeferMadness]

I know that a long time ago, it was common to hear French being spoken in Falher and Girouxville (northern Alberta). But I don't know if that's still the case and it's a long drive up there.

[jbg]

Boniface area in Winnipeg? A bit closer than Quebec, perhaps.

[carepov]

Bonjour Speedy,

As long as you dress warm, you would certainly enjoy: http://festivalvoyageur.mb.ca/

French is alive and well in Manitoba: http://joiedevivremanitoba.com/fr

I am not so sure about the rest of Western Canada, but check out:

http://www.ouestcanadien.ca/

http://www.tourismealberta.ca/

http://www.sasktourism.com/lang/french.htm

http://fr.britishcolumbia.travel/default.aspx?CC=CAFR&SI=1

[Speedy von Vloppen]

Thanks. I was going to ask about Winnipeg and Manitoba in general because I remember that that's the province that Louis Riel founded. I'm actually from Nebraska, but am living in Idaho for now at least. Manitoba is pretty much due north of Nebraska. It's a bit of a drive, but I could get there.

Edited May 21, 2013 by Speedy von Vloppen

[August1991]

This leads to my question. Are there pockets of French speakers in the western provinces? If so, it would be worth it for me to take a mini-vacation up there. There are precious few opportunities to speak in French in Idaho. I have found a French club that meets at a coffee shop once a month. I also have a Skype partner from France. I speak with her once a week, both in French (to help me) and in English (to help her).

In Manitoba, I recall meeting someone who spoke Icelandic. I was surprised. She explained that many people in her Manitoba town spoke Icelandic. I once knew a guy whose girlfriend, from Western Canada, spoke Finnish. She spoke it with her mom. In Ottawa, I worked with a guy from Edmonton who spoke Ukrainian. All of these people also spoke English. From the perspective of Western Canadians, everyone speaks English. But that's not true.

I guess what I am saying is that if you seek French-speakers, francophones, you will find them in western Canada - but bear in mind that they will probably also speak English.

Places like Gravelbourg, St-Boniface, Bonnyville, St-Paul are genuine - but small. They are like Shannon in Quebec.

Anyway, IMHO, a bed is the best place to learn another language. And in this, the advantage goes to the first mover: the person who can speak a few more foreign words than the other.

----

Lastly, as our current PM famously said, Canada is a federal, bilingual state where few people speak both languages. Well, that's not entirely true but you can listen to French/English radio/TV everywhere in Canada.

Edited May 26, 2013 by August1991

[jbg]

In Manitoba, I recall meeting someone who spoke Icelandic. I was surprised. She explained that many people in her Manitoba town spoke Icelandic.

That town must have been Gimli or near it. I am friends with someone from that area. He tells me tat there was actually a short period when that area was a republic independent from Manitoba and Canada. This is born out in this link, excerpts below:

Though Icelanders knew of the existence of Canada since its discovery in the tenth century, there was no large-scale emigration until the late nineteenth century. At that time, the conditions in Iceland were so terrible that literally thousands of Icelanders left their homes and often their families to start a new life in Canada. The great majority of these emigrants settled in Manitoba, in the area north of Boundary Creek (Winnipeg Beach) and extending as far north as Hecla Island. The Gimli and Riverton districts were the focus for most of this emigration. The emigration reached its peak after the winter of 1875. To understand the conditions in Iceland at that time, it is necessary to briefly review the country’s history.

For most people, this was the last straw. With the ash from the eruptions, it would be all but impossible to harvest any crop at all. Conditions in Iceland were now so poor that any place at all would surely be better. Icelanders were quite prepared to pack their bags and leave. [6] The only question was ... where would they go?

Wanting to start a completely new life in a new land, the obvious choice for a location was North America. But where in North America? Sigtryggur Jonasson had the answer. One of the first Icelandic immigrants to Canada, Jonasson had moved to Canada in 1872. Hearing about the disastrous conditions in Iceland, Jonasson returned to Iceland to try and convince Icelanders to emigrate to Canada. Because of his diligence in this undertaking, he became known as the “Father of New Iceland.” [7] He distributed a booklet on behalf of the Canadian government called Nya Island I Kanada (New Iceland In Canada), which proclaimed the numerous benefits of starting a new life in Canada. Jonasson himself was part of an expedition to the north of Manitoba (Manitoba at that time was still the “postage-stamp” province) to locate a site to establish New Iceland.

**********************************

After the hardships and misery brought by the smallpox epidemic, the general mood of the colony was one of despair. To prevent the breakup of the colony, the Icelanders needed a strong leadership. Thus, in 1877 the colonists began to devise a constitution which was finalized in 1878. This constitution “provided that the whole region comprising the colony of New Iceland be called Vatnsthing (Lake Region) and that it be divided into four districts: Vidinesbygd (Willow Point community—now the Gimli district), Arnesbygd (The Arnes community); Fljotsbygd (the Icelandic River community—now the Riverton district); and Mikleyjarbygd (the Big Island Community—now Hecla Island.).” [23] The government was closely modeled on the Althing in Iceland. A five-person council, composed of a reeve, an assistant reeve, and three council members, governed each of the four districts. The reeves from each of the districts would meet to form the grand council, which governed over matters concerning the colony as a whole. Under this constitution, New Iceland was recognized as a separate nation with full jurisdiction concerning immigration, taxation, and legal matters.