French, Canada's official global language

Messenger   Sat Nov 15, 2008 1:39 pm GMT
The importance of French has demographic and economic consequences for major economies in the world, even the US. For example, French is the official global language of Canada, which caries out major trade deals with the US. The knowledge of French for traders to such countries becomes all the more important when you realize that Canada, for example, has provinces like Quebec, which trades more than 70 billion Dollars annually with the US, and the major international language being followed there is French.

http://www.europeword.com/blog/europe/the-importance-of-french-language-and-why-should-it-be-adopted-as-a-universal-language/
Milton   Sat Nov 15, 2008 1:49 pm GMT
French is only official in one province, co-official with English in another one (New Brunswick).
Parts of Quebec, like the region next to the capital (around Gatineau) and Montreal are practically bilingual. One third of Montreal people have English as their mother tongue, and English is the language of commerce, trade and tourism all across Quebec.
Visitor   Sat Nov 15, 2008 2:07 pm GMT
<< Parts of Quebec, like the region next to the capital (around Gatineau) and Montreal are practically bilingual. One third of Montreal people have English as their mother tongue, and English is the language of commerce, trade and tourism all across Quebec. >>

Oops! Gatineau is now wholly gallicized. Virtually all of the Anglo descents there are monolingual in French.

French is predominant in Northern Prairie Provinces, Parts of Northern Ontario. French is co-official in all the other provinces while English is not official in Quebec because of Bill 101.

As for your information that English is the language of commerce in Quebec is very wrong. How can it be since no English signs are allowed in public because of Bill 101?

All I know is English is the language of trade and commerce in puerto Eico, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, and fast becoming in Colombia. Almost all the people in these countries can carry out conversation in English with American twang.

Have you noticed the Colombian singer Shakira speaks English? Well, much better than Celine Dion English and yet Celine studied English long before Shakira did.
eeuuian   Sat Nov 15, 2008 4:31 pm GMT
<< French is the official global language of Canada, which caries out major trade deals with the US.>>

Interesting. Down at work, when we talk with the folks from Toronto about business, they all seem to speak in English. When customers in Quebec report problems to us, the reports seem to be mainly in English. (perhaps thare's at most one or two paragraphs in French somewhere -- the reposts are actually somewhat like forum threads or blogs, with multiple contributors and responses, etc.)

Of course, when companies in Quebec trade with France, I suppose it's reasonable to expect thm to use French.
Pocoyo   Sat Nov 15, 2008 5:04 pm GMT
''French is predominant in Northern Prairie Provinces''

It ain't.

''French is co-official in all the other provinces''

It ain't
Fuzil   Sat Nov 15, 2008 5:10 pm GMT
CBC news at six, live from Montreal

all in English, and people interviewed on the streets seem to be very comfortable with English:


http://www.cbc.ca/video/popup.html?http://www.cbc.ca/ondemand/newsatsix/montreal.asx
Adolph   Sat Nov 15, 2008 10:42 pm GMT
<<
All I know is English is the language of trade and commerce in puerto Eico, Panama, Costa Rica, Mexico, and fast becoming in Colombia. Almost all the people in these countries can carry out conversation in English with American twang.

Have you noticed the Colombian singer Shakira speaks English? Well, much better than Celine Dion English and yet Celine studied English long before Shakira did. >>


Why are you proud of the fact that French Canadians suck at English? That just means they're stupid or backwards. The whole world speaks English, and Quebec doesn't, haha what a backward place, like Bhutan or Burkina Faso.
Loxahatchee Luke   Sat Nov 15, 2008 10:50 pm GMT
<<Why are you proud of the fact that French Canadians suck at English? That just means they're stupid or backwards.>>

Either that, or if French is your native language, there's really no reason to learn English, because of the dominant position of French in the modern commerce. :)
Adolph   Sat Nov 15, 2008 11:18 pm GMT
<<
Either that, or if French is your native language, there's really no reason to learn English, because of the dominant position of French in the modern commerce. :) >>

Well, it's ok if you're content to limit yourself to your small province. If you have no interest in doing business with the largest economy in the world right next door... In other words, if you're 'small time' then French is ok, but if you want to go big, you need English. Just like if your 'small time' Hungarian only is ok in Hungary, Albanian only is ok in Albania, Swahili only is ok in Kenya, Bhutanese only is ok in Bhutan.
Loxahatchee Luke   Sun Nov 16, 2008 12:23 am GMT
<<Well, it's ok if you're content to limit yourself to your small province.>>

Perhaps you missed the smiley-face :)

Actually, I live in that largest economy next door to Quebec, (about 250mi south)