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rfmcdonaldOne way that I keep up with my written French--actually, practically the only way--is to read L'Express, the free French-language weekly for the Greater Toronto Area.
Toronto is far from being as bilingual as Montréal or Ottawa, but almost 2% of the GTA's population is Francophone. la francophonie torontonienneis a very diverse group, including not only French Canadians (Franco-Ontarians, Québécois, Acadiens) but Francophone immigrants from around the world: France, Belgium, and Switzerland; West and Central Africa; Haiti and the Lesser Antilles. The headline above the fold of this week's issue is "Les ivoiriens dénonent l'impérialisme de Chirac: Manifestation au Consulat de France de Toronto." The diversity of this Francophone community might well work against the retention of the French language, but for the time being there's enough readers of L'Express to justify its continued existence.
Picking up this week's issue, I was very surprised to see, next to the aforementioned headline, an article by Caroline Roy with the titled included in this post's heading. It appears that on the evenings of the 18th, 19th, and 22nd of November, TV5 will air a documentary exploring the possibilities for a restoration of the Island's Francophone community, concentrating on the opening of new French-language schools: Rustico, West Prince, Souris (?), and Summerside (misspelled by Roy "Sumerside").
I haven't talked about the language situation on the Island before, I think, although I've chatted with![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nire_nagaf and orlandobr on the potential for Gaelic on the Island. The article concentrates on the potential for French-language schools, along with other tardily offered French-language government services, to encourage Acadians of English mother tongue to learn French, skipping a generation of Anglophone parents: Le plus frappant, c'est d'entendre les parents parler en anglais tandis que les grands-parents et les enfants connaissent le français.
I have to confess a certain skepticism as to the viability of the project, given the advanced state of language decay among Island Acadiens. I suspect that certain communities (la Région Évangeline, say) are as tightknit as Roy says. Only certain communities, though. The Irish precedent suggests more ambitious schemes are doomed. Still, it's an interesting project. Perhaps I should try to catch the documentary?
Toronto is far from being as bilingual as Montréal or Ottawa, but almost 2% of the GTA's population is Francophone. la francophonie torontonienneis a very diverse group, including not only French Canadians (Franco-Ontarians, Québécois, Acadiens) but Francophone immigrants from around the world: France, Belgium, and Switzerland; West and Central Africa; Haiti and the Lesser Antilles. The headline above the fold of this week's issue is "Les ivoiriens dénonent l'impérialisme de Chirac: Manifestation au Consulat de France de Toronto." The diversity of this Francophone community might well work against the retention of the French language, but for the time being there's enough readers of L'Express to justify its continued existence.
Picking up this week's issue, I was very surprised to see, next to the aforementioned headline, an article by Caroline Roy with the titled included in this post's heading. It appears that on the evenings of the 18th, 19th, and 22nd of November, TV5 will air a documentary exploring the possibilities for a restoration of the Island's Francophone community, concentrating on the opening of new French-language schools: Rustico, West Prince, Souris (?), and Summerside (misspelled by Roy "Sumerside").
I haven't talked about the language situation on the Island before, I think, although I've chatted with
nire_nagaf and orlandobr on the potential for Gaelic on the Island. The article concentrates on the potential for French-language schools, along with other tardily offered French-language government services, to encourage Acadians of English mother tongue to learn French, skipping a generation of Anglophone parents: Le plus frappant, c'est d'entendre les parents parler en anglais tandis que les grands-parents et les enfants connaissent le français.I have to confess a certain skepticism as to the viability of the project, given the advanced state of language decay among Island Acadiens. I suspect that certain communities (la Région Évangeline, say) are as tightknit as Roy says. Only certain communities, though. The Irish precedent suggests more ambitious schemes are doomed. Still, it's an interesting project. Perhaps I should try to catch the documentary?
