Moving to Montreal Without French

[harls]

Originally Posted by MexiQuebecois

"Wait, let me stop at the dépanneur to take money out of the guichet before we go out for the cinq à sept"

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that sentence.

(quand Brett moves icitte, he'll know!)

[mr.John]

Oh come on do you really believe he has any intention of moving to Montreal? the dude is so clueless about the city he doesn't even know that McGill (Canada's most well known university) is english, I think you people have been taken for a ride

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by harls

No kidding.. why move here if you just want to stay in your bubble? Kirkland and DDO could be mistaken for Oakville and Burlington, if you squint at a four-way stop, it might not even say 'arrêt'.

(no offense to MolsonExport, Kirkland progeny )

None taken

Kirkland is what it is. Generic suburbia. A decent place to grow up in (really not that horrible), but an extremely banal place from an outsider's perspective. That is, it is very much like any middle and upper-middle class suburb anywhere in English Canada, and not very dissimilar to quite a few of the same kind in French Canada (Terrebonne, Brossard, Laval, anyone?).

I couldn't wait to move away! Fortunately, I spent 9 years living downtown...and even in my Waste Island days, I usually had Francophone (Quebecoise) girlfriends....almost always, they were Quebecoise!

And franglais goes both ways. I got mine working chez McDo (Beaconsfield & Dorval) for 5 years.

Je vais prendre two cheeseburgers, par example. Avec des Frites Medium, et un Milkshake Vanille.
Ouais bonjour, donne-moi deux oeufs frits avec bacon, avec des toasts et beurre de pinotte. Et un café large.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

And franglais goes both ways. I got mine working chez McDo (Beaconsfield & Dorval) for 5 years.

Je vais prendre two cheeseburgers, par example. Avec des Frites Medium, et un Milkshake Vanille.
Ouais bonjour, donne-moi deux oeufs frits avec bacon, avec des toasts et beurre de pinotte. Et un café large.

I sometimes wonder if the country would have been better off if all of Canada had been like this...

[MolsonExport]

^you mean, more like Montreal (and less like Calgary?)

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

^you mean, more like Montreal (and less like Calgary?)

Well, you know. If we would have developed a Canadian language (sort of a French-English creole with maybe some aboriginal words thrown in) that would have been spoken across the country?

[MolsonExport]

That would be really interesting.

[Ashok]

^ Ye, you would have made 25 000 hippies/artist/those people happy and 35 million people upset.

[bobi]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Well, you know. If we would have developed a Canadian language (sort of a French-English creole with maybe some aboriginal words thrown in) that would have been spoken across the country?

It did exist for a time: métis mitchif/michif (a mix of French, Cree, and some (Scottish) English).

Besides that, we still have joual and Jean Chrétien.

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by mr.John

Oh come on do you really believe he has any intention of moving to Montreal? the dude is so clueless about the city he doesn't even know that McGill (Canada's most well known university) is english, I think you people have been taken for a ride

Hey now I knew McGill was an English university, I was just clarifying that you could indeed finish a degree there without any French.

[BretttheRiderFan]

And of course I have the full intention of becoming fluent in French, independent of whether or not I move to Montreal eventually.

This thread was solely for asking my SSP Montreal buddies some questions.

I have been to La Banquise several times and ventured into the east with francophone acquaintances, always had a great time. Montreal is probably my favourite city on this continent.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Ashok

^ Ye, you would have made 25 000 hippies/artist/those people happy and 35 million people upset.

Not really, because in the scenario I was alluding to, it would have evolved naturally and have been "their" language.

People aren't more or less happy speaking one language versus another, provided it's their own.

[MolsonExport]

The buildings are not quite as shiny or tall as some cities out west. That may be very dismaying for some transplants.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The buildings are not quite as shiny or tall as some cities out west. That may be very dismaying for some transplants.

Uh-oh, here comes trouble...

[flar]

As others have said, might be hard to find a job with English only, but day-to-day you would be fine as almost everyone you encounter in public will speak some English.

[MolsonExport]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Uh-oh, here comes trouble...

why has Chad joined the thread?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

why has Chad joined the thread?

Not yet, but give it time!

[mr.John]

Originally Posted by BretttheRiderFan

And of course I have the full intention of becoming fluent in French, independent of whether or not I move to Montreal eventually.

This thread was solely for asking my SSP Montreal buddies some questions.

I have been to La Banquise several times and ventured into the east with francophone acquaintances, always had a great time. Montreal is probably my favourite city on this continent.

Easy there..... be careful what your saying, you can get into serious trouble with the Chadinator: Listen, and understand. the Chadinator is out there.he can't be bargained with. he can't be reasoned with. he doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And he absolutely will not stop, ever, until he proves Calgary is the greatest city in the history of mankind, if you want to live stop this nonsense now

[MolsonExport]

[BretttheRiderFan]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

The buildings are not quite as shiny or tall as some cities out west. That may be very dismaying for some transplants.

Don't worry, I'm from Alberta's other city.