France vs Québec [English version]

Both share a same language, but are they really all that similar?

In September, I arrived in France for a year of study abroad. In this article, I would like to share my insight as a Canadian on how French and Quebec cultures differ.

First, I hope dear reader that you’ve all heard of this place called Quebec? It's a major part of Eastern Canada and also holds the distinction of being an island of the French language amidst a sea of anglophones. Although people speak french there, just like in France, there are important distinctions that must be drawn in terms of both country’s history, culture and keyboards.

How did an Island of french language emerge inside an otherwise English Continent?

First, for any readers less familiar with North American cartography, Quebec is a large province in Eastern Canada juxtaposed between Ontario in the West and the maritime provinces of Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in the East. Quebec also borders the United States to the south and the St Lawrence Seaway leads into the Great Lakes. Therefore, the province of Quebec is surrounded by anglophones on all sides. This characteristic has exercised a huge impact on Quebec culture and it remains a determining factor in shaping the province’s unique identity and culture.

The key to understanding Quebec’s contemporary geography is history. The current territory was initially inhabited by Aboriginal peoples of two main cultural and linguistic groups: the Iroquois and Algonquins. The difference between these two groups is that the first has a matriarchal society and a sedentary lifestyle, based onagriculture and war, and the second has a patriarchal society and nomadic lifestyle primarily based on hunting, fishing and gathering. In the late fifteenth century and early sixteenth century, Quebec was ‘discovered’ by French explorers who sought out a Northwest passage to Asia. This led them to chart the Saint-Lawrence river and found the first settlement on the territory that would become known as New-France. The settlement, Quebec city was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain. The first French settlers were often poor farmers, but there were also some soldiers or members of the nobility who served as seigneurs (lords of feudal domains where serfs live). The main economic activity was the fur trade with the Amerindians (natives). That is why before 1663, the date at which Louis XIV took over the colony, monopoly companies were responsible for the province’s development. the Treaty of Utrecht that resolved the War of Spanish Succession (1702-1713), resulted in changes in the French colony, with the French having to cede certain contested territories to Great Britain.

In 1754, the Seven Years' War between France and England began with a territorial dispute between New France and the Thirteen British Colonies, and in 1760 the whole of New France came under British control. At the signing of the Treaty of Paris (1763), France definitively ceded New France to England, which evolved into the Dominion of Canada.

The French-speaking part (Lower Canada) was administratively separated from the Anglophone part (Upper Canada) until 1840. Only in 1867, after a long succession of events, did Canada obtain autonomy from England and establish the Canadian confederation. Only then was born the province of Quebec as we know it today. Its inhabitants, first French, successively became French-Canadians and British subjects, before evolving into Quebecers. Thus, the Quebec culture, although of French origin, has evolved in a completely different way from its mother country, which explains the numerous cultural and linguistic differences separating French and Quebec cultures.

Figure 5: One of the founding fathers of the Canadian confederation, Sir John A. MacDonald, who later became the First Prime Minister of Canada

Vocabulary distinctions

Although both France and Quebec speak French, their vocabulary differs. Quebec French features many regional dialects and is more free of Anglicisms, which is explained by the fear (in Quebec) of the loss of its distinctive cultural character and English assimilation. In Quebec, we can also find many archaisms (older words that are no longer used in France) like débarrer (unlock), achaler (annoying, disturbing or irritating someone), niaiser (messing around). There are also Quebecisms like il fait frette (it's cold). It's far from being the complete list of typical Quebec expressions and words, and some terms are more common than others, but it gives you an idea about the scope of linguistic difference. In France, I learned several new words or expressions like: déconner, bonnet (instead of tuque), bouquins (books), bagnole (car), taf (work), fric (money, that is euros). As for Anglicisms, they are much more present in France. For example, in Quebec we do not say weekend, airbag or parking but fin de semaine, coussin gonflable and stationnement.

Notably, French curses and insults are not at all like those in Quebec, many of which are derived from the Catholic religion. Ostie (Host), Tabarnack (Tabernacle), Caliss (Chalice), Criss (Christ). These swear words were developed during the strong anti-religious movement of the 20th century that took place in Quebec because of the overly powerful influence that the Church had exercised over all areas of society. Of course, given the proximity to the United States, some American curses are used also in Quebec.

Climate and geography

Figure 6: A typical Boreal forest in Quebec

Climate and geography also differ from France, with Quebec possessing a substantially larger territory (4 times the size of France) and a smaller population. Only the Southern part of Quebec is densely inhabited and there are much larger wild and forested areas in the province in comparison to France which has converted the majority of its land for suburban, urban and agricultural use. The climate is cooler than France, although its capital Quebec city, being at a 46.8299 latitude, is situated slightly south of Paris at 48.8534 latitude. This is caused primarily by global air circulation patterns, with usually cool air being brought from the poles with relatively little warm air coming from the tropics compared to most parts of Europe that are warmed by the Gulf Stream. There are other factors, but they are complex, and therefore, I will abstain from delving into them in this article. Additionally, the province of Quebec is mostly composed of cold Boreal forests biomes, while France is composed mostly of warmer temperate seasonal forests. Therefore, winters in Quebec are cold and snowy, with temperatures sometimes reaching -30 degrees centigrade and exceptionally -40 degrees C, while France experiences warmer, gray and wet winters, which I find more depressing, even if it is generally much warmer. Even the southernmost part of Quebec is almost always below the average temperatures in Île-de-France. I most definitely envy my friends having fun with snowball fights while all I have here in Paris is recurring rain. On the plus side, the ambient temperature is 10 degrees higher, which is more comfortable. The result of the harsher, colder, climate in Quebec was the development of a new culture developed distinctly from its French roots, starting with the adoption of new agricultural techniques and lifestyles and evolving to a different, way of speech and and a gastronomy, beliefs, traditions, and so on.

American influences upon culture

I have already briefly outlined some key events in Quebec and Canadian history, so I will do my best to share cultural differences based from my personal experience, instead of presenting them in a historical perspective. I would qualify French culture as « less american » than french-canadian culture, since although the influence of American culture can be seen around the globe, American culture is stronger on the North-American continent. You might ask: what is American culture? By American culture I mean US culture. It has continuously evolved in complex ways, but there is clear evidence of its impact upon Canada, and by extension, in the french-speaking province of Quebec. The impact goes with the concept of capitalism, which implies the adoption of market economy (economy based on financial institutions and transactions), mass production (quantity over quality) and consumption, uneven distribution of wealth and an economy based mostly on the tertiary and secondary sectors. It also implies a commitment to abstract ideals such as Individualism and liberal economy.

If I lost you there, here’s what it all means: big corporations dominate the US economy (like Walmart or McDonalds), and Americans over-consume, buying more than they need (and quite often stuff they don’t need), larger housing and a mostly urban or suburban lifestyle. Many people live in suburbs to find affordable housing, while commuting to work in distant inner cities, and they use more energy and resources as it takes more fuel to get to work, own a large house with a big yard and often a pool, ... In France, the rural lifestyle seems more present, and, although mass-consumption exists, it has not developed to the same degree, and it seems like French families do not buy more than they need in terms of clothing, food and other manufactured goods. It also more common in France to consume local goods. Moreover, food and energy waste in France is less. The American system provides for mass production of goods by industry, so quantity matters more than quality, which is also true in France, yet you can still find artisanal boulangeries, clothing stores, and fresh food markets. This is very rare in Canada, since almost everyone buys food from supermarkets. All in all, French culture and lifestyle is more sustainable than the American lifestyle and it exercises a lesser impact on our planet.

Historical richness

One of the key differences between France and Canada is their history. Canada has a multicultural history and it is a relatively young country. Like the United States, Canada doesn’t have the historical richness of many European countries that have existed since before the Middle-Ages. Certainly, you can find a few 18th century buildings in old colonial cities like Quebec City, Trois-Rivières and Montreal, but these are few in number. Only Quebec City has a well-preserved historical city center, which really contrasts with Paris, that has kept most of its 18th Century buildings. Other French cities like Lyon, Reims, Saint-Malo, of course, feature buildings that are much older. Furthermore, when you move out the the less inhabited regions and villages to the North of Quebec, all you will find is vast expanses of wilderness and villages with practically no historical buildings whatsoever. You will mostly find dull-looking rectangular houses with triangular roofs built of mass-produced wood, plastics and stone. The historical and cultural richness of France was one of the reasons why I decided to come study here.

Figure 8: Quebec historical city

Figure 9: A typical Quebec village, here Saint-Faustin-Du-Lac-Carré in the Laurentides region

Minor cultural differences

Now let us explore various, more trivial and simple differences in culture. First, French cuisine is very different from the more canadian-american cuisine. Meat, I have found, is appreciated better undercooked, red and bloody (which I should have anticipated), but like many Canadians, I do not eat raw or undercooked meat, so it was quite shocking for me to have my hamburger patty undercooked when I first arrived in Verneuil-sur-Seine. (It is unsanitary to eat meat undercooked, but I understand that some people like it better that way) Looking at the menu in most french restaurants, the heavier presence of meat, and especially the presence of animal organs in the menu also was surprising from an North-American standpoint. We mostly eat the muscles and throw away the organs of animals. It is admirable, however, that French people do not waste these parts of the animal. Second, I can’t stand French keyboards. From coming to my school CDI (which I honestly don’t know why they don’t just call “library”) to work on the computers, it really was frustrating to work with a keyboard that utilizes the number pad and has a completely different setup. Third, I was surprised to find a lot less SUVs in France, which is a good thing for the environment, but still surprised me considering that having a large, bulky and fuel-draining car is standard in North-America.

So to summarize, I would say that both the French and Quebec cultures are unique and quite distinct despite emerging from a similar origin: 17th century France.

Images

Figure 1: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. « Flag of French language (QC-FR) », [En ligne], 2009, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_French_language_(QC-FR).svg

Figure 2: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. « Quebec province transportation and cities map », [En ligne], 2009, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Quebec_province_transportation_and_cities_map-fr.svg

Figure 3: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. « Nouvelle-France map », [En ligne], 2007, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nouvelle-France_map-fr.svg

Figure 4: FLICKR. « Map of the provinces of upper & lower Canada with the adjacent parts of the United States of America », [En ligne], 1815, https://www.flickr.com/photos/normanbleventhalmapcenter/4232067220

Figure 5: WIKIPEDIA. « Canadian Confederation », [En ligne], [s.d.], https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_Confederation

Figure 6: 123RF « winter forest walking path used for snowshoes near Baie Saint-Paul, Quebec, Canada », [En ligne], [s.d.], https://www.123rf.com/photo_4180990_winter-forest-walking-path-used-for-snowshoes-near-baie-saint-paul-quebec-canada.html

Figure 7: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS « Fundamentals of business - economic systems », [En ligne], 2016,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fundamentals_of_Business_-_Fig._2.2_-_Economic_Systems.jpg

Figure 8: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS « Panorama of Quebec City », [En ligne], 2013, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panorama_of_Quebec_City.jpg

Figure 9: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS. « Québec - Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carré », [En ligne], 2015,https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qu%C3%A9bec_-_Saint-Faustin-Lac-Carr%C3%A9_-_panoramio.jpg