Language Police to Force Children to Speak French During Recess

[Grey Fox]

Whatever.

I think I've had enough of Languish for a while.

You always say this after you've had an argument with Malthus et al about French vs English.

Maybe you should refrain from participating in those Cette bataille là, on la gagnera jamais.

[Grallon]

Whatever.

I think I've had enough of Languish for a while.

 


You know Languish has reached an all time low when someone as moderate and even tempered as Oex is driven away by the hypocritical shenanigans of our resident Canadians.  But then again most of those are lawyers - thus afflicted with the compulsion for sophistry inherent in the breed.





G.

[crazy canuck]

Yeah, Oex got a couple things wrong about the article and Malthus is engaging in sophistry for pointing out his errors.

The one thing you did get right Grallon is we are all Canadian.

[Ideologue]

Whatever.

I think I've had enough of Languish for a while.

You always say this after you've had an argument with Malthus et al about French vs English.

Maybe you should refrain from participating in those Cette bataille là, on la gagnera jamais.

Indeed.  Whoopty-merde.

[Sheilbh]

I can't see any problem with this to be honest

[Berkut]

Whatever.

I think I've had enough of Languish for a while.

 
You know Languish has reached an all time low when someone as moderate and even tempered as Oex is driven away by the hypocritical shenanigans of our resident Canadians.  But then again most of those are lawyers - thus afflicted with the compulsion for sophistry inherent in the breed.
G.

Oex is a great guy, and even tempered may even be pretty accurate, but I would not call him moderate.

And Languish is no lower or higher than it has ever been - and this thread certainly is no where even in the ballpark of as bad as Languish gets.

Still, if these kinds of discussions are upsetting enough that it makes one not enjoy the forum, a break is not a terrible idea. I don't really get why people don't just not participate in discussions that upset them though, rather than letting themselves get all upset. YMMV and all that I guess.

[Berkut]

I can't see any problem with this to be honest

With the discussion, or with Oex maybe leaving, or with French Canadian teachers hitting students in the back if they are heard speaking something other than French during their free time?

[Sheilbh]

With the discussion, or with Oex maybe leaving, or with French Canadian teachers hitting students in the back if they are heard speaking something other than French during their free time?

I just read the opening article.

I think it would be the sort of thing that helps integration of immigrants into the community.  Not only that but by trying to enforce this it'll make learning French (or in London English) easier for the kids.  Immersion is by some distance the best way learning, rather than it being that is simply for the class room while at home and amont friends people speak totally different language.  Obviously the schools can't change how people behave at home but this is an area where they have control.  Also I think it's a good thing to provide a lingua franca for children from different immigrant communities to communicate in.  If you're one of three or four Urdu speaking kids in a predominately Bengali speaking school then you're going to end up cliquing based on language which I don't think is a good thing.  I don't like it when schools inadvertantly or deliberately reinforce divisions in society.  Enforcing French, or English in London, as the language of the school in the playground and the classroom seems a positive thing.

[Berkut]

With the discussion, or with Oex maybe leaving, or with French Canadian teachers hitting students in the back if they are heard speaking something other than French during their free time?

I just read the opening article.

I think it would be the sort of thing that helps integration of immigrants into the community.  Not only that but by trying to enforce this it'll make learning French (or in London English) easier for the kids.  Immersion is by some distance the best way learning, rather than it being that is simply for the class room while at home and amont friends people speak totally different language.  Obviously the schools can't change how people behave at home but this is an area where they have control.  Also I think it's a good thing to provide a lingua franca for children from different immigrant communities to communicate in.  If you're one of three or four Urdu speaking kids in a predominately Bengali speaking school then you're going to end up cliquing based on language which I don't think is a good thing.  I don't like it when schools inadvertantly or deliberately reinforce divisions in society.  Enforcing French, or English in London, as the language of the school in the playground and the classroom seems a positive thing.

I don't really disagree.

But I bet you would hear howls of outrage if this happened anywhere other than Quebec.

I could imagine teachers trying to force people in the SW US to not speak Spanish...that would be a hoot.

[Barrister]

I'm pretty sure that in Western Canada, immigrant children would be 'encouraged' to speak in English, so that they get practice.

French is special of course since it is a language actually taught (plus we always get sensitive to French language issues), but anything else would probably be discouraged.

[Malthus]

 


You know Languish has reached an all time low when someone as moderate and even tempered as Oex is driven away by the hypocritical shenanigans of our resident Canadians.  But then again most of those are lawyers - thus afflicted with the compulsion for sophistry inherent in the breed.





G.

Well, on the plus side, I cannot think of anything I could possibly say that would make you leave. 

[Sheilbh]

But I bet you would hear howls of outrage if this happened anywhere other than Quebec.

Well there seem to have been some howls in this thread

I think this is more controversial because it's Quebec than it would be if it were, say, London.  I've said before that my impression is that the Anglo-Canadian press seem to have a pre-determined template of story about Quebec and they force something like this into it. 

On the other hand part of the issue could be that the assumption you automatically have with Quebec stories is that it's against English.  When, in fact, my impression - from very far away - is that Montreal is one of the great immigrant cities of North America.

I could imagine teachers trying to force people in the SW US to not speak Spanish...that would be a hoot.

I can't see it happening as government policy in England but I think some London schools would do it.  I suppose there's an issue about not targetting a specific language group.  If you're in a school in the SW US, with, say, 80% of students speaking Spanish then I think this sort of rule is different from if you're running a school with several different language groups in the same playground.

[Malthus]

With the discussion, or with Oex maybe leaving, or with French Canadian teachers hitting students in the back if they are heard speaking something other than French during their free time?

I just read the opening article.

I think it would be the sort of thing that helps integration of immigrants into the community.  Not only that but by trying to enforce this it'll make learning French (or in London English) easier for the kids.  Immersion is by some distance the best way learning, rather than it being that is simply for the class room while at home and amont friends people speak totally different language.  Obviously the schools can't change how people behave at home but this is an area where they have control.  Also I think it's a good thing to provide a lingua franca for children from different immigrant communities to communicate in.  If you're one of three or four Urdu speaking kids in a predominately Bengali speaking school then you're going to end up cliquing based on language which I don't think is a good thing.  I don't like it when schools inadvertantly or deliberately reinforce divisions in society.  Enforcing French, or English in London, as the language of the school in the playground and the classroom seems a positive thing.

The whole thing is really a tempest in a tea-pot. How long is recess anyway, 15 minutes? Is having language monitored for those 15 minutes really going to be a big deal, either way?

The whole thing is purely symbolic - language politics as usual in that province.

[Jacob]

Oex is a great guy, and even tempered may even be pretty accurate, but I would not call him moderate.

Who would you call moderate?

[Jacob]

Well there seem to have been some howls in this thread

I think this is more controversial because it's Quebec than it would be if it were, say, London.  I've said before that my impression is that the Anglo-Canadian press seem to have a pre-determined template of story about Quebec and they force something like this into it. 

Yeah that how it looks to me as well.