View source for Quebec English

{{Short description|English dialects in Quebec, Canada}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=March 2022}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=June 2007}}
{{Unreliable sources|date=November 2020}}
{{Original research|date=November 2020}}
}}{{Infobox language
| name             = Quebec English
| region           = [[Quebec]], Canada
| speakers         = 640,000-1.1 million ([[first language|L1]])
| ethnicity        = [[English-speaking Quebecers]]
| date             = 
| ref              = 
| speakers2        = ~4.3 million ([[second language|L2]])
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Germanic languages|Germanic]]
| fam3             = [[West Germanic languages|West Germanic]]
| fam4             = [[Ingvaeonic languages|Ingvaeonic]]
| fam5             = [[Anglo-Frisian languages|Anglo-Frisian]]
| fam6             = [[Anglic languages|Anglic]]
| fam7             = [[English language|English]]
| fam8             = [[North American English]]
| ancestor         = [[Old English]]
| ancestor2        = [[Middle English]]
| ancestor3        = [[Early Modern English]]
| script           = [[Latin script|Latin]] ([[English alphabet]])<br />[[Unified English Braille]]<ref name=braille>{{cite web| url = http://www.brailleliteracycanada.ca/view.asp?ccid=333 | title = History of Braille (UEB) | year = 2016 | website = Braille Literacy Canada | access-date = 2 January 2017}}</ref>
| isoexception     = dialect
| ietf             = {{wikidata|property|references|P305}}
| glotto           = cana1268
| notice           = IPA
}}
{{IPA notice}}
'''Quebec English''' encompasses the [[English language|English dialects]] (both native and non-native) of the predominantly [[French language|French]]-speaking [[Canada|Canadian]] province of [[Quebec]].<ref>Ingrid Peritz, "Quebec English elevated to dialect," [[Montreal Gazette]], 20 August 1997</ref> There are few distinctive phonological features and very few restricted [[lexicon|lexical]] features common among [[English-speaking Quebecers]]. The native English speakers in Quebec generally align to [[Standard Canadian English]], one of the largest and most relatively homogeneous dialects in North America. This standard English accent is common in [[Montreal]], where the vast majority of Quebec's [[anglophone|native English speaker]]s live. [[English-speaking Quebecer#Montreal|English-speaking Montrealers]] have, however, established ethnic groups that retain certain lexical features: [[Irish Canadians|Irish]], [[Jewish Canadians|Jewish]], [[Italian Canadians|Italian]], and [[Greek Canadians|Greek]] communities that all speak discernible varieties of English. Isolated fishing villages on the [[Basse-Côte-Nord]] of Quebec speak [[Newfoundland English]], and many [[Gaspé Peninsula|Gaspesian]] English-speakers use [[Maritimer English|Maritime English]]. Francophone speakers of Quebec (including Montreal) also have their own [[second language|second-language]] English that incorporates French accent features, vocabulary, etc. Finally, the [[Kahnawake]] [[Mohawks]] of south shore Montreal and the [[Cree]] and [[Inuit]] of Northern Quebec speak English with their own distinctive accents, usage, and expressions from their indigenous languages.

==Quebec Anglophone English==
The following are native-English (anglophone) phenomena unique to Quebec, particularly studied in Montreal English and spoken by the Quebec Anglophone minority in the Montreal area. Before the 1970s, minority-language English had the status of a co-official language in Quebec.<ref name="onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu">{{Cite journal|doi = 10.1111/j.1467-971X.2012.01776.x|title = English as a minority language in Quebec|journal = World Englishes|volume = 31|issue = 4|pages = 493–502|year = 2012|last1 = Boberg|first1 = Charles}}</ref>

===Phonology===
Anglophone Montreal speaks [[Standard Canadian English]], which has the [[Canadian Shift|Canadian Vowel Shift]] and [[Canadian raising]],{{sfnp|Labov|Ash|Boberg|2006|pp=219-220, 223}} with some additional features:
*Resistance to the [[mary–marry–merry merger|merry–marry]] merger: unlike the rest of typical North American English, Montreal English tends to maintain the distinction in words like ''Mary/merry'' versus ''marry'', ''perish'' versus ''parish'', and ''Erin'' versus ''Aaron''. The vowels remain, as in traditional East-Coast American English and often British English, {{IPAc-en|ɛ}} and {{IPAc-en|æ}}, respectively.{{sfnp|Labov|Ash|Boberg|2006|p=56}}
*The {{sc2|PRICE}} vowel is relatively backed.{{sfnp|Labov|Ash|Boberg|2006|p=97}}
*The "short ''a''" or {{sc2|TRAP}} vowel is not raised before {{IPA|/g/}} as elsewhere in Canada, but it is raised somewhat before {{IPA|/n/}} for ethnic British and Irish Montrealers. Among other ethnicities, such as Jewish Montrealers, there may be no raising of the vowel in any context.{{sfnp|Labov|Ash|Boberg|2006|pp=181-182, 223}}
*The following vowel sounds are linguistically-[[conservative (linguistics)|conservative]]: the sets of vowels represented by the words {{sc2|GOAT}} ([[back vowel|back]] and [[monophthong]]al), {{sc2|FACE}} (monophthongal), and {{sc2|MOUTH}} (back).{{sfnp|Labov|Ash|Boberg|2006|p=223}}

===Vocabulary===
Quebec English is heavily influenced by English and French. The phrases and words below show the variation of meaning in the Quebec English dialect.

Delay: an amount of time given before a deadline. "I was given a delay of 2 weeks before my project was due".<ref name="onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu"/>

An animator: is not an artist but is someone who meets and entertains children.<ref name="onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu"/>

A sweet carbonated beverage is commonly referred to as a "pop" in many parts of Canada, but in Montreal, it is a "soda" or "soft drink".{{sfnp|Labov|Ash|Boberg|2006|p=290}}  A straight translation of the French {{lang|fr|liqueur douce}}.

A formation—this word in English would normally mean a routine stance used in a professional formation. (i.e. The men stood in formation). In Quebec a formation is a reference to an educational course or training session.<ref name="onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu"/>

A pass—this phrase originates from Italian speakers, the word ''pass'' is often used in phrases such as "I am going to pass by a friend on the way to the movies". The phrase is comparatively used when you are already completing one action but can squeeze in another action on the way to your destination.<ref name="onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu"/>

In standard English, the phrase "Your bus will pass in 2 minutes" would mean that you are about to miss your bus or that you have already missed your bus. Alternatively in Montreal the phrase ''pass'' can also mean to arrive or stop as a way to show that the action will happen in a relatively short time frame. Example: "Your bus will pass in 2 minutes".<ref name="onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu"/>

Locations within the city are also commonly described using syntax borrowed from French. If a building is at the corner of St. Catherine and Peel streets in downtown Montreal, it may be described as being "on Saint Catherine, corner Peel." This is parallel to the French expression, "{{lang|fr|Sainte-Catherine, coin Peel}}" or "{{lang|fr|angle Peel}}".<ref name="onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu"/>

===French-language toponyms===
English-speakers commonly use French-language toponyms and official names for local institutions and organizations with no official English names. The names are pronounced as in French, especially in broadcast media. Examples include the [[Régie du logement]],<ref>{{cite web|title = Régie du logement – Welcome|url = http://www.rdl.gouv.qc.ca/en/1_0/index.asp|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20061211152529/http://www.rdl.gouv.qc.ca/en/1_0/index.asp|archive-date = 11 December 2006|access-date = 25 June 2009|date = 24 November 2006|publisher = Gouvernement du Québec}}</ref> the [[Collège de Maisonneuve]], [[Québec Solidaire]], the [[Parti québécois]], [[Hochelaga-Maisonneuve]], and [[Trois-Rivières]].

*English toponyms in place of French (nonstandard when written): Older generations of English-speaking Montrealers are more likely to informally use traditional English toponyms that vary from official, French-language toponyms. In a notable generational distinction, it is uncommon among younger English-speaking Quebecers.<ref name="One of Montreal's linguistic divides is generational">{{cite web|last=Scott|first=Marian|title=One of Montreal's linguistic divides is generational|url=https://montrealgazette.com/life/Montreal+linguistic+divides+generational/6941731/story.html|publisher=Montreal Gazette|access-date=July 20, 2012}}</ref> Examples include ''Pine Avenue'', ''Park Avenue'', ''Mountain Street'', ''Dorchester Blvd.'', ''St. James Street'' – often used without St., Blvd., Ave., Rd., etc. (names for the designations "avenue des Pins", "av. du Parc", "rue de la Montagne", "boulevard René-Lévesque", "rue S<sup>t</sup>-Jacques"; the English-language official designations have reputedly been revoked, but evidence for that is difficult to find);{{citation needed|date=December 2017}} ''Guy'' and ''Saint Catherine'' Streets; ''[[Mount Royal, Quebec|Town of Mount Royal]]'', as it was chartered, and the charter has not been revoked; and ''Pointe Claire'' (pronounced {{IPA|[pwãɪ̯̃ ˈklaɛ̯ʁ]}} or {{IPA|[ˈpɔɪnt ˈklɛɹ]}} with English T and R and typography, instead of official "[[Pointe-Claire]]" with the French accent).

===French loanwords===
The use of a limited number of Quebec French terms for everyday place nouns (and occasional items) that have English equivalents; all of them are pronounced with English pronunciations or have undergone English clippings or abbreviations and so are regarded as ordinary English terms by Quebecers. At times, some of them tend to be preceded by ''the'' in contexts in which they would normally have ''a/an''.
{{hidden begin|title=List of French loanwords|toggle=left}}
:''autoroute'' {{IPA|[ˌɒɾɨˈɹuːt]}} instead of expressway
:''branché'' {{IPA|[bʁãˈʃeɪ̯]}} instead of trendy (colloquial)[https://montrealgazette.com/life/food/local-food-reviews/restaurant-review-ha]
:''chansonnier'' instead of songwriter<ref>{{cite web| url = https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/jacques-parizeau-obit| title = Former PQ leader Jacques Parizeau dies at 84 {{!}} Montreal Gazette}}</ref>
:''chez nous'' {{IPA|[ʃeɪ̯ ˈnuː]}} instead of "[at] our place"
:the ''dep''<ref name=r1>{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Marian|title=Our way with words|url=https://montrealgazette.com/life/Part+Hear+that+anglo/2557359/story.html|access-date=15 March 2011|newspaper=The Gazette|date=February 12, 2010}}</ref> – instead of corner, variety, or convenience store; from ''[[dépanneur]]''
:''coordinates'' instead of contact information
<!-- :''du jour'' rather than 'of the day' part of English everywhere, not just Québec -->
:''echo'' – ultrasound in reference to an ''échographie'' <ref name="Andrew-Gee 2023"/>
:''epicerie'' – grocery store <ref name="Andrew-Gee 2023">{{cite web | last=Andrew-Gee | first=Eric | title='Meet me at the dep': How anglos borrowed from French to create a 'Quebec English' all their own | website=The Globe and Mail | date=2023-09-20 | url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-quebec-english-language-loanwords/ | access-date=2023-09-29}}</ref>
:''fonctionnaire'' {{IPA|[ˌfõksjɔˈnɛːʁ]}} or {{IPA|[ˌfɒ̃ʊ̯̃ksjɔˈnaɛ̯ʁ]}} instead of civil servant<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.equality.qc.ca/index.html |title=Equality Party |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050306010247/http://www.equality.qc.ca/index.html |archive-date=March 6, 2005 }}</ref>
:''formation'' instead of training<ref name="onlinelibrary-wiley-com.ezproxy2.library.arizona.edu"/>
:the ''gallery'' – instead of balcony
:''garderie'' – nursery <ref name="Andrew-Gee 2023"/>
:the ''guichet'' {{IPA|[ɡiˈʃɛ]}} – instead of bank machine, even when all [[Automated teller machine|ATM]]s are labelled "ATM";
:''malaise'' - instead of malady or ailment<ref>{{cite web| url = https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/leading-montreal-aids-researcher-mark-wainberg-dies-in-florida| title = Leading Montreal AIDS researcher Mark Wainberg dies in Florida {{!}} Montreal Gazette}}</ref>
:''marché'' – [[Market (disambiguation)|market]]
:the ''métro'' (or ''metro'') instead of the subway, referring to [[rapid transit]] in urban areas; from the French ''chemin de fer métropolitain'';<ref>{{cite web|url=http://metrodemontreal.com/faq/index.html |title=Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=metrodemontreal.com }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url = https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/part-montreals-metro-system-down-again| title = Two separate communication glitches shut métro system, STM says {{!}} Montreal Gazette}}</ref> ''metro'' is used outside Canada, though, as in the [[Washington Metro]]
:''nappe'' – a [[tablecloth]]
:''primary one, two, three'', in contrast to [[Canadian English]] ''grade one, two, three'' etc.
:''resto'' – restaurant
:the ''[[Société des alcools du Québec|SAQ]] '' – the official name of the government-run monopoly liquor stores (pronounced "ess-ay-cue" or "sack"), the [[Société des alcools du Québec]]. That usage is similar to that in other provinces, like in neighbouring [[Ontario]], where LCBO liquor stores are referred to as the "lick-bo" (for [[Liquor Control Board of Ontario]]).
:''secondary one, two, three'', in contrast to Canadian English ''grade seven, eight, nine'' etc.
:''stage'' – apprenticeship or internship, pronounced as {{IPA|[staːʒ]}}
:''subvention'' – government grant or subsidy. The word exists in both French and English, but it is rarely heard in [[Canadian English]] outside Quebec.
:''tempo'' – driveway shelter in reference to the French commercial name Abris Tempo <ref name="Andrew-Gee 2023"/>
:''terrasse'' {{IPA|[tɛˈʁas]}} – the French pronunciation and spelling of the translation for 'terrace' is common among anglophones in casual speech and is considered acceptable in semiformal expression such as journalism.<ref>Chez Alexandre owner takes down terrasse to comply with city bylaw http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/chez-alexandre-owner-takes-down-terrasse-to-comply-with-city-bylaw-1.3060453</ref>
:''undertaking'' – ''[[business]]'' or ''[[Company|enterprise]]''
{{hidden end}}

===Pronunciation of French names===
The pronunciation of French-language first and last names that uses mostly-French sounds may be mispronounced by speakers of other languages. For example, the pronounced "r" sound and the silent "d" of "Bouchar''d''" may be both pronounced: {{IPA|/buːˈʃɑrd/}}. French-speakers and Quebec English-speakers are more likely to vary such pronunciations, depending on the manner in which they adopt an English [[phonological]] framework. That includes names like ''[[Mario Lemieux]]'', ''[[Marie-Claire Blais]]'', ''[[Jean Charest]]'', ''[[Jean Chrétien]]'', ''[[Robert Charlebois]]'', and ''[[Céline Dion]]''.

==Quebec Francophone English==
Francophone second-language speakers of English use an interlanguage with varying degrees, ranging from French-accented pronunciation to Quebec Anglophone English pronunciation. High-frequency second-language phenomena by francophones, allophones, and other non-native-speakers occur in the most basic structures of English, both in and outside of Quebec. Commonly called "Frenglish" or "[[franglais]]", such phenomena are a product of [[interlanguage]], [[calques]], or mistranslation and thus may not constitute so-called "Quebec English" to the extent that they can be conceived of separately, particularly since such phenomena are similar for Francophone-speakers of English throughout the world.

===Phonology===
Francophones speaking English often pronounce {{IPA|[t]}}/{{IPA|[d]}} instead of {{IPA|[θ]}}/{{IPA|[ð]}}, and some also pronounce {{IPA|[ɔ]}} for the phoneme {{IPA|[ʌ]}}, and some mispronounce some words, some pronounce a full vowel instead of a schwa, such as {{IPA|[ˈmɛseɪdʒ]}} for ''message''. Since French-speakers greatly outnumber English-speakers in most regions of Quebec, it is more common to hear French in public. Some Anglophones in overwhelmingly-Francophone areas use some of the features (especially the replacement of {{IPA|[θ]}} and {{IPA|[ð]}} by [t] and [d]), but their English is remarkably similar to that of other varieties of English in Canada ([[Shana Poplack|Poplack]], Walker, & Malcolmson 2006<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Poplack|first1=Shana|author-link=Shana Poplack|last2=Walker|first2=James|last3=Malcolmson|first3=Rebecca|date=2006|title=An English "like no other"?: Language contact and change in Quebec|journal=Canadian Journal of Linguistics|pages=185–213}}</ref>).

==Other speakers==
There is also a pronunciation (''NP'') of the [[phoneme]] {{IPA|/ŋ/}} as /n/ + /ɡ/ (among some [[Italian Canadians|Italian]] Montrealers) or /n/ + /k/ (among some [[Jewish]] Montrealers, especially those who grew up speaking [[Yiddish]]),<ref>{{cite news|last=Scott|first=Marian|title=That 'aboat' sums it up|url=https://montrealgazette.com/life/Part+That+aboat+sums/2564512/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100218104545/http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Part+That+aboat+sums/2564512/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 18, 2010|access-date=15 March 2011|newspaper=The Gazette|date=February 15, 2010}}</ref> such as by high degrees of ethnic connectivity within, for instance, municipalities, boroughs, or neighbourhoods on [[Montreal Island]], such as [[St. Leonard, Quebec|Saint-Léonard]] and [[Outremont, Quebec|Outremont]]/[[Côte-des-Neiges]]/[[Côte Saint-Luc]]. Such phenomena occur as well in other [[diaspora]] areas such as [[New York City]].

===Vocabulary and grammar===
:''janitor''  – building superintendent.
:''country house''  – cottage (vacation home).

*The use of French [[collocation]]s (''NS''):

:''Close'' the TV – Turn/shut off the TV.<ref name=r1/>
:''Close'' the door. – Lock the door.
:''Open'' the light. – Turn on the lights.<ref name=r1/>
:''Close'' the light. – Turn off the lights.<ref name=r1/>
:''Take'' a decision. – Make a decision. (NB "Take" is the older British version. Compare French {{lang|fr|Prends/Prenez une décision}})
:''Put'' your coat. – Put your coat on (from French {{lang|fr|Mets ton manteau/Mettez votre manteau}}).
:''Pass'' someone money. – Lend someone money.
:''Pass'' the vacuum. – Run the vacuum (or do the vacuuming)

*The use of French grammar (''NS''): Many of these constructions are grammatically correct but only out of context. It is both the calquing and [[Language transfer|linguistic transfer]] from French and the betrayed meanings that make these sentences foreign to English.

:He ''speak/talk'' to me yesterday. – He spoke/talked to me yesterday. ([[verb tense]])
:''Me, I'' work in Laval. – I work in Laval. (vocal stress on "I". From French {{lang|fr|Moi, je travaille à Laval}}.)
:''It/He have'' many books. – There are many books. (from French {{lang|fr|il y a}} meaning "there is/are")
:I like ''the'' beef and ''the'' red wine. – I like beef and red wine. (overuse of [[definite article]] to mean "in general". From French {{lang|fr|J'aime le bœuf et le vin rouge}}.)
:''You speak French?'' – Do you speak French? (absence of [[auxiliary verb]]; otherwise it means surprise, disbelief or disappointment when out of context)
:''We were/are four.'' – There were/are four of us. (from French "{{lang|fr|nous sommes}}" and "{{lang|fr|nous étions}}")
:''We're Tuesday'' – It's Tuesday. (from French "{{lang|fr|nous sommes}}")
:I ''don't'' find my keys. – I can’t find my keys. (lack of [[English modal auxiliary verb]])
:At this moment I ''wash'' the dishes. – I’m washing the dishes right now. (verbal [[Grammatical aspect|aspect]])
:I can't join you at this moment because ''I eat''. – I can't join you right now because I'm eating. (verbal [[Grammatical aspect|aspect]])
:My computer, ''he don’t'' work. – My computer won’t work. (human pronoun, subject repetition, [[Inflexion|uninflected]] auxiliary verb)
:I would like a ''brownies''. – Could I have a brownie? (plural –s thought to be part of the singular word in [[relexification]] process; other examples: "a Q-tips", "a pins", "a buns", "a Smarties", "a Doritos", etc.)
:I would like ''shrimps'' with ''broccolis''. – Could I have some shrimp and broccoli? (use of regular plural instead of English unmarked [[English plural|plural]] or [[mass noun|non-count noun]]; this is not a case of [[hypercorrection]] but of [[language transfer]]).
:''Do'' you ''want'' to wash the dishes? – Will/would you wash the dishes? (lack of English [[modal verb]]; modal ''vouloir'' from French instead – {{lang|fr|Voulez-vous faire la vaisselle?}})
:We have to ''go in by'' downstairs – We have to go in downstairs (via the non-standard French '{{lang|fr|entrer par}}')
:You're going to ''broke'' it! – You're going to break it! (mixing of homonymic French tenses; "{{lang|fr|cassé}}", past, versus "{{lang|fr|casser}}", infinitive)

*[[False cognate]]s or ''faux-amis'' (''NS''): This practice is quite common, so much so that those who use them abundantly insist that the false cognate is the English term even outside of Quebec. Note that these French words are all pronounced using English sounds and harbour French meanings. While the possibilities are truly endless, this list provides only the most insidious false cognates found in Quebec.

:''a stage'' – an internship (pronounced as in French, from the French word for internship, "{{lang|fr|un stage}}".)
:''Cégep'' {{IPA|[seɪ̯ˈʒɛp]}} (''cégep''; ''collégial'', ''cégepien'') – the acronym of the public college network preceding university in Quebec.
:''Chinese pâté'' {{IPA|[t͡ʃʰaɪ̯ˈniːz pʰætʰˌeɪ̯]}} or {{IPA|[t͡ʃʰaɪ̯ˈniːz pʰɑːˌtʰeɪ̯]}} – [[shepherd's pie]] (''[[Chinese pie|pâté chinois]]''; Quebeckers' pâté chinois is similar to shepherd's-pie dishes associated with other cultures)
:''a cold plate'' – some cold-cuts (reversed [[gallicism]] – ''assiette de viandes froides'')
:''coordinates'' – for address, phone number, e-mail, etc.
:''(a) salad'' – (a head of) lettuce
:''a subvention'' – a (government) grant
:''a parking'' – a parking lot/space
:''a location'' – a rental
:''a good placement'' – a good location
:''That's it.'' – That is correct. (from ''C'est ça.'')
:''all-dressed pizza'' – a deluxe pizza with pepperoni, mushrooms and green peppers (from ''pizza toute garnie.'')
:''soup, two times'' – two soups, or two orders of soup (from "deux fois.")

Few anglophone Quebeckers use French grammar or false cognates, but many use French collocations and most understand such high-frequency words and expressions. Some of these cognates are used by many francophones, and others by many allophones and anglophone accultured in allophone environments, of varying English proficiencies, from the bare-minimum level to native-speaker level.

==See also==
{{Portal|Canada|Languages}}
* [[English-speaking Quebecer]]
* [[Quebec French]]
* [[Canadian English]]
* [[Franglais]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
* {{cite book|last1=Labov|first1=William|author-link=William Labov|last2=Ash|first2=Sharon|last3=Boberg|first3=Charles|year=2006|title=The Atlas of North American English|location=Berlin|publisher=Mouton-de Gruyter|pages=187–208|isbn=978-3-11-016746-7}}

{{English dialects by continent}}
{{Languages of Quebec}}

[[Category:Canadian English]]
[[Category:Quebec Anglophone culture|*]]
[[Category:Dialects of English]]
[[Category:English language in Canada]]
[[Category:Languages of Canada]]