The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1892-11-18
gg CANADIAN AT RosE

Nos; people think that the French spoken
in Canada is corruption OF the mother
tougue-a patcis that none but Canadians
are capable Of understanding. Tbere is
nothing in the vorld mere unjust than this
opinion. which can only be the fruit 4
ignorance. says wrsser ia The Boston
Transcript. The French-canadian inhab-
liant speaks patnis. il j. true. bat cannot
the same thiag be said with equal truth Of
the uneincaied Of every natioa?
The mere circumstance Of bringing to-
gc;her emigzants from the yarious depart
mentz Of France in an age when the means
Of communication among the different
linguistic centers were slow and laborioas.
and when, consequently, the varieties Of
idiom we're much more marked than we
now have thssn-this condition Of things
alone was sufficient to produce important
changes in the language Of inhabitants
who. previous 10 this. had never come into
social contact with one another.
Two branches Of Canadian French are
recognized The Arcadian. spoken in the
maritime provinces Of Nora Scotia. New
Brunswick and Prince Edwards island.
and the French spoken in the province Of
Quebec.
The original source OF the Arcadian
French is the language Of dor dialects.
The common belief that it differs 50 widely
from the French spoken in the province OF
Quebec as to entitle il to the dignity Of
being regarded as a separate Language is a
little exaggerated. In former times it is
true that the Arcadian French was 30
uninteIligible to strangers that their mis-
sionairiss were obliged previously to study
the language in order to be competent to
fulfil their sacerdotal duties
Today the language does not constitute a
dialect species 80 distinct from the current
Canadian idiom. The leyeiing process has
been so widespread rs TO do away with
most Of lbs original characteristics.
while the habisant of the province of
Quebec has sadly disfgured the pronuncia-
ton OF the mother tongue. authorities ad-
nit that the structure Of the language il
preserved in greater purity than in man,
portions of France.
And now about the French spoken by tht
upper classes Of Canadian society. Mms
Bernharit, who cannot be accused OF par
tiahty to anything Canadian. said: NO
where have heard more beautiful French
than that spoken by the upper classes ol
Montreal society"
Speaking on the same subject the Abb
d'olivet said: Zone might send an opers
to Canada and il could be sung a. Quebe'
note for note, just as in Paris, but yos
could not send conventional phrase to
Bordeaux or Montpelier and fnd that i
would be pronounced. syllable for syllable
as at the court. -
/ When the colonization of Canada was il
its infancy the ladies Of Canada, espesiall,
Quebec, were very much disposed to laugh
at the mistakes THAI foreigners made il
speaking their language. There, French
was rarely spoken, except by the Gallo race
for there were few foreigners, and th,
sayages, naturally too proud too learr
French, obliged the. colonists to speai
! their language.
As rule Montreal people are extremel.
| sensitive upon this subject. Nothing il
he world more thoroughly stirs the fsmal
Canadian heart with joy than the question
Were Won educated in Paris?"