French Language On Packaging

[iamcanadian]

I do not like packages printed in foreign languages of any kind,
Uncle

Okay, but French isn't a foreign language in Canada.

L'ok, mais le Français n'est pas une langue étrangère au Canada.

French IS a foreign language to most Canadians. And most Canadians will never learn it or care one iota about the french language.

Having the french language outside of Quebec is a bloody waste of money and silly pandering the our Quebec whining cousins who hate everything English because they can't get over loosing a war hundreds of years ago and their language becoming one of the dead languages of history like so many others that have come before and gone the way of the Dinosaur when they became redundant.

 

[Numure]

French IS a foreign language to most Canadians. And most Canadians will never learn it or care one iota about the french language.

Having the french language outside of Quebec is a bloody waste of money and silly pandering the our Quebec whining cousins who hate everything English because they can't get over loosing a war hundreds of years ago and their language becoming one of the dead languages of history like so many others that have come before and gone the way of the Dinosaur when they became redundant.

Idon't know where you come up with French being dead... It is still the second most influencial language in the world. I never asked for official bilingualism. Its the federalists that wanted it, to halt seperatism.

 

[Doryman]

Defence officials, however, have challenged the audit's conclusions. They noted that all officers of the rank of lieutenant-general and higher are bilingual and 70% of newly-promoted colonels and naval captains are bilingual.

Link

...and here it gets stupid.

Even though the INternational language of the sea is English, and only one of the fleets ships is primarily French speaking... Stupid indeed...

But still, I;m not really going to get up in arms over the fact that one side of my Cheerios box speaks a different language than me. Seriously, who cares? Print everything in French and English, I doubt it costs much more than simply English..

 

[iamcanadian]

http://www.canada.com/globaltv/national/story.html?id=45366e1a-429d-4b29-96f0-5689a68f0dd8

No French? No service!


Global National


Tuesday, February 21, 2006



(Global National image)


CORNWALL, ON -- Shirley Ravary doesn't just cough when she catches a cold.

She hacks.

And after suffering a partial lung collapse a few years ago, a common cold doesn't just 'go away' after a few days for the 57-year-old Ontario woman; it gets progressively worse.

So after two weeks of suffering with flu-like symptoms, Ravary needed to see her family doctor. But as she soon found out, she picked the wrong day to drop in for a check-up.

That day, Ravary contacted her doctor's office and was told to visit a nearby community health centre, where he occasionally works.

When she arrived at the centre, she was greeted by a French-speaking receptionist who promptly informed her that the health clinic was exclusively for "French people."

"I said to her, 'that's discrimination,'" said Ravary, who was then told to visit her family doctor during his regular office hours, or visit another walk-in clinic. "I didn't get past the reception at the front."

 

[The conductor]

I am so use to French on packages that it is second nature now. Living in Toronto I think your going to eventually see multi-language packaging become a reality. Spanish will one day be a offical language in the United States. It kind of is the unoffical in alot of places in the States already.

 

[iamcanadian]

In the states it voluntary. In Canada its mandatory. This is the problem. French Canadians are getting advaantages by force which is just not right.

 

[FiveParadox]

I would hardly consider having a national language appear on packaging as an "advantage", but rather a right inherent in and of itself. Why should we consider one language to be "more important" than another in the context of an officially-bilingual nation? To do so would not only be questionable in terms of the treatment of French Canadians, but would serve to deliver us a constitutional crisis as being in violation of the Constitution Acts.

 

[Finder]

iamcanadian, though sometime's I respect what you have to say and see where you are coming form. You have a deep passion against the french. If you care to read Canadian history you will see French Canada has a beautiful and long history here, a lot longer and a lot deeper then english. There is nothing wrong learning a second tongue. My parents dislike the french and actually wrote the school I went to protesting that I had to take french... so I never took french in school and was excepmpt from french even in high school. However in high school I ended up taking french and barely passing it anyways.

French and English are the tongues of Canada, in every province and will always be part of our history! To say that french is a waste of time is to spit on our constitution and though I know you say it out of ignorance of our history and our relationship with the french, it still upset's me to see such an intelligent person say such things.

Two of our current political leaders were born in Quebec, Jack Layton and Gilles Duceppe. I do not know how reading frech on a can of coke hurts you in anyway.

 

[Hank C]

Bah, French packaging doesn't really bother me. As long as it is a requirement that one learn either english or french to become a Canadian citizen. You want to talk about a real issue....how about the spanish invasion in America.

 

[Finder]

Re: RE: French Language On Packaging

Bah, French packaging doesn't really bother me. As long as it is a requirement that one learn either english or french to become a Canadian citizen. You want to talk about a real issue....how about the spanish invasion in America.

Isn't Spainish, the USA's offical second tongue?

 

[FiveParadox]

I agree Hank C that the issue of having French appearing on packaging outside of Québec is somewhat of a non-issue. I like having French on products. It makes them seem intended for Canada — I feel somewhat "cheated" when I see products that are not packaged in both languages; they do not seem "complete" to me.

Again, the same sentiment as you, Hank C — that either English or French should be known by an immigrant before citizenship is granted (unless, of course, there are extenuating circumstances, such as citizenship stemming from refugee status, particular referrals from the Minister of Citizenship, and et cetera).

 

[Finder]

Re: RE: French Language On Packaging

I agree Hank C that the issue of having French appearing on packaging outside of Québec is somewhat of a non-issue. I like having French on products. It makes them seem intended for Canada — I feel somewhat "cheated" when I see products that are not packaged in both languages; they do not seem "complete" to me.

Again, the same sentiment as you, Hank C — that either English or French should be known by an immigrant before citizenship is granted (unless, of course, there are extenuating circumstances, such as citizenship stemming from refugee status, particular referrals from the Minister of Citizenship, and et cetera).

I agree with both of you.... but i hate to do this and play the devils advocate again.... but you both relieze that the Canadian railroad was built by Chiness Workers who didn't really speak a lick of english, were underpaid and treated like slave labour and sometimes when completed work were kicked out the country!

Just a little history for you guys there. Take it as you will.

 

[FiveParadox]

Thank you for the historic tidbit, Finder. On issues such as those, however, I would hope that Canada has learned from its mistakes. I would hope that these issues can be considered given Canada's current needs as a nation that recognizes English and French as the languages of the nation, in the capacity of the workings of the Government and its services, and the products distributed to the citizenry.

 

[Finder]

Remember besides the native Canadians and to some extent even some of them... Are all immagrants to Canada. It's like the old story about some the old Irish man who immograted to the USA. Once he signed his papers he turned around to the Irish behind him waiting in line to do the same and said "Go home, you bunch of immagrants!"

Truly what is it to be Canadian? To be French? English? Irish? Native Canadian? Dutch? German? Indian? Chiness? I think to be Canadian is to be all of these in our multiculturial society, the sum of all parts.

To turn around and denny one to enter because of there roots how would our forfathers have thought if they were not allowed to come here becasue they were Irish or Japeness. Many of us wouldn't even be here right now.

Ok yeah I'm being even more PC then I usually am, but with this forum slipping further into the right perhaps I just want to make sure we get all points of view here expressed still, even if being PC is not the kewl thing to be these days.

 

[Hank C]

Remember besides the native Canadians and to some extent even some of them... Are all immagrants to Canada. It's like the old story about some the old Irish man who immograted to the USA. Once he signed his papers he turned around to the Irish behind him waiting in line to do the same and said "Go home, you bunch of immagrants!"

:lol: ......I like that one

Truly what is it to be Canadian? To be French? English? Irish? Native Canadian? Dutch? German? Indian? Chiness? I think to be Canadian is to be all of these in our multiculturial society, the sum of all parts.

To turn around and denny one to enter because of there roots how would our forfathers have thought if they were not allowed to come here becasue they were Irish or Japeness. Many of us wouldn't even be here right now

I don't think anyone is going to say you have to be of a certain race or ethnic backround. However we do live in a dangerous world, and many would like to see certain "high risk" people more heavily screened for our safety.

Yes Chinese folks were treated badly, and were forced into a sort of slavery....but that was a long time age. People forget Canada also had African slavery. But I dont think any of these entitles us to change our official national languages.

 

[iamcanadian]

How many people are aware that 20% of Quebec's population does not speak French?

What about the fact that only 7 Million Canadians speak french out of 32 Million. With 25 Million Canadians not speaking any French and with French Canadians only being 20% of Canada's whole population, how can it be justified that in today's closing ceremonies at the Olimpics the world got the impresion that Canada is primarily a French Speaking country.

 

[FiveParadox]

Perhaps you were looking upon the use of French in the closing ceremonies with too high a degree of scrutiny and skepticism, iamcanadian. The use of French by Canada should not be seen as something negative; why should twenty percent of the population be disregarded? Who cares if people abroad think we speak French? A lot of us do! Even those of us who don't speak French fluently get the basic idea most of the time.

 

[Curiosity]

French is the international language of diplomacy.

It is spoken at the U.N. and for all matters regarding issues of global ceremony or events.

I believe all transportation, air and sea, international communications are transmitted in English or what passes for English. Why? I have no idea.

Regarding French on products - Kleenex Tissue boxes are printed in Canada (French/English), for the American firm, then shipped home to be filled in the U.S. It seems odd because the bilingualism in the U.S. is now Spanish/English.

 

[iamcanadian]

I believe all transportation, air and sea, international communications are transmitted in English or what passes for English. Why? I have no idea.

This is because English is a simpler language that is easier to learn. French like most of the dead or dying laguages are too cumbersome and complicated with too much enphasis on dscriminating people's level of education and too full of pomp and circumstance that have no value and make the language cumbersome to apply in our fast paced communications of today and the faster days to come.

These are languages geared more to creating and maintaining class distinctions, to hold down parts of the population so elitists can feel superior simply by studing a silly language more than another person did; which concepts are no longer acceptable to most people who prefer to treat all people as equals and avoid inherant discrimination founded on form rather than substance.

 

[Jay]

I believe all transportation, air and sea, international communications are transmitted in English or what passes for English. Why? I have no idea.

This is because English is a simpler language that is easier to learn. French like most of the dead or dying laguages are too cumbersome and complicated with too much enphasis on dscriminating people's level of education and too full of pomp and circumstance that have no value and make the language cumbersome to apply in our fast paced communications of today and the faster days to come.

These are languages geared more to creating and maintaining class distinctions, to hold down parts of the population so elitists can feel superior simply by studing a silly language more than another person did; which concepts are no longer acceptable to most people who prefer to treat all people as equals and avoid inherant discrimination founded on form rather than substance.

Your high....