Because language is the backbone of culture and national identity. Lose your language and you lose a significant of the culture that goes with it.
I can agree with that in principle.
Of course you can ask if French is really threatened and to that I'd say that it certainly is in a fragile position, considering the very strong anglophone environment Quebec is a part of. From my point of view, this anglophone environment IS part of what and who we are. After all, we're North American. Canadian French is filled with references to English and that is inevitable, considering the history of francophones in Canada and the socio-cultural environment they live in. But there's a difference between one's language being strongly influenced by another and slow assimilation. The demographic aspect of this is dealt with by legal measures requiring immigrants (and francophones) to send their children to francophone schools.
I can agree to this in principle. However, if we think outside the box, one way to protect a language is of course to give it a higher official status. That's fine if it's the lowest language on the totem pole, otherwise it becomes guilty of what Louis-Jean Calvet refers to as glottophagie in his <<langue et colonialisme>> and in <<la guerre des langues>> by the same author. I don't know if they're available in English but they are definitely well worth the read. <<Vers une ecologie des langues du monde>> by the same author is another one worth reading.
However, if it's not at the bottom of the totem pole, as French certainly isn't, then it's probably better to look at weakening the position of the others at the top. As an example, supposing English and French were gradually replaced by Esperanto at the UN, this would help to weaken the position of English more than it would French, thus reducing the threat of English to French while also reducing the threat of French to the indigenous languages.
Right now I get the impression that the sovereigntists are just as incensitive to indigenous languages as the English are to French.
I'm far from being knowledgable on indigenous issues in general but I'd personally be quite supportive of any attempt to protect and promote their language. I'm pretty sure most people of First Nations would agree that their language is a vital part of their culture.
Precisely. So why should you be so knowledgeable about favouring your language and never really reflected on language justice in a wider context?
Considering at least 80% of Quebecers have French as their mother tongue, the simple principles of democracy makes the choice of the hypothetical country rather obvious.
Majority rule has its limits before it translates into mob rule. Both English and French Canadians are just as guilty of this attitude.
I'm not quite sure how that would translate to the local indigenous language in the hypothetical Quebec scenario. If they'd choose to separate from Quebec, that would no longer be Quebec's concern. If they'd choose to stay we must treat them as fellow citizens and respect their desire to preserve a some form of sovereignty.
And how do you think they feel about Bill 101 on their land?
It's a complex issue and I don't pretend to have answers about it. All I can say is that as a Francophone, I'm willing to defend the principles of our language laws, which certainly doesn't mean they cannot be improved and that they haven't sometimes been applied stupidly.
As a Francophone on my mom's side and anglophone on my dad's, I don't even want my languages to be official at the UN. As far as I'm concerned, the only just solution would be an easty-to-learn international auxiliary language that all learn as a commom second language. Anything else is mere glottophagie.
As I said, you certainly won't see me fighting against the protection of indigenous language.
So, would you support an Algonquin Bill 101 in Gatineau?
Perhaps not in the short term. But the in the mid to long term that is quite debatable.
The percentage of Canadians who have French as their mother tongue went down about 6% in roughly 50 years. You don't need a math degree to figure out that if the trend continues, 2 or 3 more centuries could easily do the job of nailing the coffin.
Canadian Demographics at a Glance: Some facts about the demographic and ethnocultural composition of the population
And the Official Languages Act and Bill 101 are killing off indigenous languages at an unprecedented rate. Do you still support such legislation?
Come to think of it, as a test of sincerity and respect for all cultures and not just one's own, who here would support the UN gradually replace French and English by an international auxiliary language at the UN as a sign of friendship towards the indigenous peoples?
I would in a heartbeat, simply as a sign of respect for the people who've welcomed us to this land.
Different view of language relations I guess. Not about claiming land for our small group, but rather trying to build bridges to all groups. I don't know if being a Franco-Ontarian plays a role in this but I don't think so since from my observations most franco-Ontarians still think like Quebecers and Anglophones.
