Do you want to know a little more about how French came to Canada and how it differs from the French of France? This article will teach you interesting facts about French and more than one reason to run to learn it!
Why is French one of the Best Languages to Learn?
French is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, and to this day, it is spoken by no more and no less than 200 million people. French is considered one of the most romantic languages. It is the language of love, full of nuances, accents, and extravagances.
Learning French can be an enriching experience for you and allow you to obtain a better job and academic and social opportunities in Canada and the world. So definitely, if you have something to say, it is always better to say it in French!
Also, did you know that French could be the gateway to learning other languages? As you have undoubtedly heard, French is a Romance language whose origins come from Vulgar Latin, just like Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian. Although all these languages are different, we could say they are sister languages that share similarities in vocabulary, word endings, and language structure. So if you plan to be a polyglot one day, here is the signal you were looking for!
You should also know that English and French have a broad linguistic relationship. Did you know that 40% of the vocabulary words in English have their origin in French? When your time comes to learn French grammar and vocabulary, you will realize what we are talking about!
Now Let's Take a Look at Canadian French!
Let's start by talking about the fabulous Canadian French, also called Quebec French or Quebecois. Did you know that the base of Canadian French is the French spoken in Paris in the 17th and 18th centuries? Amazing right? One factor that makes the French of Canada and France so different is that precisely in Canada, the "Old French" was preserved much more than the French in France itself.
But then, how did the French get to Canada? As you have undoubtedly read in your history books, Canada was a French colony within the Viceroyalty of New France. To refresh your memory, New France was the area colonized by France in North America. After Quebec was founded in 1608 by Samuel de Champlain, known as the "Father of New France," Canada quickly became the most populous colony in New France, divided into three new districts, Quebec, Trois-Rivières, and Montreal.
French colonization opened the door to various varieties of French, such as Norman, Picard, and other Gallo-Romance languages. However, by the 1960s, only French from France was recognized as the only language. However, Canadian French evolved rapidly, becoming even more distinct from the French of France, and it was not until 1974 that Canadian French became the sole official language of Quebec. The Legislative Assembly established English and French as official languages. This means you can communicate in French or English in any public body, and there will be no issues!
Nowadays, the first official language spoken by 22.8% of the population is French. In Canada, most Francophones (85.4%) are found between the border of Québec and eastern Ontario, and over one million live in other Canadian regions. And last but not least, did you know that almost 10.4 million Canadians can carry on a conversation in French? Be ready to join!
Canadian French or French French?
We could say that we find two main differences between Canadian French and French from France: pronunciation and vocabulary. But why are they so different? Canadian and European French differ due to the historical influence that has impacted both of them over time and their geographical location. For example, Canadian French has been influenced by the regional Canadian languages and dialects, and here we must also contemplate English's strong influence. The question is can you speak Canadian French in France?
Canadian French is characterized by having different vowel pronunciations and a much stronger nasal sound than the French from France. For example, sometimes, the sound "e" of European French, which is written as "ais" and "ait" at the end of a word, is pronounced "a" in Canadian French. So, for example, if in France "parfait" sounds like "parfé," in Canada, it would sound something more similar to "parfa." The "u" of European French is pronounced as a closed "u" with a high intonation. On the other hand, in Canada, it is pronounced as "eu." The word "minute" in Canada is pronounced as "méneute."
And concerning vocabulary, we can also find curious differences. For example, "C'est le fun!" in Canada is the same as "C'est marrant!" in France, which means something is funny. Another example, "C'est cute!" in Canada, is said as "c'est mignon!" in France, meaning something is cute.
We could then say that the main differences between the two types of French occur mainly when speaking since, although their grammatical rules may have subtle differences, both types of French tend to follow the same grammatical structure.
How to learn French more practically?
If you are learning French, whether in Canada or France, perhaps one of your goals is to be a little more fluent, or maybe is knowing the most common expressions to feel like the coolest French speaker, or perhaps you just want to improve your pronunciation. However, you must go little by little to achieve all this and more. Regardless of the level of French you have, or the type of French you want to learn, we recommend that you follow these recommendations. In Quebec or Paris, all these will be of great help!
- It is all about grammar rules! First, we recommend that you learn how the grammar rules work (and all their exceptions) since it is essential for you to speak correctly and have better spelling.
- Reading is super essential! Reading comprehension is very important for the development of our language skills. It will not be possible to understand a language if we are not used to reading.
- It's time to write! Developing your writing skills will help you better organize information and better develop your ideas.
- Practice your vocabulary! An extensive vocabulary in French is crucial for improving your reading comprehension and language skills. We know that the French vocabulary between Canada and France is exceptionally different. However, here it depends on which one you want to learn. Acquiring more vocabulary and expressions will significantly enrich your French.
- Don't be afraid of the language! Constantly exposing yourself to your fears will make you feel more confident and acquire better tools to face any challenge. And the same goes for French! Don't worry if you're not very fluent, have a strong accent, or just don't remember the conjugations when speaking. Expose yourself to the language, and you'll see that you start to progress faster than you imagine.
- Find the best guide to practice! Remember that if you want to learn to speak French like a native, you can find excellent private courses at your fingertips. Trust us, learning any language has never been so dynamic. Let's find out a bit more!
Why having a French tutor is the best idea?
Staying motivated when learning a language, skill, or building a habit depends on personal reasons. However, it is ubiquitous for motivation levels to decrease throughout the process, and perhaps long before you achieve your goals. For this reason, you need a guide that can help you stay motivated to continue learning, even when the process becomes a bit more tedious.
Having a language tutor helps to encourage further the desire to learn French, especially if the teaching methods are creative and enthusiastic. Are you ready to find your ideal private teacher in Canada? You will find the best private teachers in Canada on the official Superprof site. Superprof is one of the most recognized private tutoring platforms worldwide to find the best private tutors near you and specialize in French! Did you know that you can discover Superprof in more than 36 countries? From India to Mexico, on Superprof, you will find more than 10 million private teachers and more than 1,000 disciplines! Do you feel stressed? Find your favorite yoga tutor! Even you will learn the similarities between both types of French!
Now that you know you have countless French tutors just a click away, are you ready to start your way to the Arc de Triomphe or wherever you want? Go to our official site, where you can choose the best tutor closest to you if you are looking for face-to-face classes or the one that most attracts your attention anywhere, even in France, through online classes.
Welcome to the Superprof family! We hope this excellent information will help you speak like a French native soon. If you have questions about private French classes, contact the French teacher you like the most. C'est tout pour le moment mon cher ami!
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