The Canadian province of Quebec is known for many things– gorgeous natural vistas, delicious food (poutine, anyone?), and a rich history reflected in its architecture and people. Above all else, however, Quebec is known for the French influences that are woven deeply into its culture.
French Canadians make up the largest body of French speakers in North America. And the most populous city in Quebec’s, Montreal, is the second-largest French speaking city in the world. But this didn’t happen overnight. Behind the French Canadian people are centuries of tradition and history that have made them who they are today.
Origins of French Canadians/What does it Mean to be French Canadian?
Most French Canadians hail from Quebec, Canada’s largest and second-most populated province. Their origins are often easily traced to the same French colonists who established Canada’s first permanent French colony, Quebec City, in 1608.
Quebec City was soon joined by other French settlements throughout the Quebec territory: Trois-Rivières, Montreal, and more. By the early 1700s France’s North American territory, dubbed “New France," stretched from Quebec all the way down to Louisiana in the modern-day United States.
After the Seven Years War, France ceded the territory of New France to Britain in the Treaty of Utrecht and the Treaty of Paris. Much of France’s former territory quickly became assimilated with new British rule, but the French Canadian settlers in Quebec City, Montreal, and other areas maintained their well-established cultural identity– as they have up to this day.
What makes French Canadians Unique?
Many French Canadians take pride in their roots and consider French to be their first language. In fact, French is more widely spoken in Quebec than English; 94% of Quebec residents speak French. Outside of Montreal, which is mostly bilingual, it is uncommon to hear English in Quebec at all. But this French-speaking majority hasn’t happened without dedicated effort from Quebec’s people. The government has even supported it by enacting a law preserving the use of French in government, schools, and businesses to protect the province’s French influence.
Another important aspect of many French Canadians is their Roman Catholic origins. While many people and Quebec as a whole have become more secular in recent years, the original impact of the Roman Catholic religion can be felt all throughout the province– especially in its architecture. There are many gorgeous historic cathedrals throughout Quebec that were originally built in the 1600s and 1700s.
French-Canadian festivals and holidays also draw heavily from Roman-Catholicism. Le Carnaval de Quebec, or the Winter Carnival, is essentially Quebec’s version of Mardi Gras.
Other major celebrations for the French Canadian people include Good Friday, Easter Monday, and St. Jean Baptiste Day.
Canadian French vs European French
While there are multiple varieties of Canadian French spoken in Canada, the most dominant is Québécois, or Quebec French. This Canadian dialect differs from European French in multiple ways due to it being based on an older version of French.
French Canadians became isolated from France when Quebec became a British colony. As the two areas were cut off from one another, their speech began to evolve separately. French Canadians’ linguistic tendencies emphasized a need to preserve their French culture among the influx of British influence. Their dedicated cultural conservation means that echoes of that same 17th- and 18th-century dialect brought by the settlers who immigrated to Quebec can be heard in the language today. This dialectic difference affects both pronunciation and sentence structure.
Because of Canada’s large English-speaking population. Canadian French also has many more anglicisms–English words adopted into the language– than European French does. Slang terms are also more common in Canadian French, including phrases like “pogner le beigne (to poke a donut)”, meaning to do nothing, and “avoir la langue à terre” (to have your tongue on the ground) meaning to be exhausted.
With these differences, it’s no wonder European French speakers may think that Canadian French sounds a bit more archaic and less formal than the French they’re accustomed to.
Learn about your French Canadian Ancestors
Do you have French-Canadian roots? FamilySearch’s global family tree can help you learn about your French-Canadian ancestors and heritage. Tools like Memories and Where am I From? make it easy to explore your own family’s story.
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