#i can't speak for what he means to québec | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

leam1983 · 2 years

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On Linguistics

If you're familiar with Quebec, you know we have two official languages, and a recent strong push to add at least one third out of the handful of major Native American dialects spoken between the Saint Lawrence River basin and the upper North Coast. Unofficially, we have tertiary and, well, quarternary languages like Spanish and Mandarin.

The funny thing about my native language - French - is that Quebec's native speakers never really stepped off of a certain victimhood complex. I'm all for defending my native tongue, but I'm still a far cry from claiming that we're one or two generations away from ending up like certain Louisiana parrishes, where French is the focus of hyper-specialized classes attended by a nigh-on-invisible minority. We've got major Francophone news and media outlets, we can be served in French on a day-to-day basis, and being bilingual is, in many ways, more of a fun aside than a necessity.

More below.

Where I'm sort of confused is when my father prints out an article from Le Devoir that carries an editorial by Gérard Bouchard. For those who don't know, Bouchard is an author, a linguist, an essayist and a Postgrad professor that's focused on the particularities of French as spoken in Quebec. The article in question is titled Le Québec langue, which you could translate as meaning "Quebec as a language".

Said article is an exxagerated simulation of all of the anglicizations we use on a daily basis, and then ends with a sardonic note: the narrator is worried he'll have to pick up English for his new job, when he's spent twelve paragraphs with a roughly 50/50 ratio of French and English words in the same sentence.

The article doesn't pick sides, it simply illustrates a point. My father wags it in my face and says "See?! This is what your job is doing to you! This is how all of you Millennials sound; you can't find the right words for things in French even if not finding them would kill you!"

I look up from my script draft for Eastern Ontario - Kanata and the like - and realize I'll call a chunk of the country where a different set of roots for different idiolects of French has taken shape. Our English loan-words aren't the same in Ontario, and Franco-Ontarians have a deep history with so, used outside of its normal grammatical guidelines. It never implies a relation, but rather causation. "J'étais fatigué, so j'suis allé me coucher."

I ask my father to name one language of which the structure hasn't been altered by emergent technologies or new cultural trends. I tell him one springs to mind. He waffles for a bit, then admits defeat.

Latin. Latin is fixed in place. Latin doesn't shift, follow trends or alter itself to fit different regions. Latin has stripped itself of everything that isn't of scientific or religious importance, and only now are modern linguists attempting to piece it back together to the extent that it becomes a modern and complete conversation vector.

For all of the efforts of modern Latin schools, Latin is a dead language. The percentile of people who speak it at home is minuscule. The percentile involving everyday speakers is just as small. I remember seeing YouTube's Luke Ranieri pop-quiz deacons around the publically-accessible parts of Vatican City, and the only one who could hold a beginner-level conversation in Latin was Ugandan. The Italian, British and French deacons gave up after a scant few words.

That isn't the case for French. Millions of people use it everyday. It covers prose, everyday discussion, poetry, science, mathematics, emergent technologies, matters of faith and politics alike - it's alive. Just as alive as English is, and both languages are rife with new additions and subcultural plug-ins. You only need look at this freaking hellsite to see it for yourselves. This is the only place where saying you're writing a drabble on your scrunkly scrimblos wouldn't possibly raise eyebrows, and where you'd receive nods of understanding.

Of course, some purists see this as language being corrupted. I don't. French is alive precisely because it makes room for Anglicized words without rejecting its own French constructs. It's alive because I can speak to my IT colleagues in that language without feeling that there's a language level that's missing, in regards to, say, the need to reinstall Kubernetes or some colleague's missing credentials. I don't need to switch to a pidgin if I have to help out a colleague from the call center, and I also don't need to shoot for excessively formal constructs, either. Living languages are flexible. Latin isn't.

Predictably enough, however, this doesn't do it for my father and his dyed-in-the-wool Separatist roots. French is always under threat, as far as he's concerned, because we're geographically close to a basin that doesn't give a shit about our own culture - or so he believes. I always remind him that we're an annoyance to everyone in the ROC - who wishes we could just stick to English to make things easier for everyone - and a curiosity to people down south. To Americans, I'm a Budget Frenchman; a funny guy who gets American points of interest but who sometimes articulates them in a language that's rooted on the other side of the Atlantic.

As this brings up another thing: my French isn't even the "proper" French the Académie Française tries to drill into our heads at a young age, it's the French of colonists who left the Old Country in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. My French is the French of deported criminals and pardoned thugs, of provincial prostitutes and uneducated guys and gals tossed halfway across the globe on vain promises of royal cash and an allotted plot of land. My French is to French what Texas' drawl is to Elizabethan English, or what Ottawa's vaguely-Celtic consonants are to Australia's open vowels.

So what is there to defend, here? Do we cling to some arbitrary definition of a "proper" idiolect and insult everyone between myself and my fellow Cajun speakers between Montreal and Biloxi, or do we accept what linguistics teaches us, and that all signs, all signifiers, are arbitrary? Languages just can't evolve without that central aspect, that understanding that those who make up the sounds and structure of a language are its speakers.

#long post #linguistics #tumblrspeak #french #english #languages as arbitrary constructs #cultural sentiment #i'll never apologize for my copious frenglish out of the office

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reki-of-the-valley · 3 years

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Ok, ok, @babysgarage really has me thinking about the possibility of a Quebec-born Langa and while I'm terrified of that thought, I just.... I hate it and I love it

There's no doubt about it that this kid is fluent in English. I'd even go as far as to say that English is his first language. So if English is his first language, then this kid is, drumroll please, Montreal based. (Let's be honest here, it's more English than French. Walk into a french school, elementary or high school, you'll see the kids speak way more English than French, even if the teachers are screaming to talk French.) And with that, I could narrow it down even further and pinpoint a neighborhood he'd be from, but I'll refrain from doing that

Ok, let's list what I wanna touch on here. 1) Snowboarding. 2) language. 3) that catholic thing he's got going on.

So fun fact, we're actually really big on skiing and snowboarding around here! (Personally have been on the mountains since I was 5, my brother since he was 2) So that means it's totally possible for Mr Oliver to have brought Langa to the mountains every weekend during the winter for some snowboarding fun. (though personally I think the kid would have started on skies because you can't control a 2 year old on a board, but shhhh that's not too important.) Quebec has mountains of all sizes and they're not that far away from the city, so it's not a stretch to have that happen. Otherwise, who's not to say they don't have a chalet (is that the English word?) by the mountain side, so they just go up on a Friday night and come back down to the city on Sunday night? They can spend the whole weekend on the slopes, which also explains why Langa would be so good at it. His parents obviously work, he has school, so he can't do it during the week, but he's still amazing at the sport, meaning he has spent a lot of time on the slopes. So every week for 6 months a year, the whole weekend going up and down? It makes sense. So snowboarding in Quebec, very possible!

So language. Quebec born means the kid would be trilingual (I missed up on that opportunity, rip. But I already suck at just being bilingual so I would have died) And while we could argue that he could be kinda shitty in french, that he would have gone to an English school, there's a 90% chance that he'd have gone to French because of our policies. So would he have an accent? Probably (and it would be adorable). But he would be pretty much fluent. You know, 11 years forced in a french school does that to a person. So this kid knows his french, and he's a pretty good student (he'll skip but he would still keep his grades up) so even if he doesn't learn it at home, he's still pretty good at it.

So french and Langa. Langa who, despite being in a pretty anglophone environment, does hear the Frenchies and does pick up on that culture. So he could be walking and he'll overhear something so specific to Quebecois culture that no outsider would understand, but he still scoffs because it's a lil bit funny. Or he'll say things in English (or even in Japanese) that has a french construction so no one understands him. Or Langa that fucks up verb conjugations because why are they so complicated?? (Even with french as a first language, conjugation is hell) Fluent but still fucks it up like a good kid from this godforsaken province (but if he were to lose a language due to not using it, french is the first to go)

Now that catholic thingy he does with the bathroom during the beach episode. I think about it a lot. Now hear me out: he isn't religious, just raised in a religious environment even if it's not supposed to be (they say Québec is supposed to be separated from the church but it's not). He has no religious background, but catholicism is so ingrained in his day to day life that he just... It's automatic. In moments of desperation, pray to God, even if you don't believe in said God. For me, it's more of a ridiculous thing to do, something to make me laugh when things are going to shit. A "please if there's a god out there, let this not be too horrible" thing. And given that he does it for a toilet, I feel like he's the type to do that. And it feels like a very catholic province thing to do? God is invoked a lot, but never seriously. I don't know, but it just makes sense to me, especially if in a multi cultural city. I won't dwell too much on that though, religion just isn't my forte

ALSO I KNOW Y'ALL KEEP SAYING "poutine is a Canadian thing" BUT ITS QUEBECOIS ITS FROM HERE BECAUSE HONESTLY CANADA AND QUEBEC ARE TWO DIFFERENT THINGS AS MUCH AS I HATE SAYING THAY

I feel like I went on a tangent but I'm very passionate about pre-series Canadian Langa. I forgot what my initial point while writing this so I'm gonna stop now. Maybe take a nap now

Oh, also has nothing to do with anything, but I don't know how it works in other provinces, but here kids can take either parents last name, so I think Langa definitely took his mother's name, which means we have no idea what Oliver's last name is. So it could be an English surname or a French one or even a Japanese one if you want the man to be half Japanese

#look im not saying that projecting into this kid is good for me but #yeah Quebec kid Langa makes me feel weird but also makes so much sense #the more i think about it the more it makes sense to me #oh god am i gonna make him qc based??#langa #langa hasegawa #hasegawa langa #sk8 #sk8 the infinity #hush lils #cursed francophone langa

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dramayeoja · 6 years

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Goblin ❣︎ 도깨비

Kim Shin, an undefeated war general, is ultimately killed by a jealous young king named Wang Yeo. After death, Shin is revived by the gods—but his revival is by no means miraculous. He becomes a 도깨비 (dokkaebi, goblin), and is cursed. He will have to pay for all the lives he took in battle by living alone in immortality, witnessing everyone he's ever loved, die. Remaining lodged in his chest is the very sword that killed him. There is only person who can see that sword, and draw from his heart so that he can finally rest in peace: his bride... whom he's yet to meet.

Things get spoilery under the cut—you've been warned! ;)

Chipper, yeah? Haha so, right off the bat, the premises of Goblin remind me of like, a much more morbid version of the legend of King Arthur. You know, a man draws a sword from stone to prove himself the greatest king in all of Britain? Yeah. Just to be clear: this is a good thing (imo). Like, I personally think this is just such a cool idea for a drama 😍

Let's jump right in. I'm gonna be honest and say that, at first, I felt a little turned off at the female lead, Eun Tak, being nineteen (in the beginning of the show), meanwhile the male lead, Shin, is 900+ years old (but physically looks to be in his thirties). It just... rubbed me weird. But hey, the Twilight series (both the books and the movies) is exactly the same—high school girl, century-old man, bananas yet somehow romantic storyline... And I loved me some Twilight as a young adult. So I mean, I have no right to judge, really. Plus, Eun Tak soon turns twenty anyway. So that's an improvement I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ We follow her character into her late twenties, nearly thirty. So things are definitely fine by then haha! 👍

Don't let that previous bit make you think I didn't enjoy Goblin—I LOVED it. That detail is just a lil funky to me, is all. Back during my Twilight obsession days, I was nearly twenty myself, and the thought of being pursued by an older man was exciting. Hell, I mean, it still is! But now that I'm two years shy of my 30th Birthday, I feel differently sometimes. I think, LAWD get that girl away from that man, she too young for him LOL. I am definitely getting old... Enough about Twilight now, apologies! I'm only using it for the sake of conveying similarities seen in Goblin 🙏 Let's talk cast!

Kim Go Eun as Ji Eun Tak and Gong Yoo as Kim Shin

Eun Tak is a bubbly young woman with limitless energy! While still in her mother's womb, Mama Ji was involved in a hit-and-run incident which, sadly, took her life. During Mama Ji's dying moments, she prayed to anyone above that her child's life be spared. Sat on a rooftop from afar, beer in hand (lol), Shin hears her prayers, as he is a god of sorts. He appears before Mama Ji, and shows mercy to her unborn baby. Eun Tak grows up with the ability to see/speak to ghosts. Said ghosts tell her constantly that she is the goblin's bride. How do they know? A strange birthmark on the back of Eun Tak's neck tips them off. Eun Tak unfortunately was taken in by her abusive bitch of an aunt, who jabs Eun Tak every chance she gets. Her cousins are assholes. Eun Tak's aunt really only keeps her around in hopes of collecting Mama Ji's savings (intended for Eun Tak) one day. Sad, right? I mean, isn't Eun Tak being born without her mother enough as it is? Life can be so cruel 😔

Lee Dong Wook as Grim Reaper/Reaper/Wang Yeo

This is Grim Reaper (or Reaper for short), portrayed by the handsome Lee Dong Wook. His character is just this strange, not at all tech-savvy man with a constant deadpan facial expression. Said facial expression provokes so many giggles during funny moments, and drives home the longing and desperation during sad times. We learn quite a ways in that he, in his previous life (again, just in case: spoiler), was Wang Yeo G A S P ! The young king that is essentially responsible for Shin's death, as well as all the misdeeds that were done to Shin's family. Again, this is something I don't want to spoil. Well, more, anyway 😆 You gotta see it!

Yoo In Na as Kim Sun/Sunny

Kim Sun, or simply, Sunny (she loves to spell her name for people lol, S-U-N-N-Y!) is the second female lead. Yoo In Na is so gorgeous that one look at her makes you feel like such a potato hahhah. 🥔 This fact about her beauty bleeds over into the show itself—every time another character meets Sunny, the camera does this slow motion pan into her lmao. She really is that pretty! Sunny's personality comes across so odd at first... Having watched all of the episodes now, I feel the intention of Goblin's creators was to make her seem like a soul searching for something it has lost in a previous life. idk if that makes sense, but yeah. She has this way about her, like she's disconnected from others, and is sifting through the haziness to find this thing she feels she's lost.

Yook Sungjae (my BtoB bias 😍) as Yoo Deok Hwa

Sungjaeeee ahhhh 💘💘💘 I had to gush, sorry! Hehe. Meet Deok Hwa: unofficial nephew of Shin. Deok Hwa is a third-generation chaebol (heir to a family-owned corporation) and spoiled man-child, always seeking his credit card hahaha 🤣 But I love him so much. Between Gong Yoo, Lee Dong Wook, and BtoB Sungjae? Man, I'm dying over here! Deok Hwa's true identity is revealed later in the show, which if you haven't seen it yet, I won't spoil it. Just watch. But his ending sucked. Like where did he go? Everyone else's endings got tied up neatly except for his. What gives, man? 🤔 Edit: I was actually reading an online conversation about what happened to Deok Hwa online—someone jokingly said he was reincarnated as BtoB Sungjae LOL 💯

Other various comments

AMAZING OST 😍😍😍

Good pace, episodes drag at times. A little confusing in the beginning, but you get there eventually. Maybe this is just me though, viewers who are a little more keen than I will likely catch on sooner ;) My mom was a little confused as well, and actually said at one point, "This should be called the 'what-the-hell-is-going-on' show," hahaha. Like I said though, we quickly moved on from this, and loved all the things. There are actually, I think, three (?) specials that were made to aid viewers in making sure they understand the complex events and relationships clearly. I haven't watched them yet, but want to!

Quite repetitive tbh, as there are unnecessary flashbacks often. Probably for two reasons: the obvious of reminding you what's what, but also to create suspense. Typical duration of most tvN dramas seems to be about 16 episodes, so it's possible these flashbacks and things are, for lack of a better word, filler. I don't know how rigid or lax tvN is about having a drama set at 16 eps, but I get the idea this is their preference. Seeing as so many of their programs on average last that long, I feel this must be what they want. Such has the potential to affect the writing, either positively or negatively.

A continuation of the previous bullet: I think Goblin's creators oversimplified the plot at times. I'm unsure if this is due to possible pressures to meet a specific requirement(s), or what. I'd rather forgo ALL restrictions and let creativity flow, let the story be told without pressure to fill a specific amount of time, etc. but TV production is weird. And contracts are weird. tvN might not to blame for these issues, could simply be that storytelling isn't always easy, man. I'm a writer myself, it's hard! I'M being redundant now lmfao! Anyway, yeah ~

Absolutely LOVED all the scenes that were filmed on location in beautiful Québec City, Canada 🍁 Tall, romantic trees, the fall foliage, historic buildings... sigh. Now all I need is Gong Yoo chasing me and we're all set! ;D

In addition to Shin being revived, my crush on Gong Yoo has been revived as well LOL. He fine 🔥 A classic K drama crush, can't go wrong with GY👌

Gong Yoo is always stellar at doing kiseu (kiss) scenes, and in Goblin, he does not disappoint. He really goes at it 🙈 which is preferred vs. the typical person kissing a stone statue that you see so often. He even did a lift kiss with Kim Go Eun that was reminiscent of THEE Coffee Prince kiss he did with actress Yoon Eun Hye! 😍

I never saw it coming, how the sword would wind up being removed from Shin's chest. I worried what the writers were going to do, how would they approach this, and just wow. The way things turned out is such a relief. It also told me that Shin's love for Eun Tak is true. I mean, I didn't need that scene to occur for me to know that, rather it just adds extra oomph that yes, Shin really does love Eun Tak. He didn't want her to suffer knowing she was responsible for his "death," so he thought quick and used her hands WITH his hands asdfghjkl. How dumb (bc noooo now you're gonna die) and amazing he is at the same time 💜

I love how Shin made his way back to Eun Tak after passing away, it was such a powerful scene. I could really feel his struggle, and kept yelling at my TV for him to stand up lol!

Devastated that Eun Tak died 😭 I really thought as many times as she'd cheated death before, she would somehow continue cheating death again and again for the rest of her days. But no... What a selfless person, Ji Eun Tak. Her being reincarnated as Park So Min gave me some closure. Not the closure I wanted, but closure.

The relationship between Shin and Reaper is ADORABLE. Whenever they interact with each other, they just have this great dialogue. Shin pings, Reaper pongs, Reaper pings, Shin pongs. It's great 😄 I still laugh about the slow-mo scene of them returning from the market with green onions HAHAHA 😂

I love Sunny & Reaper ~ However, their history as Kim Sun & Wang Yeo in their past lives is so very sad. I don't even know where to start RE: my feelings on this 💔 imo, their ending kinda sucked. I just wasn't satisfied with them having had this complicated, tragic story, only to be reincarnated in this fashion that I ultimately found to be just... idk, disappointing 😩 Again, closure, but not the closure I wanted.

I thought Reaper, the other grim reapers, the name cards, the depiction of what happens immediately following death with the brewing of the tea, the afterlife, etc. was all very creative. We really don't know what awaits us when our time comes—it's interesting to wonder if it's anything like it is in Goblin 🍵

Can't stop thinking about Goblin, even though I'm now watching Thirty but Seventeen & Mr. Sunshine! I'm emotionally cheating lol halp.

Photo credits: tvN & AsianWiki

Yo yo! I'm sorry I took so long to watch + write up this review! It's been a long couple of weeks for me, I wasn't always able to watch when I wanted. It was maddening 😆 But I have finally watched, and feel like the most accomplished person on the planet hahaha. xoxo 💜

#goblin #도깨비 #asian dramas #korean dramas #tvn

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