Recent studies suggesting the sky is not falling appear to have gone unnoticed by most nationalist commentators.
Is the decline of the French language in Quebec le grand mensonge — the big lie?
The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) publishes statistics that nationalists invariably spin to foment perpetual concern about the disappearance of French. “This that cannot be challenged” has been driving Quebec politics for many years and continues to engender unnecessary stress and division.
The “Bonjour-Hi” debate exposes an inconvenient truth, an ugly undercurrent that it’s not really about the right to be served in French in Quebec, but for many, just hearing English is taboo. French Language Minister François Roberge and Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante both contributed to deepening divisions this week by criticizing the use of the word “Hi.” Roberge said: “The declining use of French to welcome Quebecers is a sign that French is less and less the normal language of business and commerce in Quebec.”
Such comments are foolish. “Bonjour-Hi” doesn’t cause French to “decline.” Bonjour is still clearly predominant. It’s not a zero-sum game. The greeting signals that you are to be served in French, but (psst), if you happen to be English-speaking, we can also accommodate you. That is called respect — both for the French language and for the human being, the individual client. It is politeness. It is class.
Most anglophones agree that with the preponderance of U.S. media and culture within North America, French in Quebec must be protected and promoted. But from someone who spent several years in the National Assembly, where every tentacle of government operates exclusively in French, I find it incomprehensible to imagine that the language is in danger of disappearing.
Furthermore, most anglophones welcome Montreal’s character as a predominantly French city and want to maintain that richness. But they are equally part of its fabric, having largely contributed to the city’s history and dynamism. Plante is relegating many Montrealers to second-class citizenry, suggesting they hide in the shadows like Cinderella. I expect many anglophones will have difficulty voting for her next year.
Hysteria, exaggerated narratives and random anecdotes about not being served in French hijack public policy toward inevitably harmful actions such as discriminatory language legislation and attacks on world-class institutions, while other social issues fester. And opposition to something as benign as saying “Hi” signals disrespect, symbolically denying the existence of “les autres” in Montreal — which could further discourage their own collective desire to willingly embrace the French language.