Language has always been a reflection of the society in which it develops. If we consider Montreal’s multicultural context, then the slang spoken in the metropolis is not surprising, so much so that it has become common practice in Montreal to mix more than one language in a sentence. First text of our series “French under influence”.
We’ve been hearing it on the street, on the subway, or on school desks for a number of years: words from Haitian Creole and North African Arabic have gradually been added to Montreal slang, upsetting the traditional dichotomy between French and English.
Creole has prevailed over the years, especially in the metropolis. Terms such as lakay (“house”), kob (“money”), frekan (“disrespectful”) or moun (“person”, but usually refers to a “woman”), to name just a few, are gradually becoming part of everyday language . Arabic influence is more recent, with the use of words like wesh (‘hi’), kho (‘brother’), hess (‘misery’) or wallah (swear to God). These terms are grafted onto French to form a new language—a sort of Rapaillé French commonly used by youth in Montreal.
For Lamia Dib, using Montreal slang has become “automatic” when speaking to her friends or relatives. “It’s a language that I’m more familiar with and that will help break the ice,” explains the 23-year-old student.
In the absence of an official baptism – like the hybrid of French and English known as “franglais” – this new slang is considered a “variety of French,” according to Wim Remysen, professor of linguistics at the University of Sherbrooke. . Marked by the use of borrowings, “Montreal French” comes from a cross between French, Arabic and Creole, “professions that remain in the universe of French,” he recalls.
The contribution of cultural communities
This sociolinguistic reality is nothing new. “We’ve always borrowed from other languages,” explains the man, who is also director of the Center for Interuniversity Research on French in Use in Quebec. It happens when there are different groups living together and in contact” in an area. The opposite, the lack of linguistic borrowings, would even be surprising, he thinks. In Montreal, for example, it is above all the immigration waves from Haiti and the Maghreb countries that have changed the demographic and linguistic image of the city.
Aside from a slang term used among friends, Montreal slang “carries a certain meaning” to Lamia Dib. “It also shows that the communities of the Maghreb and the Caribbean have integrated. These are very present communities in Montreal and Quebec and it is a way for them to learn the language,” explains the young woman.
“It’s also fascinating to see that people from Latin America, Asia or even ‘native Quebecers’ will use it,” she continues. A person’s ethnocultural affiliation is no longer a criterion for understanding slang, let alone using it. Today, the majority of young Montrealers can not only understand this vocabulary but also use it fluently.
In the long run, “we end up not even realizing that they come from other languages,” adds Professor Remysen. Languages are enriched in this way. This is perfectly normal. »
Beyond the Decline of French
Some see it as an impoverishment of French, while others celebrate its evolution in the metropolis. This is the case of Smaïn Belhimeur. “This language is part of Montreal’s urban culture, it’s our identity,” says the 33-year-old, who grew up in Montreal’s East End. It’s a reflection of youth. »
“We don’t talk like that with the mandate to wipe out the French language. On the contrary, we are proud to represent the Francophonie, but we will represent the Francophonie that resembles us,” explains the Montreal native, founder of the digital medium ONZ MTL.
However, it is difficult to ignore the identity tensions surrounding the survival of French in Quebec. “The relationship to the language among the youngest is not the same as that of the slightly older people who lived through the era of the Quiet Revolution and the struggles to defend French in the public square in Montreal,” Wim Remysen notes.
Algerian-born Smaïn Belhimeur, for example, explains that his country’s colonial past colored his relationship with the language and made him see French “like a weapon”. Words reminiscent of those of the famous Algerian author Kateb Yacine, who wrote: “French is our spoils of war”. A perspective that certainly resonates in Quebec.
slang in literature?
Literature, such as art or music, provides evidence of these identity struggles that shape entire generations. But while slang has been a staple of Montreal rap for a number of years, it has yet to carve its place in the literary world.
This is the mission of artist Joël Nawej Karl Itaj. For the past several years, he has been working on a comic strip project that aims to highlight the Montreal conversation. Titled ‘Maréalité’, it follows the journey of a group of longtime friends who grew up together in Côte-des-Neiges, rather than Darlington, just like its author. With his project, the Montréaler of Congolese origin tries to legitimize “the contribution of certain groups” to the French language. “It’s a bit like portraits or paintings, it’s testament to what existed,” he continues.
For the author and self-taught artist, it is time to push the reflection further and look beyond the decline of French: ‘It falls, what to become? What blooms instead? »
This new variety of French is also only slowly gaining ground in research. Although Montreal language practices have been the subject of sociolinguistic research since the 1970s, slang remains a linguistic reality difficult to study due to its dynamic aspect, explains Professor Remysen. He adds that the first corpora of French spoken in Montreal are around fifty years old and are no longer representative of the Montreal population.
“We are starting to create corpora containing French-speaking speakers of different origins from Montreal, but let’s assume that we have not yet collected all the documentation that we would like to draw a more up-to-date and representative portrait of these communities,” continues Fort is the man who started Quebec’s first Linguistic Data Fund earlier this year to report on the evolution of the French language.