Québécois

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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Quebec. (Discuss)

This article is about the use of the term Québécois in the English language. For the newspaper, see Le Québécois.

Look up Québécois in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

A Québécois (IPA: [ke.be'kwa]), or in the feminine Québécoise (IPA: [ke.be'kwaz]), is a native or resident of the Canadian province of Quebec, but may also specifically refer to a French-speaking or French Canadian native or inhabitant of the province.^[1]^[2] The term may also refer to someone who identifies with Quebec's French-speaking majority culture.

Quebecer or Quebecker (pronounced [kwəˈbɛkɚ] or [kəˈbɛkɚ]) is used to refer to any resident of Quebec, including English-speaking Quebecers or allophone natives or residents of Quebec.^[3]

With a lower-case initial, the word québécois can refer to Quebec French, a variant of the French language spoken by Quebec's population. As an adjective, it refers to Quebec's francophone culture or population.

In French, the word Québécois refers to a native or resident of Quebec [1] or Quebec City. In a political or cultural context, it often takes on the same meaning as the English definition of the word.^[4]

1 Terms using Québécois
2 Controversy
3 References
4 See also

[edit] Terms using Québécois

[edit] English usage

English expressions employing the term stress the distinction between the ethno-cultural and sociological sense of Québécois and the legal and civic sense of Quebecer or Quebec.

Québécois people
Québécois society
Québécois nation

The word appeared in a near-unanimous motion of Prime Minister Stephen Harper adopted by the Canadian House of Commons on 27 November 2006. The motion proposed that "... this House recognize that the Québécois form a nation within a united Canada", with the Prime Minister specifying that he was using the "cultural" and "sociological" as opposed the "legal" sense of the word "nation". The Prime Minister emphasized that the motion was a symbolic political nature, representing no constitutional change, no recognition of Quebec sovereignty, and no legal change in its political relations within the federation.^[5]. The Prime Minister has further elaborated, stating that the motion's definition of Quebecois relies on personal decisions to self-identify as Quebecois, and therefore is ambiguous, carrying no legal weight.^[6]

[edit] French expressions used in English

French expressions employing "Québécois" are often used in English. Here the sense of the word remains ambiguous.

Parti Québécois - Provincial-level political party that supports Quebec independence from Canada
Bloc Québécois - Federal-level political party that supports Quebec independence from Canada
Québécois de (vielle) souche - "old-stock Quebecer" - Quebecer that can trace his or her ancestry back to the regime of New France.
Québécois pure laine - "true blue" or "dyed-in-the-wool" Quebecker - usually means the same as Québécois de vieille souche, but originally referred to an ardent Quebec nationalist; the term is resented by English-speaking Quebecers because it was often used by nationalists to question the belonging of minority groups who are, by and large, cool to Quebec nationalism; the term has fallen out of favour since it has been used by opponents of Quebec nationalism to highlight its perceived exclusion of minorities.

[edit] French usage

Les Québécois et Québécoises (masculine and feminine genders) to include women when referring to Quebecers as a whole.
Le Québec aux Québécois - "Quebec for Québécois" - slogan often chanted at Quebec nationalist rallies or protests.

[edit] Controversy

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The word Québécois can be politically charged because it combines notions of territory and residence (in the Province of Quebec), ethno-cultural identity (of French-speaking Quebecers), and ancestry (Québécois de vielle souche). Government publications generally refer to Quebec territory and residence, while the news media focuses more on issues of ethnocultural identity — especially facing separation or nationalist issues.

On the extremes, for example, people of Haitian ancestry living in Montreal may be considered Québécois because they reside in Quebec, or not Québécois because their ancestry cannot be traced back to New France. Their belonging may also be judged in accordance with their assimilation into mainstream Quebec culture and adoption of Quebec nationalist political views. As well, although English-speaking Quebecers may be included in the French meaning of the word, they rarely if ever self-identify as Québécois in English, and are only occasionally referred to as such in English in academic or political circles.

Even in French, however, some Quebecers have historically used the word to draw a similar distinction between French-speaking pure laine Québécois and anglophone, aboriginal, or allophone residents of the province. This meaning is now discouraged among francophones in Quebec society, and public figures who have used it have been rebuked by other public figures and the media.

Francophones are encouraged by some Quebec nationalists to use a single inclusive term which describes residents of the province without distinction to origin or ethnicity. This use has political overtones, as this definition adds to the legitimacy of Quebec nationalists claims to sovereignty. Others view this definition as an imposed "political correctness." They view pure laine as a deprecated term in French — in modern speech the term is now used almost exclusively by anglophones, to argue that Quebec nationalists draw distinctions among provincial residents. Quebec nationalists in turn call this Quebec-bashing. One of the problems inclusive Quebecois nationalists (those who reject ethnic nationalism) face is that the history which they claim defines the "Quebec nation" is derived from the collective experiences of an ethnic nation - the French Canadians. The remnants of these shared historical memories are pervasive in modern Quebec culture. For instance, the popular neo-folk song "Dégénérations" by the musical group Mes Aïeux is rife with references that harken back to a more simple, pastoral French-Canadian/Quebec society. It is debatable to what extent non-pur-laine Quebecers are able to identify with these historical references which are supposedly integral to Quebecois national identity.