Posted on 04/25/2015 9:35:13 AM PDT by DeaconBenjamin
What started as a row over lemonade could end up with international airlines being forced to employ French speakers on all flights that serve Canada, a country where French and English are classed as official languages.
An MP in Canada, Stephane Dion, has lodged a bill with parliament that if passed would oblige all flights to and from Canada to have a French speaker on board and for all passenger announcements to be made in both English and French.
The inspiration for his bill lies in an argument over a lemonade on an AirCanada flight between Toronto and North Carolina in the US.
A Francophone Canadian couple had ordered a 7Up and the air hostess, who did not speak French, brought them a Sprite, reports say.
An argument ensued and the two passengers are said to have become furious not with the fact they couldn't get any 7Up but because no member of staff on the plane was capable of speaking or understanding French.
They later sued the company but their case was dismissed by the Supreme Court last year.
The court acknowledged that while Air Canada failed to fulfill its obligations imposed by the law on official languages, it was powerless to punish the company because the law demanding both languages are spoken on board only applies to internal flights within Canada.
The MP Dion decided that the law needed changing.
“Being able to order 7Up in French on a plane is a fundamental right in Canada and all Canadians should be able to sue the airlines if this is not the case," Dion said this week.
Now, that that takes snobbish to a whole new level-any time MrT5 was TDY for some training in Louisiana he had a great time because people in bars and restaurants treated him like kin and spoke to him in French when they saw the surname on his uniform, and he was able to converse with them-he said there is not too much difference between the Cajun and the Quebecois dialect-it is mostly the accent and words for items common in the particular region-but apparently, neither would be considered “proper” French in France...
Florida's largest county has mandated all government and business entities print their writings in three selected languages. (For now, including English).
My understanding is that even France, maybe due to the influx of immigrants, that French has become so full of slang that it’s almost impossible now to pick up what they are saying even if you are proficient in “textbook French.”
Who gets to select the other two languages-and are they always the same two?
As of about 20 years ago, the languages have stayed the same: Spanish, Kreole, and English. (Kreole being the language of Haiti—surprisingly, it’s all around).
When I’ve bought stuff made in Canada, the instructions, ingredients, etc are in English and in French.
Is Kreole a French-based language? I’ve never heard it spoken, but I haven’t been to Florida in over 20 years, and then only to visit...
Kreole is French-based. A French speaker can understand Kreole. Written out, it resembles Klingon. :)
LMAO! So I guess it isn’t written in cursive?
They have the old school Monstreal bagettes sold in L.A. but it’s in downtown L.A.
Because Denny’s is an American company. Even McDonald’s has an ‘.
Really?
Where? I will get some.
You’re in L.A.?
Yeah. In LA.
In downtown it’s Laura’s bakery. parking is close to impossible. Most of the pacific french bakery I know is owned by some dude from Quebec as I spoke French with him, especially the one on Washington.
But if u want a nice scenery, good atmosphere and bagels of course, try P’Tit Soleil or the Larchmont Bungalow. The latter has excellent canuck pastries is deinitely french canadian. The latter annoyingly is also choc full of wanna-be’s but it’s L.A....
Thanks so much.
I have been to Petit Soleil in Westwood.
I appreciate it.
Also PM Freeper Vendome. He comes to Hollywood from the bay area from time to time and we compare the good and bad restos’ to eat here..
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