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submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by inari@piefed.zip to c/politicalmemes@lemmy.world
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[-] jqubed@lemmy.world 80 points 2 weeks ago

Stop signs in France say “STOP” but in Quebec they say “ARRÊT”

[-] inari@piefed.zip 48 points 2 weeks ago

They also translate "parking" as "stationnement" and "weekend" as "fin de semaine" while the French just lamely use the English words

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 21 points 2 weeks ago

I like to dunk on Quebec as much as the next guy but that's actually based.

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[-] BlindPenguin@lemmy.world 39 points 2 weeks ago
[-] libewa@feddit.org 4 points 2 weeks ago

The Vienna Convention allows you to use either STOP or your native version. Likewise, you can either use a red octagonal sign, or a red upside-down triangle inside a red circle. https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bildtafel_der_Stoppschilder (that list only seems to exist in German Wikipedia)

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[-] Deconceptualist@leminal.space 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I think it has spilled into the rest of Canada too. I just spent a week in Alberta and every little thing that said "stop" also said "arrêt". But the only obvious French speakers I encountered were either tourists or government officials being intentionally accommodating.

On a more serious note I think Canadian bilingualism might exaggerate this effect. Every sign and product package is printed in both languages so in a way or makes sense to spell things out in full English and full French. i.e. It would be kinda weird to print English alongside some kind of nonstandard Franglish.

[-] LordPassionFruit@lemmy.ca 7 points 2 weeks ago

Packaging having both languages on it is a federal level legal requirement, since we are bilingual. However, the stop signs are more a regional thing. If there is a francophone population in the area, and you're not in Quebec, you might see both on a sign. In my home province, we have the dual language signs wherever the French speaking population is large enough to warrant it, but everywhere else has English only.

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[-] dalekcaan@feddit.nl 61 points 2 weeks ago

Common sense:
Surely no one could be more up their own ass about being French than the French.

Quebec, for some reason:
Bonjour.jpg

[-] cheat700000007@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago
[-] 5765313496@lemmy.world 5 points 2 weeks ago

Did you mean for this to resemble a polar bear up its own ass, or was that just lucky coincidence? Either way, it's a perfect use of the meme.

[-] dalekcaan@feddit.nl 5 points 2 weeks ago

Honestly, lucky coincidence. I just thought it was funny the bear was speaking French.

[-] TabbsTheBat@pawb.social 45 points 2 weeks ago

I think we should translate all the fast food place names to the local language :3 this will help nobody or serve any purpose

[-] FluidBeef@quokk.au 38 points 2 weeks ago
[-] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 6 points 2 weeks ago

In France, they call it le Macdoh

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[-] JasonDJ@lemmy.zip 12 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

I've traveled the world and can highly recommend the Giardino degli Ulivi in downtown Tuscany. Best grissini I've ever had.

[-] idiomaddict@lemmy.world 4 points 2 weeks ago

You joke, but I had a bunch of (northern) Italians recommend Pizza Hut to me. To be entirely fair, it was in Germany and it’s better there than in the USA, but it’s still not good pizza.

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[-] NotSteve_@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago

As someone who is within a ten minute walk from Québec, that's Québec!

It will make them sound ridiculous(er) and help all of our healths

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It's funny from afar, but not fun to be in. They have what essentially amounts to a language police that enforces absurd and IMO human rights infringing laws. They regularly land in the news for things like threatening to fine a restaurant for using the word "pasta" on their menus.

[-] NoneOfUrBusiness@fedia.io 8 points 2 weeks ago

Related "fun" fact: Quebec is the most prolific user of the Notwithstanding Clause, which allows the Parliament of Canada or any province or territory thereof to "temporarily" override parts of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (essentially Canada's Bill of Rights). They know what they're doing.

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[-] Sirius006@sh.itjust.works 32 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Okay, (funny) story time.

I'm French and live in France. Many years ago I met a girl from Quebec (Chicoutimi), and in our discussion she told me that when she arrived in France, her first night the heating was off in her flat and it was very cold. She tried to sleep in what she referred to as her "slip" (French for panties), but even though it was a Canadian slip that was very warm that she used in her cabin in Northern Canada, she was too cold to sleep.

After a good 5 minutes of thinking "that story doesn't make sense, if she's hitting on me it's too obvious and weird", she saw my confusion and asked me if I knew what she meant by "slip" (panties in French).

It turns out she was referring to her sleep, short for sleeping bag in English. In French we use the French word "sac de couchage". The pronunciations are identical.

So both French and Québécois has a lot of borrowed word, just not the same ones.

[-] gmtom@lemmy.world 14 points 2 weeks ago

Love the idea of extra warm Canadian panties

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[-] fox2263@lemmy.world 6 points 2 weeks ago

Ha I enjoyed that tale. What happened after?

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[-] pedz@lemmy.ca 6 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Je suis du sud du Québec et je l'aurais pas compris. J'ai jamais entendu sleep de ma vie pour désigner un sac de couchage.

[-] ebc@lemmy.ca 5 points 2 weeks ago

Je suis du sud du Québec et j'ai toujours entendu ça... C'est pas juste au Saguenay, en tout cas.

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[-] merc@sh.itjust.works 4 points 2 weeks ago

So both French and Québécois

I like how you think your language is "French" and hers isn't.

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[-] AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space 26 points 2 weeks ago

Also, they dub The Simpsons into French separately in France and Canada, and while the European French dub is content to have Homer crave «les donuts», the Québécois dub gives no quarter to creeping Anglo-Americanisation, replacing them with a French pastry

[-] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 11 points 2 weeks ago

Les beignes!

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[-] brathoven@feddit.org 23 points 2 weeks ago

That's very interesting but eastern Germany appearing on maps again worries me.

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[-] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 17 points 2 weeks ago

And it is fin de semaine and not 'weekend', too.

[-] Bonsoir@lemmy.ca 9 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Joyeux festin, not "happy meal".
Stationnement, not "parking".
Course à pied, not "du footing".
Magasinage, not "shopping".
Téléphone intelligent, not "smartphone".

[-] northernlights@lemmy.today 9 points 2 weeks ago

And yet Quebecois will stop you in the street and say "t'as une smoke ?"

[-] ArmchairAce1944@discuss.online 6 points 2 weeks ago

Parce-que il a un flat tire...

[-] northernlights@lemmy.today 5 points 2 weeks ago

Ouais c'était pas fun

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[-] socsa@piefed.social 11 points 2 weeks ago

Duolingo only has Brazilian Portuguese

[-] Goodlucksil@lemmy.dbzer0.com 7 points 2 weeks ago

Brazil has more people than Portugal (213 million v 11 million). France has more population than Quebec (69 million (66 million for Metropolitan France) v 9 million)

[-] athatet@lemmy.zip 11 points 2 weeks ago

Is KFC called that in France? It’s specifically called KFC in the states and not ‘Kentucky Fried Chicken’ because the chicken is not actually from Kentucky.

[-] _stranger_@lemmy.world 11 points 2 weeks ago

Correct, outside Kentucky it's just "Glistening Fried Poultry"

[-] Doc_Crankenstein@slrpnk.net 9 points 2 weeks ago

The cooking style is "Kentucky Fried" not that the chickens are from Kentucky.

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[-] Imhotep@lemmy.world 10 points 2 weeks ago

I hear you québécois in the comments, you have French words we dont have and I do think it's great. And when I watched your TV it seemed to be mostly French.

But when I listen to podcasts it's English words in every sentence.

Same is happening I France now, but we suck at English so it doesn't sound good. "Cette chanson est un ban-guhrr"

Also everybody started using "du coup" 10 years ago. Ainsi, donc, apres quoi, puis, car, puisque, etc... - > du coup

[-] danhab99@programming.dev 8 points 2 weeks ago

Fun fact did you know that most French speakers are not French themselves?

The average French speaker is from one of France's old African colonies.

Imagine losing your national identity to the people you oppressed and they don't care about having it.

[-] LodeMike@lemmy.today 17 points 2 weeks ago

99% of English speakers aren't English. Same thing with Spanish.

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[-] Tiger666@lemmy.ca 4 points 2 weeks ago
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this post was submitted on 26 Aug 2026
639 points (98.6% liked)

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