To Orwell Today,
re: FRENCHSPEAK IS NEWSPEAK & AN AMERICAN IN MONTREAL

Dear Jacky,

I love your site, it has helped me understand what George Orwell was trying to warn about.

I was not very happy though of your discription of and ideas of French Canadians. My father was from Montreal and a teacher of political science and my mother is from Quebec city. They moved to the the US in 1949. My father was a true solcialist and so is my mother. Now even though they lived for more than half their lives in the US, they could never shake their Canadian accent. The pronounciations of the T L and R are very different from the english language. Now because my parents could never shake the french pronounciation of the T L and R when they spoke english does not make them uneducated or make them seem like they are using newspeak.

French Canadians have a long history of wrongs imposed upon them by the english speaking people especially the US. I know, I'm from northern NH where there are still a lot of french Canadians that live up there. When I was a child, because I spoke french I was labeled a dumb french Canadian and sometimes told to go back to Canada. And even though I spoke both languages without a trace of an accent that didn't matter to a lot of people. It's pure racism.

Please take care not to impose incorrect judgement on others because of a certain accent. I have to agree with one of your readers that said, American english seems to resemble most to what Orwell was saying as far as newspeak goes. It's an ever changing language here in the US. I can really see the changes when I witness my 13 year old son talking with his chatroom friends. They misspell and shorten words. Now that's newspeak.

Sincerely,
Carmen "Lamontagne"

Greetings Carmen,

Merci for your kind words about my website. I am tres happy that it is helping you understand what Orwell was trying to warn us about.

But then you go into a rant about how horrible you think the English are and especially the Americans. Actually, anti-Americanism is another trait common to all French Canadians up to, including and since Pierre Trudeau.

All French Canadians seem to care about is their frenchness. No other issue matters. It's just all about how you've been persecuted and hard-done-by. If anyone tells you they're sick of hearing about it, you accuse them of being "racist". Personally I support you in your desire to separate from Canada and be your own nation, albeit without the St. Lawrence Seaway. I'm tired of my tax dollars being used to fund the anti-English-Canada politicians and policies coming out of Quebec all these years.

Tout le best,
Jackie Jura

AN AMERICAN IN MONTREAL

FRENCHSPEAK IS NEWSPEAK