I never realized how difficult the English language was until I moved here to Montreal, and it’s only been in the last few language exchange dinners that I’ve realized some of the key problems with our language.
Case in point – last week two Francophones were pointing out the problem with English verbs. In French there is a separate verb for every action. In English, we have one verb and append a preposition to the end of it to change its meaning. E.g. to hang up, out, in, on, etc. In French the equivalents would be raccrocher, sortir (no real equivalent), tenir, accrocher, etc.
I’ve also always taken our ability to enunciate some words for granted. I was chatting with a guy from France and a Caribbean French speaker last night. They were trying to understand the difference in pronunciation between ‘thought’ and ‘fought.’ They couldn’t differentiate between the two words because of the “th” sound. Sometimes difficulties like these can be very funny. E.g. The Caribbean guy was demonstrating his attempts to say “beach” and “sheet.” I can totally see how miscommunications would happen with his accent. :)
That being said I have similar difficulties at times. E.g. I have a hard time differentiating between the words “cueillir” (to pick, as in to pick an apple) and “cuillère” (spoon). Everytime I have to say them, I have to stop and carefully pronounce them. One of the Anglophones in our group also has a hard time telling “province” and “provence” apart.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Monday, November 09, 2009
Quebec Holidays
Despite my earlier rants, working in Quebec does have its advantages. One of those advantages is the holidays. In Ontario, we only got 10 public holidays. In Quebec, we get 13.
Ontario
1. New Year's Day
2. Good Friday
3. Easter Monday
4. Victoria Day
5. Canada Day
6. Civic Holiday
7. Labour Day
8. Thanksgiving Day
9. Christmas Day
10. Boxing Day
Quebec
1. Jour de l'An
2. Jour des Rois
3. Statutaire
4. Vendredi Saint
5. Lundi de Pâques
6. Fête des Patriotes
7. Saint-Jean-Baptiste
8. Confédération
9. Fête du Travail
10. Action de Grâces
11. Fête du Souvenir
12. Immaculée Conception
13. Noël
The even better thing about my workplace is that we get to displace several of these holidays and take them during the Christmas holidays instead. So for example, although Jour des Rois takes place in February, we work that day and take the time off at Christmas instead. The same goes for the Statutaire holiday, the Fête du Souvenir and Immaculée Conception. Therefore at Christmas I can take off nearly an entire week without having to take a day of vacation or a day without pay.
That’s also where today’s confusion on whether I should come into work or not stemmed from.
Ontario
1. New Year's Day
2. Good Friday
3. Easter Monday
4. Victoria Day
5. Canada Day
6. Civic Holiday
7. Labour Day
8. Thanksgiving Day
9. Christmas Day
10. Boxing Day
Quebec
1. Jour de l'An
2. Jour des Rois
3. Statutaire
4. Vendredi Saint
5. Lundi de Pâques
6. Fête des Patriotes
7. Saint-Jean-Baptiste
8. Confédération
9. Fête du Travail
10. Action de Grâces
11. Fête du Souvenir
12. Immaculée Conception
13. Noël
The even better thing about my workplace is that we get to displace several of these holidays and take them during the Christmas holidays instead. So for example, although Jour des Rois takes place in February, we work that day and take the time off at Christmas instead. The same goes for the Statutaire holiday, the Fête du Souvenir and Immaculée Conception. Therefore at Christmas I can take off nearly an entire week without having to take a day of vacation or a day without pay.
That’s also where today’s confusion on whether I should come into work or not stemmed from.
Congé statutaire
Today I thought I came into work on a statutory holiday.
Already running late due to a metro malfunction, I arrived outside my building to discover that my usual entrance was locked. I figured that the side doors were closed because of a pending swine flu clinic, so I shrugged and made my way to the main entrance. There I encountered a man, a patient, who was waiting outside too. He then informed me that the Research Centre was closed!
Sure enough in the door there was a sign informing people that today is a Statutory Holiday and the building was therefore closed. I was like, what the hell?! I came into work by accident??? I was positive that the list of holidays given to me when I started working did not include Remembrance Day.
Luckily a technician came out to meet with the patient and on her way back in (through a back entrance using a security card) I decided to tag along. I figured that I was already there so I might as well work after all! However, on my way to the office I passed by a bunch of other offices where people were also here and working, including some of my “co-workers.”
When I stopped to ask one of them why everyone was working, they reminded me that yes, Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday, but that the Research Centre takes the time off during Christmas vacation instead. Phew! I’m so relieved that I decided to work instead of just going home instead!
Already running late due to a metro malfunction, I arrived outside my building to discover that my usual entrance was locked. I figured that the side doors were closed because of a pending swine flu clinic, so I shrugged and made my way to the main entrance. There I encountered a man, a patient, who was waiting outside too. He then informed me that the Research Centre was closed!
Sure enough in the door there was a sign informing people that today is a Statutory Holiday and the building was therefore closed. I was like, what the hell?! I came into work by accident??? I was positive that the list of holidays given to me when I started working did not include Remembrance Day.
Luckily a technician came out to meet with the patient and on her way back in (through a back entrance using a security card) I decided to tag along. I figured that I was already there so I might as well work after all! However, on my way to the office I passed by a bunch of other offices where people were also here and working, including some of my “co-workers.”
When I stopped to ask one of them why everyone was working, they reminded me that yes, Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday, but that the Research Centre takes the time off during Christmas vacation instead. Phew! I’m so relieved that I decided to work instead of just going home instead!
Friday, November 06, 2009
Death Of My Neighbor
Death of my neighbour
With me he tried to plead
But his words I did not heed.
He had tried to convince,
But stubborn, I clung to my grievance.
He used the word ‘prejudice’,
But I knew I was right about this.
He then branded me bigot,
And many other things that I forget.
In response I told him what people really thought
Gave him knowledge that he hadn’t sought.
I fought back, told him the reality,
Unknowingly wounding him mortally.
They found his body on a Monday,
Hanging from the rafters above the hay.
I got away with murder that day,
And ever since for my soul I pray
With me he tried to plead
But his words I did not heed.
He had tried to convince,
But stubborn, I clung to my grievance.
He used the word ‘prejudice’,
But I knew I was right about this.
He then branded me bigot,
And many other things that I forget.
In response I told him what people really thought
Gave him knowledge that he hadn’t sought.
I fought back, told him the reality,
Unknowingly wounding him mortally.
They found his body on a Monday,
Hanging from the rafters above the hay.
I got away with murder that day,
And ever since for my soul I pray
The cancer in our society
I was reading some followup news on the CBC website about the shooting on the Texas military base. Out of curiousity I started browsing through some the reader comments left behind. I was horrified when I read a comment left by user "newstome":
I find it so hard to understand how people can think like this. With all the diversity here in Canada, how can someone think things like this?! I was especially bothered by their suggestion to restrict and isolate them.
One thing I have always been proud of in Canada is how immigrants can come here and succeed. You can't deny that there are problems - e.g. We have all kinds of qualified professionals who move here but their credentials are not recognized and so they end up working as taxi drivers, etc. But they work so hard for their own children and then the kids are able to outstrip the "Canadian" kids in education and everything else.
I love that Canadians accept and embrace the multicultral aspect of our country. I think that the fact that someone can move here and maintain their own culture is a sign of our own strength and self-belief. (Although, after saying that, it makes you wonder about the sovereign Quebec movement...)
So when I hear stuff like the bigoted language above and how they try to make themselves sound righteous it terrifies me! E.g. "We can't use extreme means to do it or we come down to their level but we have to start with identifying them and isolating them." Hello?! Isolation is NOT the answer! We need to open communications so that we can understand our differences and be willing to compromise. Obviously this won't work with extremists, but the majority of the world are NOT extreme! And the fact that this individual is talking about targetting people in CANADA is even worse! It's revolting that they're trying to claim that they're better than the extremists because they're not sinking to "their level" - yeah, like your idea is any different. Death by suicide bomb or social death by ostracization. Not much difference in terms of karma I think.
Can't they understand that their ideas are wrong??? Canada has done this in the past! Isolating the Japanese during WWII did nothing to protect us! At least back then we had the excuse that racism was still partially acceptable and that the Japanese were on the opposite side of the war... But haven't we learned better?
I think the thing that set me off the most about this article was the comment about how RCMP officers should not be allowed to wear their turban. And the mountie uniform is just that - a uniform! Ugh. I am beyond proud that we can and do allow them to express themselves religiously. It's not hurting you so shut up about it!
I'm too flabbergasted by this comment to be more articulate. It's even worse because the user's profile indicates that they live in Peterborough, so it's not like they have the excuse of living in a small town! Can we ask McGuinty (the loser didn't even know how to spell his name right) to deport all the racists instead? Or would the worse punishment be to make them stay and force them to see how much more enlightened the rest of us are?
Whatever the answers may be, the person got their diagnosis wrong. Muslims and Middle-Eastern people are not the cancer in our society. Its the hate that racists spread that is the true cancer.
One has to wonder how many messages we need to receive or how many shots across our bow before we realize we are in world war III. A war that has implanted the enemy not in army over there but in every day types over here. The enemy force is in all nations and like they do over there they hide behind our women and children and the women and children of their own who are honest, hard working and amongst us as well.
We need to weed this cancer out of our society. We can't use extreme means to do it or we come down to their level but we have to start with identifying them and isolating them. That doesn't mean concentration camps what it means is that the general public at large must be made aware of who they are and where they are. They must be restricted from holding sensitive jobs like government or law enforcement. What comes to mind is an RCMP officer whose beliefs outweigh the traditions of Canada and insists on wearing a turban. I'm sorry but that's an indicator and that is not our RCMP uniform. If they feel that strongly they should be clerics but certainly not our “first line of defense”.
Sooner or later we have to wake up to the fact that there is a problem to be dealt with. Do we wait till buildings in one of our cities topple or do we take a stand now. Tamals are a prime example, deport those from the boat immediately and charge any that demonstrate with inciting a riot. Hear that McQuinty, do your job!
I find it so hard to understand how people can think like this. With all the diversity here in Canada, how can someone think things like this?! I was especially bothered by their suggestion to restrict and isolate them.
One thing I have always been proud of in Canada is how immigrants can come here and succeed. You can't deny that there are problems - e.g. We have all kinds of qualified professionals who move here but their credentials are not recognized and so they end up working as taxi drivers, etc. But they work so hard for their own children and then the kids are able to outstrip the "Canadian" kids in education and everything else.
I love that Canadians accept and embrace the multicultral aspect of our country. I think that the fact that someone can move here and maintain their own culture is a sign of our own strength and self-belief. (Although, after saying that, it makes you wonder about the sovereign Quebec movement...)
So when I hear stuff like the bigoted language above and how they try to make themselves sound righteous it terrifies me! E.g. "We can't use extreme means to do it or we come down to their level but we have to start with identifying them and isolating them." Hello?! Isolation is NOT the answer! We need to open communications so that we can understand our differences and be willing to compromise. Obviously this won't work with extremists, but the majority of the world are NOT extreme! And the fact that this individual is talking about targetting people in CANADA is even worse! It's revolting that they're trying to claim that they're better than the extremists because they're not sinking to "their level" - yeah, like your idea is any different. Death by suicide bomb or social death by ostracization. Not much difference in terms of karma I think.
Can't they understand that their ideas are wrong??? Canada has done this in the past! Isolating the Japanese during WWII did nothing to protect us! At least back then we had the excuse that racism was still partially acceptable and that the Japanese were on the opposite side of the war... But haven't we learned better?
I think the thing that set me off the most about this article was the comment about how RCMP officers should not be allowed to wear their turban. And the mountie uniform is just that - a uniform! Ugh. I am beyond proud that we can and do allow them to express themselves religiously. It's not hurting you so shut up about it!
I'm too flabbergasted by this comment to be more articulate. It's even worse because the user's profile indicates that they live in Peterborough, so it's not like they have the excuse of living in a small town! Can we ask McGuinty (the loser didn't even know how to spell his name right) to deport all the racists instead? Or would the worse punishment be to make them stay and force them to see how much more enlightened the rest of us are?
Whatever the answers may be, the person got their diagnosis wrong. Muslims and Middle-Eastern people are not the cancer in our society. Its the hate that racists spread that is the true cancer.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Daylight Savings
This is the first year that I've ever appreciated daylight savings. When I was young I never paid attention to it. I just turned my clock back when my mom told me to and then promptly forgot about it.
In my university days it never mattered to me because I had such an irregular sleeping schedule - I was awake until 2am and didn't get up until 10am so again, I didn't care about that 1 hour difference. (Although I do remember going clubbing in Toronto once and being excited because the time change meant that we got an extra hour of drinking.)
Last year when I finally had a full time job, it didn't make a difference to me because I was living in a basement apartment and it was always dark.
This year was the year of change though. My new apartment has its large windows and it was such a pleasant change waking up this morning and not having it dark outside! Those of you who know me know that I'm not a morning person. When I wake up, I refuse to turn on any lights because they hurt my eyes. I even shower in the dark. Well, this morning I fairly leapt out of bed because I could actually see for once. I felt so much more alert rather than fumbling around in the darkness.
Now we'll see if this happy feeling lasts when it becomes dark at 5PM though.
P.S. I did and did not forget about the time change this year. I remembered it every single day including Saturday, but when I got home Saturday night at midnight I was exhausted and went straight to bed. Since I was supposed to play basketball, I set my alarm clock on my cell phone and went to sleep.
I woke up early the next morning - before my alarm sounded. So I turned it off and started getting ready for basketball. Luckily I decided to surf the net a bit before I left, because I while I was reading secrets on postsecret.blogspot.com I came across one that mentioned daylight savings time. That's when I finally remembered the time change, and realized that I was therefore an hour early for basketball! Whoops!
In my university days it never mattered to me because I had such an irregular sleeping schedule - I was awake until 2am and didn't get up until 10am so again, I didn't care about that 1 hour difference. (Although I do remember going clubbing in Toronto once and being excited because the time change meant that we got an extra hour of drinking.)
Last year when I finally had a full time job, it didn't make a difference to me because I was living in a basement apartment and it was always dark.
This year was the year of change though. My new apartment has its large windows and it was such a pleasant change waking up this morning and not having it dark outside! Those of you who know me know that I'm not a morning person. When I wake up, I refuse to turn on any lights because they hurt my eyes. I even shower in the dark. Well, this morning I fairly leapt out of bed because I could actually see for once. I felt so much more alert rather than fumbling around in the darkness.
Now we'll see if this happy feeling lasts when it becomes dark at 5PM though.
P.S. I did and did not forget about the time change this year. I remembered it every single day including Saturday, but when I got home Saturday night at midnight I was exhausted and went straight to bed. Since I was supposed to play basketball, I set my alarm clock on my cell phone and went to sleep.
I woke up early the next morning - before my alarm sounded. So I turned it off and started getting ready for basketball. Luckily I decided to surf the net a bit before I left, because I while I was reading secrets on postsecret.blogspot.com I came across one that mentioned daylight savings time. That's when I finally remembered the time change, and realized that I was therefore an hour early for basketball! Whoops!
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