There is no perfect French speaker in Ontario, teachers say. The recurring comparison with an “ideal” of France tends to lead to “linguistic insecurity,” which sometimes pushes students and teachers to leave the French-speaking system.
“Talking about mastering the language is a fad […] which has contaminated the concept of Francophonie,” says Emmanuelle Le Pichon-Vorstman. In the book Voices and Faces of French in Ontario, published last November, the director of the Center for Research in Franco-Ontarian Education seeks to understand why some Ontarians “reject this idea of feeling French-speaking.”
Using statements from 19 teachers collected during a seminar, the work makes clear that a feeling of “illegitimacy” is pervasive. There is a “hierarchy in Ontario's Francophonie,” explains Ms. Le Pichon-Vorstman, based on belonging to Franco-Ontarians who fought for their rights, on accent and “mastery of the language,” and at its peak a ” idealized, ultimately fictitious native speaker,” adds teacher Charles Gabriel.
According to the associate professor of educational linguistics at the University of Toronto, “Language fluency is a concept that doesn't exist.” “If you put me in a garage and start talking to me about car parts, I won't understand anything, […] because it is not my expertise. Does that mean I can't speak French? » We should rather talk about “progress in language”, measured by the breadth of the vocabulary or the quality of understanding.
Annie Bourdeau is a native of Quebec and grew up in an “almost monolingual” environment. [francophone] “, at the border of the United States. But after failing a pronunciation test, the prospective teacher had to take a “language remedial course” to learn “good French.” “Do you recognize the insult? » says Ms. Le Pichon-Vorstman.
For her part, Gloria Charles-Pierre received comments that undermined her “confidence.” Some parents “like [les cours que je donne à leurs enfants]But [ils] I don’t want to continue with myself because I don’t have the French accent, the accent of France,” she laments. If several of those involved in the work became teachers, so that “none of [leurs] Students don't [sentent] as [eux] “This type of remark can deter some who consider themselves “illegitimate” from entering the practice, believes Ms. Le Pichon-Vorstman.
In French lessons, “linguistic uncertainty” extends to students. adds the teacher Doug Falcão, of Brazilian origin. “They never feel good enough,” they cannot “build a sense of belonging to the French-speaking community.” Result ? Her “frustration with French” and her “great linguistic insecurity” cause her to “drop out of the program” and “prevent her from pursuing post-secondary studies in French,” adds Ms. Charles-Pierre.
“Building bridges” between cultures
“School is really a crucial place for the formation of that identity [francophone] », argues Ms. Le Pichon-Vorstman. However, in a class, “we reject one language and prefer another.” The student is told, “Leave half of yourself at the classroom door.” » A natural “reflex” to “protect” French in the minority context. “The problem is that it has the opposite effect. “We reject that,” she complains. And Canada “needs these new French speakers” to “ensure the sustainability of French.”
She explains: “Teenagers build themselves up through resistance. […] If you want to ban it, the first thing they will do is switch to the other language.” The book therefore advocates for a more “integrative” “multilingual pedagogy”. “We should not suddenly think that we will start teaching in Punjabi or Arabic,” explains Ms. Le Pichon-Vorstman. “Teaching will continue to be in French, but taking into account the language heritage of the students. »
The method is to make comparisons between languages in order to “remember the rule better in French”. She hopes that a song and a poem presented in the work can serve as material for reflection in French lessons.
According to the speakers, “most of the teachers” themselves “come from different cultures and speak a language other than French at home.” Krysta Cook, one of the book's authors, even goes so far as to find a “beauty” in “Franglais.” “I didn’t understand why everyone criticized him so harshly. In my opinion, it promoted the students' fluency, self-confidence and a kind of self-translation. »
As a symbol of institutionalization, the Ontario Ministry of Education funded the development of the Initiation Guide for Plurilingual Approaches in 2021. The new French framework program to be presented in 2023 makes direct reference to multilingual approaches and recognizes their advantages.
“This is immense progress,” said Ms Le Pichon-Vorstman, who took part in these ministerial talks. She invites teachers to self-reflect on their practices and “change ideologies, first individually and then collectively.” “The Franco-Ontarian heritage needs to be further developed, but also bridges created. »
This report is supported by the Local Journalism Initiative, funded by the Government of Canada.
Voices and faces of the French in Ontario. Perspectives of teachers in training
Directed by Emmanuelle Le Pichon-Vorstman, Speaking, 240 pages.
Voices and faces of the French in Ontario. Perspectives of teachers in training
Directed by Emmanuelle Le Pichon-Vorstman, Speaking, 240 pages