The young woman, who lives in Hamilton, agreed to share her experience of language insecurity.
The phenomenon affects many francophones and francophiles in a minority environment, who may feel embarrassed or embarrassed to express themselves in French for several reasons: accent, grammar, vocabulary and pressure from those who do not speak French.
People ask me if I’m from Quebec or Northern Ontario, and they can’t really believe there are people in Southern Ontario who speak French, observes Koubra Haggar.
“I’m always told that I speak weirdly or strangely because I have an accent. »
— A quote from Koubra Haggar of Hamilton
At the end of her high school, the 22-year-old decided to improve her French.
I made a conscious effort to speak French, but I also understood that there is an idea linked to the way people work [devraient parler]explains Koubra Haggar.
For reading and listening:
Through studying linguistics, she has learned that there is no right or perfect way to speak, which has given her more confidence.
She adds that her accent changes depending on the environment she is in. It therefore adapts to the people with whom it speaks.
When I truly accepted that my French is built by my environment and identity, I realized we have to accept that it’s a part of who we are, adds Koubra Haggar.
undo the norm
Linguistic insecurity is that speaker’s awareness of the distance between their way of speaking and the way they speak that they consider to be the highest that can be felt to be pure and will not be degrading, explains the assistant professor in the curriculum, Teaching and Learning at the University of Toronto and Director of the Center for Research in Franco-Ontarian Education (CREFO), Emmanuelle Le Pichon.
According to the director of the Center for Research in Franco-Ontarian Education (CREFO), Emmanuelle Le Pichon, language insecurity is a natural phenomenon.
Photo: University of Toronto
Different ways of speaking French are assigned different levels, she stresses.
The question of who speaks well and who speaks poorly leads us to the question of the norm mediated by a certain number of social groups: in particular the state and educational institutions, the professor specifies.
Artistic director Anton Garneau grew up in Toronto with a Quebec father and an Anglophone Francophile mother.
He initially studied in French until university, where he decided to continue his studies in English.
“I have an accent that people can’t place. my what »
— A quote from Anton Garneau of Toronto
My accent was a bit Québécois to begin with, and by the time I went to high school, it turned to French, says Anton Garneau.
Anton Garneau does not speak French every day, but he sometimes uses Molière’s language with colleagues, clients and friends.
Anton Garneau is an art director based in Toronto.
Photo: Courtesy of Anton Garneau
He finds his French spoken well, but sometimes lacks confidence when speaking French at work.
His experiences with language insecurity are limited to professional situations in which he could use his French but does not dare.
“I’m more worried about speaking French just because I feel like using the right terms. »
— A quote from Anton Garneau of Toronto
Sometimes I lack a little technical vocabulary, expressions or words to be very concise, explains Anton Garneau.
It’s really the only time I’m shy about speaking French, says the Torontonian.
Therefore, in order to express himself clearly, Anton Garneau prefers to speak in English, since it is easier and faster for him.
Spoken language discrimination
Linguistic insecurity is the fear of not being understood, not formulating well, being judged, marginalized and rejected, explains Ms. Le Pichon.
“Many students […] were prevented from speaking or writing French [en raison] derogatory remarks received within the framework of the school institution. »
— A quote from Emmanuelle Le Pichon, director of CREFO
Linguistic insecurity manifests itself in a variety of ways: silence, switching languages, feeling stupid, feeling stupid, feeling illegitimate, and silence, she notes.
inclusion and diversity
Linguistic insecurity is very dangerous, adds Emmanuelle Le Pichon, who worries about the exclusion of certain French speakers.
She believes that in order to combat this language insecurity, attitudes towards the language and the people who speak it in whatever way need to change.
One way to combat this fear or anxiety is to celebrate the diversity of the French language in schools, for example.
[On doit souligner] the value of diversity through the celebration of accents, a rich and varied linguistic heritage, specifies the expert.
“In francophone Ontario we have this richness of diversity. »
— A quote from Emmanuelle Le Pichon, director of CREFO
It also reminds us that language is constantly evolving.
The professor claims that it will be necessary to be open to the world and choose to celebrate difference instead of judging others.
Accents do not reflect the quality of speech.
Photo: iStock
It’s normal not to feel comfortable, but at the same time you have to make an effort to speak the language [puisque] Everyone has their own accent, starts Koubra Haggar.
For his part, Anton Garneau believes that one shouldn’t be afraid to screw things up.
Start talking to friends in social interactions before you dive in [dans l’utilisation] French at work, he guesses.