Americans and Canadians culture Q&A Thread.

[mommasita]

I have a theory. Maybe those who aren’t fluent are immigrants who haven’t learned the language yet in their new home country? English and French can be hard to learn for someone who hasn’t had to learn either as a child. When did you learn both?

I always spoke them. My Mother made sure I spoke to her in French, as my Father was just “ok”, but she knew ok would not be good enough in this province. I went to French Immersion school, and did the same with my children.

 

[Buzz Rules]

I always spoke them. My Mother made sure I spoke to her in French, as my Father was just “ok”, but she knew ok would not be good enough in this province. I went to French Immersion school, and did the same with my children.

Interesting. Most Americans learn English as the primary language in school starting at Pre-K. Some kindergarten schools try to teach some Spanish. Secondary language isn’t really important until High School. We usually get to choose Spanish, Italian, Latin, or German. Most take Spanish and then loose that skill by college. I honestly only remember about 25% of the Spanish I learned.

 

[john7994]

Interesting. Most Americans learn English as the primary language in school starting at Pre-K. Some kindergarten schools try to teach some Spanish. Secondary language isn’t really important until High School. We usually get to choose Spanish, Italian, Latin, or German. Most take Spanish and then loose that skill by college. I honestly only remember about 25% of the Spanish I learned.

I think it varies by school district as well ... we were offered language classes in middle school (6-8th Grades)

 

[Buzz Rules]

I think it varies by school district as well ... we were offered language classes in middle school (6-8th Grades)

Yeah, that’s true. My Spanish teachers in 6th-8th grade weren’t the best. High School teachers were great though.

 

[john7994]

I always spoke them. My Mother made sure I spoke to her in French, as my Father was just “ok”, but she knew ok would not be good enough in this province. I went to French Immersion school, and did the same with my children.

We were offered immersion "weekends" which were tremendously helpful in trying to learn the language (French in my case) - growing up in Chicago - I heard more Polish in my family versus French

 

[mommasita]

Interesting. Most Americans learn English as the primary language in school starting at Pre-K. Some kindergarten schools try to teach some Spanish. Secondary language isn’t really important until High School. We usually get to choose Spanish, Italian, Latin, or German. Most take Spanish and then loose that skill by college. I honestly only remember about 25% of the Spanish I learned.

There is a lot of politics in Quebec. I can not get into that here. It is sad, I love languages, and speak all of those except Latin. I’ve never even dabbled into it.

 

[tvguy]

I think it varies by school district as well ... we were offered language classes in middle school (6-8th Grades)

It must. We had Spanish in elementary school, not sure it was First grade, but pretty early.
7th grade I took an introduction to Foreign Language class, first semester was French, second semester was Spanish.
Took 9th grade Spanish in 8th grade, and took Spanish all 4 years of High School, so had 5 full years of High School Spanish. Used it a bit for a few years, but I've lost most of it.
Most jarring to me was my Senior of College when I taking a travel class across Germany. Met a man who was a salesman who traveled all over the world and he wondered why any American wanted to learn a second language since....in his words....."you speak the International language". He said it didn't matter if he was in Japan, Russia, China, all his business was conducted in English.

 

[john7994]

There is a lot of politics in Quebec. I can not get into that here. It is sad, I love languages, and speak all of those except Latin. I’ve never even dabbled into

It must. We had Spanish in elementary school, not sure it was First grade, but pretty early.
7th grade I took an introduction to Foreign Language class, first semester was French, second semester was Spanish.
Took 9th grade Spanish in 8th grade, and took Spanish all 4 years of High School, so had 5 full years of High School Spanish. Used it a bit for a few years, but I've lost most of it.
Most jarring to me was my Senior of College when I taking a travel class across Germany. Met a man who was a salesman who traveled all over the world and he wondered why any American wanted to learn a second language since....in his words....."you speak the International language". He said it didn't matter if he was in Japan, Russia, China, all his business was conducted in English.

There's something to be said about "thinking" and communicating in a different language - at least when I thought i could . While I understand the person's point about English, with an international team at work, I feel like I am "missing" out on something.

 

[Buzz Rules]

There is a lot of politics in Quebec. I can not get into that here. It is sad, I love languages, and speak all of those except Latin. I’ve never even dabbled into it.

My dad can speak some Spanish and my mom can speak some French. I can still only speak English. I only know some Latin due to church.

 

[tvguy]

There's something to be said about "thinking" and communicating in a different language - at least when I thought i could . While I understand the person's point about English, with an international team at work, I feel like I am "missing" out on something.

Well, I mostly used my Spanish to eavesdrop. I had two co-workers who used to talk to each other in Spanish in front of me......until I laughed at something they said....and they realized I understood more Spanish that they imagined.
One of those co-worker's sons almost got into hot water when he applied to join the California Highway Patrol He checked that he was bilingual on the application. He had a Hispanic last name. The interviewer started talking to him in Spanish, and he said "sorry, I don't understand". The interviewer warned him it was a felony to lie on the application, and he had said he was bilingual. He WAS bilingual, his mother was German and he spoke fluent German, but not a word of Spanish!

 

[ronandannette]

I have a theory. Maybe those who aren’t fluent are immigrants who haven’t learned the language yet in their new home country? English and French can be hard to learn for someone who hasn’t had to learn either as a child. When did you learn both?

If Quebec is anything like Alberta, there are many new Canadians, especially the older adults, that will never become particularly fluent in either official language. It's a rather different ethos than in the US where assimilation is expected and pursued with zeal.

 

[Robbie Cottam]

Costco here sells Beer and some Wines, no hard stuff. It’s like all grocery stores. except Walmart, nothing alcoholic there.

Why do you think this? I think it may seem that way, but I don’t know anyone who isn’t fluent, male or female.

Oh about 100mor so trip to Quebec….
males look at you like a Deere in head lights and mumble something in French, the women step in, answer the question or what ever and apologizes the first person didn’t speak english

 

[declansdad]

Costco here sells Beer and some Wines, no hard stuff. It’s like all grocery stores. except Walmart, nothing alcoholic there.

Why do you think this? I think it may seem that way, but I don’t know anyone who isn’t fluent, male or female.

I've met plenty of people while travelling in Quebec who are not fluent in one of those languages.

 

[mommasita]

I've met plenty of people while travelling in Quebec who are not fluent in one of those languages

And they work in the Province ?

 

[Aladora]

So people don’t drive Zamboni all over Saskatchewan? LOL.

Little late to the Zamboni party but this happened about 15 minutes from my home. Gotta love Vancouver Islanders!

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/new...reets-gets-stopped-by-police/article33949659/

Okay, here is one that I don't think has been asked, but I'm not going to actually read through 105 pages to see if it has already been discussed...

How much of your country have you actually experienced? When I was living in California, I got talking to another mom at the park and she said that she had never, in her whole life, been outside of California; not for a funeral, not for a vacation, nothing at all. I don't even know if she had ventured outside of the bay area.

For myself, I have been as far west as the Kootenays, as far north as Flin Flon, and as far east as Ottawa. I have driven through a tiny piece of Quebec, but we didn't stop there, so I don't count it. Visiting the eastern provinces is definitely on my bucket list.

In the US, I have never experienced places like Texas or DC or NYC or areas like the Grand Canyon, Death Valley, or the Mississippi.

Canada:
Lived in Ontario, Quebec, BC. Not including Provinces that have just been a stopover during a flight I have also been to Nova Scotia. (Stopped over in Alberta and Manitoba)

USA:
Washington, California, Nevada, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Florida, and pretty sure I have driven through Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and maybe Connecticut? I got pretty close to the Oregon border but I don't think we ever crossed it.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Little late to the Zamboni party but this happened about 15 minutes from my home. Gotta love Vancouver Islanders!

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/new...reets-gets-stopped-by-police/article33949659/




Canada:
Lived in Ontario, Quebec, BC. Not including Provinces that have just been a stopover during a flight I have also been to Nova Scotia. (Stopped over in Alberta and Manitoba)

USA:
Washington, California, Nevada, New York, Maine, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Florida, and pretty sure I have driven through Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts and maybe Connecticut? I got pretty close to the Oregon border but I don't think we ever crossed it.

Do you have a favorite place in the USA to visit besides Disney?

 

[mdinme]

It’s a British tradition.

Awesome. Did not know that.

 

[Aladora]

Do you have a favorite place in the USA to visit besides Disney?

Mmmm, not that I would pick over going somewhere else in the world.

If you could live in Canada (if you are American) or in the States (if you are Canadian), what city or Province/State would you pick?

For me, it would probably be Seattle.

 

[Buzz Rules]

Mmmm, not that I would pick over going somewhere else in the world.

If you could live in Canada (if you are American) or in the States (if you are Canadian), what city or Province/State would you pick?

For me, it would probably be Seattle.

Montreal. My parents and grandparents have both vacationed there and I haven’t really. I want to experience the 18th century fair that they do there. I also want to go to an away game to see NYCFC play CF Montreal at the Saputo Stadium. Do Canadians have specific monikers for people from each province? Like is someone from Toronto called a Torontian?

 

[Buzz Rules]

Mmmm, not that I would pick over going somewhere else in the world.

If you could live in Canada (if you are American) or in the States (if you are Canadian), what city or Province/State would you pick?

For me, it would probably be Seattle.

For the better sports teams right?