arthurpreston Posted August 2, 2009 Share #1 Posted August 2, 2009 Advertisement (gone after registration) I have been wondering for a couple years now, why 1/2 of the Canadian boxcars I see say "Canadien" vs. "Canadian" National. I can't even seem to find the answer in Google, although I suspect maybe there is a French influence? can anyone provide me with more details/trivia on this matter? For fun, I have frequently put a photo of each (Canadien/Canadian National boxcars) side by side, and asked some people the difference, and they couldn't even see one. Oh, by the way, M8 24mm. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Advertisement Posted August 2, 2009 Posted August 2, 2009 Hi arthurpreston, Take a look here Are you Canadian or Canadien?. I'm sure you'll find what you were looking for!
stuny Posted August 2, 2009 Share #2 Posted August 2, 2009 Arthur - I wonder if each car has both spellings, though perhaps on opposite sides, reflecting the national law for bi-lingual signs. Remarkably, this is not enforced in Quebec where many signs are just in French. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hiles Posted August 4, 2009 Share #3 Posted August 4, 2009 Arthur - I wonder if each car has both spellings, though perhaps on opposite sides, reflecting the national law for bi-lingual signs. Remarkably, this is not enforced in Quebec where many signs are just in French. This gets complicated:). Canada's constitution divides responsibilities between the federal (Ottawa) government and provincial governments. Transportation is mainly federal. Federally, Canada is bilingual, so CNR is both Canadian National and Canadien National. Language is, however a provincail responsibility (except for federally regulated activities like transportation and banking). Here in Québec, however, the official language is French, and there are laws about French on signs being predominant. There are lots of other laws regarding language, including the language of business in some cases. The federal government is officially bilingual and operates in both languages. All provinces are officially English - except Québec which is officially French and New Brunswick which is officially bilingual. Québec is, in reality, very bilingual. Business usually speak to the government in French, but individuals can and do speak to the government in either language. Business is conducted in the language of practicality, which usually means the majority of people at a meeting, which usually means French. When there are 85% French speakers at a meeting, we all speak French (I have a patricular French friend and we speak "Shakespeare or Molière" depending on the whim). When there are 85% anglos, everyone speaks English. And everyone has some kind of an accent. Some parts of Québec are completely French and a few parts are very anglo. Montréal is pretty much completely bilingual, and is perhaps the world's best example of a society of two cultures that get on with little or no tension or acrimony. As perhaps you can see, I am a fiercely proud Canadian/Canadien, Québecois, and Montrealais. I love this place and its people, and wouldn't willingly live anywhere else in the world. Ask me another question... take a risk. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuny Posted August 4, 2009 Share #4 Posted August 4, 2009 Michael - Funny you mention Shakespeare. Many French who I know don't "get" Shakespeare. I think that's because its meter is lost in translation. We should meet at Toque the next time Barbara and I are in town. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hiles Posted August 5, 2009 Share #5 Posted August 5, 2009 Michael - Funny you mention Shakespeare. Many French who I know don't "get" Shakespeare. I think that's because its meter is lost in translation. We should meet at Toque the next time Barbara and I are in town. I can imagine non-english speakers not "getting" Shakespeare. The language is often out of our time, and many native speakers (me included) have to re-tune ears and listen carefully for the first 2-3 minutes. I think you are right about the meter. But the elegant word play also requires something that may not be available except to native speakers. I know many people who are bilingual - they communicate in a second language more or less effectively. But I have know only a very few people who are truly "native speakers" in more than one language. Sadly, I am not one of them. And Toque - outstanding idea. I would be very happy to dine (or at least lunch or coffee) with you and Barbara when you come to Montreal. It would be a treat. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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