Maman, merci! J’ai corrigé mon texte.

Simon : Yes, English formation through watching TV goes as follows: you start with some simple and expressive sitcoms (mine were Full House and Fresh Prince, and later Friends) and you turn on the captions for training wheels; then you move on to more intellectual sitcoms, and teen series (mine were Seinfield and Party of five); you finish by tackling technical series (mine were the X-Files and later E.R.), and you turn off the captions when you’re ready. You can also re-watch a favourite series in the foreign language.

I’m not overly defensive of French in Québec, but I understand its binding to culture. I know that, even if the practical reasons for adopting English were understandable, it would be sad if French disappeared completely in North-America, but I haven’t sorted out my feelings about it really (yet).

And lastly, here is Tal’s comment from the previous post. I’m copying it here because I think it belongs:
Tal: Have to chime in here and just say that my best friends (all french immersion kids) never had those “homework” problems really. You can reinforce at home with books and french tv, and that was usually good enough. For what it’s worth, these kids are working for the Canadian government (biligualism comes in handy), or living abroad in France. Definitely good if you can get it, in my non-parental opinion….

Perhaps I could turn that into some sort of commentary on the ubiquity and the influence of English in pop culture if I really wanted to.

What I find most fascinating is the huge difference in perception of language. Speaking English as my native tongue, I give no thought whatsoever to its preservation because I know, in the back of my mind, that its influence is steadily growing, and so, therefore, is the sort of culture that inevitably goes along with it. When one’s native language is being threatened in any way by another, as one could say French (Québecois French at least) is, then the cultural identification with that language comes straight to the fore and defensiveness comes much more easily.

This is the most thought I’ve really ever given the subject and I really do find it incredibly fascinating.

Maman

Wow ! comme tu es profonde dans tes réflexions…

You touched a key point when you mention English being a dominant language, assuredly so in North-America. This obviously binds language to culture around here and, while it doesn’t need to be like that, it WOULD be easy to slip from studies among an English community, to interests (read: television, music and literature) residing in the English culture (Canadian or American), to a lack of attachment to the Québec-French culture. I’m already halfway there myself, as I only watch English tv. series nowadays, and all the last novels I have read have originated from recommendations by the BW denizens.

Mind, I do think many fellow Quebecois are so protective of their language and culture that they refuse stubbornly to look over the fence, and that is a closed mindedness I get really annoyed with, because it not only keeps out foreign culture, but often international empathy and understanding as well (not to mention international news). It IS true, however, that looking over the fence, culturally, will often pull the audience over to the English side of the fence because, like it or not, English has a much more populated audience, and that translates into bigger budget (not to say that a bigger budget automatically means a better tv series/movie/music/book, but it always helps taking care of the special effects bill).

I forgot to mention it in the post, but I wanted to note that, while I do not wish to send my kids to an English immersion school, I would certainly favour an advanced English school program that adds more English classes and pushes learning a notch – those exist around here. I do believe nothing can replace the parent’s involvement, however, and I dearly hope I follow through for a long time with the immersions I have set up already.

But honestly, learning a foreign language is easy as being interested by it, and watching television (and later reading) in that language. Television is how I learned English, and it’s SO easy to stay interested by it!!