Apparently I don't like to play ultimate frisbee in English - the league I have joined in Moncton is about 80% French. Most of the conversations happen in 'Chiac' - a hybrid of French and English with no official rules. A few examples:
"Est-ce que c'est last point?"
"Alors tu vas courir jusqu'au end zone, je vais faire un cut et puis tu peux send un hammer - ok?"
Like in Spanish, a lot of the words from ultimate frisbee are not translated: dump, swing, hammer, huck, deep, cut, etc.
Even though I have a minor in French, I don't really feel comfortable talking to my teammates in anything other than English. This is a strange twist of events; in Mexico, I felt entirely comfortable talking to my Mexican teammates, and even talked to French friends in Spanish. In bilingual Canada, however, I can't muster the courage to speak in the language that I have been learning since grade 3.
On a related note, the province of New Brunswick recently announced the elimination of the Early French Immersion (EFI) programme (which begins in kindergarten). The province cited financial and educational reasons for the decision, including the possibly negative effect of EFI on the resources available to core students.
Many parents and students have been confused and offended by the decision, and have organized to save the programme. According to them, the province's decision contradicted evidence of financial and education benefits, and therefore makes little sense. A large group of Sackville residents turned out for a forum to save EFI, and later participated in a local 'tintamarre,' or protest.
In Canada's only officially bilingual province, I can't quite see the wisdom of the decision. Living in New Brunswick has shown me a new side of Canada where English and French can be mixed without any judgment or tension, and it is essential to preserve this middle ground. 'Chiac' is more than a dialect; it represents some level of integration between Canada's two linguistic groups.
I am writing an article on this province's decision and Sackville's reaction for this week's Argosy. It has been interesting to see how passionately some Sackvillans have been campaigning to keep EFI, and how quickly they organized a response. To read a local blog of this activist, visit http://hamlit2008.blogspot.com/
Photo courtesy the Sackville Tribune-Post
1 comentario:
Hola Em, has leido mis comentarios?
parece que me has olvidado, en fin, siempre leo tus post, es como practicar mi inglés y saber que haces por alla.
Esta interesante esto de jugar ultimate hablando frances/ingles, es todo un desafio, a parte del esfuerzo físico, ojala puedas jugar y despues nos platiques como va todo por alla.
Tal vez no ire a canada, por que el equipo varonil ya esta completo con 21 jugadores y siento que jugar en el coed no es la mejor opción.
A ver si pasas por mi facebook un dia de estos.
Cuidate. Te extraño.
Adiosito!
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