Date of Award

5-2025

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Thesis

Department

French

First Advisor

Eloise Sureau

Second Advisor

Sylvie Vanbaelen

Abstract

Canadian French has evolved away from metropolitan French in vocabulary, accent, slang, and even grammar structures since it was colonized in the 16th century. In analyzing the development of the Québécois language, this thesis aims to provide insights as to whether renaming Canadian French that is spoken in the province of Québec to Québécois would better represent the culture and people who use the language. This thesis includes an analysis of the history of Québec from its colonization by France, the legislation in place to protect the languages of French and Québécois, and an analysis of some of the linguistic and cultural differences between metropolitan France and Québec. This research was completed using a variety of sources, from research papers to government documents, to provide insights into how far Québécois French has strayed from metropolitan French. The aim of this paper is not to debate whether Québécois is different from metropolitan French. This is a known fact. Instead, it aims to answer the question of whether the language is different enough to warrant consideration to rename the language.

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