*Drums Fingers Irritatedly On Desk*

[redbrunja]

Okay, this is just ridiculous.

I'm trying to write a 8-12 page paper on efforts to preserve french language in Quebec, and I'm finding nothing. Now, this is a subject my teacher told me would be a snap to research - the morning I went to discuss this with her, she said she'd heard something on this subject on the radio that very morning.

However, those swanky online databases that WWU undoubtedly pays thousands each year so I can search? Giving me no love.

Proquest? Nothing.

Jstore? Nothing written after 1935.

I'm having better luck with wikipedia, google, and npr.org.

Shesh.

Comments

[cornerofmadness.livejournal.com]

i would have thought that to be easy to research as well as often as we hear about it even around here

This is why your research is turning up bunk

[nimblnymph.livejournal.com]

The reason why is because the French Canadians are NOT trying to preserve their particular flavor of French. FC is a very different, more gutteral French than Parisian. It's like looking at the Spanish spoken in Spain and Mexico. They have a lot in common, but you can't speak Mexican Spanish in Spain and have it be understood.

If you're going to research the subject of preserving a language, here's something that might come in handy (seeing as this is what my major is in and I've done these two topics before?:

Parisian French. There IS an effort the preserve and expand on the dialect. They actually have a school/government owned building that new words are created in. What with all the changing in science and technology all over the world, they want to integrate this into their everyday usage BUT they want it to sound French. Most of the time, they use cognates, but there are a few where they create entirely new words just to preserve the beauty of the French language.

There's a MASSIVE effort in preserving the native languages of the varying African tribes. A lot of the reason why so many of the tribal dialects are dying out is because of genocide, integration of the tribes, foreign influence. There's a huge cultural preservation center in South Africa that has a HUGE online library full of research on the subject. You can do all kinds of different angles on this.

Anyway, if you need any help, you've got a linguistics major at your disposal. I've got site links, notes, personal experience... whatever you need.

[silver-spotted.livejournal.com]

that sounds like a really interesting topic . . . I was all set to do some investigating for you, because I am Canadian Studies nerdy like that, but I see you have switched topics. Ah well.

good luck on the paper!