”Anglos burned the Parliament“
The Journal has a brilliant bit Sunday about how anglophones burned the Parliament building in Montreal in 1849, and this was just like last week’s assault on the Washington Capitol, a selection from his book Le Livre noir du Canada anglais with, of course, a blast against the remaining anglo community.
I was going to also mention how Mathieu Bock-Côté inveighed Saturday against the appalling offense of the curfew alert being also in English, but I’m tired.
Michael Black 12:49 on 2021-01-10 Permalink
Watching US news this week, much was made of how the invasion of the capitol was the first since the British invaded the US capitol in 1812, and it was burned.
There were some bombs set off in more recent times but nothing like this.
Jebediah Pallendrome 14:41 on 2021-01-10 Permalink
Jesus Christ I can feel the spittle from here
jeather 16:16 on 2021-01-10 Permalink
Ok this is not exactly the right place but it is about language, ish.
On Wed, I was watching the conference, and during the question period, they do French q/a, then English. Which I thought was just for convenience (and I saw it before), but at the end we had a French question during the English period and when it was asked, they said “despite the question being in French, the answer must be in English” — are there some rules about the language of these press conferences and the q/a periods?
Kate 17:33 on 2021-01-10 Permalink
I don’t know the answer. But I’m going to guess that it’s a convenience for the media, not a rule. Maybe the person doing the English interpretation hangs up when the French section is over?
jeather 18:07 on 2021-01-10 Permalink
It was the “the answer to this must be in English” that got me wondering. And no, the English interpreter translated the French question.
Kevin 18:44 on 2021-01-10 Permalink
There is an unwritten convention in Quebec media that French comes first: French statement, then French questions, then English questions. Having an English statement from government does not always happen.
You’ll often get a journalist wearing hats for an English and French company, so they may have to ask in broken second language for a quote in that language.
On Wednesday no reporters were allowed in the room, and one reporter couldn’t get unmuted on the Zoom call, so they texted the press attaché who read out the question in French for an English answer.
Kate 10:41 on 2021-01-11 Permalink
Thanks for the clarification, Kevin.
jeather 11:31 on 2021-01-11 Permalink
Still not clear why the answer had to be in English. Was it supposed to be asked in English as well?
I sometimes find the English period very irritating, because it’s about getting the same answer but in English instead of asking for further info.
Jack 12:07 on 2021-01-11 Permalink
PKP tweeted that article making the rather clear linkage that english speakers are pretty similar to Trump supporters. It’s the type of media that sells Dodge Ram 150’s to the Couronne Nord. PKP has learned a lot from Rupert Murdoch.
Kevin 12:55 on 2021-01-11 Permalink
@jeather
It was from an English media outlet.
Yes, there is some repetition in English, but because the anglo reporters are last, they’ve had time to come up with different questions than French media. There have been many cases where French reporters were packing up and they heard the answer to an English question, then all came back.
jeather 13:45 on 2021-01-11 Permalink
I think I will just give up trying to understand the nuance.
Yes, sometimes the English media ask good, follow up questions that are important. And sometimes they just try to get the same quote, but in English. I really appreciate the first group, and wish there was a lot less of the second.