Click on a link here…
This is a good place to begin your quest for education beyond self-study. Nothing replaces interaction with another person, be it a tutor, a college professor or a native speaker who you may encounter working at an institution of higher education such as a college or university. These two resource lists are constantly being updated as new information becomes available.
|
|
|
FIND A TUTORSTUDENTS
This directory is provided as a public service to help you locate quality independent educators of the Canadian French language. ToutCanadien does not take responsibility for the services provided by the names listed here as all tutors are independent. Nonetheless, your feedback is very important to us; it helps us maintain a list of reputable contacts.
TUTEUR(E)S
En devenant membre de ce bottin, il n'y a pas de coût pour vous.
ToutCanadien ne vous garantit pas d’étudiants. Les étudiants vous trouvent au moyen de ToutCanadien. Cette page sert simplement de faciliter une connexion entre étudiant(e) et tuteur(e).
Si vous offrez un service de tutorat par téléphone, messagerie, ou Skype, veuillez indiquer cela dans la description de vos services.
Information is found in alpha order by state/province, city, then name.
L'information se trouve en ordre alphabétique d'après état/province, ville, puis nom.
LOCATION
NAME
CONTACT INFO NOTE Maine
Caribou
Paul Gutman
paulgutman95@yahoo.com
Native speaker, college educated
Minnesota
St. Paul
Jacques Tremblay
jacques@ToutCanadien.com
ToutCanadien webmaster
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh
Daisy Rmeili drmeili@live.com
• Native speaker
• Bachelor's Degree in Education
• Certifications in ESL & French
• Experience in teaching French one on one
• Public meeting at local library or coffee shop
Québec
Montreal
Maxime Lemoine eniomelemixam@hotmail.com
514-586-3229
• Native speaker
« Tuteur en français, anglais, histoire, mathématiques et géographie depuis plus de 10 ans. Je suis un francophone qui a appris l'anglais comme langue seconde à l'âge de 5 ans. »
Vermont
Windsor
Aline Dupuis
alinedupuis@ymail.com
« Chez-moi ou à domicile; sessions individuelles ou en groupe »
"My place or at [your] home; individual or group sessions"Your name could appear here! Contact Jacques to make it happen.
Why should I learn Canadian French?If you don't have time to look at any other page on this web site, do yourself the favor of at least reading the rest of this page. You'll end up being far more reality-based in the French language than most college grads… not to mention a lot of instructors!
Here's the very first thing you should know upon entering "la Francophonie" (the French-speaking world). You know that American saying, "It's all good." Not so! Not so in many aspects of life and certainly not so where the French language is concerned.
Next…
Second thing to know about the French language. When someone says "French," it means "France French," and usually Parisian French, because what else could there possibly be?
Third thing to know about the French language. When someone says "Standard French," it means "France French," and usually Parisian French, because what else could there possibly be?
Fourth thing to know about the French language. When someone says "International French," it means "France French," and usually Parisian French, because what else could there possibly be?
HEY! There's a pattern forming here!
Fifth thing to know about the French language. If you want to learn Canadian French, you need to be specific and refer to it as Canadian French or North-American French or Quebec French…
Last point…
Don't waste your time and energy fighting this. Although French is a pluricentric language like English, the French don't see it that way and neither do the educational systems in the U.S. or Canada. However, if it makes you feel better, here is one of several unofficial mottos of the ToutCanadien web site that sums it all up quite accurately:
| French… | |
Let's take a quick look at what most places like the Alliance Française are NOT telling you.
The gap between the French language of Canada and France is as big as the Atlantic Ocean itself. These two variations of French have been separated for almost 500 years! You honestly think they evolved the same way? Think again. The differences are innumerable. Need more convincing? Check out the Word of the Week page on this site.
Native French people complain ALL THE TIME about not being able to understand a Canadian French speaker and YOU, a non-native are going to be able to understand them, with the "International French" that you'll be learning at a place like the Alliance Française?! [ insert laugh track here ] Really?! No… Seriously, really?! Tell me; just how well do you understand someone from Scotland when they speak English? Still don't believe me? Most French-language films made in Quebec have subtitles for the viewing audience in France.
Customer-Satisfaction Survey
BEFORE you shell out God-only-knows-how-much money to enroll in just any ol' French-language school, here's an idea. Seriously talk to someone who has learned "Standard International French" and find out from them just how well their French worked with the Native French Canadians. Most Americans go up there, try out their "French" and come back confused, angry and bitter. Oh yeah, and then blame it on the Quebecois. (How absurd is that?!) I have to wonder how these language schools would score if customers were to go back and honestly fill out a customer-satisfaction survey. You don't exactly see any of these schools offering a "Satisfaction-or-Your-Money-Back Guarantee" now, do you?
"But I'm just a beginner and just want and need to learn the basics."
I got news for you; not even the basics are the same. The divergence starts from the very beginning.
Of the three terms: please, thank-you, and you're welcome, one of them is completely different between International French and Canadian French.
The word salut means hi in France; it means hi AND bye in Canada.
The words for: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and supper are not the same and lead to confusion and sometimes hunger pangs if you've managed to miss a meal because of it!
"But do I really want to learn a slangy dialect of the real thing, even just to be polite?"
Canadian French IS the real thing. Canadian French is also called Royal French and was the official language in Canada long before French was the official language in France.
Canada/Quebec has its OWN "Standard French" with all the same levels of speech that any other language on the planet has—from formal speech down to street slang. All the big languages in this hemisphere: Spanish, English, Portuguese and French are each their own distinct language apart from the "Mother Country" with French being the most different from its European counterpart.
(English-speakers often confuse Standard Canadian French with Joual and Chiac, which are two language phenomena of Canada. Not everyone in France speaks Verlan; not everyone in Canada speaks Joual; not everyone in the U.S. speaks Black English.)
"But is it really that big a deal? Does it really matter that much?"
Being polite, neighborly and respectful ALWAYS matters! Do unto others as…
"Standard International French," in reality, is just a myth used to degrade ALL French speakers worldwide—including those in France—who do not sound and speak like the Parisians. Sure Paris is a way cool city, and Parisians certainly do speak the best Franglais in the world, but you're dealing with Canadians who speak French—Canadian French.
Intelligent people in Germany do not learn Australian English in preparation for interacting with their British customers.
And…
Intelligent people in Burlington, Vermont or Plattsburgh, New York do not learn Parisian French in preparation for interacting with their Canadian customers.
There's a reason why businesses like Facebook, Microsoft, and Yahoo (to name just three) offer a Euro-French version and a Canadian-French version. They've done their homework and take culture and language seriously. They want your business.
The Alliance Française couldn't care less about Canadian French; they have their own agenda. You DID notice their name, didn't you? It's NOT the "Alliance Francophone" (French-speaking Alliance); it's the Alliance Française (French Alliance). Well, you certainly can't say they aren't true to their name!
Common sense and common courtesy translate into mutual respect.
It's only common sense that, "When in Rome, do as the Romans." When in Canada/Quebec, speak Canadian French. If the vast majority of your foreign customer base is coming from French Canada… (Come on! Do I really need to finish this sentence?!) It's only common courtesy to make the effort. Your Canadian French-speaking visitors WILL take note of who cared enough to "get it right."
Mutual respect leads to repeat business.
If I have a choice to stay at Motel "A" where the help learned textbook Parisian French or Motel "B" where the help learned Canadian French—everything else being equal—it's pretty much a no-brainer where I'm going to feel more comfortable. AND… I'm going to tell my friends and family. That translates into more dollars into your pocket, but ultimately it shouldn't be about the almighty dollar, it should be about respect and hospitality.
Finally, in the end, for you as a U.S. American, not learning the REAL French language of Canada continues to feed that classic stereotype of the "ugly dumb American." As the world gets smaller and smaller in this global economy, do we really need to reinforce that image?
(If 51% of your French-speaking customers are from France… you may want to consider learning European French. Those people deserve the same consideration and hospitality as anyone else.)
"Know your audience!"
Connect the dots… It's not ALL good.
Do Yourself a Favor. Places like the Alliance Française are not the answer. Find yourself a qualified private tutor who speaks Canadian French. You won't regret it!
Find an institution | Based on our research, this ever-expanding list provides the names of U.S. colleges and universities that have demonstrated or expressed an interest in promoting Canadian French, culture or history as well as possibly having a Canadian-studies program of some sort. What they offer, of course, varies by institution.
Information is found in alpha order by state/province, city, then name. |
LOCATION | NAME | WEB ADDRESS / NOTE |
Massachusetts Worcester | Assumption College | |
New Hampshire Keene | Keene State College | |
New York Buffalo | Canisius College | Professor of French - Dr. Eileen M. Angelini |
New York Plattsburgh | SUNY - Plattsburgh | |
North Dakota Grand Forks | University of North Dakota | Professor of French - Dr. Virgil Benoit |
HOME | Overview | Francophones Unilingues | News & Articles
WOTW | LIBRARY | Pronunciation
Other Resources | Find a Tutor/Institution | Services
Dedication | Donations | Contact