Quebec French Syntax

Quebec French Syntax

There are increasing differences between the syntax used in spoken Quebec French and the syntax of other regional dialects of French. In French-speaking Canada, however, the characteristic differences of Quebec French syntax are not considered standard despite their high-frequency in everyday, relaxed speech.

What follow are examples of the most common distinctive constructions in Quebec French syntax. For comparison, a standard French used throughout la Francophonie (including Quebec and francophone Canada) is given in parentheses with the corresponding English translation given afterwards in italics. Note that some of the following constructions can also be found in other regional dialects of French such as Acadian French and dialects in Western France.

One far-reaching difference is the weakening of the syntaxic role of the specifiers (both verbal and nominal), which results in many syntaxic changes:

• Positioning of the subject in an isolated syntag at the beginning (or at the end) of the sentence, with pronouns integrated with the verbal particule (see pronouns below):

Mon frère, yé dans police. (Mon frère est dans la police.) My brother is in the police.

Y a l'air fâché, le chien. (Le chien a l'air fâché.) The dog looks angry.

• Increased presence of complex sentences with main or dependent clauses using demonstratives:

Mon rêve, c'est de partir en Afrique. (Mon rêve est de partir en Afrique.) My dream is to leave for Africa.

• Relative clauses (1) using "que" as an all-purpose relative pronoun, or (2) embedding interrogative pronouns instead of relative pronouns:

(1) J'ai trouvé le document que j'ai besoin. (J'ai trouvé le document dont j'ai besoin.) I found / I've found the document I need.

(2) Je comprends qu'est-ce que tu veux dire. (Je comprends ce que tu veux dire.) I understand what you mean.

• Loosening of the prepositions traditionally associated with certain verbs:

J'ai un enfant à m'occuper. (Standard correct French: s'occuper de; J'ai un enfant dont je dois m'occuper.) I must take care of a child.

• Plural conditioned by semantics:

La plupart du monde sont tannés des taxes. (La plupart du monde est tanné des taxes.) Most people are fed up with taxes.

• The drop of the double negative (a feature observed throughout Francophonie) is accompanied by a change of word order(1), and (2)postcliticisation of direct pronouns (3)along with non-standard liaisons to avoid vowel hiatus:

(1) Donne-moé lé maintenant. (Donne-le moi maintenant.) Give it to me now.

(2) Dis-moé pas de m'en aller! (Ne me dis pas de m'en aller) Don't tell me I have to go.

(3) Donne-moi-z-en pas ! (Ne m'en donne pas!) Don't give me any!

Other notable syntactic changes in Quebec French include the following:

• In colloquial speech, the verb être is often omitted between je and un(e), with a t inserted: J't'un gars patient. A t is also often inserted after the second person singular: T'es-t-un gars patient.

• Use of non-standard verbal periphrasis:

J'étais pour te le dire. (J'allais te le dire. / J'étais sur le point de te dire.) I was going/about to tell you about it.

Avoir su, j'aurais... (Si j'avais su, j'aurais...) Had I known, I would have...

J'étais après travailler quand ils sont arrivés. (J'étais en train de travailler quand ils sont arrivés.) I'd been working when they came.

M'as le faire. (Je vais le faire. / Je le ferai.); akin to "ahma" /ɑmə/ in Southern American English - I'm a do it. (I'm going to do it.)

• Particle "-tu" used (1) to form tag questions ((2) and sometimes to express exclamatative sentences):

C'est-tu loin, ça ? "Is it far?"

Y'en a-tu d'autres ? "Are there any others?"

Ça vous tente-tu vraiment d'y aller ? "Do you really want to go?"

Faut-tu être cave pas à peu près ! "How very stupid is "

Although this construction strikingly resembles a formal question asked in the 2nd person singular, there is no evidence that the particle tu came from the pronoun tu in the first place:

J'ai-tu l'air fatigué ? "Do I look tired?"

"Tu" is actually more likely to come from the 3rd person pronoun il with a euphonic -t-, as using a particle ti in exactly the same way is a feature found in the Oïl languages (other than French) in France and Belgium. Still, its use is often seen as a redundancy in a question for those who defend a standardized French. In such case, either "Tu" (but not both) can be eliminated to form correct syntax.

Tu le veux-tu? (Le veux-tu? / Tu le veux?) "Do you want it?"

• Extensive use of litotes

C'est pas chaud! (C'est frais!) It's not that warm!

C'est pas laid pantoute! (Ce n'est pas laid du tout!) This is nice! (literally: This is not ugly at all).