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Bilingualism and other sign language choices in Quebec

Started by aswnl, October 30, 2010, 05:48:44 PM

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J N Winkler

Quote from: Transportfan on April 05, 2018, 10:01:40 AMBut I wonder why there are bilingual stop signs in other parts of Canada.

Neither the federal government nor any of the other provinces is required to consider "STOP" a loanword in French, which would allow a stop sign with just "STOP" to be considered to have a message in both French and English.  I suspect Québec does so only to blunt the "Stop signs say STOP in France" criticism.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini


vdeane

New Brunswick is officially bilingual, so any stop signs there are.  Same for the federal government.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

Duke87

Quote from: J N Winkler on April 05, 2018, 10:27:27 AM
Neither the federal government nor any of the other provinces is required to consider "STOP" a loanword in French, which would allow a stop sign with just "STOP" to be considered to have a message in both French and English.  I suspect Québec does so only to blunt the "Stop signs say STOP in France" criticism.

Which is a rather weird criticism when you consider that Quebec is hardly unique in using something other than the English word "STOP" on their signs. In Latin America you will find signs that say "ALTO" or "PARE" (this includes Puerto Rico, by the way - so stop signs aren't even in English everywhere in the US!). In various places throughout the world you can find stop signs with the word in Arabic, Chinese, and all sorts of other languages. Some countries use an image of a hand palm-forward rather than text, or simply a blank octagon. There's a decent sized gallery here.

The consistent use of the English word "STOP" throughout Europe is, globally speaking, anomalous - the result of the Vienna Convention deciding to copy the US stop sign design when they created their standards in 1968.

Of course, this is more detail and nuance than your average traveler is likely to appreciate. Or going to want to appreciate given that the criticism in question, even if objectively silly, fits the desired narrative of criticizing Quebec for wanting to avoid the use of English.
If you always take the same road, you will never see anything new.

ghYHZ

A stop sign in the Indigenous community of Natuashish.....not in Quebec but in northern Labrador 

 

J N Winkler

Quote from: Duke87 on April 07, 2018, 06:18:46 PMWhich is a rather weird criticism when you consider that Quebec is hardly unique in using something other than the English word "STOP" on their signs. In Latin America you will find signs that say "ALTO" or "PARE" (this includes Puerto Rico, by the way - so stop signs aren't even in English everywhere in the US!). In various places throughout the world you can find stop signs with the word in Arabic, Chinese, and all sorts of other languages. Some countries use an image of a hand palm-forward rather than text, or simply a blank octagon. There's a decent sized gallery here.

I actually suspect the purpose of that particular criticism is to hammer official Québec for attempting to out-French the French at the expense of its Anglophone minority.
"It is necessary to spend a hundred lire now to save a thousand lire later."--Piero Puricelli, explaining the need for a first-class road system to Benito Mussolini

Chris

Quote from: Duke87 on April 07, 2018, 06:18:46 PMThe consistent use of the English word "STOP" throughout Europe is, globally speaking, anomalous - the result of the Vienna Convention deciding to copy the US stop sign design when they created their standards in 1968.

I think this also has to do with the fact that European countries and language areas are geographically relatively small, with a significant amount of foreign traffic. I can reach 8 to 10 different language areas within a day's drive from the Netherlands.

In places such as Latin America, Spanish is understood in almost all countries, creating a very large area with the same language, so PARE or ALTO instead of STOP isn't an issue. In other countries there is far less, or virtually no international traffic, for example in the Middle East, China, Korea, or Japan.

english si

Quote from: Chris on April 20, 2018, 09:44:44 AMI think this also has to do with the fact that European countries and language areas are geographically relatively small, with a significant amount of foreign traffic. I can reach 8 to 10 different language areas within a day's drive from the Netherlands.
Depends how long a day's drive is, and what languages are signed.

Dutch, French, German, English, Danish, Polish, Czech, Swedish are certainly there. Luxembourgish? Romanse? And 10 hours drive (a very long day) would give you Slovak, Hungarian, Italian, Breton and Welsh.

Chris

Italy and Slovenia is doable in a full day of driving. Milan is 1,000 kilometers.

I don't really count Luxembourgish, their signs are either German or French.

Some people drive from Spain to the Netherlands in a day, but I wouldn't recommend that. I prefer a max of 10 hours of driving, stretched to 12 if the destination is just beyond the 10 hour range.

1995hoo

"STOP" as used on signs isn't a word, anyway. It's an acronym for "Slightly Tap on Pedal."  :bigass:
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Chris

STOP signs aren't really taken that literally in the Netherlands. For most people it means: proceed with caution / be sure to check twice. Most people don't come to a full stop if there is no traffic approaching. There are no 4-way stops in the Netherlands (or Europe for that matter, I've never seen one).



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