Whenever I introduce the topic of
culture
to my students I address all the aspects of what it is and how it affects
social interactions and individual thought.
One of the key characteristics of culture is that it is symbolic,
meaning we attaching significance to specific thoughts, ideas, objects, and
words.
I then go on to explain that
because of this one of the fundamental parts of culture is language, and it is
through studies of language that we can learn so much about a culture, such as
the values, beliefs, norms, etc. held within it.
Today’s blog post will explore this symbolic
aspect of culture through the use of curse words among Quebecois French
speakers, who have a unique set of profanities that do not translate
appropriately in any other dialect of French or into any other language.
The history, types and the purpose, and the
rational for these unique curse words will be addressed in this post.
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| Figure 1: Map of Quebec as located in North America (Source: World Atlas) |
If you have watched a
Quebecois
French film or interacted with a Quebecois French speaker you may have
noticed several cultural differences, specifically in regards to the way they
speak French.
The Quebecois French hail
from the province of Quebec in eastern Canada (Figure 1), and while the rest of
the French speakers in Europe are socially and culturally similar in many ways
the Quebecois French remain isolated and different from them for several
reasons.
First, the Quebecois French
never experienced the French Revolution and the after effects of it.
Second, they were also influenced by other
cultural groups, such as Indigenous Canadian populations and the North American
English speakers of the United States and Canada.
These two factors greatly affected the
Quebecois French identity in various ways, acting as a means of cultural
solidarity (as they are fiercely proud of their French ancestry) and cultural
assimilation (the Quebecois French have adopted and adapted primarily and
accordingly to their English neighbors).
One of the things that was quintessentially Quebecois French for many
centuries was the influence of the Catholic Church.
The Church had a very strong influence not
just on the religious identity of the Quebecois French but also on various
other institutions.
The Church and its
values permeated the educational and political institutions of the province.
As its power grew so did its control on the
social norms.
The Church commanded
absolute devotion, which first took the form of more frequent attendance to
services, followed by the taking of the Holy Communion more often, and then ultimately
through the abstention of saying certain words that were considered holy.
Words such as baptism, chalice, Christ,
tabernacle, and even communion were forbidden to say outside of the confines of
the Church and among average citizens as a result.
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| Figure 2: Quebecois graffiti featuring the term "tabarnak" (Source: Google Images) |
Unfortunately, this absolute power weighed heavily on the Quebecois French,
who in the 1960s undertook what is called the “Quiet Revolution” in which they
elected a more secular leadership to lead the provincial government.
In short order the Church’s influence on the
political and educational institutions was removed, and citizens began leaving
the Church in droves.
As they shed their
Catholic identities they either purposefully, although more likely
unconsciously, opted to continue to abstain from saying the sacred words that
they were forbidden to say previously (under Church law), but instead the
reasons for the continuation of not saying those words changed.
The words were no longer considered sacred
but profane, and the meanings of the words shifted from being blessed to
wicked.
As a result words such as
tabernack (Figure 2), which literally translates to “tabernackle” (the place
where Catholics take confession with the priest), now meant “fuck” and câlice,
of which the literal translations is “chalice” (typically used in the drinking
of the wine meant to represent the blood of Christ), means “damn”.
How and why did this happen?
Ultimately, linguistic anthropology provides us the answers to these
questions.
As each culture is unique in
its own way they have their own sets of what is considered
taboo,
or forbidden or inappropriate.
When it
comes to language the curse words are typically derived from these taboo
topics.
This is why in America our curse
words often revolve around sex (as the topic is still, in some ways, considered
taboo), and it also explains how the Quebecois French elected to use the holy
words that the Church forbade them from saying as their set of curse
words.
These words hold no significant
taboo meaning outside of Quebecois French speakers because the values imbued
within them are different, but to the Quebecois French they are profane and
insulting.
It is through the simple study of language, specifically Quebecois French
curse words, that so much about a culture can be learned.
Through the examination of these curse words
one can learn about their cultural history and changing values-both throughout
history and today.
I say today because
these words are losing their power among the newer generations of French, who
do not recognize the origins of these words, in part due to their separation
from the Church.
They simply see these
words as curse words as a result and do not realize that another French speaker
does not understand their profane nature among the Quebecois French.
Ultimately, these words demonstrate the power
of culture and how one simple aspect of it can provide so many insights into
it.
Works Cited
Hamilton, Graeme. "Can Quebec's Church-based
curse words survive in a secular age?" National Post 09 September
2011. Electronic Source.
Lauzon, François. "Swearing in French, swearing
in English." Montreal Gazette 18 November 2012. Electronic Source.
Luu, Chi. "All About That Taboo: When Good Words
Go Bad." JSTOR Daily 23 June 2015. Electronic Source.
Nosowitz, Dan. The Delightful Perversity of
Québec’s Catholic Swears. 26 May 2016. Atlas Obscura. 7 May 2019.
Struck, Doug. "Holy cow! In French-speaking
Canada, the sacred is also profane." Chicago Tribune 14 December
2006. Electronic Source.
