Unholy Speech: Learning About Quebecois Culture through Language

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.

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. 

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.