French Canadian Voice Over Agency

Everything you never needed to know about speaking French Canadian

Most French Canadians are bilingual
Canada has two official languages one is English and the other one is French. Most of Canada’s French speakers live in Quebec. There’s also a French dialect called Acadian French and you’ll find people speaking this dialect in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.

Quebec is a great place to eat pancakes
Quebec is a great place to eat pancakes because it’s the world’s largest producer of Maple Syrup. It makes 72% of all the maple syrup produced in the world. The product is shipped all over the world and its especially loved in the United States. In 2012 someone decided to steal 3000 tons of maple syrup and it was known as the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist.

Nova Scotia was named by the English
In Latin Nova Scotia means New Scotland. King James I named the territory in 1621 and he made a Scottish man called Sir William Alexander the 1st Earl of Stirling, the mayor. He provided the coat of arms of Nova Scotia and the flag of Nova Scotia, and they are still used today.

Watch out for Polar Bears
If you go to Manitoba in Canada you might be amazed to find out none of the residents lock their car or house doors. This is because in the town of Churchill Polar Bears stroll along the streets on the way to the Hudson Bay. Householders want to be able to get away quickly if a polar bear decides to visit, hence the open doors.

Take on the tide!
The Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia has the highest tides in the world. You can experience the tide if you go tidal bore rafting which is a popular weekend and holiday activity. You get out on the water in a Zodiac with 8 other passengers and a guide.

The longest bridge in Canada
The longest bridge in Canada is 8 miles long (12.9 kilometres) and its called the Confederation Bridge. It connects Prince Edward Island with New Brunswick. In the winter the water beneath the bridge often freezes so you’re actually crossing a very large sheet of ice.

Look after your toes
Look after your toes or they may end up in a drink. There’s a bar in Dawson City, Yukon where people donate toes they have lost in accidents or because of frostbite. The bar puts the toes in their whiskey drinks and you have to drink the whiskey without swallowing the toe. If you do swallow it there’s a 2,500 dollar fine!

Use your soap
Make sure you never smell offensively in Canada! It’s illegal to smell bad. If you do and someone is offended, you could face up to 2 years in prison. That’s a good reason for a daily shower.

Don’t kill Bigfoot
Whether he exists or not in British Columbia it is illegal to kill it. So, if you do come across Bigfoot one dark night the best thing to do would be to run away.

Take a road trip
If you visit Canada, you can drive along one of the longest highways in the world. It’s called The Trans Canada Highway and its 4,860 miles long, that’s 7,821 kilometres. It passes through all ten Canadian provinces from the Pacific Ocean on the West Coast to the Atlantic Ocean on the West coast.

A short history on the French Canadian language

The term Canadian French refers to the various versions of French spoken in Canada, principally Québécois French (spoken in the province of Québec) and Acadian French (spoken in the Maritime Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island).

These different versions, which vary from each other – and from standard French – in terms of both accent and vocabulary, exist because of the long history of French settlement in Canada.

The French first arrived in Canada (originally New France) in 1534, and Québec City was founded in 1608. These settlers came from parts of France other than Paris, and so the language developed along different lines to standard French, which evolved from Parisian French. Acadian French developed from the dialects spoken by settlers from western France in Nova Scotia, in the 17th century.

French Canadians remained a strong cultural group even after the British won control of New France in 1763, and accounted for one third of the population when the Dominion of Canada was established in 1867. After the Second World War there was a growing demand for self-rule in Québec, and the issue remains contentious. French was recognised as Québec’s official language in 1974.

Which countries have Canadian French as a national language?

French is one of Canada’s two official languages. In the province of Québec it is the only official language.

How many people speak Canadian French as their first language?

Approximately 25% of the population of Canada can speak French. Most of these live in Québec, where 95% of the population speak French – 82% as their first language.

Did you know…

• One of the differences between Canadian and standard French is its anglicisation, due to the country’s bilingual status and proximity to the United States. Popular anglicisms include anyway, cute, job, sandwich and whatever.
• Lesser-known (and endangered) Canadian French dialects include Métis French (spoken in Manitoba and Western Canada) and Newfoundland French (spoken on the Port-au-Port peninsular of Newfoundland).
• The explorer Giovanni da Verrazzano named the whole of the Atlantic coast north of Virginia ‘Arcadia’ on his 16th century map, evoking Greek ideals of unspoilt wilderness. This is the origin of the name Acadia.
• Cajuns are an ethnic group descended from Acadian exiles from the Maritime Provinces, who live mainly in the US state of Louisiana. They have a strong tradition of culture and cuisine, as well as their own dialect, Cajun French.

The Canadian economy

Canada has the 11th largest economy in the world, with high living standards, a skilled labour force and abundant natural resources.

Major industries include logging, oil and manufacturing, particularly automobile and aircraft. Canada’s long coastline supports an important commercial fishing and seafood industry – the 8th largest in the world. However, the economy is dominated by the service industry, which employs around 75% of the population.

Canada is a member of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and the G8.