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CNR5103 · 03-08-2022, 01:35 PM

Leaving St-Henri Yard to St-Hyacinthe.

Filename: IMG_4468.jpg Size: 412.92 KB 03-08-2022, 01:32 PM

Ooops! It seems those rear steps have been hurt. Icon_mad

BR60103 · 03-08-2022, 08:49 PM

Many, many years ago we took the train to the east coast. The conductor came through and announced "Sent ya Sent". At the station I could see that it was Saint Hyacinthe.
The sleeper Saint Hyacinthe is in the Sacramento museum.

**doctorwayne** · 03-08-2022, 09:45 PM

(03-08-2022, 08:49 PM)BR60103 Wrote: ....The conductor came through and announced "Sent ya Sent". At the station I could see that it was Saint Hyacinthe.

If da cun-duc-ter was Canadien, I'd tink dat ee'd zay Sent-eye-ascent.

Wayne

CNR5103 · (This post was last modified: 03-09-2022, 03:17 PM by CNR5103.)

(03-08-2022, 09:45 PM)doctorwayne Wrote:
(03-08-2022, 08:49 PM)BR60103 Wrote: ....The conductor came through and announced "Sent ya Sent". At the station I could see that it was Saint Hyacinthe.

If da cun-duc-ter was Canadien, I'd tink dat ee'd zay Sent-eye-ascent.

Wayne

"Canadien" or not, the conductor was obviously not speaking French nor "québécois". Icon_e_biggrin

**doctorwayne** · 03-09-2022, 11:38 PM

You are correct, Guy...a lot of us English-speaking Canadians struggle with "québécois", even if we took French language courses in high school, as I think most of it was French language from France, at least way back in my day.

The "pidgin" French in my reply was not meant as an insult or anything derogatory. I was merely copying the speech of a co-worker in Northern Ontario, where I worked one summer. His English was similar to what I wrote, and it was fortunate for me that I could understand him quite well, even though many of my co-workers (all only English speaking) didn't have a clue.

I also took German language classes, but wasn't very good at that, either. However, my wife, who was born in Holland, speaks Freisian (a dialect of Dutch). I could understand almost nothing that her parents said when speaking it (I did later pick-up some of it, though).

One day, one of their relatives from Holland came for a visit. She began speaking with my in-laws, and I was surprised that I could actually understand some of what she was saying...not all of it, though.

I mentioned that to my wife, as it seemed to be closer to the German language. Her reply was that the relative was from Amsterdam, where they spoke "high Dutch". She went on to explain that the Dutch from Friesland were often considered the "Newfies" of Holland. I've also worked with some real Newfies, and every one of them I've met were real salt-of-the-earth guys.

In the few times I've travelled through Québec, I do attempt at least a few words, but I'm embarrassed by my lack of skill...I doubt that I could engage in a conversation much beyond "Bonjour.".

I worked for years with a guy who was from Montreal, a real character, and a great guy to work with because he had such a self-deprecating sense of humour. He told me of a family visit back to Montreal, where he had stopped for gas. Apparently, the pump jockey (this was back before self-serve) noticed the Ontario licence plate and began speaking (in French) with one of his co-workers, basically saying that he was going to give this guy (my friend) directions on how to get to some attraction, which would likely take him somewhere out in the middle of nowhere.

As the tank was about filled by that time, the jokester was ready to be payed. What he got from my friend, instead, was about ten minutes of real Québecois French, with pretty-well every cuss-word in the dictionary, along with a real dressing-down on his behaviour towards tourists.

Wayne