Société du parler français au Canada
Encyclopedia
The Société du parler français au Canada (SPFC) ("French Speech in Canada Society") was a learned society
that endeavoured to study the French language
spoken in Canada
in the course of the 20th century. Founded on February 18, 1902 by Adjutor Rivard
and Stanislas-Alfred Lortie, two Université Laval
professors, it made important contributions to lexicography
in Quebec
and Canada.
The SPFC ceased to exist in the 1960s. In 2002, the Université Laval
, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
and Université de Sherbrooke
marked the SPFC's 100th anniversary of foundation with a colloquium held at the Musée de la civilisation
and presided by French linguist Bernard Quemada. The history of the SPFC was the object of a book by Quebec linguist Louis Mercier.
(1912, 1937 and 1952).
In 1930, the SPFC published the Glossaire du parler français au Canada, the result of some thirty years of research. The glossary is still a reference today among researchers.
Learned society
A learned society is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline/profession, as well a group of disciplines. Membership may be open to all, may require possession of some qualification, or may be an honor conferred by election, as is the case with the oldest learned societies,...
that endeavoured to study the French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
spoken in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the course of the 20th century. Founded on February 18, 1902 by Adjutor Rivard
Adjutor Rivard
Adjutor Rivard was a lawyer, writer, judge and linguist from Quebec, Canada.He studied at the Petit séminaire de Québec and Université Laval. He is known to have co-founded the Société du parler français au Canada and is recognized as one of the principal authors of the Glossaire du parler...
and Stanislas-Alfred Lortie, two Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
professors, it made important contributions to lexicography
Lexicography
Lexicography is divided into two related disciplines:*Practical lexicography is the art or craft of compiling, writing and editing dictionaries....
in Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Canada.
The SPFC ceased to exist in the 1960s. In 2002, the Université Laval
Université Laval
Laval University is the oldest centre of education in Canada and was the first institution in North America to offer higher education in French...
, Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
The Université du Québec à Chicoutimi is a branch of the Université du Québec founded in 1969 and based in the Chicoutimi borough of Saguenay, Quebec. UQAC has secondary study centers in La Malbaie, Saint-Félicien, Alma and Sept-Îles...
and Université de Sherbrooke
Université de Sherbrooke
The Université de Sherbrooke is a large university with campuses located in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada and Longueuil, a suburb of Montreal approximately west of Sherbrooke. It is one of two universities, and the only French language university, in the Estrie region of Quebec.In 2007, the...
marked the SPFC's 100th anniversary of foundation with a colloquium held at the Musée de la civilisation
Musée de la civilisation
The Musée de la civilisation is a museum located in Quebec City. It is situated in old Québec near the Saint Lawrence River...
and presided by French linguist Bernard Quemada. The history of the SPFC was the object of a book by Quebec linguist Louis Mercier.
Founding members
The 24 founding members of the SPFC included eight Université Laval professors and nine members of the catholic clergy :
|
Adjutor Rivard Adjutor Rivard was a lawyer, writer, judge and linguist from Quebec, Canada.He studied at the Petit séminaire de Québec and Université Laval. He is known to have co-founded the Société du parler français au Canada and is recognized as one of the principal authors of the Glossaire du parler... Jules-Paul Tardivel Jules-Paul Tardivel was an American–Québécois writer and a significant promoter of Quebec nationalism.... |
Amédée Gosselin Amédée Gosselin was a Canadian historian, academic administrator and Roman Catholic priest.Born in Saint-Charles-de-Bellechasse, Canada East, he studied the classical course and theology from 1878 until 1890 at the Petit Séminaire de Québec and the Grand Séminaire de Québec, and was subsequently... Victor-Alphonse Huard Victor-Alphonse Huard was a French-Canadian churchman, naturalist, writer and editor. He was a popular educator and promoter of the natural sciences, although his anti-evolutionist stance garnered him criticism both in Quebec and elsewhere... François Pelletier François Pelletier was a French illusionist, famed in his time for his use of magnets as an entertainment basis for his act. His reputation was such that he was invited to perform at the court of Maria Theresa of Austria at Schönbrunn Palace in 1769... Camille Roy Camille Roy was a Canadian politician and a three-term Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.-Background:He was born on July 13, 1911 in Nicolet, Centre-du-Québec. He became a farmer.-Political career:... |
Studies
At its foundation, the SPFC gave itself a program of studies which was published in its first bulletin:- The study of French philologyPhilologyPhilology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
, and particularly the study of the French language in Canada in its history, its character and its condition of existence;
- The examination of the dangers threatening the French speech in Canada: the influence of the milieu, the habitual and necessary contact with foreign idiomIdiomIdiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
s, the gradual deformation of a popular language left to itself, the tendencies to decay of modern literature, commerce and industry, and a too pronounced taste for old formsArchaismIn language, an archaism is the use of a form of speech or writing that is no longer current. This can either be done deliberately or as part of a specific jargon or formula...
;
- The search for the best means to defend the language against these various dangers, to restitute what it has lost, and to restore its already deformed expressions, while preserving its special character;
- The work needed to make the French spoken in Canada a language answering at the same time to the natural progress of the idiom, the respect of tradition, the requirements of new social conditions, and the genius of the French language (génie de la langue française);
- The publication and propagation of works, studies and bulletins to this goal.
Activities
The SPFC published a bulletin from its foundation up until 1918 and set up the first two of three Congresses on the French language in CanadaCongress on the French language in Canada
The Congress on the French Language in Canada was a scientific convention that met on three occasions, in 1912, 1937 and 1952, to discuss the situation of the French language in Canada and find solutions to ensure its survival...
(1912, 1937 and 1952).
In 1930, the SPFC published the Glossaire du parler français au Canada, the result of some thirty years of research. The glossary is still a reference today among researchers.
Presidents
The following persons held the presidency of the SPFC :| Nom | Portrait | Mandat |
|---|---|---|
| Adélard Turgeon Adélard Turgeon Adélard Turgeon, was a Canadian lawyer and politician.Born in Saint-Étienne-de-Beaumont , Lower Canada, Turgeon attended the Collège de Lévis before receiving a Bachelor of Laws degree from Université Laval at Quebec. He was called to the Quebec Bar in 1887 and started a law career... |
 |
1902–1903 |
| Pierre Boucher de la Bruère Pierre Boucher de la Bruère Pierre Boucher de la Bruère was a Canadian lawyer, journalist, author, office holder, and politician.... |
1903–1906 | |
| Camille Roy Camille Roy Camille Roy was a Canadian politician and a three-term Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.-Background:He was born on July 13, 1911 in Nicolet, Centre-du-Québec. He became a farmer.-Political career:... |
1906–1908 | |
| Joseph-Évariste Prince | 1908–1910 | |
| Paul-Eugène Roy Paul-Eugène Roy Paul-Eugène Roy was a Canadian Roman Catholic priest, and Archbishop of Quebec.-External links:*... |
1910–1912 | |
| Adjutor Rivard Adjutor Rivard Adjutor Rivard was a lawyer, writer, judge and linguist from Quebec, Canada.He studied at the Petit séminaire de Québec and Université Laval. He is known to have co-founded the Société du parler français au Canada and is recognized as one of the principal authors of the Glossaire du parler... |
1912–1914 | |
| P.-Calixte Dagneau | 1914–1916 | |
| Antonio Huot | 1916–1918 | |
| Arthur Vallée | 1918–1920 | |
| Adolphe Garneau | 1920–1922 | |
| Cyrille-Fraser Delâge Cyrille-Fraser Delâge Cyrille-Fraser Delâge was a notary and political figure in Quebec. He represented Quebec County in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec from 1901 to 1916 as a Liberal. Delâge was Speaker of the Legislative Assembly from 1912 to 1916.He was born in Notre-Dame de Québec, the son of Jean Baptiste... |
1922–1924 | |
| Arthur Maheux | 1924–1926 | |
| Adjutor Rivard Adjutor Rivard Adjutor Rivard was a lawyer, writer, judge and linguist from Quebec, Canada.He studied at the Petit séminaire de Québec and Université Laval. He is known to have co-founded the Société du parler français au Canada and is recognized as one of the principal authors of the Glossaire du parler... |
1926–1927 | |
| Antonio Langlais | 1927–1928 | |
| Aimé Labrie | 1928–1930 | |
| P.-Calixte Dagneau | 1930–1931 | |
| Cyrille Gagnon | 1931–1933 | |
| A. Morisset | 1933–1935 | |
| R. Benoît | 1935–1936 | |
| Camille Roy Camille Roy Camille Roy was a Canadian politician and a three-term Member of the Legislative Assembly of Quebec.-Background:He was born on July 13, 1911 in Nicolet, Centre-du-Québec. He became a farmer.-Political career:... |
1936–1937 | |
| Arthur Vallée | 1937–1939 | |
| Antonio Langlais | 1939–1940 | |
| Aimé Labrie | 1940–1942 | |
| Adrien Pouliot Adrien Pouliot Adrien Pouliot, CC was a Canadian mathematician and educator.Born in Île d'Orléans, Quebec, he obtained a B.A. in applied sciences from the École Polytechnique de Montréal in 1919. He helped to create the department of mathematics at Université Laval where he began teaching in 1922... |
1942–1944 | |
| Arthur Maheux | 1944–1947 | |
| Antonio Langlais | 1947–1948 | |
| Luc Lacourcière Luc Lacourcière Luc Lacourcière, CC was a Quebec author and ethnographer. In 1970, he was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.-External links:* at The Canadian Encyclopedia... |
1948–1949 | |
| L. Talbot | 1949–1951 | |
| Félix-Antoine Savard Félix-Antoine Savard Félix-Antoine Savard, OC was a Canadian priest, academic, poet, novelist and folklorist.Born in Quebec City, he grew up in Chicoutimi, Quebec... |
1952–1955 | |
| Gaston Dulong | 1955–1961 | |
| Jean-Denis Gendron | 1961–1962 | |