Speak White
Encyclopedia
Speak White is a French language poem composed by Québécois
writer Michèle Lalonde in 1968. It was first recited in 1970 and was published in 1974 by Editions de l'Hexagone, Montreal
. It denounced the poor situation of French-speakers
in Quebec
and takes the tone of a collective complaint against English-speaking Quebecers. Her poem is not, however, directed solely or even primarily at English Canada
, often citing British
and American
references such as Shakespeare, Keats
, the Thames
, the Potomac
and Wall Street
as its symbols of linguistic oppression.
In 1980, Speak White was made into a short motion picture by polemicists Pierre Falardeau
and Julien Poulin
, the six-minute film featured actress Marie Eykel reading Lalonde's poem. It was released by the National Film Board of Canada
.
Italian-Quebecer journalist playwright Marco Micone also wrote a poem in response called Speak What?, depicting allophone
immigrants as the same oppressed class as the Québécois
in Quebec, and calling for a more inclusive society.
article from 1963 that for "every twenty French Canadians you encounter in my house or yours, fifteen can affirm that they have been treated with the discreditable 'speak white'".
The earliest allegation of the slur was recorded in the Canadian Parliament of 1899 as Henri Bourassa
was booed by English-speaking Members of Parliament while attempting to address the legislature in French against the engagement of the Dominion in the Second Boer War
. André Laurendeau
recorded anecdotal evidence in his 1963 journal during the Laurendeau-Dunton Commission that English Canadians would hurl the phrase at French Canadians outside Quebec, and speculated that it was borrowed from the Southern United States
. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that the phrase was used against immigrants.
Although the expression has never been directly quoted and attributed to an individual, the expression continues to enter the public sphere in the course of rhetorical political debate.
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
writer Michèle Lalonde in 1968. It was first recited in 1970 and was published in 1974 by Editions de l'Hexagone, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. It denounced the poor situation of French-speakers
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
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 takes the tone of a collective complaint against English-speaking Quebecers. Her poem is not, however, directed solely or even primarily at English Canada
English Canada
English Canada is a term used to describe one of the following:# English-speaking Canadians, as opposed to French-speaking Canadians. It is employed when comparing English- and French-language literature, media, or art...
, often citing British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
references such as Shakespeare, Keats
John Keats
John Keats was an English Romantic poet. Along with Lord Byron and Percy Bysshe Shelley, he was one of the key figures in the second generation of the Romantic movement, despite the fact that his work had been in publication for only four years before his death.Although his poems were not...
, the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, the Potomac
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
and Wall Street
Wall Street
Wall Street refers to the financial district of New York City, named after and centered on the eight-block-long street running from Broadway to South Street on the East River in Lower Manhattan. Over time, the term has become a metonym for the financial markets of the United States as a whole, or...
as its symbols of linguistic oppression.
In 1980, Speak White was made into a short motion picture by polemicists Pierre Falardeau
Pierre Falardeau
Pierre Falardeau was a Quebec film and documentary director, pamphleteer and noted activist for Quebec independence.-Profile:Falardeau studied anthropology at university and he taught that subject for a brief period...
and Julien Poulin
Julien Poulin
Julien Poulin is an actor, film director, screenwriter, film producer, and composer in Quebec, Canada. He has portrayed numerous roles in several popular Quebec films and series...
, the six-minute film featured actress Marie Eykel reading Lalonde's poem. It was released by the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
.
Italian-Quebecer journalist playwright Marco Micone also wrote a poem in response called Speak What?, depicting allophone
Allophone (Quebec)
In Quebec, an allophone is a resident, usually an immigrant, whose mother tongue or home language is neither English nor French. The term is also sometimes used in other parts of Canada. The term parallels Anglophone and Francophone, which designate people whose mother tongues are English and...
immigrants as the same oppressed class as the Québécois
French-speaking Quebecer
French-speaking Quebecers are francophone residents of the Canadian province of Quebec....
in Quebec, and calling for a more inclusive society.
Origin
"Speak White" was an insult used by English-speaking Canadians against those who spoke other languages in public. In his controversial Dictionnaire québécois-français, Lionel Meney quotes a Maclean'sMaclean's
Maclean's is a Canadian weekly news magazine, reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events.-History:Founded in 1905 by Toronto journalist/entrepreneur Lt.-Col. John Bayne Maclean, a 43-year-old trade magazine publisher who purchased an advertising agency's in-house...
article from 1963 that for "every twenty French Canadians you encounter in my house or yours, fifteen can affirm that they have been treated with the discreditable 'speak white'".
The earliest allegation of the slur was recorded in the Canadian Parliament of 1899 as Henri Bourassa
Henri Bourassa
Joseph-Napoléon-Henri Bourassa was a French Canadian political leader and publisher. He is seen by many as an ideological father of Canadian nationalism....
was booed by English-speaking Members of Parliament while attempting to address the legislature in French against the engagement of the Dominion in the Second Boer War
Second Boer War
The Second Boer War was fought from 11 October 1899 until 31 May 1902 between the British Empire and the Afrikaans-speaking Dutch settlers of two independent Boer republics, the South African Republic and the Orange Free State...
. André Laurendeau
André Laurendeau
Joseph-Edmond-André Laurendeau was a journalist, politician, co-chair of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism, and playwright in Quebec, Canada. He is usually referred to as André Laurendeau. He was active in Québécois life, in various spheres and capacities, for three decades...
recorded anecdotal evidence in his 1963 journal during the Laurendeau-Dunton Commission that English Canadians would hurl the phrase at French Canadians outside Quebec, and speculated that it was borrowed from the Southern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that the phrase was used against immigrants.
Although the expression has never been directly quoted and attributed to an individual, the expression continues to enter the public sphere in the course of rhetorical political debate.