Joual

Joual is a derivative of the French spoken in Québec. Often used pejoratively, the term comes from the colloquial pronunciation the French word cheval (horse) and has come to refer to a means of self-expression that is especially particular to Montréal. In fact, contact with the English-speaking community in some neighbourhoods was one of the reasons for this characteristic feature of Québécois speech. Tinged with anglicisms to the point that some English verbs are even conjugated as though they are French, this colourful language belongs to the people - the world of the working class.

The importance of joual is as much political and cultural as linguistic. The term assumed particular significance in the 1960s at the beginning of the QUIET REVOLUTION. It caused an outcry when initially used in literature and by certain artists - actors and singers - and the use of joual faced numerous adversaries who were anxious to bien parler français (speak French properly). André LAURENDEAU editor in chief of the daily LE DEVOIR, and Jean-Paul DESBIENS author of INSOLENCES DU FRÈRE UNTEL quickly made it their mission to describe the use and spread of joual as one of the worst evils in Québec society. Seen as carelessness and lack of effort to excel, joual to them symbolized under-education, and this controversy would mark language debates throughout the next decade.

At the same time and with the opposite reaction, many Québec writers, especially those from the review PARTI PRIS, began to use joual in their novels, theatre, poetry, on the radio, in television scripts and in popular songs. For the first time, a large number of these were written in the vernacular rather than in French "from France." Therefore while highlighting a certain social realism, joual came to embody the degradation experienced because of English domination in the political and economic spheres: swear words were thought to be a rejection of the Catholic Church, and the colourful language and coarse pronunciation of certain vowels a unifying symbol of the Québécois identity. Nevertheless, the joual movement still remained controversial. For this reason Michel TREMBLAY's play Les Belles-soeurs was refused a government grant for a European tour, only to later become one of the greatest hits in Québécois theatre. Today joual is no longer a contentious issue. Its use adapts to particular circumstances at a certain time and not to the restrictive and pejorative ideas of an elitist class.

Author SINCLAIR ROBINSON

Suggested Reading
M.M. Orkin, Speaking Canadian French (1971); Sinclair Robinson and D. Smith, Dictionary of Canadian French (1990); Steve Timmins, French Fun (1992).

Links to Other Sites
Joual
A discussion of the role of "Joual" in Canadian theatre. From the Canadian Theatre Encyclopedia.

French in Québec: A Standard to be Described and Uses to Be Prioritized
View the text of a paper that covers trincipal characteristics of present-day Québec French, the “Joual dispute,” and related topics. From the Conseil supérieur de la langue française.