Are some French Canadians assimilated people of English descent? (house, asbestos)

[kelsius]

I was thinking, a lot of cities to the south of Montreal have English names, such as Victoriaville and Sherbrooke, but are French-speaking. Did the people of English descent simply leave these cities and French people replaced them, or did some of the English people switch to speaking French and assimilated into the French Canadian community? Was it a bit of both?

Are there French-speaking Canadians who actually don't have a hint of French ancestry in their heritage? Just like say, German and Ukrainian Canadians might speak English and culturally be virtually identical to Anglophone Canadians of English descent.

I know this doesn't apply specifically to Montreal but it applies to Quebec in general.

[jambo101]

Originally Posted by kelsius

. Did the people of English descent simply leave these cities and French people replaced them,

Yes..
Since the late 60's the English have left Quebec by the hundreds of thousands taking their money and businesses and future generations with them,many places that were populated by the English and had English named towns and streets now have French names

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by jambo101

Yes..
Since the late 60's the English have left Quebec by the hundreds of thousands taking their money and businesses and future generations with them,many places that were populated by the English and had English named towns and streets now have French names

This is largely true. In some places the largest phenomenon has been population replacement - francophones in, anglophones out. Although keep in mind that a lot places were company towns founded by anglos with English names but that never really had many anglos living there: Drummondville, Victoriaville, Thetford Mines, Asbestos, etc. have all been francophone since they were settled. But places like Granby and Sherbrooke it is true were anglo at one time and are now francophone.

Also, not all of the anglos have left. Some of them still remain and still remain English-speaking. Whereas some have assimilated to French, not just in the formerly anglo areas like the Eastern Townships, but across Quebec - more on this in my next post.

[Acajack]

To answer the question more directly, this is a list that I posted some time ago here:

Jim Corcoran - music
Mike Ward - comedy
Peter MacLeod - comedy
Christopher Williams - comedy
Ken Scott - film making
Lawrence Cannon - politics
Norm MacMillan - politics
Steven Blaney - politics
Jennifer Carroll - sports
Winston McQuade - journalism
Gordon Sawyer - journalism
Judi Richards - music
Lulu Hughes - music
Rick Hughes - music
Nanette Workman - music
Kim Richardson - music
James Hyndman - actor
Peter Miller - actor
Anthony Kavanagh - comedy


These are all people who would be considered Québécois francophones.

So the answer is that there are many Québécois francophones of English or anglophone origins. The house across the street from me has people living in it with three different surnames: all of the names are anglo, but everyone there is francophone. This is not uncommon.

Quebec is home to the only Irish origin population (some 400,000) in the world that is predominantly comprised of native French speakers. It is also home to the only predominantly French-speaking Scotttish origin population in the world. Of course, many people in Quebec of Irish and Scottish origin are still native English speakers, but the majority in both of these groups in Quebec is francophone.

In Montreal, where the anglo community has more numbers and resources, the percentage of people of anglo origins who are English speakers is much higher, but even in Montreal you will still meet people with English names who are native francophones.

[barneyg]

While it's true that many anglos left Quebec, there are also many people of Irish descent who have been assimilated in a very similar way to people of German/Ukrainian/Scandinavian heritage have been assimilated in the Prairies and the US Midwest as the OP suggested. This is especially true in Central Quebec (Bois-Francs, Lotbinière) as well as the Eastern Townships.

I would assume part of this is due to the Irish being Catholics just like French Canadians, making it easier for marriages. I know my own ancestry is filled with Irish women even though my earliest known ancestors were from France. The Irish and French Canadians also shared the same stereotypical class struggle/relationship with the English (as the working class vs. WASP bosses).

[MelismaticEchoes]

There are some Anglophone Canadians that have adapted and assimilated into French Franco-Canadian culture and identify as such. Cultures often overlap and borrow from each other.

[Mouldy Old Schmo]

Originally Posted by Acajack

To answer the question more directly, this is a list that I posted some time ago here:

So the answer is that there are many Québécois francophones of English or anglophone origins. The house across the street from me has people living in it with three different surnames: all of the names are anglo, but everyone there is francophone. This is not uncommon.

But that doesn't necessarily mean they don't know how to speak English, does it?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Mouldy Old Schmo

But that doesn't necessarily mean they don't know how to speak English, does it?

Some do and some don't. There are quite a few people in Quebec with names like Steve Ryan or Kevin Williams who don't speak any English.

[aliss2]

You will find quite a few of these in rural areas, usually through intermarriage. I have several anglophone friends whose children do not speak English, because they only use French in the home. It seems only natural that these children will likely identify as quebecois and not quebecker. Likewise, this exists both ways - both of my children have very Quebecois names and one of them cannot speak any French.

[The Postman]

Originally Posted by Acajack

This is largely true. In some places the largest phenomenon has been population replacement - francophones in, anglophones out. Although keep in mind that a lot places were company towns founded by anglos with English names but that never really had many anglos living there: Drummondville, Victoriaville, Thetford Mines, Asbestos, etc. have all been francophone since they were settled. But places like Granby and Sherbrooke it is true were anglo at one time and are now francophone.

Also, not all of the anglos have left. Some of them still remain and still remain English-speaking. Whereas some have assimilated to French, not just in the formerly anglo areas like the Eastern Townships, but across Quebec - more on this in my next post.

Not really different to all the cities with French names in the US - Detroit, Des Moines, St Louis.etc that were founded by the French but now settled by mostly folk of other ancestries.