La Langue: France vs. Canada — “sauf”, “excepté”… and why your barista might wear a tuque

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If you’ve ever stared at a French street sign and thought, “Wait… ‘sauf’ or ‘excepté’—which one is today’s boss?”, bienvenue. In France you’ll meet SAUF everywhere: Sens interdit — sauf riverains (no entry—except local residents). In Québec, you’ll see ARRÊT instead of STOP, and under signs you may spot SAUF and EXCEPTÉ in different contexts—both are perfectly intelligible to francophones. In France, sauf is the everyday star; “riverains” simply means residents along that street (no river required). (Quebec)

“Is Canadian French just old ‘Louis XVI French’?”

Short answer: No—but there’s a kernel of truth. Québec French kept some older pronunciations and words that faded in France, while France evolved along its own path. Think cousins who grew up on different continents and now compare slang at family reunions. Linguists trace Québec French to the 17th–18th-century Parisian/France koiné, not a time-capsule from Versailles; both sides have changed a lot since. (Wikipedia)

What really differs?

Pronunciation. Québec French has some features that jump out to European ears:

  • Affrication of t/d before i/u: tu can sound like tsu, dire like dzire (don’t panic—it’s still French). This trait is documented in phonetics guides and has even popped up in French media debates. (Le Monde.fr)

  • More diphthongs and vowel contrasts in colloquial speech than standard Parisian French. (Wikipedia)

Lexicon. Same language, different favorites. A few crowd-pleasers you’ll hear in Canada (especially Québec):

  • un char (car) vs une voiture (FR)

  • magasiner (to shop) vs faire du shopping (FR)

  • un dépanneur (corner shop) vs une supérette / un tabac (FR)

  • une tuque (beanie/hat) vs un bonnet (FR)

  • fin de semaine vs week-end (FR)

  • un breuvage vs une boisson (FR)

  • les vidanges vs les poubelles (FR)
    These are living choices, not “mistakes.” Some are archaisms kept alive; others are local coinages. (Rosetta Stone)

Official terms. In Québec, the language office (OQLF) helped popularize courriel for “email,” a term France later also officially recommends alongside “courrier électronique.” Usage still varies, because humans. (Vitrine linguistique)

Street-sign micro-lesson: SAUF vs EXCEPTÉ

  • France: Expect SAUF on sub-panels: sauf bus, sauf vélos, sauf riverains.

  • Québec: You’ll meet ARRÊT signs and sub-panels that may use SAUF or EXCEPTÉ depending on the sign’s design/authority. The takeaway for learners: both mean “except,” and your parking ticket doesn’t care which word you favor. (Quebec)

Tiny myths, big smiles

  • Myth: “Québecers speak ‘old French’ and Parisians don’t get it.”
    Reality: Formal registers are mutually intelligible; casual speech diverges on both sides (just like Glasgow vs. LA English). Give your ear two days and a coffee—magic happens. (britishcouncil.org)

Pocket Vocab (print-me!)

  • sauf / excepté — except

  • riverain·e·s — local residents (of that street)

  • stationnement (CA) / parking (FR) — parking

  • débarre / barre (CA) / ouvre / ferme (FR) — unlock/lock

  • chandail (CA) / pull (FR) — sweater

  • courriel / email — email (both officially OK; courriel promoted by OQLF) (Vitrine linguistique)

Pronunciation cheat-notes

  • Try a light ts for ti/tu in Québec varieties (optional; you’ll be understood without it).

  • Expect diphthongs in words like tête or fête in informal Québec French. (Wikipedia)

Level-by-Level: How to practice today

  • A1: Read 5 French signs on your street (or Google Street View). Say them aloud. Can you spot SAUF? Write your own mini-sign: SENS INTERDIT — SAUF VÉLOS.

  • A2: Swap a vocab pair into a sentence: Je vais au dépanneur acheter un breuvage. Then rewrite in FR-France: Je vais à la supérette acheter une boisson.

  • B1: Record yourself reading two versions of a dialogue (Québec vs France vocab). Notice where you naturally code-switch.

  • B2: Debate: Courriel ou email — lequel préférez-vous et pourquoi ? One paragraph, include at least one sign example (sauf/excepté). Back your opinion with a source.

  • Advanced: Listen to a Québec news clip and a France news clip; transcribe 60 seconds each. Annotate phonetic features (affrication, diphthongs). Cite timestamps.

Sources to explore (light touch)

  • Québec road signs (incl. ARRÊT). (Quebec)

  • What sauf riverains means (France).

  • Québec French phonology & features (affrication, diphthongs). (Wikipedia)

  • OQLF on courriel (and France’s official stance). (Vitrine linguistique)

  • Quick vocab contrasts & archaisms. (Rosetta Stone)

  • History & “old French” nuance. (OUPblog)

Your turn — on papote !
What sign or word surprised you first—tuque, char, sauf? Drop your favorite Canada/France doublet in the comments and tell us where you spotted it in the wild. Bonus points if you add a photo from Aix or Montréal.

PS: If you loved this, we’ll keep a curated list of cross-Atlantic vocab on “La Langue” for quick reference.

Location: Québec City, QC, Canada

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