Bilingualism in the Navy

[curiousresearcher]

Good afternoon everyone,
I am a PhD student and I'm undertaking a research on bilingualism in the Canadian Navy, could you please help me giving me your experiences, information, opinions?
Anything may help, so thank you in advance! 

 

[mariomike]

See also,

French Speaking Sailors In The Canadian Navy.
https://army.ca/forums/threads/100937.0

Is HMCS Ville de Quebec still a Francophone unit ? 
http://army.ca/forums/threads/95550.0/nowap.html

Languages actually spoken and used in day to day operations aside, all units in the CF are officially designated as English Language Units (ELU), French (FLU) or bilingual (BLU).  For the most part it is mostly headquarters that are BLUs while other units are one or the other.

Keep in mind that even though a unit may conduct its administration in French, if it operates within the NATO umbrella (which HMC ShipsNavires CSM usually do), its operations are conducted in English.  This is because the operational language of NATO is English and even the French Navy operates in English in this regard.  Years ago, the Official Languages Commission was breathing down our necks because of our tardiness at translating NATO publications into French.  We apparently asked the French Navy for assistance, but their response was that they had never translated any NATO publication, nor did they intend to because they saw no point in translating anything out of the language in which it was supposed to be used.

Yes, the NCSM Ville De Quebec is considered a bilingual unit, with French being considered it's primary language.  While in harbour, all daily routine pipes are SUPPOSED to be made in french, and emergency pipes in english.  However, there are instances when a new QM/BM has no knowledge of the proper translation for the pipe they are supposed to make (or their GAF levels are seriously low), and the pipe will be made in english.

At sea, however, the only pipes that are made in french are the wakey wakey, hands to lunch and hands to supper pipes.  Everything else is done in english.

In the reserves, four of the five units in the province of Quebec are Franco, the last one, H.M.C.S. Donnacona, being the only bilingual unit in the Navy. There everything is done in both languages.

The Naval Reserve seized onto similar thinking a while ago and, in addition to standing up several new units in Quebec, moved NAVRES HQ to Quebec City and opened a fleet school there as part of the Naval Presence in Quebec programme.

 

[curiousresearcher]

See also,

French Speaking Sailors In The Canadian Navy.
https://army.ca/forums/threads/100937.0

Thank you very much!

 

[mariomike]

Thank you very much!

You are welcome. Good luck in your research. 

 

[Navy_Pete]

Not helpful for your research, but I did learn to 'sacre comme un vrai francophone, estie!' from my sailors.  I like to think that's the functional element of bilingualism you don't get in the language schools.

 

[dimsum]

Not helpful for your research, but I did learn to 'sacre comme un vrai francophone, estie!' from my sailors.  I like to think that's the functional element of bilingualism you don't get in the language schools.

If your language school was St. Jean, you totally got that element  :nod: