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« You didn’t learn Parisian French in school either (#533)
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Bad French? (#534)

4 February 2013 by OffQc

This Google search led a user to OffQc:

is donner un lift à quelqu’un québécois

Yes, in Quebec French, donner un lift à quelqu’un is an informal expression meaning “to give someone a lift” (in a vehicle). Un lift is clearly borrowed from English.

Something that gets under my skin is when a usage is labelled “incorrect” because it was borrowed from English.

On this page from the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), we’re told that usage of un lift in French is fautif (incorrect). Example sentences using the word are marked in red.

Certainly, there are times when it would be advisable to avoid expressions using un lift, such as when writing or speaking in formal French.

But to outright label these expressions as incorrect and mark them in red?

Surely there’s room for informal language in French, regardless of its origins.

On that same OQLF page, you’ll find lots of examples of expressions using un lift.

– Tu veux un lift? Je vais justement par là.
– Pourriez-vous nous donner un lift jusqu’à l’arrêt d’autobus?
– Je n’avais pas de lift pour revenir en ville, j’ai donc couché sur place.
– Ils ont offert un lift à ceux qui étaient venus en taxi.
– Nous cherchons un lift pour monter à Montréal samedi prochain.
– Est-ce que tout le monde a un lift?

There are also example sentences of other ways to express the same idea without using un lift.

– Je te dépose? (ou : Tu veux monter?) Je vais justement par là.
– Pourriez-vous nous conduire (ou : nous emmener) jusqu’à l’arrêt d’autobus?
– Personne ne pouvait me ramener en ville, j’ai donc couché sur place.
– Ils ont reconduit (ou : offert de raccompagner) ceux qui étaient venus en taxi.
– Nous cherchons un moyen de transport pour monter à Montréal samedi prochain.
– Est-ce que tout le monde a une place en voiture?

I take no issue with offering alternatives to expressions using un lift. But the way that the OQLF presents their alternatives feels manipulative and condescending.

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Posted in Entries #501-550 | Tagged français québécois, lift, Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), Québécois French | 2 Comments

2 Responses

  1. on 4 February 2013 at 13:06 Anonymous

    I didn’t feel it was condescending, but chacun son goût, right?

    I think it’s important to keep in mind that the OQLF’s agenda is to cultivate a language distinct that is as distinct from English as possible. They have to take a hard-line approach because, historically, Quebecois French has been subject to a great deal of scrutiny and often been ridiculed by others, even here in Canada. However, I’m sure you already know that, so great big news there.

    That being said, I feel that any language body–be it the OQLF or the Académie française–always tends towards snobbism, in my opinion. I suppose, this is one of the unfortunate side effects of being a staunch language guardian.

    Thanks for this entry by the way, this phrase always stumps me when I speak to non-QC Francophones.


  2. on 4 February 2013 at 13:21 Anonymous

    another inf. way of saying the same thing is embarquer, debarquer qn. pick so.and drop off so.



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