Enseigner entre les lignes en Saskatchewan française (1905-1968)

Abstract

Based on an analysis of historical school textbooks, exams and other educational resources, this study aims to identify the nature of linguistic representations transposed into the school materials used in French-speaking Saskatchewan between the creation of the province in 1905 and the advent of immersions schools in 1968. The threat of anglicism and English (in general), the “soft” pronunciation of French Canadians, the natural interweaving of language and history and the awareness that there is a formal level of language to adopt were concerns at the time. The line between the imitation of a distinguished linguistic model inspired by Quebec’s classical colleges and the simplification of the language taught to French-speaking children in the province remained fragile. Founded in 1912, the Association catholique franco-canadienne de la Saskatchewan developed a series of initiatives with the aim of making French an attractive and valued language for the younger generation. Generally speaking, while not completely rejecting Quebec influence, francophone residents of Saskatchewan valued local thinking in education rather than idealizing what was done in a majority context. A certain distance needed to be maintained due to the Saskatchewan’s legal reality and the awareness that language is different in a minority setting. Keywords: French-speaking education; Fransaskois; Textbook; Standard French; Education history; Association catholique franco-canadienne de la Saskatchewan