Francophone ergonyms as markers of multiculturalism in Canada

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Francophone ergonyms as markers of multiculturalism in Canada

Gryshkova R. O.

Petro Mohyla Black Sea National University

Francophone ergonyms in Canada are under the author S consideration in this article. Canada is a multicultural country where people of different nationalities and ethnic groups peacefully coexist and there are two official languages in this country: English and French. In 1988 the multicultural character of the country was officially recognized when the Government of Canada passed the Multiculturalism Act.

Canadian multiculturalism is caused by the long history of the state - the biggest variety ofpeople in the world with their races and religions call Canada home - creating a mosaic of customs and character. Together with words of British origin, languages of Native Indians Francophone ergonyms reflect people's multicultural values and beliefs, religious variety, personal priorities and different life styles.

The only French speaking but the oldest and the biggest province in Canada, Quebec is famous for its harbor and ports, annual Mardi Gras festival and the Bonhomme Carnaval, an art Anima Gallery, Palladian style cottages and numerous monuments to the founders ofthe country, outstanding generals and historical battlers. Montreal, the world's second-largest French-speaking city after Paris is alive with French culture, romance and charm. The capital of the province Quebec, a city where past and present meet to create the unique culture for which it is so famous, is a bilingual centre of education, economic, banking and cultural life.

Francophone ergonyms in Canada are considered to be real markers of Canadian multiculturalism as they reflect the state policy of the country which creates equal opportunities for successful development of all nations and nationalities on its territory. francophone ergonym multiculturalism

Key words: Francophone ergonyms, multiculturalism, peaceful coexistence, Native Indians, equal opportunities.

Гришкова Р. О. ФРАНКОМОВНІ ЕРГОНІМИ ЯК МАРКЕРИ МУЛЬТИКУЛЬТУРНОСТІ В КАНАДІ

У статті висвітлено результати дослідження франкомовних ергонімів у Канаді, які розцінюються автором як маркери мультикультурності цієї країни. Канада є багатонаціональною двомовною державою, в якій мирно живуть і працюють представники різних національностей і етнічних груп, послуговуючись у спілкуванні англійською та французькою мовами. Акт про Мультикультуралізм, що гарантує рівні права всім народностям на теренах країни, було прийнято урядом Канади в 1988 році.

Мультикультурність Канади пояснюється довгою і славною історією країни, де знайшли дім представники майже всіх національностей, утворюючи мозаїку традицій та характерів. У мові канадійців поряд зі словами британського походження вживаються франкомовні лексичні одиниці, мовні звороти індіанців східного узбережжя та корінних інуїтів. Вони відображають різні цінності, вірування, звички, способи життя населення країни.

Квебек, єдина франкомовна провінція Канади, є найбільшою і найстарішою з 12 провінцій і територій Канади. Монреаль як друге франкомовне місто у світі після Парижа та Квебек-сіті нагадують про величну історію країни, ця частина якої була попервах захвачена французами.

Франкомовні ергоніми, відтворюючи назви банків, університетів, спортивних і культурних подій, історичних битв і пам'ятників національним героям, є реальними маркерами мультикультурності Канади.

Ключові слова: франкомовні ергоніми, мультикультурність, мирне співіснування, корінне населення, рівні можливості.

Introduction

Traditionally in the course of learning English much attention is paid to British and American country study, literature, customs, rituals etc. There are heaps of materials on these topics in popular editions and research works saying nothing about the Internet. Many famous and talented writers, scientists, travelers, philosophers dedicated their publications to American or British values and beliefs, life styles, priorities. At the same time students of philological faculties know much less about Canada: may be because of the lack of academic time for learning, or may be teachers of English themselves have poor knowledge about Canada.

Every educated person knows there are two state languages in Canada - English and French. Language is a reflection ofthe peculiarities ofthe world comprehension by its speakers. The development of the society is represented in the proper names of its members, their customs and traditions, folklore, national priorities, ergonyms, which can be considered as the source of our knowledge about the past, a very specific memory about the events which took place long ago.

Even before Canada grew to include the colorful and distinctive population it does, it was unusual in the fact that it is an officially bilingual nation [13]. Canada is proud of its multiculturalism. The native cultures are the only truly indigenous cultures in Canada. However, less than one million people identify themselves exclusively as members of the North American Indian, Inuit or Metis Aboriginal groups.

As it is mentioned in the English edition of the guide book “Canada” issued by Irving Weisdorf & Co. Ltd., `the French colonists were the first to carry the name “Canadians”. Today, Montreal is the second- largest French-speaking city in the world after Paris; there are large concentrations of French-speaking Canadians throughout the entire country. Acadian residents in the bilingual province of New Brunswick speak the French language of the first Atlantic Canada settlers [14].

Much of the Canadian population is made up of British descendants, and naturally, they speak English. Almost four million Canadians are of Scottish or Irish ancestry. Other major groups are German, Italian, Ukrainian, Dutch, Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Scandinavian - literally every nationality imaginable. More recently, Asians, especially Chinese from Hong Kong, Latin Americans and people from Caribbean have been immigrating in larger numbers. Most of the newcomers head to the large cities, they learn English or French but try to preserve their native language.

In 1988 the multicultural character of the country was officially recognized when the Government of Canada passed the Multiculturalism Act. According to this Act special attention had to be paid to the natives Inuit, who are often called Eskimos. The word Inuit means “the people” and is the name that these people use to refer to themselves. Eskimo comes from a Canadian Indian term meaning “eaters of raw meat”. The Inuit met the challenge of living in the tundra by making use of the resources they found there - ice, snow, stone, soil, and animals. They build temporary shelters called an igloo. Inuit hunters use kayaks - small one-person boats made of sealskin. Arctic dogs huskies are used for carrying heavy loads across great distances [10, p. 83]. These italicized words have become known far beyond the boundaries of Canada as the markers of living in the North.

Another group of the Canadians, Northwest Coast Indians, are famous for creating totem poles to mark special events, a successful hunt or to serve as a family emblem.

Canadians have embraced the idea of preservation, allowing each separate culture to flourish. People of different ethnic groups who also speak English or French besides their native language peacefully coexist in Canada. For many of those who were born in this country English or French has become their native language. The Multiculturalism Act guaranties equal possibilities for the development of any language people use in Canada.

Analysis of relevant researches

In this work we are going to research the Francophone ergonyms (the names of banks, firms, educational, sport and cultural objects) in Canada in order to demonstrate how two state languages not only peacefully coexist in this country but unite people of different nationalities. So first we analyze the notion of “ergonym” itself.

A considerable number of linguistic notions contain the term “onym' in their names: synonym, antonym, chromonym, toponym, anthroponym, presonym, teonym, ergonym etc. Scientific works devoted to the study of all sorts of “onyms” have become widely spread because of the rapid increase of new categories of names and their influence on the social and cultural life of people. Ukrainian researches D.Ganych and O.Oliynyk in their “Dictionary of

Linguistic Terminology” define onym as “a word, word combination or a sentence which serves for identifying a certain object among other objects, its individualization and identification. A proper name” [9, p. 287].

“Onym” is the central notion of “onomastics” - (from Greek onomastikos - the one which refers to giving names) [11, p. 517] - a branch of linguistics which studies the development, functioning and spread of proper names. The first to use the term “ergonym” were European researchers J.C. Richards,

J.Piatt, P. Hebloom. Later it was used by Americans M. Breal, P. Sjoblom, K. Montgomery. Functioning of Francophone ergonyms in social and cultural life of the country was researched by Canadian scientists Perkings R.T. and Swan M.S. In Ukraine ergonyms were studied by A. Bespalova (on the materials of the companies' names), D. Buchko and N. Tkachova published a “Dictionary of Ukrainian onomastic terminology” [1], where the definition of ergonyms is given. O. Karpenko researched the ergonyms' structural types [3, 4], N. Kutuza - ergonyms as elements of an advertisement discourse [5, 6], T. Davydova - “speaking names” in English tales and folklore [2].

Most of the above mentioned linguists devoted their findings to Ukrainian ergonyms, and very few - to Anglophone ones (A. Bespalova, T. Davydova). Their researches of Anglophone ergonyms were based on the proper names spread in Great Britain or the United States of America. They appreciated the role of ergonyms in social and cultural space of these countries having analyzed their structural, semantic and functional peculiarities. But there are no scientific researches in Ukraine where Francophone ergonyms in Canada are studied in the context of multiculturalism.

The subject of this work is researching ergonyms as a part of onomastics. Ergonyms are the names of companies, banks, factories, plants, educational establishments, cultural objects and sport events, shops etc. They function in a certain environment and reflect people's attitude towards their social and cultural surrounding. At the same time they influence people's mental health and psychological situation. We have already researched the linguistic and cultural aspects of Anglophone ergonyms in Canada. The results of our work were published in this journal in 2022 [11]. Here we are going to research Francophone ergonyms in Canada bearing in mind the fact that there are two state languages in this country and people of French background were among the early settlers here. Now according to the last census 23,2% of Canadians are of French descent while 64,6% are of British origin.

Inuit and Indians account only 0,4%. Other ethnic groups - Mediterranean, Asian, African, German, Ukrainian - taken together form 3,9% [10, p. 155]. But the life styles and traditions of all these ethnic groups are to be taken into consideration by the state to guarantee equal possibilities for the development of every nation.

The aim of the study is: to find Francophone ergonyms in Canada, analyze their functional and cultural characteristics in the context of multiculturalism.

The tasks of the research are:

• to characterize Francophone ergonyms in Canadian linguistic and cultural space in order to define their role in the social life of the country;

• to analyze their functions and psychological influence on the Canadians;

• to prove that Francophone ergonyms are markers of multiculturalism in Canada.

To expose Francophone ergonyms in Canadian linguistic and cultural space such sources of information were used: historical reviews of the country, guide books for visitors, touring guides, reference books, dictionaries and advertizing materials.

Methods of research

To accomplish the tasks of this work the following methods of research were used: analysis of scientific publications on the subject of the research in order to clear out the level of the problem's work out; content- analysis of authentic materials to form the massive of Francophone ergonyms to be studied; descriptive method for characteristics of the semantic meanings of ergonyms; statistics - for generalization of the research's results.

Research Findings. According to New Webster's Dictionary and Thesaurus of the English Language multiculturalism is “the emphasis in education on encouraging an understanding of and appreciation for the contributions and cultural identities of various groups in a society” [15, p. 656]. Multiculturalism supposes peaceful coexistence of all people in the country, their cooperation in all spheres of life, mutual understanding, equal access to education and at the same time preserving national traditions, customs, beliefs, life styles. Canadian multiculturalism is caused by the long history of the state now inhabited by not only people of British or French ancestry but also by various Native Indians. When the Europeans arrived the Native Indians were well established and not far behind the explorers in terms of technology. Native Indians spread across Canada had successfully developed a wide range of languages, laws and government. They had well-defined religious beliefs, trading processes, skills, arts, crafts and survival techniques [13, p. 8].

When Jacques Cartier, the French explorer who claimed New France for king Francis I, came to Quebec in 1535, it was known as Stradacona, home to some 1000 natives. More than half a century later, Cartier was followed by another French explorer, Samuel de Champlain, who set up a trading post in 1608. His statue stands outside the Chateau Frontenac, Quebec City's most distinctive landmark [16].

As settlers poured in to seek their fortunes in North America, Quebec City quickly became the economic, religious and political heartbeat of New France. In the 17-th and 18-th centuries it saw continuous conflict between French settlers, warring Indians and the English government. French rule finally ended in 1759 but the inhabitants remain fiercely loyal to their francophone roots [16].

The influence of French culture can be seen throughout Quebec province. In many cities and towns the buildings are French in style, and the street signs are written in French. About 85% of the people of Quebec speak French. Most French Canadians are Roman Catholics, as their ancestors were. Moreover, the French in Quebec think of themselves as a distinct society, or one that is different from any other. As one famous journalist wrote, the French Canadians “have their own national holidays, their own music videos, their own literature” [10, p. 156].

Historically by both intentional and inadvertent means the explorers and pioneers brought about an end to the Native's original way of life. Through disease, battlers, land losses, near extinction of the buffalo and a long history of conflict and complication, European and especially French discovery is estimated to have reduced the Native Indian population by more than two thirds. The Inuit, or Eskimos, who arrived from Asia after the forebears of all other American Indians, were the last group to give up their traditional way of life. However, partly because of their location in the Arctic, the Inuit remains primarily hunters although they now use more modern housing [13, p. 8].

Quebec, the only French speaking province in Canada, is famous for its harbor and ports, annual Mardi Gras festival and the Carnaval, an art Anima Gallery, Palladian style cottages and numerous monuments to the founders of the country, outstanding generals and historical battlers. Among twelve other Canadian provinces and territories Quebec is considered to be the oldest one. It has a glorious history and is proud of its beautiful cities, hardworking people and gorgeous nature.

There are two big cities in the province of Quebec - Montreal and the City of Quebec, saying nothing about smaller towns and villages.

Montreal, the world's second-largest Frenchspeaking city after Paris is alive with French culture, romance and charm. The Notre Dame Basilica built in 1829 is a very popular church in Old Montreal's Place d'Armes. Hotel de Ville is a gorgeous structure which dates from 1878. The Saint-Sulpice Seminary, constructed in 1683, is the oldest structure in Montreal. Among the most worthy and famous galleries and museums is the world-renowned Musee des beaux arts. This is the city's main art gallery, with an expensive collection of more than 25000 items. Montreal's modern Olympic Stadium built in 1976 is easily recognized by its inclined tower.

Canadians value several sporting contests not just for fun but also as a means of fostering the country's unity. The wide variety of sporting activities offers perfect opportunities for Canadians to display their talents and to effectively compete with the rest of the world at the international level. Thus Canada has become a country of a variety of games and sports. The country has also shown its dominance in world sports as well as in the Olympic Games. It is already known that winter sports in Canada are very much popular all over the world.

Ice hockey is considered to be the most popular sport in Canada, as the sport has been named as the official national sport in Canada. The Canadian Ice hockey league, “National Hockey League (NHL)” is established both in Canada and the United States. Canada has 7 teams currently playing in NHL. Montreal Canadians NHL, Montreal Alouettes CFL, sport complex Club Montreal Sport et Social, Midtown Le Sporting Club Sanctuary are very popular among French Canadians.

The root of basketball is firmly embedded in Canada. The modern basketball game was founded by a Canadian, James Naismith, in 1891 while working as a physical education instructor in the US. Several players who took part in the first game came from Canada. Baseball has been played in Canada since the beginning and is one of the most popular sports in the country. Aside from famous bagels and poutine, Montreal is best known for the first Olympics ever held in Canada during the summer of 1976.

Universities in Montreal provide for higher education both in English and in French. Not only residents of Montreal and other cities and towns of French speaking Quebec province can gain education here but also Native Indians, Inuit and representatives of other local minorities having equal rights use the possibility to study at the university no matter what language they choose. The top universities such as Universite de Montreal, McGill University, Concordia

University as well as Vanier College, College Rosemont, College LaSalle, Ecole de Technologie Superieure give higher education to Canadians as well as to international students from different countries including Ukraine. Students can choose the language of teaching as well as special courses for professionally oriented training. These Francophone universities and colleges are in the top 10 Canadian higher educational establishments.

Banking system is highly developed in Canada: the oldest BMO Banque de Montreal, founded in 1817 is the first Canadian multinational investment bank and financial services company. RBC Banque Royale gives all sorts of financial services to companies and individuals as well as Banque Nationale du Canada and Banque Scotia. These are the oldest banks in Canada which were founded when the French dominated in this part of the country. But now they serve all strata of the native population and foreign residents.

Canadian multiculturalism is vividly reflected in all kinds of art. Galleries such as Foundation PHI pour l'art contemporain, Galerie d'art Canadien Cazeault, Galerie de L'Universite, Montreal L 'Artotheque - Centre d'art visual exhibit classical and modern pieces of art: paintings, sculpture, architecture projects. No matter what community the artist belongs - English-speaking, Francophone or represent native minorities - all of them have equal chances to exhibit their original masterpieces at any state or private gallery. Moreover the small in number residents of the Northern Territories are given preferences in their creativity, folklore, handicrafts.

Cultural life in Montreal is also represented by various museum exhibitions in Musee de Lachine, Musee duMontrealjuif, Pointe-a-Calliere (Archeology and History Museum), Musee des meters d'art du Quebec and others where the ancient artifacts connected with the history of the country are demonstrated.

Quebec, a city where past and present meet to create the unique culture for which it is so famous, is a bilingual centre of education, economic, banking and cultural life. It means that people who speak both English and French languages work in local administration offices, factories, port and cultural establishments.

The oldest part of Quebec City the Citadelle is a sprawling, star-shaped fort with a statue of Joan of Arc and the Earl Grey Terrace. Near it is the Musee du Quebec, housing a collection of over 17000 paintings, sculptures, silver, prints, drawings, photographs and decorative art.

The Chateau Frontenac hotel, the most famous Quebec City landmark, looks like a medieval French chateau. This century-old hotel can be seen from nearly any place within the old city walls. Not far away there is a 15-metre high statue of Samuel de Champlain, who founded Quebec City in 1608. A former training square for soldiers Place d'Armes is nearby as well as Musee du Fort. The Musee de la Civilisation is famous for its ultra-modern design. The VieuxPort Centre D'Interpretation provides one more journey into Quebec's heritage.

The Roman Catholic church wielded great power over the political and educational life of New France. The Seminare de Quebec was founded in 1663 as a training centre for priests. The twin-towered Notre- Dame Basilica was the mother church for the religious elite who ruled over New France. The Ursuline chapel shelters the tomb of Marie de L 'Incarnation, Reverend Mother and settler of New France.

Sidewalk cafes are a sure sign of summer in Quebec as for example La Vieille Maison du Spaghetti. Restaurateurs here follow the French tradition of haute cuisine. La Fresque des Quebecois is painted in trompe-l'oeil and tells the story of Quebec's National Capital. The artists created this fresque to depict Quebec's architecture, location, its fortification, walls and staircases.

As for educational establishments in Quebec there are some French-language universities which were founded in the 19-th or 20-th centuries. Among them are Ceger Garneau, Ceger de Sainte-Foy, Champlain College St. Lawrence, FSA ULaval - Universite Laval opened in 1924. Universite TELUG is the only French-language university in North America offering all its courses via distance education. There is also Conservatorie de musique du Quebec where gifted students of all nationalities can get musical education. Some private colleges and schools as for example Merici Collegial Prive are opened to make education closer to the Natives.

Among ten best banks and credit unions in Quebec are RBC Banque Royale, Banque Laurentienne du Canada, Banque Td Groupe Financier, Banque de Developpment du Canada, Institut FranQuebeco- International de la Personne Globale. All these banks give services to big companies as well as to private people. The names of these banks reflect their French origin but now they serve all clients no matter what language they speak.

Francophone ergonyms in Canadian culinary deserve a special attention as it is clear the French who came to live in Canada in the 18-th and 19-th centuries brought their recherche cuisine preferences with them. That is why most restaurants in Montreal and Quebec City bear French names and attract visitors with their refined dishes: beef bourguignon, ratatouille, cog au vin, bouillabaisse, cassaoulet, flamiche, French onion soup, fondue French, soupe de poisons, souffle, etc. French dishes are popular all over the country because of their recherche taste, natural ingredients and delicious flavor.

Everyday life of Canadians in Quebec province is integrated into Francophone names, French fashion shops, supermarkets, schools, cultural objects.

After analyzing a considerable amount of Francophone ergonyms in Canada a conclusion can be made that they really reflect the country's long and glorious history as they refer to various spheres of life. The names connected with feats of the French generals, numerous monuments to historical battles and places of Canadian bravery are commemorated throughout the whole Quebec province. They demonstrate that Canadians remember their pervious generation's heroes and honor their memory.

According to their functions all Francophone ergonyms in Canada can be divided into some groups: historical, educational, informative, nominative, cultural, businesslike, enlightened, memorial, etc. It is necessary to mention that all these functions are aimed at uniting people of different origin and background who work for the benefit of their country. They serve for bringing up the young generations of Canadians in the spirit of patriotism, readiness to develop their native state, glory for its boundless space, rich nature and friendly people.

As far as we can see, most French universities, banks, art galleries and public places were founded in the 19-th century or even earlier when the French dominated in the country. Newly formed educational establishments, banks, sport and cultural events bear mostly Anglophone names. Very few public places remain original Indian names as there are no Native words to be used giving names to any newly founded establishments. Such words are borrowed either from English or from French. As for the tendencies in creating new ergonyms in Canada it is necessary to mention that in most cases they are Anglophone. But no matter where Canadians live - in the industrially developed south of the country or on the vast northern territories, they have equal possibilities for getting education, developing their national crafts, participating in community activity. All these rights are guaranteed by the state which is proud of its multiculturalism.

Further research of ergonyms in Canada should be concentrated on the detailed linguistic analysis of both Anglophone and Francophone ergonyms concerning their connection with Latin and the ancient Greek language.

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