Snowbirds get to keep their name....

[EA757]

http://news.nationalpost.com/2013/10/11 ... only-term/

[North Shore]

Difficult to comment without getting into Quebec-bashing, but I'll forge ahead..

Who are these people who have nothing better to do than go around and whine about the amount and purity of French in Canada? Is it the same guy who couldn't get a 7-Up on Air Canada? Do they honestly think that 'Les Oiseaux de Neige' sounds better than 'Les Snowbirds'? There's got to be a host(ie) of other borrowings from English into French (Le Hotdog and Le Weekend are ones that I've been told exist) Are they getting snotty about those too?
I have enough going on between my job, spouse and children that I like to spend my spare time doing things that make me feel good, rather than feeding my sense of persecution....

Ok, off for my morning coffee!

[Big Pistons Forever]

I love the irony that Canadians tolerance for being willing to listen to everyone lets those who are the most intolerant and narrow minded have a voice.

The good news is the RCAF did not cave to the outrageous demands of the very small number of people who inhabit the lunatic fringe. I do however feel for the poor working stiffs at National Defence Headquarters who had to waste their time staffing this silliness.

I wish everyone of these nutbars could be teleported to Somalia/Congo/Libya/Syria, or any of the "Stans" for 2 Months, so they could find out just how good they have it in Canada

[Colonel Sanders]

those who are the most intolerant and narrow minded

Never under-estimate the power of political correctness.

Remember that Dire Strait's "Money for Nothing" song
was banned in Canada by our hard-working government,
after one complaint. After decades of being played

I remember hearing that one year, KSFO had 72,000 noise
complaints, and 21,000 came from one woman. Same story
at Toronto Island, I am told.

I used to fly aerobatics in a rural area not far from here. Got
one noise complaint. It's now deemed to be a "noise-sensitive"
area, and no airplanes can fly there any more, I guess. I get
lots of people that live near there, asking why I never fly there
any more, and I explain that one complainer is allowed to dictate
what happens in Canada.

I really can't keep up with the silliness that passes for government.

[Rockie]

On December 31, 1991 Toronto mayor June Rowlands banned the local band BareNaked Ladies from performing at Toronto's public square because she found the name offensive. No better publicity could be bought.

The rest as they say, is history.

[Dash-Ate]

Lucky their name is not Redskins.

[Beefitarian]

Maybe we need to do the same thing as Switzerland and force everyone in the country to take both official languages the whole time they're in school. Three generations out once young people start mixing it all together maybe they can quit fighting about what language to use.

[Liquid Charlie]

Let's face it -- the snowbirds are boring and outdated -- either support them with updated equipment and a new identity or just put them out of their misery -- BTW -- haha -- wtf -- too funny -- the term "snowbird" is as about Québécois as you can get -- trouble is when I hear the term the thought of a Canadian precision flying team is not the first image which pops into my head --

[Panama Jack]

I love the irony that Canadians tolerance for being willing to listen to everyone lets those who are the most intolerant and narrow minded have a voice.

Well said.

[Panama Jack]

Maybe we need to do the same thing as Switzerland and force everyone in the country to take both official languages the whole time they're in school. Three generations out once young people start mixing it all together maybe they can quit fighting about what language to use.

Well, in Switzerland the military flying team is named the "Patrouille Suisse." No German, Italian or Romansch equivalent name for the team. Bending backwards, if you consider that French is the native language of only 20% of the population.

Most terms in the Swiss Air Force are in German language.

[frozen solid]

In the main article commentary there is a good point about the Van Doos. Let's rename them too.

[boogs82]

In the main article commentary there is a good point about the Van Doos. Let's rename them too.

Doesn't make sense to rename them. Van Doos is the bastardized English version of vingt-deuxième. In Quebec they pronounce it properly. "Les vignt-deux." While I don't agree with changing the name of the Snowbirds, let's at least try to compare apples to apples.

[Beefitarian]

Maybe we need to do the same thing as Switzerland and force everyone in the country to take both official languages the whole time they're in school. Three generations out once young people start mixing it all together maybe they can quit fighting about what language to use.

Well, in Switzerland the military flying team is named the "Patrouille Suisse." No German, Italian or Romansch equivalent name for the team. Bending backwards, if you consider that French is the native language of only 20% of the population.

Most terms in the Swiss Air Force are in German language.

My information could be wrong but a Swiss carpenter I worked with around 1992 was telling us that everyone had to learn Swiss, English and French in school, no exceptions. He complained that when the kids spoke in conversation they intermingled the three too much.

My thought was to do that in Canada with English and French. Anyways just suggesting it is probably making someone crabby. So it's not going to happen.

[petpad]

Difficult to comment without getting into Quebec-bashing, but I'll forge ahead..

North Shore you give a poor example as a moderator. Nuf said.

[Diadem]

There's got to be a host(ie) of other borrowings from English into French (Le Hotdog and Le Weekend are ones that I've been told exist) Are they getting snotty about those too?

When I lived in Quebec I overheard a conversation that was in French, but there were so many English words being used that it took me about five minutes to figure out which language they were actually speaking. Language can't be legislated, and people won't use the official, "proper" terms just because the government mandates it. The governments of both Quebec and Canada need to let French evolve naturally.

In the main article commentary there is a good point about the Van Doos. Let's rename them too.

Doesn't make sense to rename them. Van Doos is the bastardized English version of vingt-deuxième. In Quebec they pronounce it properly. "Les vignt-deux." While I don't agree with changing the name of the Snowbirds, let's at least try to compare apples to apples.

I think the point he was making is that the official name of the regiment is Royal 22e Régiment, which is explicitly French, and that if we're making the Snowbirds language-neutral we should do so with all military units. Apparently language complaints only work one way though.

[frozen solid]

That's precisely the point I was making. The words "Van Doo" do not exist in the English language. It's just a mispronunciation of the french words. That unit has a French name.

[North Shore]

Difficult to comment without getting into Quebec-bashing, but I'll forge ahead..

North Shore you give a poor example as a moderator. Nuf said.

Sorry that you feel that way, petpad

I'd like to think that with my post I drew a pretty clear line between 'Quebec-bashing' (which would not be OK in terms of my mod. role) , and a legitimate criticism of linguistic nit-pickers (which is OK..).
I'm inferring from your post that you disagree. Fair enough - I'm sure that we'd be civil enough about it over a plate of wings and a bevvy or two...

Fly safely!

[bmc]

.
My information could be wrong but a Swiss carpenter I worked with aro 1992 was telling us that everyone had to learn Swiss, English and French in school, no exceptions. He complained that when the kids spoke in conversation they intermingled the three too much.

There is no Swiss language per se. The official languages of Switzerland are German, French, Italian and Rumansch. Swiss German is different from the language spoken in Germany. It is often compared to high German, but it is a different language.

[frozen solid]

Aren't the two mutually understandable, more like dialects? I always thought that German-speaking Swiss and Germans could understand each other.

[Beefitarian]

Do they still teach three languages in school?