French used less often as exclusive language to greet customers: OQLF

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Years after the “Bonjour-Hi” controversy in Quebec, a new study suggests the rate at which people are greeted in French alone by Montreal merchants has significantly decreased.

Conducted by the Office québécois de la langue française, the study revealed people shopping in Montreal are greeted in French alone 71 per cent of the time, down from 84 per cent in 2010.

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At the same time, bilingual greetings such as “Bonjour-Hi” accounted for 12 per cent of cases in the city, up from only four per cent when a similar study was conducted in 2010.

In a statement issued on Monday, French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge said the study is further proof of the need to remain vigilant about the decline of French in the province.

“The declining use of French to welcome Quebecers is a sign that French is less and less the normal language of business and commerce in Quebec,” Roberge wrote in the statement issued by his office. “The norm should be to be greeted in French and to receive service in French here in Quebec, without having to ask for it.”

Released on Monday, the study aimed to understand how people are first greeted in stores in Quebec’s largest cities and whether service in French was available when requested.

While it found the rate at which people are being greeted in French alone has declined, it also found that when requested, customers were able to be served in French 98 per cent of the time.

To conduct the research, the OQLF dispatched “trained observers” to enter shops, restaurants, pharmacies and other businesses to record the language in which they were greeted and served. More than 10,000 visits took place last year in 7,314 locations.

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The study focused on six areas: the island of Montreal, the South Shore, the Quebec City region, Sherbrooke, Gatineau and Laval.

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Overall, in terms of the language used to greet people in stores, French was used in 78 per cent of cases across the province, while English greetings accounted for 12 per cent of visits. Bilingual greetings such as the much-discussed “Bonjour-Hi” made up the other 10 per cent.

In January, the Société des alcools du Québec reminded employees it doesn’t encourage the use of “Bonjour-Hi” following media reports that a Bloc Québécois MP witnessed the greeting being used at the government corporation’s Jean-Talon Market location.

The study also revealed disparities between the western and eastern ends of Montreal. In the east end, observers were greeted in French alone 91 per cent of the time, compared to 49 per cent in the west end.

“This distribution of host languages follows the historical trend known on the island of Montreal,” the study says, also noting the presence of Concordia and McGill universities downtown likely contributes to the greater use of English in the area.

The OQLF said it’s important to study the issue because customers in Quebec have the right to be informed and served in French.

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Despite customers nearly always being able to get service in French, the study says the number of complaints concerning language the OQLF received last year more than tripled since 2018, going from 674 to 2,341.

The results follow another study released by the office this month that suggested the proportion of those using only French in Quebec’s public places has remained stable at 79 per cent since 2007.

jfeith@postmedia.com

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