Is Vouvoyer a brand of respect in Quebec? This is what Bernard Drainville believes, wished to make the practice compulsory for students to increase civility and respect at school. Experts are not of his opinion.
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“Respect is not due to the Vouvoyer. And I do not think that teachers need one more rule to be respected in their class, “launched the professor and researcher in didactics at UQAM, Mélanie Dumouchel, in an interview with 24 hours in August 2024.
“Do I think you can increase respect for school?” No way. There are other measures that should first be envisaged, “said the doctoral student in sociolinguistics at the University of Montreal, Alexandra Dupuy.
In addition to establishing the vouvoire, the measure of the Minister of Education Bernard Drainville will force students of all schools to address adults and school staff using the terms “Mr.” or “Madame”, from January 2026.
Minister of Education Bernard Drainville
Marcel Tremblay / Agency QMi
The Vouvoyer is currently left to the discretion of educational establishments.
The proposal was first mentioned last August by the Coalition Avenir Quebec Coalition (CAQ), which claimed to bring back a “citizenship culture” to school.
Give power to teachers
Aurélie Diep, president of the young CAQ activists and student in the baccalaureate in primary education, said she herself observed the impoliteness of students towards the teachers during her internships.
-“We want to give a stroke to bring a certain discipline back in the classes. It’s really more difficult to send someone to “you”, she said.
Without claiming that the vouvoire alone could bring civics back to school, Mme Diep estimated that imposing it would “mark authority” by creating a certain distance between students and school staff.
“I believe that teachers already have the power and professionalism necessary to establish respect in their class,” said Mélanie Dumouchel.
“It is a preconceived, overused idea, to think that the vouvoyer is associated with civility. It is a rule of decorum that is not guaranteeing the respect that is granted to a teacher. You can tu and be very respectful. ”
No specific study attests that the Vouvoyer would install respect in the primary and secondary classes, also recognized the chairman of the Caq succession commission last August.
The distance from “you”
Is the Vouvoyer really a mark of respect in Quebec?
“From a prospect of a social agreement in French, we know that vouvoire is an indicator of respect and recognition of authority. But words are important to them, “said Dupuy.
Since the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, the tu took the place of the Vouvoyer in Quebec society and families.
“Even [les croyants et pratiquants de] The Catholic religion began to tuty God ”, explained to the Metro newspaper in 2021 the sociolinguist and professor in the department of linguistics and translation of the University of Montreal, Julie Auger.
In addition, if the “you” sends a polite message, it also installs a distance which does not necessarily encourage respect. As proof, some people are sometimes offended to be vouvoyées.
