Joual

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A unique dialect of French used in Quebec that features distinctive pronunciations and lexical choices specific to its region
2. A form of French spoken in certain areas of Quebec, notable for incorporating aspects from both English and local Indigenous languages
3. A regional variety of French from Quebec characterized by its unique phonetics and vocabulary that reflect local culture and history

Etymology: Joual is the working-class dialect of Quebec French, and its name is a sound-based twist on the standard French word "cheval," meaning horse. In Quebec speech, the "ch" sound of "cheval" was pronounced as a "j" sound, so "cheval" came out as "joual," which is how the dialect got its name. The word was itself an in-group joke: it was the way ordinary Québécois speakers said "horse," and it came to label their whole everyday way of speaking. The term was popularized in the 1960s, when writers and intellectuals used it to describe the vernacular that many Quebecers spoke at home and on the street. Joual became a symbol of a French-Canadian identity that rejected the more formal, Parisian-influenced standard, and it appeared prominently in literature and theatre of the Quiet Revolution era, most famously in Michel Tremblay's plays.