From its cultural and musical origins in Jamaica via New York City, the artistic and social movement known as hip hop has spread all over the world and profoundly influenced urban youth cultures. Artistically made up of visual, dance, poetic and musical elements (graffiti, breakdance, and slam poetry/rap music), hip hop has become a privileged medium of expression for an entire generation.
In Quebec, the hip hop generation also happens to be the generation of the “children of Bill 101”, many of them of immigrant origin, who by law have attended French schools since 1977, when the Charter of the French Language severely restricted access to English schools. The linguistic landscape of the Quebec French school system, which up to that point had been relatively homogenous, was transformed, especially in Montreal where most immigrants to Quebec settle. Multiethnic mixing in the schools meant mixing of languages as well as cultures.
The generation of rappers that came of age after 1990 was inspired both by African-American-influenced rap from the USA and multilingual rap from the south of France where African and Maghrebin immigration is an important element of youth culture. Montreal is home to many French-speaking immigrants from North and West Africa, from Europe, and particularly from Haiti. Haitian Creole has had an important influence on Montreal hip hop language and culture, as have other languages of immigration to Quebec such as Spanish and Arabic. Members of the Montreal hip hop youth community, whatever their origin, draw on these and many other linguistic influences to create a unique and original subculture with its own tradition of language mixing.
Since 2002 our research team has been investigating the mixed language of Montreal rap lyrics and the ways in which this language mixing shapes identity in this generation of multiethnic urban youth. The heavily prescriptive approach to the teaching of French that characterizes Quebec classrooms means that multilingual hip hop youth language practices are typically not welcome in the secondary classroom. Our analyses of the language and identity practices of Montreal’s hip hop youth community have implications for curriculum development and language teaching in both the French and English school systems.
Grants from SSHRC and FQRSC to Mela Sarkar and Bronwen Low have supported this work since 2005.
Research Team: Bronwen Low, Mela Sarkar, and Lise Winer
(Department of Integrated Studies in Education, McGill)
Contact:
Bronwen Low, PhD, Mela Sarkar, PhD or Lise Winer, PhD
Department of Integrated Studies in Education
3700 McTavish, Room 244
McGill University
Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2
