Plan to drop French from N.H. signs elicits 'Non'

[question everything]

Plan to drop French from N.H. signs elicits 'Non'

By William Lin
TORONTO GLOBE AND MAIL

May 20, 2005

It may just be a sign of the times, but French-speaking groups in New Hampshire are upset over a plan to eliminate French from highway welcome signposts on the state's southern border.

Gov. John Lynch announced last week that the state, where an estimated one-third of residents have French roots, plans to replace its plain blue-and-yellow border welcome signs with a more attractive logo.

Signs bordering Quebec will still retain the greeting Bienvenue, but the signs on the boundary with Massachusetts will lose the French wording.

(snip)

This isn't the first time the state has suggested removing French from the signs. An effort failed a decade ago. New Hampshire was once a haven for French-speaking Quebeckers willing to work in the state's growing textile mills.

(snip)


Find this article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050520/news_1n20french.html

[mcscajun]

1. No surprise there, the last time I visited in NH

I was made aware by folks that live there that the French speakers are broadly discriminated against. And this was A Long Time before BushCo and the "Freedom Fries" days.