When Les Belles-Soeurs reached the stage in 1968, its use of joual, the working-class French of Montreal, was part of the story. Some audiences welcomed hearing their own speech on stage, while others objected to it. Students who write about language in the play face a double challenge: they must analyze how the characters speak and understand why that choice mattered to the audience. Teachers need clear criteria to grade this well.

A common weakness in these essays is treating language as decoration. Students note that the characters use slang and swear words, then move on without asking what the speech accomplishes. A stronger essay explains how rhythm, repetition, and interruption create the feeling of a crowded kitchen, and how dialect marks the women as people whose voices rarely appeared in serious theater at the time.

Many students read the play in English, which complicates the discussion. The translation by John Van Burek and Bill Glassco renders joual into an English that has its own flavor, and a Scots version called The Guid Sisters takes another route entirely. Essays should acknowledge that they are analyzing a translation if they quote one, and teachers should reward writers who notice what might be lost or reshaped.

What a Strong Language Essay Includes

A high-scoring essay connects specific linguistic choices to larger meaning. It might examine how overlapping complaints blur individual identity, or how the characters shift register when they want to sound refined. The student does not need to know French to make these observations, but they do need to read closely and explain how the dialogue sounds and what it signals about status and belonging.

• Identifies specific speech patterns such as repetition, interruption, or exaggerated politeness
• Links dialect to class and to the women's place in Quebec society
• Explains the effect on the audience rather than only describing the words
• Notes when translation changes tone or rhythm if an English edition is used
• Avoids treating nonstandard speech as a sign of ignorance or lack of intelligence

Avoiding Bias in Grading

Essays on dialect can reveal the grader's own assumptions. A teacher who prefers formal language may unconsciously penalize a student who argues passionately for joual's value, or reward one who treats it as crude. A rubric that focuses on argument quality and textual evidence reduces this risk by giving the grader something concrete to hold onto instead of a general impression.

Automated feedback can help by checking each essay against the same criteria without being swayed by style or tone. It can flag whether the student supports their claims with quotations and explains them, then leave the teacher to evaluate nuance. Having this consistent baseline makes it easier to notice when your own reaction to a paper differs from what the rubric describes.

Teaching Students to Write About Dialect

Before assigning the essay, spend a class period reading a short passage aloud and asking students to describe what they hear. Reading aloud brings out rhythms that are easy to miss on the page, and students often produce better observations after hearing the lines performed. This activity also levels the field for students who do not speak French or who feel less confident analyzing language.

Follow with a model paragraph that makes a precise claim about one exchange and unpacks it step by step. Students can then imitate the structure with a different passage. This kind of scaffolding produces essays that move beyond observation, and it gives the teacher a clear standard for feedback on the first draft.