Meanings
nounjoual (uncountable)
alternative Joual
- CanadauncountableThe dialect of working-class Quebecers.
As inflammatory as what the joual ‘is’—a mixed, oral sociolect—is its function as a kind of self-image for Québécois. In Jean-Claude Germain's terms, joual ‘bears in its flesh the scars of life and history.’
2011, Erin Hurley, National Performance: Representing Quebec from Expo 67 to Céline Dion, University of Toronto Press, →ISBN
Origin
- Canadian Frenchjoual
- Canadian Frenchjoual
- Englishjoual
Borrowed from Canadian French joual.
More words from Canadian French
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
joual. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joual
MLA
“joual.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joual. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “joual,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/joual.
Source: joual on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.