This response to Jean‐Marie Salien's editorial “Québec French: Attitudes and Pedagogical Perspectives” (MLJ, 82, 1998, pp. 95–102) deals with linguistic variation—particularly as it exists in Québec—and aims at familiarizing students of French as a foreign language in the U.S. with variation in that language. The article stresses how important it is for French teachers to have an accurate understanding of the French spoken in Québec. A characterization of Québec French should include the different varieties spoken, recognize sociolinguistic differences, and acknowledge the functional effectiveness of all varieties. To acquaint American learners of French with language variation, it is appropriate to expose them to the varieties that can be found in neighboring communities, such as Québec. This exposure can begin early so that learners will be able to recognize local particularities and variation. The use of a “pedagogical norm” is advisable, however, in guiding the learners’ own usage, because attitudes toward linguistic variants can produce negative reactions to nonnative speaker use of these features.

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This article comprises three parts. In the first part, a model of interlinguistic variation is developed which, unlike those presented heretofore, attempts to take into account inherent variation in the target language. In the second part are presented the results of a pilot study which suggests that advanced learners, including foreign language teachers, differ significantly from target language speakers in the way they handle variation. In the third part an argument is constructed for the establishment of special classroom replicas of the target language labelled pedugogicul norms. Finally, the notion of pedagogical norm is illustrated with two variable features of French, the phonological '6' variable and interrogative structures. These two examples illustrates the important point that pedogogical norms must take into account the full range of target language variability, including sociolinguistically stigmatized features. Although all the examples in this article are drawn from French, the model of interlinguistic variation that is developed and the notion of pedagogical norm that stems from the model are applicable to all types of foreign-and second-language learning, including that of English as a second language.

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