This question is tackled by means of an analysis of the status of the French language in the first period of Cohen’s literary work (1950-1967). This analysis is based on the study of an unpublished and untitled short story by Cohen which will be compared to his 1966 novel Beautiful Losers. Beyond the specific discussion on Canadian bilingualism, the confrontation of several linguistic systems will show the artificial character of these systems and the subsequent search for an alternative and more authentic means of communication. In addition to discursive analysis, this article adopts a historiographical approach. Cohen’s relationships with the Francophone communities of the 1960’s will be explained through unpublished materials.