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‪This contribution focuses on ordinary writings from the past and on what they reveal about the linguistic uses of individuals who produce them and of the society in which they evolve. Our study focuses on Quebec, whose ties with France, severed by the British Conquest of 1760, gradually resumed in the mid-19th century and exacerbated a prescriptivist trend in the face of differences between local and European French. We examine the “ordinary” writings of two individuals, Charles Morin, who wrote about his journey across North America, and Joseph-Onésime Labrecque, who maintained a correspondence with his father. Both writers were born of modest circumstances and experienced upward social mobility. Although they can be considered “switchers” from their social class, their linguistic practices reflect a different sensitivity to the norm and to the linguistic discourses and attitudes circulating in their community.‪