Talk:Canadian English

Dialect surveys

I think it is great to see this page coming together with proper academic sources, linguistic analyses, etc. Clearly a group of dedicated people spent a lot of time making this happen, and if I have the *right* to congratulate you (obligatory nod to self-effacing Canadian politesse), then I do. I might add that reigning in some of the more abstruse digressions (The Chinook lexicon and Jamaican-Torontonian slang among them), all without references, has done a lot to improve this piece.

I'm not aware if anyone else has posted these links, but here are the results of a major Canadian and American dialect survey, which should assist with entries on pronunciation and lexical items, if anyone’s interested. —Muckapædia 15^e mai 2007, 23h45 (UTC+0900) 머크패저 TALK/ CONTRIBS

Slang

Slang varies from region to region, and era to era. In a day or so I am going to removed any unsourced slang words. Please find a citation for words to be kept discussing its meaning in relation to Canadian English, not simply a citation using the word(per WP:NEO). ^High_InBC^{(Need help? Ask me)} 13:27, 16 May 2007 (UTC)

Thanks User:JackLumber for finding citations for those words. ^(H) 22:54, 29 May 2007 (UTC)

I'm curious, the pronunciation of one word that has me stand out as a "Canadian" every time to Americans (at least in Seattle) is the word "about", and it's not mentioned here. They say abOUT we say AbOUt.

Yes, it's mentioned, under "Phonology and Pronunciation"; it's called Canadian raising. ---The user formerly known as JackLumber 23:57, 3 July 2007 (UTC)

Other Canadian / American word usage differences I've noticed after living in the US for 5 years: Garbarator --> Use: InSinkErator Kraft Dinner --> Use: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese (as branded in the US) Porrige --> Use: Oatmeal (porrige is considered a quaint) Bank Routing Number --> Use: ABA Bank Transit Number Constable (Police / RCMP) --> Use: Officer

Innu and Inuit

I don't think Innu is the same thing as Inuit. Inuit and Eskimo, on the other hand, are the same (but Eskimo is regarded as a slightly derogatory term).

I was going to change it, but I don't feel 100% confident. Could someone please look into it? --Caixiaohui 20:24, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

I removed " and Innu to refer to the various bands of native peoples of the north who are more commonly known as Inuit, Eskimo, or Esquimault." from the article as Innu is a word in the Innu's language and not a government invented word as claimed. It also does not have the meaning this sentence claims. Rmhermen 19:49, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

The Innu are a First Nation in Quebec and Labrador, who were historically referred to as Montagnais or Naskapi. You're correct that they aren't the same thing as the Inuit. Bearcat 22:17, 3 August 2007 (UTC)

Curb and Kerb

Curb and kerb are both words in British English; they are pronounced the same but have different meanings.--80.177.205.209 19:35, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

Phonology and Pronunciation

Could someone please add some real-world examples for non-linguists (e.g, "/u/ is fronted after coronals", etc.) What do these things mean? What is tense? What is a velar stop? This article would be a lot more accessible with some examples that an average high school student could understand. Also, regarding Canadian raising, the example that most people (at least in the U.S.) can relate to the unique pronunciations of words like "about" and "again", yet these are not given as examples.Diego Gravez 16:58, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I moved your comment to the bottom of the page. That's where new topics typically get listed. :)

Anyways, I can definitely agree that it's frustrating to see 'real' pronunciation guides when I have to believe that the vast majority of readers couldn't possibly get any use out of them.

But, as far as "about" and "again"... I'm not sure what you mean. Especially with "again"? As far as "about" is concerned, I reeeally hope you don't mean canadians saying it, "aboot". Because, in addition to being canadian myself, I've yet to meet a canadian from Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, or Newfoundland who says "aboot", or who even speaks with a stereotypical "canadian accent". I'm sure somewhere they do that, but I have no clue where, and it really isn't what I'd call, "Canadian English". Bladestorm 17:05, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Perhaps as a Canadian you cannot hear the difference between the American and Canadian pronunciation of "about" (and other "out" words), but all I need to do is watch CBC for about 2 minutes to hear several examples of it (it seems particularly pronounced in Ontario). It doesn't sound exactly like "aboot", but somewhere between the American "out", "ite", "ote", and "oot". Trust me, the Candian pronunciation of "about" sounds peculiar to American ears, and is usually a dead giveaway that someone is Canadian. However, I have noticed that some people from Eastern Virginia in the U.S. pronounce "about" similiarly to Canadians (listen to Pat Robertson for an example).

When I hear a Candian (excluding my mother from New Brunswick) say the word "again" (or against), it sounds much closer to the British pronunciation than the American pronunciation (i.e., a-GAYN (Canadian) vs. a-GEN (American).Diego Gravez 17:25, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

Yes, again as "a gain" is common in Canada, but I don't know if it's more common than a-GEN. In Britain, "a gain" is also common, but most Britons say a-GEN. That aside, yes, you are totally right. The section on pronunciation is obscure. ---The user formerly known as JackLumber 23:02, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

I have noticed that most Canadians pronounce "herb" with a silent "h", but do so believing that this is the British pronunciation, while it is actually American. Similarly, as far as I can tell, most Canadians seem to pronounce the first syllable of "envelope" and "envoy" as the Americans do (i.e. with a nasal sound like the French word "en") in the belief that this is the British pronunciation (although the British pronounce it with a short e sound rhyming with "ten"). Is there a linguistic term for a conscious preference in pronunciation which is based on a misunderstanding? Graves65.94.52.100 15:10, 14 July 2007 (UTC)

I don't think that most Canadians say /ɚb/. Remember: regional variation is enormous in Canada. However, this h-less pronunciation is actually an archaic British feature, no longer found in Britain but standard in the U.S. As for envelope, both ENvelope and ONvelope are acceptable in both UK and U.S. AFAIK. ---The user formerly known as JackLumber 18:35, 16 July 2007 (UTC)

I, who am a Canadian speaker, have never heard any one say it as aboot{with a schwa before the oot}. Everyone I know says a-buh-oot. User:Low German

These ones

I'm a newcomer to Canada (having lived in the U.S. before this) and find that "these ones" (often in combination with pointing out just which ones are meant) seems common in lower British Columbia, at least in speech. (In the U.S., my experience is that this locution is rarely used except by very young kids, say younger than five.) Is this usage of "these ones" common in much of Canada, or only in SW BC ? Is this locution also acceptable in written English here? Thanks. Daqu 01:21, 24 August 2007 (UTC)

I have no idea what you mean, to be honest. What are "these ones"? It sounds like a euphemism for something naughty... - BalthCat 05:27, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

I think the user means the phrase "these ones" as opposed to "these". For example, "I'm going to take these ones" as opposed to "I'll take these." But yeah, I find myself saying "these ones" as well. Pandacomics 18:56, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Yes, indeed, "the user" did mean "these ones" used in lieu of "these" [while indicating which ones are intended]. Would appreciate learning more about when and where this locution is common/accepted in speech/writing in Canada.Daqu 06:49, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

This construction is also found in British English, but only occasionally and chiefly in speech. In the Cambridge International Corpus, these ones shows up 7.2 times per 10 million words in British texts and 0.6 in American texts; curiously, the frequencies of the phrase those ones are closer---British 4.8, American 3.2. I ain't got no Canadian data, sorry. ---The user formerly known as JackLumber 18:43, 10 September 2007 (UTC)

As an aside, if you search the entire text of the Oxford English Dictionary, the only instance of these ones you're going to get is American---a citation from The Young Manhood of Studs Lonigan by James Thomas Farrell: "I know they ain't loaded. But use these ones. Them damn things is jinxed!" (s.v. jinx, verb.) It ain't exactly Standard English anyways... ---The user formerly known as JackLumber 19:00, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

Italian/Jewish English in Montreal

I remember watching a documentary a few years ago on Canadian English that had a segment on the unique accents the anglophone Jewish and Italian communities had in Montreal. Does anyone have any information on these dialects? --Lesouris 11:02, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

This documentary, perhaps? On the CBC, of all places ;-) : http://www.cbc.ca/canadianexperience/talkingcanadian/ Toddsschneider 13:56, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

I, who am a Canadian, have never heard a Canadian say about as aboot{with a schwa before the oo}. Everyone I know says it as a-buh-oot. User:Low German —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.101.234.193 (talk) 20:10, 23 September 2007 (UTC)