Speaking Canadian
November 8th 2010 04:12
On a recent trip to China, my grandmother asked for the "washroom". There were confused stares all around--washroom? Did she want to do some laundry? It turned out that in China, people use the British term "toilet". My grandma thought it was hilarious, because for us, the toilet is the fixture inside the room, not the room itself.*
So why do we say "washroom" and people in China say "toilet"? Aren't we an ex-British colony, after all? Well, it was a while ago. Canada became a country in 1867. We've since had much more influence from the United States. As a result, much is made in Canadian culture--some of it legitimate, most of it hyperbole--of our supposedly low self-image in comparison with the US. On our darker days, it's like we're their friendly yet provincial cousins.
The US is our closest neighbour. It's also an economic superpower and, according to many, cultural imperialist. From the programs that our TV stations air, to social customs and the way we conduct business, right down to the way we speak, we are really a lot more 'American' than some would care to admit. If I compare an hour of American TV to an hour of, say, Coronation Street, it's the latter that I won't understand--and I don't mean the accents. Of course, that's also partly an effect of the American culture that gets beamed into our lives everyday by the media, but that's another issue. ("Ish-oo", not "iss-you".)
Our school books and style guides always point out the main differences between Canadian versus American spelling--an obvious example is that we don't drop the "u" in words like colour, favourite, and neighbour. Many of us wear our Canadian spelling like a badge of honour, as if British English were incontrovertible. The same goes for pronunciation. For some proud Canadians, the last letter of the alphabet is "zed", not "zee", and Data should be a "leff-tenant" commander, not a "loo-tenant" commander.**
But for every instance that Canadians follow British English, I can point to a way that we write, and speak, like Americans. Is it dialled or dialed? Both are acceptable. As with Americans, if we take a trip to an exotic place, it's a vacation, not a holiday. And in grammar, we have a few notable instances where we don't follow the British rules. For example, we say that apples are different from oranges, not different to. Regarding punctuation, we're like Americans again: the serial comma is standard (unless you're a journalist).
Sadly, many believe that our national identity is inextricable from notions of how American we are or aren't, and that includes our language. Our English (one of our national languages, the other being French--which is also ridiculed for being a 'bastardised' version of true French) is an inconsistent hybrid of British and American, with some indigenous Canadianisms thrown in. A curious mix, but it sounds about right. I think it's more productive to accept that an American influence on Canadian culture--and language--is inevitable. Outside the field of linguistics, there's no need to get hung up over British versus American English. As long as you: a) adhere to a standard, and b) can be understood, what does anything else matter? Vive la différence!
* Definitely an Americanism. It's why advertisers say "tissue paper" and "bathroom tissue" instead of "toilet paper". I'm waiting for the day when even the bathroom fixture itself will no longer be called a "toilet". When it happens, I'll make like Reservoir Dogs and call it a commode.
** But even Picard said "loo-tenant". Does everyone speak American English in the 24th century? Or maybe it's Earth English?
So why do we say "washroom" and people in China say "toilet"? Aren't we an ex-British colony, after all? Well, it was a while ago. Canada became a country in 1867. We've since had much more influence from the United States. As a result, much is made in Canadian culture--some of it legitimate, most of it hyperbole--of our supposedly low self-image in comparison with the US. On our darker days, it's like we're their friendly yet provincial cousins.
The US is our closest neighbour. It's also an economic superpower and, according to many, cultural imperialist. From the programs that our TV stations air, to social customs and the way we conduct business, right down to the way we speak, we are really a lot more 'American' than some would care to admit. If I compare an hour of American TV to an hour of, say, Coronation Street, it's the latter that I won't understand--and I don't mean the accents. Of course, that's also partly an effect of the American culture that gets beamed into our lives everyday by the media, but that's another issue. ("Ish-oo", not "iss-you".)
Our school books and style guides always point out the main differences between Canadian versus American spelling--an obvious example is that we don't drop the "u" in words like colour, favourite, and neighbour. Many of us wear our Canadian spelling like a badge of honour, as if British English were incontrovertible. The same goes for pronunciation. For some proud Canadians, the last letter of the alphabet is "zed", not "zee", and Data should be a "leff-tenant" commander, not a "loo-tenant" commander.**
But for every instance that Canadians follow British English, I can point to a way that we write, and speak, like Americans. Is it dialled or dialed? Both are acceptable. As with Americans, if we take a trip to an exotic place, it's a vacation, not a holiday. And in grammar, we have a few notable instances where we don't follow the British rules. For example, we say that apples are different from oranges, not different to. Regarding punctuation, we're like Americans again: the serial comma is standard (unless you're a journalist).
Sadly, many believe that our national identity is inextricable from notions of how American we are or aren't, and that includes our language. Our English (one of our national languages, the other being French--which is also ridiculed for being a 'bastardised' version of true French) is an inconsistent hybrid of British and American, with some indigenous Canadianisms thrown in. A curious mix, but it sounds about right. I think it's more productive to accept that an American influence on Canadian culture--and language--is inevitable. Outside the field of linguistics, there's no need to get hung up over British versus American English. As long as you: a) adhere to a standard, and b) can be understood, what does anything else matter? Vive la différence!
* Definitely an Americanism. It's why advertisers say "tissue paper" and "bathroom tissue" instead of "toilet paper". I'm waiting for the day when even the bathroom fixture itself will no longer be called a "toilet". When it happens, I'll make like Reservoir Dogs and call it a commode.
** But even Picard said "loo-tenant". Does everyone speak American English in the 24th century? Or maybe it's Earth English?
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Comment by K. Mack
Wrestling 101
Comment by Irene
Grammar Matters
Interrobang
I say "eh" all the time though, as in "I know, eh?!"
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
We say EH too, but not as you do, it is used as a question here, because we are notorious for shortening everything into the shortest possible expression, is it because of the colonial past and the cockies (farmers) who kept their mouths closed to a slit to speak to stop the flies rushing in?
Dunno (don't know)... oh, and in Oz,polite society used to say, "may I use your bathroom", but that can become a problem when the toilet is in a separate room, to the bathroom.
Loo is the most common, we never used "powder room" like the Yanks, although it used to appear on toilet doors for women in the old clubs and restaurants.
It occurs to me that, it is sport that helps unify nations, Canada took on baseball instead of cricket (actually America abandoned cricket becuase the British would not allow the USA to compete in the Commonwealth competitions, probably because they were better than the Poms), then Canada brought basketball to America.
Had Canada gone the cricket way, I am sure our nations would have been closer.
Anyhoo (to borrow an American pronunciation)
oh...and how do you spell colour, or color?
I think some 'phoneticising' of words makes sense actually, for the English language is full of spelling/pronunciation nightmares for newcomers from another language base, and frankly, we should have punctuation to delineate inflection, as the European languages have.
As a child, I wanted to create my own language, I tried, but gave up after awhile, it was a lot harder than I expected!
cheers
fog
Comment by Irene
Grammar Matters
Interrobang
I agree that English is one of the hardest languages to learn. Even some whose mother tongue is English have a hard time, such as with words like tough/through/plough/though. All have the "ough", yet all sound different!
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
I didn't know the Yanks said "eh" as a question too! Makes me wonder where it did originate, maybe amongst the English, Scots, Irish or Welsh?
Or, was it the gold rush era, when the world beat a path to Australia to gorge on the gold fields in Victoria and New South Wales, that Americans and Canadians learned to use "eh"?
Probably, the British origin would make more sense, as our collective early populations were mainly derived from there, well, you lot also had the French too.
We call it soccer too, but increasingly, as our country impertinently invades the Europeans' sacred football code, we call it both, but mainly soccer.
Isn't our langauage impossible, albeit the most alive in the world, as it increases in breadth with new words every year, it is also so frustrating.
I am just glad I was born into it!
By the way, do you speak French? It is a dialect in Canada, I believe, not classic French, with a unique structure?
Oh, and you did not answer my question, how do Canadians spell the word, colour?
The 'proper' way, or the American way?
teehee!
cheers
fog
Comment by Irene
Grammar Matters
Interrobang
Yes, Canadian French is really a dialect(s). When I was in the Maritimes, I heard a local dialect that was a mix of both French and English (and incomprehensible to outsiders).
My French is at a high school level, which means my grammar is nil.
We spell it colour! But at work, we use American spelling, because most of our clients are Americans.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
That is reassuring to hear.
However, the capitualtion to Americans, in all matters, including spelling, has to stop!
The current era need to realize that they are not the centre of the universe, that their "World" baseball series is nothing to do with the rest of the world, they do not speak or write "English" and many other aspects of their national delusion of grandeur, need to be addressed, maybe then they will start to regard other people's cultural sensitivities and begin to behave themselves in their foreign policing interdictions...most of which is unwanted, and those that do want them, they ignore!
Okay, my rant for the day is over, sorry about that. I just finished watching the Oscars...
I love America, and I have family there, which is why I have the conceit to redress their shortcomings.
Stay tuned, Australia, is next on my list...
cheers
fog
Comment by Irene
Grammar Matters
Interrobang
Yup, and there's that thing where they name themselves after an entire continent(s), calling themselves American. Hello, we're part of North America too. And there's Central and South America!
I watched part of the Oscars too. Ugh.
Comment by Mountain Fog
Infognito
Screen Trek
QUOTE ME NO QUOTES!
Therefore, Canada is in the Northern American Continent area.
Sooo, the good ole Yeww Ess of EH? is a brother of Mexico, Guatemala, Panama et al.... which makes perfect sense, since the drug barons in the US grow their dope there and get their coke through those countries!
hehehe!
cheers
fog
Comment by liuzhou