Hi everyone!
So we’re in the thick of finals season and this blog is going to be one of those things you stumble upon and read when you know that you should be studying… I promise it will be quick so you can go back to being productive or move on to the next distraction instead of finally doing all your reading for the term or finally finishing up that group project.
Today’s topic: 3 things you didn’t know about Canadian English.
- The stereotypical Canadian “eh” isn’t actually Canadian at all! It was first used in Shakespeare’s time in Britain and has managed to somehow make its way over to Canada. It is now associated most with Canadians however, it is still used in other parts of the world like Australia.
- Most new lexical items or phrases come from ‘back east’ like the following example.
[blockquote style=”” align=””]The math teacher took up the test earlier this morning.[/blockquote]For most Vancouverites this phrase would be strangely puzzling at first glance. The actual meaning of this phrase is the teacher went over the answers of the test. Some Vancouverites may struggle to come up with a meaning and settle with the teacher picked up the tests off the desk or something of the like.
- And most importantly, one of the most common ways to describe Canadian English, if you even knew there is such a thing, is that it’s not American!
Short and sweet as promised! Now back to doing what you were doing. Good luck on your finals!
Keep dancing,
Stephanie
– Internal Vice President