Happy Canada Day

Our Canada Party

The Bay Area is filled mostly with people displaced from their homelands. Very few of us have family around and therefore we come to count on our 'displaced' friends as family. We were missing our "Motherland" so we decided to throw a party on Canada Day (July 1st for those of your who do not know). We had a lot of fun researching some of the phrases that are Canadian.

Because it was short notice, our Canadian food supply was low. In the cupboard we had 2 boxes of ketchup chips from a recent parcel from Nana. Also included in the parcel were chocolate 'Loonie' coins. (Luckily I had hid them from Alex who has asked for them daily-hourly? maybe- you know the boy can't remember to make his bed or where he left his dirty clothes, but he can remember we have chocolate in the house!!!) We had found perogies at Safeway (get this $5 for 12, yes 12). Even though not uniquely Canadian we had 'Polishes'. One of our friends (actually a roommate from College's little brother's wife) brought Nanimo bars (we explained to everyone that this is what keeps people going to funerals) which she made by hand!

We began by giving our guest info sheets on Canadian pronunciations. It seemed important if they were going to understand anything we said for the entire evening:

How to speak Canadian eh?

Pronunciation and Grammar Diphthongs

combining two vowels to make one
used in words with "out" (eg. aboot a-bow-t)
used in words with "ue" (eg. Tuesday Tooz-dee)

Changing vowel location
ie. diffurnt, cumpnee

Silent vowels
dropping the vowel if it starts with a vowel (eg. mazin', maircan)

Replacing Y with two E's
ie. Mundee, Calgree

An inconstant consonant
pronouncing t as a d (eg. priddy) or as a t (eg. boycott)

taking out consonants in some words (eg. Tronno) but adding some consonants in others (eg. fambly) Verb Tenses
leaving out have or has (eg. I seen that film already)

Present Tense
adding s to the word to make it past (eg. I goes into the hotel)

Joining prepositions with words
when using a preposition (eg. to, in, until) combine it with the nearest word (eg. coupla, uptilate)

EH?
use instead of huh, ya know, etc.
short form for what did you say, would you repeat that please, etc. Whatever
use when you don't know what to say

Then we quizzed them on Canadian words. Now all be honest I knew the regulars (pop, squares, etc) but some of these totally surprised me. No wonder my friends often look at me glazed eyed when I speak. Here are some just for fun:


Bill vs. check at a restaurant: Although Americans may ask for the "check" after a meal, Canadians almost always request the "bill", and requests for the "check" may sometimes cause a little confusion.

Pop vs. soda: Canadians say pop, and soda typically means "club soda". Americans use both or either depending on region.

Washroom vs. restroom: Canadians prefer washroom and Americans prefer restroom. Bathroom is used commonly by both.

American cheese: Canadians are generally unfamiliar with the term "American cheese"; the term that's used is "processed cheese" or just plain "cheese".

Canadian bacon: Canadians call this "back bacon", as fans of SCTV's Bob & Doug Mackenzie may recall. Regular strips of bacon are simply called "bacon" in both Canada and the USA.

"Brown bread" is the Canadian term for "wheat bread" or bread made from whole wheat. The term "wheat bread" may puzzle some Canadians, since it's all made from wheat. Instead, order your sandwiches on "white" or "brown" bread.
Parkade (parking + arcade) is often used by Canadians for an above ground parking garage.

The "two-four": A uniquely Canadian phrase describing this common packaging for beer (cases of 24). In contrast, Americans count in terms of six packs (which are also available in Canada).

Mickey D's is a common name for McDonald's in the U.S. The term is much less common in Canada where McDonald's is simply McDonald's.
eh? vs. huh?: The stereotypical Canadian says eh? at the end of every statement whereas stereotypical Americans say huh. In real life you could talk to 20 Canadians for an hour and never hear it, eh?

You're welcome vs. uh huh: "Uh huh" is a very casual form of "you're welcome" in many parts of the U.S. It's rarely used in Canada and some may even find in a bit cold. (Occasionally, you will hear "mm-hmm" used in the same way, typically in response to a cashier saying "thank you" after a transaction.)

"To table": In Canada, tabling means to bring up a topic for discussion. In the U.S., it means to put an issue aside for further discussion at a later time.

Canadians generally say they're "going to university" after high school. Americans will say they're "going to college".

Don't assume it's a mistake if you see "centre" or "theatre" or "labour" or "defence" (as a noun). Most Canadian newspapers and magazines, and many writers, follow the Canadian Press style guide, which reverted a few years ago to the British spellings after a flirtation with Americanization.

If you are a Canadian with a sweet tooth, you may want to pick up your favorite treat such as a Snickers, Oh Henry, Kitkat, Caramilk, or 3 Musketeers "chocolate bar" . In America the same person would look for a "candy bar".

In Canada, dates may be given in DD/MM/YY format or MM/DD/YY format. It's always best to write out the month, e.g. 12 Nov 2006 or Nov 12, 2006.

Another one that I guess became popular since we left (12 years is a long time) is ensuite. Master bath.... who knew.

We had a lot of fun. It is hard to believe that I have 4 American children- yet am still married to a Canadian (he has his citizenship interview at the end of the month.... he had to go back and get his fingerprinting done again.... the letter said they had 'expired'! How do fingerprints... which NEVER change expire... another thought- maybe if they hadn't taken almost 2 years to get to his application...... Someone is trying to keep some sub-industry in business I guess..... no, I'm not bitter)

Happy Canada Day all you Canadians!

P.S. Please note the cute American baby wearing the Maple Leaf dress that Auntie Deanna bought her!