Help! I’m in Canada… I need a translator!
From time to time I have run into instances in Canada where, as a Brit, Canadians haven’t been able to understand me because of my accent or because what I believed was a simple request, turns out to be something a little bit less simple or bizarre over here.
One of the more common occurrances is my use of English. It can differ, sometimes considerably, to the use of the English language in North America, Canada, and the West Coast. Regional dialects might not be as distinguishable as they are in the UK but they are present and the overall difference to British English can, in some cases, be extreme.
Wikipedia has some interesting articles about Canadian English but a good list of examples of the differences can be found on Dave VE7CNV’s website - whoever that is!
Even the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) admit they have some difficulty working out what words they should and shouldn’t use. The have a large archive of previous stories and reports on the Woe and Wonder of Words. A particularly interesting article is the one about the reliance on the CBC to promote English and standards.
Although many Canadian’s don’t realize what color is in the center or if they realise the center has no colour. At least the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms knows what it’s talking about!
One thing I do know is that Canadian’s say Pop, American’s say Soda, and in the UK we say tea , 2 milks and no sugar… please!
