Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada

[niwell]

When I lived in the arctic I found that people from there made fun of those from the south saying "ardik". But in common conversation were apt to say something close to that themselves. Maybe more "Ar-tic" than the claimed correct pronunciation of "Arc-tic".

[Nashe]

It's probably just lazy efficiency. Everybody knows it's "Saturday" but in sloppy everyday speech it somehow devolves into "Sa'urday"...

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by lio45

That's supposed to be special? I always thought it was standard.

That basic word literally means expensive in West Germanic languages (modern Dutch, modern German, modern Low Saxon, and IIRC English as well.)


(Googled it up just for fun: Old English deore "precious, valuable, costly, loved, beloved")

If it's true that the more literal use has fallen out of favor now (though I seem to recall seeing turns of phrase like "this cost him dearly", etc. in modern English) then his mom's just a bit old fashioned and simply still speaks like her Anglo ancestors used to.

Oh, so it's not even French? So it went from English to French, presumably before it came here, and then stayed with anglicized francophones?

It's special to me, yeah. I've not heard it used.

RE: Ardik... I suspect that might be the normal way to say it here. Not a hard D, but just the absence of any consonant that you can fill it with your imagination as you like. Ar-tick.

A lot of people from outside St. John's in NL also say "Shuh-car-go" for Chicago. I'm sure people in Town must too but it's one of the things that people use to differentiate between Town/Bay. I imagine that exists everywhere to some degree?

*****

I heard another cute expression last night. Mom and an "aunt" were talking about an acquaintance who found out last week she has breast and colon cancer and is fading fast. My aunt said she wonders if she'd never found out she had it, would she still be doing fine. And Mom said, "There's something to that. If you don't know, and you're not focused on it, and worried about it, your body can heal quite a lot. My mother used to say, 'when the air gets at it; it'll kill ya when the air gets at it', and perhaps it's better sometimes not to know."

[kool maudit]

'dear' is a fairly common synonym for expensive in the uk.

[SignalHillHiker]

Really? That's cool but confusing. Marty assumed it's French (his mother still has a bit of a French accent, it was only within the last generation that the part of the peninsula he's from was anglicized). And I've never heard it from anywhere else here. And, generally, you can find at least one neighbourhood or village or family that uses any older British term.

[kool maudit]

it's the older meaning of the word, actually... "dear" as an affectionate term comes from "you are very dear to me", in the sense of valuable.

[north 42]

Originally Posted by GlassCity

I've only ever heard it with the hard C.

Same here!

[SignalHillHiker]

As of old Mitsubishi commercial featuring Townie (from St. John's) and Bayman (anywhere else in NL).

This one brings up the Chicago/Shuh-car-go thing, and the tendency of people from near-St. John's (but associated with the city) to drop the H from any words starting with it, and adding an H to any words that start with a vowel.

"I've 'ad huhnuff huv dis 'ot chocolate luh!"

So the Townie makes fun of the Bayman saying, "Have you ever been to Shuh-car-go?"
And the Bayman makes fun of the Townie saying, "No but I've been to 'olyrood and Havondale" (the real names are Holyrood and Avondale).

• Video Link

[lio45]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Really? That's cool but confusing. Marty assumed it's French (his mother still has a bit of a French accent, it was only within the last generation that the part of the peninsula he's from was anglicized). And I've never heard it from anywhere else here. And, generally, you can find at least one neighbourhood or village or family that uses any older British term.

It's as far from 'imported from French' as possible, that use of the word is the truest 100% original English/Saxon meaning.

You can witness it in other West Germanic languages:

'expensive' in modern Dutch: duur
'expensive' in modern northern German: dueuer

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Xelebes

Ar-dik is a common way of pronouncing it. Ark-tik is pretty much a broadcaster's way of saying the word, although people landing their words will hit that velar stop.

If it's Chewsday, this must be the Ardik?

[SignalHillHiker]

Just now heard "dear" used to mean expensive on the Downton Abbey Christmas special. Strange how these things all come aboard at once.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Just now heard "dear" used to mean expensive on the Downton Abbey Christmas special. Strange how these things all come aboard at once.

Have you seen the Downton Abbey Chirstmas parodies? They may be better than the actual show!

[SignalHillHiker]

Yeah. They're awesome.

[Pinion]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Which Canadian celebrity (media, politics, other) speaks with an accent that you would say most resembles your own? In my case, it might be Lisa LaFlamme (born and raised here in Kitchener, so not surprising). I'd like to hear her speak in person sometime, without the "newscaster intonation" to see how close it actually comes.

After watching The Interview the consensus from several people is that I am apparently the Scandinavian Seth Rogen. Who's from Vancouver. Slang, body language, everything.

Luckily not the laugh, though.

• Video Link

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

If it's Chewsday, this must be the Ardik?

Also "chews-dee". I hate both. Also hate "ar-tik" and "ar-dik".

[SignalHillHiker]

What about anardik?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

What about anardik?

Even worse.

[SignalHillHiker]

Heard a radio report this morning that just said CFA and didn't even attempt to explain what that means for anyone listening who doesn't know (a resident of NL from anywhere else).

And I remember learning terms in Manitoba like the Interlake.

We probably have lots of terms everywhere that others don't know. Any interesting examples?

I suppose all our Alberta-related terms would be unknown elsewhere.

"The big commute" - refers to working in AB but living here. Specifically, to flying first class because you rack up so many points doing it.

FIFO - same thing, broader term. fly in fly out. Could refer to anywhere, not just AB like the one above.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Heard a radio report this morning that just said CFA and didn't even attempt to explain what that means for anyone listening who doesn't know (a resident of NL from anywhere else).

And I remember learning terms in Manitoba like the Interlake.

We probably have lots of terms everywhere that others don't know. Any interesting examples?

I suppose all our Alberta-related terms would be unknown elsewhere.

"The big commute" - refers to working in AB but living here. Specifically, to flying first class because you rack up so many points doing it.

FIFO - same thing, broader term. fly in fly out. Could refer to anywhere, not just AB like the one above.

French-speaking Canadians (and also Franco-Americans) basically spent 200-250 years talking only amongst themselves with little to no interactions with francophones from other parts of the world. So our language is chock-full of these ''inside'' references.

If anything, the impetus today (especially in Quebec) is to make the language a bit more neutral and less of an ''insider'' thing, as the interactions with francophones from all over the world have exploded in a huge way in the past 20 years or so.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Pinion

After watching The Interview the consensus from several people is that I am apparently the Scandinavian Seth Rogen. Who's from Vancouver. Slang, body language, everything.

Luckily not the laugh, though.

...

I hadn't heard Rogen speaking before - he is undeniably Canadian. He'd make a great hockey announcer!