The Ugly Canada Thread - Page 516

SkahHigh · #**10301** Posted **Jul 17, 2017, 6:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by TorontoDrew

Good find. I wonder if it's on Native property? Google doesn't usually cover their streets.

It's not. There's no native land on the island of Montreal, the nearest is Kahnawake near Chateauguay.

Acajack · #**10302** Posted **Jul 17, 2017, 6:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

The first few times I heard "Dundas" a while back, I used to hear "dumb ass". It sticked with me ever since.

Yeah, it's kind of a weird pronunciation. Most people who see it for the first time would intuitively say "dun-duhss".

kwoldtimer · #**10303** Posted **Jul 17, 2017, 9:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Yeah, it's kind of a weird pronunciation. Most people who see it for the first time would intuitively say "dun-duhss".

And if you were in the UK, you'd likely be correct.

Acajack · #**10304** Posted **Jul 17, 2017, 9:45 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

And if you were in the UK, you'd likely be correct.

Seems to me that is the way an unknowing American might say it too.

kwoldtimer · #**10305** Posted **Jul 17, 2017, 9:58 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Seems to me that is the way an unknowing American might say it too.

There's a Dundas in Minnesota that was founded by somebody from the one in Ontario. It would be interesting to see if the pronunciation followed. I suspect not.

Ontario is also the home of Del-HIGH and WOOL-witch (some do say "Wollich"), so nothing really surprises.

Proof Sheet · #**10306** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 2:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

There's a Dundas in Minnesota that was founded by somebody from the one in Ontario. It would be interesting to see if the pronunciation followed. I suspect not.

Ontario is also the home of Del-HIGH and WOOL-witch (some do say "Wollich"), so nothing really surprises.

There is also Tottenham which the locals there pronounce as Totten-ham and a Keswick which is pronounced as Kes-wick while the originals are pronounced as Totnum and Kesick. Same goes for Gloucester (part of Ottawa) which some people pronounce as Glos-ces-ter while the original is Gloster.

Loco101 · #**10307** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 3:20 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Really?

Timmins has always had a large number of people living in poverty as far as I can remember. Also a lot of homeless people for a city its size. Laurentian University did a study about 5 years ago that showed that Timmins has 2.5 times as many homeless people as Greater Sudbury. Greater Sudbury has about three times as many people. Of course Sudbury had all these government funded programs for urban homeless while Timmins received nothing. It's amazing how so many people still associate homelessness as being only a problem in large urban centres.

Poverty isn't always visible but it is definitely visible here. But a lot of it is certainly invisible. And I would certainly say that lack of education, use drugs and alcohol and untreated mental health issues lead to people and their children, grandchildren, etc. doing the same thing. Timmins has the lowest average level of education of any Ontario city.

You'll see poverty here among anglophones, francophones and Indigenous people.

On a positive note, I do think that the poverty rate will fall quite a bit in the next decade or two. A stronger focus on education and dealing properly with mental health issues will be key.

Since this is the ugly Canada thread, I find Canada's level of poverty to be ugly and hope we go the way of many European countries and address the issue properly.

rousseau · #**10308** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 4:00 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Martin Mtl

The first few times I heard "Dundas" a while back, I used to hear "dumb ass". It sticked with me ever since.

Heh heh...I pointed that out before on this forum: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=6974249&highlight=dundas#post6974249

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

There's a Dundas in Minnesota that was founded by somebody from the one in Ontario. It would be interesting to see if the pronunciation followed. I suspect not.

Ontario is also the home of Del-HIGH and WOOL-witch (some do say "Wollich"), so nothing really surprises.

Delhi is a funny one, but the stress is actually on the first syllable, not the last. So, DEL-high. Delhi is unique for having a "Belgian Club:" https://www.google.ca/maps/@42.8517193,-...b2Qm-ZI97S1L-z5T6-dDQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656. You don't see that kind of thing very often. For some reason a bunch of Belgians immigrated to Delhi, and the town even used to be a hot spot for cycling because of them. Wild.

I once stopped for gas in Norwich, (coincidentally north of Delhi), and couldn't help but ask how they pronounced it. Happily, I was told it was pronounced properly, not--shudder--as an abomination like Nor-witch.

I'm pretty sure that the Woolwich Arms in Guelph is pronounced correctly, at least among the people I recall saying it. It would be bizarre if they said the pub the right way but not the township.

kwoldtimer · #**10309** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 1:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

There is also Tottenham which the locals there pronounce as Totten-ham and a Keswick which is pronounced as Kes-wick while the originals are pronounced as Totnum and Kesick. Same goes for Gloucester (part of Ottawa) which some people pronounce as Glos-ces-ter while the original is Gloster.

Some people may mispronouce it that way, but Ottawans generally know the correct pronunciation. Ottawa also has its "New Edinberg" (rather than "Edinburruh") neighbourhood.

MolsonExport · #**10310** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 1:31 PM**

How the fuck did Edinburgh become pronounced "Edinburra" or worse, "Edinborough"?
How the fuck does burgh become burra/boro?

Whaur dae ye come fae?

That lassie got glassed, and no cunt leaves here till we find out what cunt did it!

kwoldtimer · #**10311** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 1:54 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

How the fuck did Edinburgh become pronounced "Edinburra" or worse, "Edinborough"?
How the fuck does burgh become burra/boro?

Whaur dae ye come fae?

Go to Scotland and listen to a few Scots and it all becomes clear (even if remaining unintelligible). When I was there last year, a cab driver was telling me about a young American tourist he had driven earlier that day who had no idea how to pronounce the city's name. He was not impressed by my "New Edinburrah" either. What he was saying sounded to me like "New Edinbrah", with some vague stuff happening in the "brah" part.

SkahHigh · #**10312** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 2:04 PM**

The funniest one is Worcester, Mass. pronounced « Wooster ».

Acajack · #**10313** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 2:11 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkahHigh

The funniest one is Worcester, Mass. pronounced « Wooster ».

Correct!

Acajack · #**10314** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 2:12 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Some people may mispronouce it that way, but Ottawans generally know the correct pronunciation. Ottawa also has its "New Edinberg" (rather than "Edinburruh") neighbourhood.

In my experience it's mostly francophones who say "Glos-ses-ter". My mom for example.

I've also heard less bilingual francophones say "Gloo-ster" or "Gloo-ces-ter".

hipster duck · #**10315** Posted **Jul 18, 2017, 2:20 PM**

Spelling is English's Achilles heel.

Through
Thought
Tough
Though

are all different pronunciations of the letter combinations ough.

Also English is full of redundant spellings of similar pronunciations:

Though is pronounced the same as the "ow" in low or the "oe" in toe. But the "ow" pronunciation is not to be confused with the "ow" in plow which is pronounced the same as the British spelling "plough". The British, however, still use the "ow" in words like frown.

There really ought to be a comprehensive spelling reform of the English language. It's a huge task, but since it just involves agreeing to a new standard going forward, and not changing any existing written material, it's probably more feasible than other, large conversion schemes that took place in fairly recent history like metricization in Canada, or changing the currency to a decimal system in the UK.