ENGLISH - IN THE HAND OF COLONIES

 

Once upon a time the sun would never set on the British Empire and there were English colonies in all continents and in islands in all oceans. Naturally English was the spoken language of the rulers and that left indelible impression on these colonies. The French, Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese too had their colonies all over the world and so these languages too are spoken in different parts of the world, but nothing matches the popularity of English.

 

English is recognized as an official language in 67 different countries, and every one of these countries puts its own spin on the lingua franca. According to Wikipedia the U.S has the largest English speaking population 307,170,460 and 92.79% of the population speaks English. India comes second  with 194,086,968 English speakers and only 14.18% of Indians speak English. Nigeria is third most popular English speaking country with 178,198,040 people speaking the language and that makes 86.42% of the population. The U.K is only 5^th in the list, even behind Philippines with only 62,912,000 people, 98.3% of their population being English speakers.

There are many different English speaking countries. Although the language is essentially the same, there are some aspects of the language that are different in different places.

1.      The pronunciation is different. There are many reasons for this. It could be that the accent affects the pronunciation or in some cases, the pronunciation can also be affected by other languages spoken in that area. So you have to listen carefully.

2.      The spelling and grammar is different. For example: In British English, you would say: “colour or programme”. Whereas, in American English you would say: “color or program”.

3.      There can also be a difference in vocabulary. There are instances where common objects are called different things. In British English, you would say: “I live in a flat”. Whereas, in American English you would say: “I live in an apartment”.

Since the English speaking countries are so different. There are even different local ways of greeting. Here are a few examples:

Austrailia – “ G’day”
Ireland – “Hows the form?”
New Zealand – Kia ora
South Africa – Howzit
United Kingdom – Alright?
United States of America – Whassup?

 

Do you recognize any of them?

 

Even when Brexit occurred from these colonies the language stayed back and the Empire wrote back with full force. Words and phrases were added to the Queen’s English by each of these colonies and English gradually became a very interesting language, very different from what was once spoken by the Englishmen and women.

 

Today I am going to discuss some unique Canadian words and phrases which I picked up while visiting friends in Canada and going out in long road trips.

1. Loonies and toonies: Canadians don’t have $1 and $2 bills, but they do have coins of the same denominations. The $1 coin was introduced in 1987, and it has an image of a common loon, a Canadian bird, on it, which is why Canadians started calling it a Loonie. In 1996, the first $2 coins started circulating too. Over time, the words “two” and “Loonie” merged into a single term - Toonie - that became the name of the $2 coin.

 

2. Hang a Larry/ Hang a Roger: Asking for directions in Canada can be quite confusing. For example, a Canadian can tell you to “hang a Larry after three blocks to get to the restaurant.” This is Canadian for “turn left!” So if Larry for Left, Roger for Right! Now that can’t be difficult, can it?

 

3. Klick: Still not leaving the road, if someone tells you that your destination is "about three klicks away," you need not be puzzled. Klick is just another word for a kilometer in Canadian English. So your destination is just 3 kilometers away.

 

4. Parkade: No, it has nothing to do with arcades, parks, or entertainment, and it has everything to do with boring-old parking. In Canada, a parkade is a word used to describe any large (usually multi-storied) indoor parking garage.

 

5. Dart: Again nothing to do dart games. Dart is just a popular slang word for “cigarette.”

 

6. Toque: The word toque (or tuque) is pronounced “too-uk” or “tuke,” and it refers to any winter hat, usually a woven ski hat or a beanie. “It is cold tonight, I should have packed my tuque,” The term is actually derived from the Arabic word taqia, which is a cap with no brim or a very small brim. In the 15th century, medieval French borrowed this word, and it was adopted into Canadian English through French in the 18th century. After all French is the second language spoken in Canada!

 

7. Washroom: If you think about it, the word restroom isn’t the most logical way to refer to a bathroom. After all, most people get most of their daily rest in the bedroom or living room. The Canadian word for the restroom, which is washroom, gets much closer to describing the activities that are actually conducted in a bathroom.

 

8. Pencil crayon: Now this may be a funny name for coloured pencils, but that’s exactly what many Canadians call them. This is likely due to French too. In French, colored pencils are known as crayon de couleur.

 

9. Keener: A keener is either a person who tries way too hard to please others or another word for “geek” in Canadian English. It shouldn’t be confused with Irish keeners, who were historical funeral wailers hired to mourn over someone who passed away (the Hindi equivalent is ‘rudali’).

 

10. Timbits: Timbits are the Canadian equivalent of donut holes. Interestingly, this version of donuts is significantly more popular than traditional donuts in Canada.

 

11. Head’r Head’r: This one is difficult; it actually means “to leave” or “to head out” in New Brunswick slang. So, you could say something like "I guess I'd better head'r," when you’re about to leave from your current location.

 

12. Two-four and mickey: If a Canadian friend calls you and asks you to pick up a two-four before on your way to his or her house, they want you to buy a 24-pack of beer. The word Mickie is also related to alcohol - it’s a 375 ml bottle of liquor that can easily fit in a bag or big pocket.

 

13. What you sayin? When you meet a Canadian acquaintance and they ask “What you sayin’?” they’re not asking you to clarify your statement. It can be misleading, but “What you sayin’?” is actually more similar to “What are you up to?” So, a person can call you and ask, “Hi! What you sayin’ tonight? I wanted to invite you over for dinner.”

 

14. Double-double: A double-double refers to a coffee with two portions of cream and two sugars. The term originated at Tim Horton’s, Canada’s most popular restaurant chain, but it eventually became so popular that now you can go to any coffee shop, ask for a double-double, and you will get the right beverage. Canadian English can be quite fun, eh?

 

15. Eh: Now this does not have a meaning. All you have to do is make a statement like “It is a very nice day out today.” If you add “eh” to the end of that statement, you can turn it into a question that will require a friendly reply from the person you are talking to. “Yes it is” is what it requires.

 

16. Molson Muscle: Here’s another great Canadian phrase for you, the Molson Muscle. It’s what Canadians call a beer belly developed by drinking Molson Canadian Beer.

 

17. Hydro: Here’s a word distinctly Canadian. They are the only people in the world who call their electricity Hydro. Canadians pay a lot for hydro even though we live next door to Niagara Falls.

 

18. Knapsack: This is what we Canadians call our Backpack or Rucksack. To Canadians a backpack is often called a knapsack, especially for school aged kids.

 

19. May 2-4 Weekend: A Canadian’s favourite holiday is Queen Victoria’s Birthday on May 24th. Not because it is the Queen’s birthday but because it is a holiday to celebrate the long weekend with great Canadian Beer.

 

20. Chinook: Chinook is a warm wind that comes over the mountain in the dead of winter and instantly melts the snow and raises the temperature.

 

We will continue this discussion on how the colonies are talking back in our subsequent blogs when we explore their contribution to the English language in our subsequent blogs.