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Lexicographic Challenges of Canadian English

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2017

C. J. Lovell
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Extract

As a mountaineering enthusiast who holds a life membership in the Sky Line Trail Hikers of the Canadian Rockies, as well as the 1,000-miles emblem of the companion order of Trail Riders, I have made acquaintance with persons from most of the provinces. Mentions of my lexical interests, tracing word origins, have often given rise to impromptu discussions of Canadian speech. These trail-side sessions, while interesting, have rarely proved instructive; the average Canadian is seemingly better informed about American speech than the American is about Canadian, but neither is familiar with the background of his own language. A minority were of the opinion that Canadian English is essentially British English, citing the prevalence of -our and -re endings, as in labour and centre, together with such variants as analyse-analyze, licence-license, cheque-check, and pyjamas-pajamas. A Kansan observed, “Canucks say ‘in hospital’, just like in British whodunits, and not ‘in the hospital’, like we do.“

Type
Research Article
Information
Canadian Journal of Linguistics/Revue canadienne de linguistique , Volume 1 , Issue R1 , March 1955 , pp. 2 - 5
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Linguistic Association. 1955

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References

1 For instance, a recent reference to payment of a fine for a “C.T.A. offence”, in the Montreal Star, was at first meaningless to me, and could have been guessed at as an abbreviation for “Canada Traffic Act” Then an 1899 example, from the Yarmouth ( N S ) Telegram, referring to an arrest for drunkenness, not only gave an Idea of the long history of the term, but led to the surmise that it indicates some such combination as “Canada Temperance Act”. Am I right?

2 Fifteen years' experience in lexical research inclines me to the belief that fully 50% of tht nineteenth century words in the DAE and DA art capable of being antedated; while their twentieth century terms are virtually 100% antedateable. Not a few antedatings may be gleaned from Canadians, as witness: Tha Globe (Toronto), 2 January, 1864 has under meeting, dating from 1871 in tha DA; emigrant agent (1868); and ice creeper (1878); as well as farm let, not carried bayond 1742 by tha DA. Tha lexus of 26 September, 1864, contains democrat wagon (1871). and TD pipe (1899). Tha Victoria colonist, 22 March, 1894, has discovery claim (1887). In the Yarmouth (N.S.) Telegram 6 January, 1889, appears maid of honour (1904); on 13 January it carries Y (1920) and Atlantic timer (1901); while animal cracker appears in several ads as early as 30 March, 1000, as agaist the DA's 1935 first evidence. Charles Stuart's Emigrant's Guide to Upper Canada, 1880. has deeded land (1872). Tha Statistical Account of Upper Canada, by Robert Gourlay, 1822, includes board of education (1872); furthermore, one page carries antedatings of four words that tha DA does not have beyond 1833, 1839, 1846, and 1849, respectively.