In Canada, we know the stereotypes. We drink maple syrup instead of water, eat only Canadian bacon and poutine, dress like lumberjacks with expensive jackets, and talk like hillbillies from Trailer Park Boys.
Here’s a surprise: there is no “Canadian bacon” in Canada. It is actually called peameal bacon. The rest is mostly true.
But seriously, Canadians take their English—and French—very seriously.
Many international students who study in Canada care about it too. Hundreds of students have attended my seminar on Canadian English. I have even taught it to Japanese students near Mount Fuji!
Here’s a short summary of my seminar:
What is Canadian English?
Canadian English is a mix of British spelling and American pronunciation. It also has some fun and unique words.
1. Canadian spelling
One quick way to annoy Canadians is to use American spelling. Canadians like British-style spelling:
- centre instead of center
- colour, flavour, honour instead of color, flavor, honor
- humour instead of humor
Some words are the same in Canada and the US, like realize, polarize, and climatize.
Canadian spelling can seem confusing at first, but it often feels more traditional and “correct” in Canada.
2. Canadian pronunciation
Canadian English is mostly similar to American English, but some regional accents are very different. For example, people from Newfoundland are hard for most Canadians to understand.
One famous pronunciation difference is “about.” Americans sometimes hear it as “aboot”, but Canadians actually say it slightly differently. This is called Canadian raising.
Another difference is called the Canadian Shift, where some vowel sounds merge. Words like “cot” and “caught” may sound the same in Canada.
3. Canadian vocabulary
Most Canadian words are familiar to international English speakers. When choosing between American or British words, Canadians often pick American ones:
- sweater (not jumper)
- sidewalk (not pavement)
- highway (not freeway or motorway)
But some words are unique to Canada. Quiz time! Do you know these words?
- double-double – a coffee with 2 creams and 2 sugars
- toque – a warm winter hat
- mickey – a small bottle of liquor (not Mickey Mouse!)
- Canuck – a Canadian person
- Newfie – someone from Newfoundland
- washroom – a bathroom or toilet
- zed – the letter Z
- loonie – a one-dollar coin
- toonie – a two-dollar coin
- eh – a common Canadian word
How many did you know?
What’s special about “eh”?
“Eh” is pronounced like “ay” in day. It is a question tag.
Example:
It is snowing a lot, eh?
This works like saying:
It is snowing a lot, right?
Question tags are normally harder for new English learners because they must match the verb tense. Using “eh” is easy and friendly.
Other languages have similar words, like Portuguese “né” and Dutch “hè”.
That’s the quick lesson on Canadian English. Thanks for reading from A to Zed!
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