News about the Strathy Language Unit and Canadian English studies
[Please note that this page is an archive of blog posts from 2015. Some of the links to articles are no longer active.]
Writing English in Montreal
Date: December 11, 2015 | Category: Guest Column
Author: Rachel Montour
Editors Note: This is part one of a four-part series exploring the work of multilingual authors in Montreal who choose to write in English. Why do these individuals choose English, and how have their own linguistic backgrounds and the bilingual context of Montreal shaped this choice and their work? Strathy literary intern and English graduate student Rachel Montour, herself a bilingual Montrealer, interviewed four young writers on this topic. The focus of our first piece is Patra Dounoukos Reiser.
Patra Dounoukos Reiser, a doctoral student in English at the Université de Montréal who is interested in the female gothic, likes to “explore people caught between [two] worlds and struggling to find their place” in her fiction. In her creative works, one can find “a sense of mystery and vaguely supernatural hints here and there”. In further describing her creative inclinations, Patra admits to her usual “referencing [of] a Greek god or goddess” and the “influence of the Greek myths [she] grew up hearing”.
Indeed, Patra grew up speaking Greek at home with her parents. She learned English in kindergarten and French once she moved to Montreal. When asked if language acts as a significant component of her identity, she writes:
I suppose so if I think deeply about it. Each language is different and rich and resonant in their own way, and when I speak Greek, I feel Greek if that makes any sense. English makes me feel accomplished and educated and a bit persecuted too here in Montreal. I love the feel of French on my tongue. Being able to communicate with many people makes me feel a citizen of the world aussi.
Click here to read the full piece.
Old Words, New Popularity
Date: December 10, 2015 | Category: In the Media
The rise and rebranding of "badass" and "squad" - thanks to social media - are up for analysis in two recent newspaper articles:
- (Globe and Mail, Dec. 10)
- (Montreal Gazette, Dec. 5)
Eskimos' Name Controversy
Date: December 4, 2015 | Category: In the Media
The Edmonton Eskimos won The Grey Cup, but discussion of the team name continues. Canada's national Inuit organization, the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, has asked the team to change the name, sparking debate outside of the community as well as some within. Read more in these articles:
- (Nunatsiaq Online, Dec. 2)
- (Edmonton Journal, Dec. 2)
- (Globe and Mail, Nov. 28)
- (Edmonton Journal, Nov. 27)
- (Ottawa Citizen, Nov. 26)
Overuse and Misuse
Date: December 3, 2015 | Category: In the Media
From car porn to criminal masterminds to political bloodbaths... The to the paper about the overuse and misuse of particular words and phrases.
Excuse Me Ma'am/Miss
Date: November 27, 2015 | Category: In the Media
When does a "miss" become a "ma'am", and what are the connotations of each title? In , writer Sofi Papamarko explores these questions and consults with linguist Aaron Dinkin on the origins of "ma'am".
Montreal Mix
Date: November 26, 2015 | Category: In the Media
In his , Marc Abley reflects on English borrowings in French and French borrowings in English in Montreal.
Graduate Research on Canadian English
Date: November 19, 2015 | Category: News
ֱ linguists and students in the course Canadian English were treated to talks by four University of Toronto graduate students yesterday. The speakers shared results from their ongoing variationist studies on different Canadian English topics.
From left to right...
- Marisa Brook: Not so co-relative: The past and present of restrictive WHO and THAT in Toronto and Belleville, Ontario
- Ruth Maddeaux: Is like like like?: Evaluating the same variant across multiple variables
- Erin Hall: Canadian Raising in Toronto and Vancouver
- Matt Hunt Gardner: I (have) (got) a story for you: Stative possessives and the Loyalist origins of Cape Breton English
Canadian English Speaker in ISIS Recording?
Date: November 18, 2015 | Category: In the Media
The features of Canadian English have become a recent media topic for unexpected and unfortunate reasons. The speaker in an audio clip released by ISIS exhibits certain vowel pronunciations characteristic of someone raised in Central or Western Canada. The following articles include observations by Canadian English scholars Charles Boberg and Jack Chambers.
- (CBC News, Nov. 18)
- ISIS voice on audio linking group to Paris may be Canadian (Herald News, Nov. 16) [no longer available]
- (Global News, Nov. 16)
Word of the Year
Date: November 17, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Oxford Dictionaries' Word of the Year - the emoji "face crying tears of joy" - has left many people crying tears of another kind. Would you have preferred "Dark Web" or "on fleek"?
- (CBC, Nov. 17)
New Perspective, New Names
Date: November 13, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's priorities are reflected in his new names for cabinet positions. "Minister of Environment" is now "Minister of Environment and Climate Change". "Northern Development" is now "Northern Affairs". Read about some of the other changes in these articles:
- (CBC, Nov. 5)
- 'A lot more than symbolism': Here's why cabinet name changes are a sign of what's to come (National Post, Nov. 4) [no longer available]
Graduate Research Symposium
Date: November 10, 2015 | Category: News
On November 18th, the unit will host the Symposium of Graduate Research on Canadian English, featuring talks by four graduate students engaged in sociolinguistic research on various aspects of Canadian English. The event is organized by Matt Hunt Gardner, instructor for Canadian English. Click on the flyer below for details. All are welcome!
Which Color/Colour?
Date: November 4, 2015 | Category: In the Media
A school spelling test in Vernon, B.C. ignited the debate over Canadian spelling when kids were taught American variants. .
Time for Change?
Date: October 30, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Language change... We often resist it, but sometimes we seek it. Two recent articles highlight efforts in the latter category:
- (Winipeg Free Press, Oct. 28)
- (Toronto Star, Oct. 29)
English Accent Identification
Date: October 29, 2015 | Category: In the Media
British Airways surveyed American and British passengers on their knowledge of, and preferences for, different English accents. Read more about the survey in , including the finding that 97% of respondents from the U.K. identified the Canadian accent as American.
Cape Breton English
Date: October 27, 2015 | Category: In the Media
A Cape Breton native reflects on the Irish and Scottish influences on her English in this piece for the Cape Breton Post. [article no longer available]
Are Millennials Grammar Nerds?
Date: October 15, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Millennials often get a bad rap for destroying the English language, but they may be surprisingly stern prescriptivists in the Toronto Star.
A Bird by Any Other Name
Date: October 14, 2015 | Category: In the Media
In his , Mark Abley explores the origins of bird names in English and French Canada.
Language and Politics
Date: October 14, 2015 | Category: In the Media
The origins of "canvass" and legislative debates over proper grammar have made their way into the news recently...
- (Toronto Star, Sept. 27)
- (Times Colonist, Oct. 11)
NWAV is Coming!
Date: October 13, 2015 | Category: News
New Waves of Analyzing Variation (NWAV) 44, co-hosted by the University of Toronto and York University, will take place October 22-25 at the University of Toronto. There will be some great Canadian English content, including plenary talks by Jack Chambers and Shana Poplack, a session on the Canadian Shift and a number of other talks and posters of interest. Here’s a link to the preliminary program. [no longer available]
New from Newfoundland
Date: October 9, 2015 | Category: News
The latest issue of Regional Languages Studies... Newfoundland is now online! .
Who's Accent?
Date: October 8, 2015 | Category: In the Media
In the latest clash between politics and linguistics, Minister of National Defense and Minister for Multiculturalism, Jason Kenney, is criticized for praising an immigrant's "unaccented English".
- (Toronto Star, October 6)
- (Global News, October 5)
Renaming in Quebec
Date: October 1, 2015 [Updated December 3, 2015] | Category: In the Media
Following a petition effort, the Quebec Topography Commission has decided to change eleven place names in the province that contain the N-word (six in English, five in French). . New names are still to be determined.
[Update: This article in the National Post includes further detail on the name-changing debate.] [no longer available]
Gaspé English
Date: September 30, 2015 | Category: In the Media
In his latest , Mark Abley explores a few unique features of the English of anglophones in Gaspé, Quebec.
'Newfie' Troubles
Date: September 25, 2015 | Category: In the Media
While discussion continues around Harper's 'old stock Canadians' comment, NDP leader Tom Mulcair is dealing with his own linguistic controversy surrounding his use of the term 'Newfie' twenty years ago. Here's a taste of the commentary...
- (CBC News, Sept. 23)
- I am careful, now, about using the term 'Newfie' without quotation marks (National Post, Sept. 22) [no longer available]
- Mulcair apologies for saying 'Newfie' in 1996 (The Telegram, Sept. 20) [no longer available]
- Mulcair catches fish, flack: NDP leader asked to apologize (again) for saying 'Newfie' 19 years ago (National Post, Sept. 20) [no longer available]
- (CBC News, Sept. 20)
'Old Stock' Canadians
Date: September 24, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Stephen Harper's 'old stock Canadians' comment arose as one of the big stories from last week's federal leaders' debate. Since then, dozens of articles have explored the meaning and history of the phrase as well as Harper's intentions. Here are just a few...
- (Globe and Mail, Sept. 23)
- 'Old stock' Canadians have left a sad history (Regina Leader Post, Sept. 22) [no longer available]
- Election missing the point on immigration (Niagara Falls Review, Sept. 21) [no longer available]
- ' (Montreal Gazette, Sept. 20)
- (CBC News, Sept. 19)
- Taking stock of 'old stock' Canadians: Stephen Harper called a 'racist' after remark during debate (National Post, Sept. 19) [no longer available]
- (Globe and Mail, Sept. 18)
- Harper's 'old stock' comment old news (Niagara Falls Review, Sept. 18) [no longer available]
- (Toronto Star, Sept. 18)
- Harper on defensive after Trudeau says 'old stock' comment shows Tory leader uses 'politics of division' (National Post, Sept. 18) [no longer available]
- (CBC News, Sept. 18)
- (Winnipeg Free Press, Sept. 18)
- (CBC News, Sept. 17)
Wolfe Island Fieldwork
Date: September 22, 2015 | Category: News
A few images of Wolfe Island, Ontario taken during a summer fieldwork trip to record speakers for our Oral Stories of Wolfe Island project...
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Pictures of people: Hank Connell, President of Wolfe Island Historical Society in his barn (bottom left); Brian MacDonald, Treasurer of Wolfe Island Historical Society and partner in the Strathy Unit's Oral Stories of Wolfe Island project at his home (center); Tabitha Daly, Fieldwork Project Manager in the Old House Museum (bottom right)
Summer Stories of Canadian English
Date: September 10, 2015 | Category: In the Media
We're back with part 2 of our collection of summer media stories! It is an impressive list, with topics ranging from our shifting vowels to the "Flora syndrome", from old words changing in meaning to new ones entering the language.
- (Montreal Gazette, August 28)
- (CBC News, August 27)
- (BBC News, August 20)
- (Pique Magazine, August 20)
- (Toronto Star, August 17)
- (Toronto Star, August 11)
- (Inside Ottawa Valley, August 5)
- (Ottawa Citizen, August 5)
- (Maclean's, August 1)
- (Montreal Gazette, July 31)
- (Winnipeg Free Press, July 30)
- (Maclean's, July 29)
- (Ottawa Citizen, July 20)
- (Montreal Gazette, July 17)
- (Montreal Gazette, July 3)
- (Wall Street Journal, July 3)
- Can new immigrants benefit from accent reduction courses? (Can-India News, July 3) [no longer available]
- (Toronto Star, July 3)
- (Now Toronto, July 1)
- (Montreal Gazette, June 19)
Vocal Fry in the Media
Date: September 3, 2015 | Category: In the Media
It was a busy summer for Canadian English in the media. 'Vocal fry' was the big story, sparked by about this speech pattern as used by young women. Below are links to articles exploring different perspectives on fry from the Canadian press. (Next week we'll post links to the summer stories about everything else!)
- (The Globe and Mail, August 7)
- (Toronto Star, August 4)
- (Toronto Star, July 31)
- (The Globe and Mail, July 31)
- (CBC, July 29)
- Naomi Wolf and 'vocal fry': The accepted voice of authority shouldn't sound only like a white male (Metro News, July 28) [no longer available]
- (CBC Radio's The Current, July 28)
Summer Hiatus
Date: June 25, 2015 | Category: News
The blog will be taking its annual July-August hiatus. Please keep in touch with us during this time , and check back in September for more news and media stories.
Meanwhile at the unit...
Research assistants hard at work in the Strathy offices
OED Welcomes 'Inukshuk'
Date: June 25, 2015 | Category: In the Media
'Inukshuk', 'stagette' and other Canadianisms were among 500 new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary today. .
Dominion Day?
Date: June 25, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Dominion Day gave way to Canada Day in 1982, but as the holiday approaches, some are nostalgic for the older term. Check out and Brewery brings back Dominion Day with off-beat Canadiana party. [article no longer available]
New Country, New English
Date: June 24, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Moving to a new country means many life changes for immigrants. For English speakers moving to Canada, adjusting to a new language is one change most don't consider. , new citizens reflect on their early experiences in Canada, including adapting to Canadian English.
Euphemisms and Race
Date: June 23, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Obama's recent use of the N-word in an interview has drawn attention to how we talk about race in North American English. .
Literally Coming to Terms with Change
Date: June 17, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Writing for the National Post, Catherine Glazer muses about her journey from annoyance to acceptance with the word "like" and her hopes to ultimately embrace her new linguistic nuisance - "literally". [article no longer available]
"Supply-Side" Economics?
Date: June 9, 2015 | Category: In the Media
The Toronto Star has recently decided to stop using the term "voodoo economics" after several readers raised the issue of its racist connotations. and some .
In Sync
Date: June 4, 2015 | Category: In the Media
, Mark Abley traces the origins of "sync"... from our contemporary use of "sync up" back to references to audio and video "synchronization" in early talkies.
How to Talk Canadian
Date: June 3, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Actor Nick Kroll shares his experience developing Canadian accents for television in this brief article from CTV News. [no longer available]
Canadian English Talks at CLA
Date: May 29, 2015 | Category: News
This year's meeting of the Canadian Linguistics Association will take place May 30 - June 1 in Ottawa as part of Congress 2015. Click here for the program which contains links to abstracts for all presentations. [Program no longer available.] Below are titles of some of the talks and posters that focus on a variety of English in Canada or that make use of data from Canadian English participants.
- Coronal stop deletion in Blackfoot English
- Bilingualism and cognitive control: The ANT in a Canadian context
- The effect of length of residence on the phonetic accommodation to three English dialects
- A sociolinguistic analysis of the current state of /l/ allophony in St. John's English
- Losing light /l/: An acoustic and articulatory investigation of Newfoundland English
- The impact of accented prosody on parsing speech
- Sociophonetic variation of Northern Ontario English vowels: Canadian Shift in two non-urban communities
- Foundering: Reconsidering adjectival intensifiers
"Quinzhee"?
Date: May 28, 2015 [updated June 3, 2015] | Category: In the Media
The Scrabble dictionary will soon increase by 6,500 words. Test your knowledge of some of the more unusual additions with this CBC Books quiz. Read about some of the other new entries in this article from the National Post. [Articles no longer available.]
Racial Stereotypes and Accent Perception
Date: May 27, 2015 | Category: In the Media
A new study at UBC finds that Canadian English listeners' perceptions of foreign accent is influenced by their understanding of the ethnicity of the speaker. You can read more about the study in this article from The Vancouver Sun. [no longer available]
Interview with Strathy Director
Date: May 20, 2015 | Category: News
This week's blog post for the features an interview with Strathy Director Anastasia Riehl. here.
It's All in the Nouns?
Date: May 11, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Is it the nouns that make Canadian English distinctive? Montreal Gazette write Marc Abley and continues his thoughts on the origins of "to kettle" (following up on ).
International Trade and National Lexicons
Date: May 6, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Feta-style? Parmesan-like? Gorgonzola-ish? Trade agreements sometimes include restrictions on the terms that can be applied to Canadian products. Read about the latest debate over names for cheeses in this article in the National Post. [no longer available]
The Language of Protests
Date: April 27, 2015 | Category: In the Media
In his Mark Abley considers new terminology arising from student protests.
Emojis in Canadian English
Date: April 22, 2015 | Category: In the Media
The UK's Daily Mail published an article today on use of emojis in different languages based on a SwiftKey analysis. Canadian English speakers apparently use more violent emojis than those of the other languages studied and interestingly include more ocean creatures! .
Youth Language: Irritating or on Fleek?
Date: April 15, 2016 | Category: In the Media
columnist Sarah Hampson reflects on some of the annoying - and beautiful - new words spreading through social media.
Canadian English Research Posters
Date: April 9, 2015 | Category: News
Students in ֱ undergraduate course Canadian English have completed research projects. Here are a few of the research teams with their posters.
Ben's Bin of Pens and Pins: An analysis of the pre-nasal ɪ and ɛ merger in young adult Canadian English speakers
Um, Well... How do I put this?
(Gender variation in the use of filler words)
I speak Canadian Konglish, you speak American Konglish
(Use of Canadianisms by first, 1.5 and second generation Korean-Canadian English speakers)
Where Nigerian and Canadian English Meet
Date: April 8, 2015 | Category: In the Media
It's exam season. Are Canadians more likely to "write" their exams (as opposed to "take" them) than in any other English-speaking country? This is one topic in a recent column on Nigerian English in the Daily Trust newspaper. Columnist Farooq Kperogi writes about issues of Nigerian English grammar and usage, often comparing Nigerian English to British, American and Canadian English. For those interested in this perspective, here is a page that includes links to the articles. [Articles no longer available.]
Saskatchewan Slang
Date: April 1, 2015 | Category: In the Media
A posted earlier this year by Insightrix Research is continuing to generate interest in the media. Here are a couple of recent articles:
Bunnyhug and gotch among the most popular Saskatchewan slang: survey (The Star Phoenix) [no longer available]
(CBC)
Bibliography Updates!
Date: March 26, 2015 | Category: News
We just updated the Strathy Bibliography of Canadian English, adding over 150 new sources. Access the bibliography here, and as always, please let us know if you are aware of sources we should include!
Canadian English Dialects and Foreign Accent Syndrome
Date: March 26, 2015 | Category: In the Media
In a 2008 medical case resurfacing in the media, a woman from Ontario acquires a Maritime accent after a stroke. It is an interesting case of Foreign Accent Syndrome in that the new accent is an identifiable regional dialect and from a part of the country the woman has never visited. .
Are You a Keener?
Date: March 19, 2015 | Category: In the Media
Here is to the plethora of "Canadian slang" lists... a few classics and a few surprises.
Duo-Tangs?
Date: March 12, 2015 | Category: In the Media
In this brief article from the Alberta Teacher's Association, Australian exchange teachers share their experiences with some confounding Canadian English terms. [Article no longer available.]
CVC Mini-Conference
Date: March 11, 2015 | Category: News
The Strathy Language Unit and the Canadian English course at Queen?s will host the Change and Variation in Canadian English Mini-Conference Thursday, March 12 from 2:30-3:50 in Kingston Hall, room 200. Three speakers from the University of Toronto will discuss their Canadian English research projects. All are welcome!
2:30-2:35
Introductions
2:35-3:00
Marisa Brook, Relatively distinct: Localized loss of prestige on the periphery of Canadian English
3:00-3:25
Matt Hunt Gardner, Where does Canadian English end? Cape Breton Speech Island
3:25-3:50
Derek Denis, Homogeneity, convergence, mega-trends and stuff like that
Take a Survey!
Date: March 5, 2015 [updated March 11, 2015] | Category: News
Update (April 27, 2015) - The surveys are now closed. Thank you for your participation!
Students in the Canadian English course at Queen?s are working on research projects. Several are collecting data through online surveys and seek your participation. Take one of the following surveys, or take them all!
What did you learn in university?
http://queensu.fluidsurveys.com/surveys/ling202/what-i-learned-learnt-in-university/
How do you slang?
queensu.fluidsurveys.com/surveys/ling202/how-do-you-slang/
What?s in a name?
http://queensu.fluidsurveys.com/surveys/ling202/what-s-in-a-name/
Sound Mergers in Canadian English
http://queensu.fluidsurveys.com/surveys/ling202/sound-mergers-in-canadian-english/
Language Variation in Canada
http://queensu.fluidsurveys.com/surveys/ling202/language-variation-in-canada-jessa-kayla-laura/
You say what?
http://queensu.fluidsurveys.com/surveys/ling202/you-say-what-a-social-survey/
Call for Student Papers
Date: March 4, 2015 | Category: News
Calling all student researchers of Canadian English! The Strathy Student Working Papers on Canadian English accepts submissions on a regular basis. Papers may be by undergraduate or graduate students at any institution, studying any aspect of the Canadian English language. Click here for details.
Reflections on Change
Date: February 11, 2015 | Category: In the Media
for The Globe and Mail, a writer reflects on language change.
Canadian Language Museum Blog
Date: February 4, 2015 | Category: In the Media
The Canadian Language Museum has an with weekly posts on language research in Canada. The latest post on , as well as previous posts on the , and the are of particular relevance to Canadian English studies.
More from the Mavens
Date: February 3, 2015 [updated February 4] | Category: In the Media
In the previous post, we told you about a recent article in the Montreal Gazette that lists examples of readers' complaints about grammar and usage in the newspaper. , this one in the Globe and Mail, in a similar vein but with great new examples. was published a few days later.
Between you and I...
Date: January 27, 2015 | Category: In the Media
In his latest column for the Montreal Gazette, Mark Abley shares readers' linguistic pet peeves. Do you have any to add to ?
Oxford Dropping Nature Words
Date: January 14, 2015 | Category: In the Media
There has been an outcry over Oxford's decision to drop around 50 nature words from its junior dictionary. A group of authors, including Margaret Atwood, is urging the publisher to reinstate the words expressing concern over the decline of nature in the "increasingly interior, solitary childhoods of today". Read more about their argument and the publisher's response
Words of the Year
Date: January 8, 2015 | Category: In the Media
"Vape" - Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year - wasn't the only interesting new addition in 2014. shares a few of the highlights.