Skip to main content

Questions tagged [canadian-english]

Questions about the English language as spoken in Canada.

6 votes
3 answers
553 views

Who uses "uni" for "university"?

I think much has been clarified by the many interesting comments this post has received. In Edit 5 below, I've tried to summarize what I think I've learned and what questions are still outstanding. I'...
Dave's user avatar
  • 151
1 vote
1 answer
169 views

Canadian pronunciation of "simultaneously"?

Do most Canadians pronounce "simultaneously" like Americans with a long "i" or like the British (and presumably the rest of the Commonwealth) with a short "i"? I'm a Gen-...
Classical's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
165 views

Pronunciation of "privacy" in Canadian English

Do Canadians follow the American English pronunciation with the "eye" phoneme or do they tend to stick with the Commonwealth pronunciation, i.e. with the short "i" vowel? (Sorry, ...
tigrefurry's user avatar
-2 votes
1 answer
116 views

Are all variants of English spelling basically British or American? [closed]

I am working on an English-language online resource. It seems an obvious good idea to allow users to choose a version in British English or American English spelling. However, I've noticed that spell-...
English.McEnglishface's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
297 views

Usage of "high school" and "secondary school" in British Columbia

I grew up in British Columbia, Canada. In the area where I grew up (Greater Vancouver), the school system was generally separated into elementary and high school, with elementary starting at ...
Pacific Dogwood's user avatar
5 votes
3 answers
340 views

Are Canadianisms like "aboat" equally common on the American side of the border, adjacent to it?

Most Canadians live close the the border. If you cross to the American side of border, in a rural area, do Canadianisms (1) like "aboat" (2) suddenly become much less common? Since this ...
MWB's user avatar
  • 1,436
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

Are there Canadians who actually spell "organiSe, organiSation" "recogniSe" "realiSe" "authoriSe" with an S instead of a Z? [closed]

I've been noticing that some of my fellow Canadians habitually spell words such as "organise, organisation" "realise" recognise""authorise" instead "organize, ...
user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
781 views

Do some Americans in the Midwest pronounce "sorry" similarly to Canadians?

I just listened to the closing arguments from the defense team in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial. At one point, Mr. Rittenhouse’s lawyer pronounced the word “sorry” in a way that to my non-native ears ...
user178452's user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
10k views

How did cougar come to mean predatory woman?

The common slang connotation of the term cougar is that of older women who have sexual relationships with younger men. The expression appears to come from Canada but its origin is still unclear as ...
Gio's user avatar
  • 4,766
-2 votes
0 answers
441 views

Is it grayscale or greyscale in Canadian English?

I know that grey is used in Canadian English - does that then mean that it should be greyscale in Canadian English?
Kyle Pollard's user avatar
  • 97
0 votes
2 answers
849 views

Meaning of "bareback"

I've been watching Guy Maddin's 2007 My Winnipeg and there's a sentence there I have difficulty understanding. The narrator is talking about the coldest month, January, and it goes something like this:...
Jules Cocovin's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
7k views

What does "blazes" mean in "Stay the blazes home!"

Canada Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil's war cry against COVID-19, "Stay the blazes home", trending #1 in Twitter Canada today (April 4, 2020). See news article coverage. What does "blazes" here ...
GratefulDisciple's user avatar
17 votes
2 answers
7k views

Is this the correct pronunciation of "heinous" in any English-speaking country?

I've never heard "heinous" pronounced "HI-ness" before; I always thought the only valid pronunciation was "HAY-ness." Is "HI-ness" a valid pronunciation of "heinous" in any English-speaking country? ...
Mr Ethernet's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
176 views

What does "beef on the rope" mean"

"The did have one good pro sailor, Ed Roach, for "beef on the rope" and shipkeeping and cooking."
Charlie's user avatar
  • 21
4 votes
3 answers
2k views

Do Canadians say 'go to hospital' or 'go to the hospital'?

Do Canadians follow the British in saying 'I need to go to hospital', or do they say "He needs to go to the hospital'?
Jerome Malenfant's user avatar

15 30 50 per page