On speaking English

Interesting to read what a non-Canadian’s perspective is on Canadian English. Outside of the word toque, there are actually other Canadianisms! Whenever I’m travelling and I talk to other Anglophones, they all seem to have colourful slang or words that we never encounter. I was envious of their special code because every English word that came from my own mouth seemed to be understood by them.

I have to admit that I like the feeling when you start to decipher the codes of a certain culture be it South African, Australian or British. But different is always relative. One of my friends I met in South Africa is German and South Africa was the only English-speaking place she’s been in. Other Canadians and I would laugh when we hear a South African word since it was novel to us, but she would use it liberally because it was correct “English” to her.

“Ag, shame,” she says.
To this I would laugh.
“Well,” she retorts defensively. “How would you say it in Canada?”
“We don’t.”

You’d think it’s sometimes a challenge to translate directly from a different language, but the same one from another continent??