The region where you live affects the words you use... Thread poster: Nathalie M. Girard, ALHC (X)
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Nathalie M. Girard, ALHC (X) 
English to French
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Good afternoon everyone!
A friend sent me the following article. I thought it would be interesting to share it here, and see what my fellow Prozians think!
Have a wonderful day! 
Nathalie
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The region where you live affects the words you use...Not to mention the pronunciation
By Francine Dubé... See more Good afternoon everyone!
A friend sent me the following article. I thought it would be interesting to share it here, and see what my fellow Prozians think!
Have a wonderful day!
Nathalie
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The region where you live affects the words you use...Not to mention the pronunciation
By Francine Dubé
National Post
Wednesday, November 27, 2002
That long, tilting board at the local playground, that children play on,
what do you call it? A teeter-totter? You must be from British Columbia. A
see-saw? You\'re a Montrealer.
Do you want pepperoni, mushrooms, green peppers and cheese on that pizza? In
Montreal, that\'s all-dressed. In Edmonton, it\'s a deluxe.
How we talk reveals a lot about us, in some cases even our area code, says
McGill University linguistics professor Charles Boberg, who together with
students interviewed 600 people over three years to determine whether there
are cross-Canada differences in speech.
\"If an Edmontonian were to go to Toronto and say, \"Excuse me, where is the
nearest parkade?\" people would look at him like he was from Mars,\" Prof.
Boberg says. \"It\'s completely unknown in Toronto, yet it\'s just the normal
word for it in Winnipeg or Edmonton.\"
The expression in Toronto, for Edmontonians contemplating a visit, is
parking garage.
Unlike the United States, where accents can reveal what part of New York
City you live in, or Britain, where distances as small as 50 kilometres
create ponds of varying word usage and accents, Canada\'s English is
remarkably uniform. Nonetheless, there are small but distinguishable
differences between regions that probably provide us at some subtle level
with a sense of local or regional identity, says Prof. Boberg.
Montrealers, as always, distinguish themselves the most. In Montreal, a
convenience store is a dépanneur, even to anglophones. A one-bedroom
apartment with a kitchen and living room is not a one-bedroom or a bachelor
or a studio, it\'s a 3 1/2. A significant number of Montrealers, reporting
their results on a test, would say they scored nine on 10, instead of nine
out of 10, the expression used overwhelmingly in the rest of Canada.
Montrealers -- again, even the anglophones -- are the only Canadians who
withdraw money from a \"guichet.\" Most Canadians get their money from a bank
machine, while Americans get their from ATMs.
Montrealers pay at the cash, instead of the cashier, which is where Prairie
folk like to pay for things.
\"Americans think that sounds funny,\" Prof. Boberg says. \"They pay at the
register; cash is what you use to pay with, it\'s not where you pay.\"
Others are not so obvious. The metal device over a sink or bathtub that
controls the flow of water? Canadians are divided on whether it\'s a faucet
or a tap, but to most Prairie dwellers, it\'s a tap.
That thing with shoulder straps, carried on a student\'s back to hold books?
In the Atlantic provinces, they are called bookbags; in British Columbia,
nearly everyone calls it a backpack; in Montreal, a significant minority
refers to them as schoolbags.
A notebook is a scribbler in Atlantic Canada and to many people on the
Prairies. Atlantic Canadians call eavestroughs gutters.
© Copyright 2002 National Post
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Henry Hinds
United States
Local time: 09:40
English to Spanish
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In memoriam | In a big world | Nov 27, 2002 |
In a big world there are still a lot of small worlds despite the advent of mass communications. Of course, many of the English terms you have put down are also used in the U.S. while others I suspect are not.
Then we have Spanish, about 20 countries there, plus countries like Mexico that are very large and diverse. However, in Spanish we all seem to get by quite well as the language is amazingly uniform all over, yet wherever you go, the local flavor is always there, and it ... See more In a big world there are still a lot of small worlds despite the advent of mass communications. Of course, many of the English terms you have put down are also used in the U.S. while others I suspect are not.
Then we have Spanish, about 20 countries there, plus countries like Mexico that are very large and diverse. However, in Spanish we all seem to get by quite well as the language is amazingly uniform all over, yet wherever you go, the local flavor is always there, and it never ends. ▲ Collapse
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Anna Taylor
US Minor Outlying Isl.
Local time: 10:40
English to French
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| Always interesting | Nov 28, 2002 |
Thank you for posting the article. I find these little differences completely fascinating, and often leads to a bit of confusion and lots of fun.
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sylvie malich (X)
Germany
Local time: 17:40
German to English
\"Unlike the United States, where accents can reveal what part of New York
City you live in, or Britain, where distances as small as 50 kilometres
create ponds of varying word usage and accents, Canada\'s English is
remarkably uniform.\"
...
I don\'t know, when my brother calls from Vancouver I sure know it\'s him and not one of my relatives from PEI. (C:
...
\"Montrealers pay at the cash, instead of the cashie... See more
\"Unlike the United States, where accents can reveal what part of New York
City you live in, or Britain, where distances as small as 50 kilometres
create ponds of varying word usage and accents, Canada\'s English is
remarkably uniform.\"
...
I don\'t know, when my brother calls from Vancouver I sure know it\'s him and not one of my relatives from PEI. (C:
...
\"Montrealers pay at the cash, instead of the cashier, which is where Prairie
folk like to pay for things.\"
You know I always look for the \"cash desk\" when I\'ve got something to buy. Where did I get that from??
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| A view of Italy | Nov 28, 2002 |
I\'m Italian and I can say that your pronunciation and your choice of words do reveal where you come from.
I am from Piemonte, but try and speak with a Toscano, a Siciliano or a Veneto and then let me know!!!
However, I see this diversity as a way of enriching the language (provided that grammar is preserved... I am thinking about congiuntivi - subjunctive - for instance).
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