Canajan, eh?

I don't know what you're talking aboot.

born and raised in Niagara, but have traveled to 9 out of 10 provinces, loved every place visited, but special shout out for the Peg
there's just something about it. maybe cause it's home to Burton Cummings and Princess Auto.
haven't been to Newfoundland yet but really really want to go. fascinating, intriguing, mystical place. and i like all things Gaelic
went to a writer's conference in NYC recently, one other Canuck there - lovely lady from Newfoundland, which is pronounced Noofinlan.
few Americans at the conference got this enchanted look in their eye as they listened to me speak, then would say, "You said 'eh'—how charming!"
didn't realize I was doing it.

So am i the only one here that doesn't say 'eh'? I dont hear it much at all in everyday life either. The odd person stands on it now and then, but generally? I dont hear it. Maybe its an East of the Rockies thing...

Funny thing about the regional accents... They can be VERY regional. I live within 30 miles of the US border (almost half the people in BC do), we talk pretty much exactly like an American you hear in movies or TV (who aren't using a regional accent of their own obviously). Really dont sound much different, or any different than say, people from Seattle. Yet, driving TO Seattle, it changes. You just cross the border, and i mean quite literally, on the other side of the fence, and its 'y'all' and the American drawl big time. Seems Canada or the US, anytime you stray from the big cities, you find more accent. I dont hear much of a change from BC to Ontario, but Quebec will obviously be different. Past that, Nova Scotia is more 'normal', as is parts of New Brunswick (other parts have French accents) and PEI. Newfoundland obviously sounds about as 'normal' as a Vietnamese-born Russian trying to speak Klingon... but hey, thats why we love them. Whale oil beef hooked. (i'm sure someone's already posted that one...)

Oooh, shiny new font. Canada 150.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...english-french-indigenous-languages-1.3372468

Fonts are confusing to me - I just - I guess I'm just not visual enough. I just want my letters to be legible so I can use them form words.

Cool that this one allows native languages to be represented, though!

A bit of Canadiana from the other end of the cultural spectrum (assuming that, like me, most Canadians don't think about fonts too often)... hockey!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wQ5leZrQk-0

Come on, think of the emoticons you could make!

Xelebes said:

Oooh, shiny new font. Canada 150.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottaw...english-french-indigenous-languages-1.3372468

Click to expand...

very interesting. does anyone know how to write any phrases using the indigenous font?

Captcha said:

A bit of Canadiana from the other end of the cultural spectrum (assuming that, like me, most Canadians don't think about fonts too often)... hockey!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wQ5leZrQk-0

Click to expand...

Fantastic video, thanks for sharing.

The name Canada comes from a word in the language of the St. Lawrence Iroquoians meaning "village" or "settlement." In 1535, inhabitants of the present-day Quebec City region used the word to direct explorer Jacques Cartier towards the village of Stadacona. Cartier used the word 'Canada' to refer to not only that village, but the entire area subject to Donnacona Chief at Stadacona. By 1545, European books and maps began referring to this region as Canada.

LOL you would think after they figured it out they would have changed it to something else no ?

molly brant said:

very interesting. does anyone know how to write any phrases using the indigenous font?

Click to expand...

Not yet. Canadian Multilingual is not yet set up for that.

Pops in just to say hi everyone. I'm from TO but I've lived in Hamilton and Waterloo. Never yet heard anyone say 'eh'. My about pronunciation is questionable though....

Does anyone know of any literary agents in Canada who'd consider a mystery/suspense novel by a first time writer?

I'm 62 and have been writing for the past 40 years and have 4 other completed manuscripts, but I've always been scared to pitch them. I figure I better get one out before I die.

Or do you know of publishers (particularly West Coast) who would consider a BC West coast mystery?

MuteSoul said:

Pops in just to say hi everyone. I'm from TO but I've lived in Hamilton and Waterloo. Never yet heard anyone say 'eh'. My about pronunciation is questionable though....

Click to expand...

Might be a regional thing. We do say 'eh' on the Wet Coast, but not as much as Bob and Doug McKenzie.

Ah, I'm glad to have found my people.

Another Canadian reporting in. Started out in ON, moved west, moved from BC to NB last fall.

I say "Eh"...it started out as a joke...and then it stuck, I can't shake it. The worst part is when I try to stop and I come upon many "eh-ing" opportunities which I do my very best to avoid. I will succeed with 1...2...maybe even 3 but then that 4th one comes along and I slip and fall back into it. *sigh*

BTW...Hello my peoples

G'Day,
Here in the great white north eh (I'm from Ottawa)? our swearing can consist of calling people hosers and telling them to take off eh?

So who remembers Bob and Doug with their stubby beer bottles, packs of smokes and touques and the classic twelve days of Christmas song?

All right, a question for the francophones here:

What's the standard mode for titling works like say a song? In English, it is drilled in school but I don't know how it is done in French. I suspect the first word is capitalised and the following words are not, in the same way as you would write a sentence. So, anyone know?

Xelebes said:

All right, a question for the francophones here:

What's the standard mode for titling works like say a song? In English, it is drilled in school but I don't know how it is done in French. I suspect the first word is capitalised and the following words are not, in the same way as you would write a sentence. So, anyone know?

Click to expand...

Hmmm.

From what I'm seeing on this page, each word is capitalized. Google 'French Songs' and see what you find.
http://www.enkivillage.com/famous-french-songs.html

This list, on BuzzFeed, only capitalizes the first word (and names)

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alix/french-songs-you-should-know?utm_term=.efwezZEaO#.bykVANb67

I guess I am a "mixed-breed" Canadian being American on my father's side... But, to me, Canada is ALWAYS special and a place to return to for peace and beauty. Did you ever notice when you drive into Canada the air actually smells differently? Well it does to me! There is - was - even a town in Alberta named after my family.... Cranford.... but it seems to be gone now... kind of like the family!
How many remember Stomping Tom Connors and his music?
Pub food in Montreal taverns?
Nova Scotia's tidal surge?
The West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island?
Did you see the old Stern Wheeler's in Whitehorse, Yukon before a tourist burned them up?
Ever get your weeks pay in GOLD?
Drive the Carcross-Skagway Highway?

I have a friend who caught Stompin' Tom performing at Alert CFB.

But as a Canadian, I have done none of those things. I don't think many Canadians ever get to experience those things, really.

mexicalialan said:

How many remember Stomping Tom Connors and his music? Hockey song guy? He's done other stuff?
Pub food in Montreal taverns? Nope.
Nova Scotia's tidal surge? Nope.
The West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island? Nope. You realize this is a highly technical trail with very very few permits awarded each year? Not something most Canadians (i.e. 99% of) will experience
Did you see the old Stern Wheeler's in Whitehorse, Yukon before a tourist burned them up? Nope.
Ever get your weeks pay in GOLD? Nope. Srsly, WTF.
Drive the Carcross-Skagway Highway?Nope.

Click to expand...

It's like you've only seen tourist ads for Canada...

ETA: Beer commercials. You've only seen ads for Molson Canadian beer. Pretty sure that's what all of these are mentioned in...

mexicalialan said:

I guess I am a "mixed-breed" Canadian being American on my father's side... But, to me, Canada is ALWAYS special and a place to return to for peace and beauty. Did you ever notice when you drive into Canada the air actually smells differently? Well it does to me! There is - was - even a town in Alberta named after my family.... Cranford.... but it seems to be gone now... kind of like the family!
How many remember Stomping Tom Connors and his music? Only on commercials
Pub food in Montreal taverns? Nope.
Nova Scotia's tidal surge? Nope, but Bay of Fundy is in New Brunswick, and that's awesome.
The West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island?Nope.
Did you see the old Stern Wheeler's in Whitehorse, Yukon before a tourist burned them up? Nope
Ever get your weeks pay in GOLD? What, you mean in loonies? Uh...they're just kinda gold coloured...
Drive the Carcross-Skagway Highway? No clue

Click to expand...

Do you have any idea how BIG Canada is? Cause none of these places are near each other.

And gold? Seriously?

mexicalialan said:

I guess I am a "mixed-breed" Canadian being American on my father's side... But, to me, Canada is ALWAYS special and a place to return to for peace and beauty. Did you ever notice when you drive into Canada the air actually smells differently? Well it does to me! There is - was - even a town in Alberta named after my family.... Cranford.... but it seems to be gone now... kind of like the family!
How many remember Stomping Tom Connors and his music?
Pub food in Montreal taverns?
Nova Scotia's tidal surge?
The West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island?
Did you see the old Stern Wheeler's in Whitehorse, Yukon before a tourist burned them up?
Ever get your weeks pay in GOLD?
Drive the Carcross-Skagway Highway?

Click to expand...

I've hit at least some of them... Stompin' Tom, obviously (my back still hurts when I hear that word!) and Montreal pub food, Nova Scotia's tidal surges, and the West Coast Trail... I'm doing pretty well on the southern parts of the country. I don't think I'm ever going to get up north, though - too cold in the winter, too buggy in the summer!

I remember Stompin' Tom. I'm also old. I've also been up north - Norman Wells, NWT, where my sister and her family lived for a few years, and we went boating down the Mackenzie River, which we took far enough north west to go above the Arctic Circle. Both my brothers also lived/spent considerable time in the NWT or Yukon. I've lived all over Western Canada - some nine cities and towns. I haven't been east of Winnipeg, though.