Canajan, eh?

DanielArenson

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 26, 2008
Messages
73
Reaction score
0
Also, I have given up trying to spell in American - I just convert in proofing. My publisher didn't ask me to do that, but I figured it was polite to do so since they were kindly hosting me.

I use American spelling for my fiction, but Canadian spelling for everyday writing. I reckon most of my readers are Americans, so I don't want to confuse them too badly. :D
 
Last edited:

profen4

Banned
Spammer
Joined
Apr 25, 2009
Messages
1,694
Reaction score
186
Location
The Great White North
I tend to write with Canadian spelling. I can't help it. I write what I know and that just happens to be "neighbour." Mind you, my editor did change my Canadian spellings to American, so .... perhaps you guys are on to something.
 

Carmy

Banned
Joined
Dec 8, 2005
Messages
1,654
Reaction score
119
I love the humour in this thread. Now I know why I moved to Canada from the UK and I am never leaving unless they kick me out.

I was taught UK English and I will always use it. It's the British way, eh?
 

Aimless Lady

Head in the Clouds
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 16, 2010
Messages
278
Reaction score
6
Location
Earth
Website
maggieblackbird.com
Greetings from Northwestern Ontario. Born and raised on a First Nation, but now living in the country, although the family still resides there. I never knew this thread existed and read all the posts. I, too, like to set my fics in Canada, or have Canadian MCs. The WIP I'm editing is set on a First Nation and one of the MCs is Ojibway.

P.S. My "eh" sounds more like aye. I'm wondering if this is a Northwestern Ontario thing, since everyone says "aye."
 

PorterStarrByrd

nutruring tomorrows criminals today
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Feb 26, 2011
Messages
33,701
Reaction score
2,013
Location
Moose Creek, Maine
Question here .. I guess I can be Canadian for a while even with just a long term visitor pass

How much do any of you you care about US history in the form of historical novels? I can't get much of a measure here in Quebec, not even finding many English language books in the local library

I get a kick about learning your local history. I even went on a French language tour last summer. I figure with my forty year or so ago high school French I understood about 40% of the lecture and 80 % of the message. Then again, I'm a history buff.
 

Pebbles

Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 9, 2011
Messages
69
Reaction score
7
Location
Montreal
Question here .. I guess I can be Canadian for a while even with just a long term visitor pass

How much do any of you you care about US history in the form of historical novels? I can't get much of a measure here in Quebec, not even finding many English language books in the local library

Tell me about it. I had to beg my library to get some English books other than Harry Potter. They didn't even carry Lolita :(
 

BardSkye

Barbershoppin' Harmony Whore
Kind Benefactor
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 2, 2006
Messages
2,522
Reaction score
1,009
Age
68
Location
Calgary, Canada
How much do any of you you care about US history in the form of historical novels? I can't get much of a measure here in Quebec, not even finding many English language books in the local library

Do you want an honest answer? Speaking strictly for myself: not much.

We have a weird relationship, our two countries. Kind of a love/hate thing. We love our American cousins but at the same time get a little irritated at the flag-waving. Rather like a big sister/little sister bond.

In school, in the late '60's, I was required to learn more about the US than about Canada, partly because the textbooks were printed in the US. My class could give you the capitols of every state, but cross over into Vermont or New Hampshire and their citizens barely knew Canada existed. And it rankled, just a little.

For myself, I get more than enough US history just by watching TV. If I'm going to read an historical, it'll be anyone else's history first.
 

Adam

Not dead.
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Nov 24, 2008
Messages
7,640
Reaction score
2,900
I've been in Newfoundland for 6 weeks so far. Am I an honorary Canadian yet? :D

(And nobody says 'eh' here, that I've noticed.) ;)
 

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
5,027
Reaction score
518
Location
I'm not even sure I know anymore...
Website
lmashton.com
I haven't been in Canada for eight years and I still say "eh" on occasion. I don't think that's ever going to be beaten out of me. :D

I'm from everywhere in Western Canada - small towns nobody's ever heard of, far north, big cities, wet coast. I've even been north of the Arctic Circle if anybody cares. :D And had an adventure with a broken boat motor on the Mackenzie River in the NWT with a rescue of sorts from a barge heading to Inuvik.

I've spent the last eight years in Sri Lanka, though, and am now in New Zealand.
 

frimble3

Heckuva good sport
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
11,574
Reaction score
6,396
Location
west coast, canada
How much do any of you you care about US history in the form of historical novels? I can't get much of a measure here in Quebec, not even finding many English language books in the local library

I get a kick about learning your local history. I even went on a French language tour last summer. I figure with my forty year or so ago high school French I understood about 40% of the lecture and 80 % of the message. Then again, I'm a history buff.
American history, in big picture terms, is probably better known in Canada than Canadian history. (Aside from local events and history buffs.) Americans self-promote so avidly, and are such a big part of all media, that most people's knowledge of 'the Taming of the West' is based on the American version, not our own, equally interesting, past.
Where are the movies about Sam Steele and Matthew Baillie Begbie? About the Northwest Mounted Police (precursor to the RCMP) and their trek across the plains? I know of one children's book about how the horses broke loose in a storm and had to be hunted across the border into the States, and that's it.
But the US Cavalry? Oh, yess ...
Same with the founding of our countries. Most Canadians kinda remember 'the Plains of Abraham' as some kind of big event, but they know Paul Revere, the Minutemen, and Valley Forge
 

frimble3

Heckuva good sport
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Oct 7, 2006
Messages
11,574
Reaction score
6,396
Location
west coast, canada
I haven't been in Canada for eight years and I still say "eh" on occasion. I don't think that's ever going to be beaten out of me. :D

I'm from everywhere in Western Canada - small towns nobody's ever heard of, far north, big cities, wet coast. I've even been north of the Arctic Circle if anybody cares. :D And had an adventure with a broken boat motor on the Mackenzie River in the NWT with a rescue of sorts from a barge heading to Inuvik.

I've spent the last eight years in Sri Lanka, though, and am now in New Zealand.
Everywhere, eh? I can't resist that challenge. Small towns nobody's ever heard of, wet coast: have you ever been to Ocean Falls? (Not even expecting you to have set foot in the place, just being on the ship when it stopped there would count.)
 

L M Ashton

crazy spec fic writer
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 26, 2005
Messages
5,027
Reaction score
518
Location
I'm not even sure I know anymore...
Website
lmashton.com
Everywhere, eh? I can't resist that challenge. Small towns nobody's ever heard of, wet coast: have you ever been to Ocean Falls? (Not even expecting you to have set foot in the place, just being on the ship when it stopped there would count.)
Smart Aleck. :p

I don't know that I've been to Ocean Falls (although it's possible), but I have been in the neighborhood/north and east of the neighborhood - Bella Coola, Prince George, Prince Rupert, Smithers. It was a long, long, long, long time ago. :)
 

envision

novice novelist
Super Member
Registered
Joined
May 16, 2010
Messages
175
Reaction score
9
Location
Appalachia
I love Canada! If not for the requirement that you have to work full time for one entire year I would definitely apply for a work visa and live in Canada for a while. I've lived in England for 6 months and felt more at home there than I have the 24 years I lived in the Southern U.S. (*cringes*). I have traveled through Ontario and been to Toronto numerous times, not to mention Montreal, Vancouver, Vernon, Kingston, Cornwall, etc.

Canadians have such a wide variety of dialects. People in Canada claim I sound like I come from rural Alberta rather than America. And if you talk to someone from British Columbia and compare their accent to someone from Toronto you can tell the difference is about as big as a New Yorker talking to someone from the deep South. I've only heard one person say "aboot" (from Newfoundland) but a few have said "eh" (even those who are actors and normally sound American). Seriously, it's not all about the "oo" and "eh."

The only thing that disappointed me about Canada was their recent election results. Seriously, if they go Conservative, where are the Americans supposed to go if America goes crazy and elects Tea Party? LOL! Okay, I'm half-joking ;). If anyone wants to write about Canada or Canadian characters, I really hope they visit Canada and study the dialects, lifestyles, etc. There's such a strong mixture of American, British, and their own culture.
 
Last edited:

Bushrat

reaching for the sun
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Aug 30, 2009
Messages
675
Reaction score
74
Location
out in the bush
The only thing that disappointed me about Canada was their recent election results.

Most of the country is disappointed, appalled, and disgusted with the results. The majority of voters did not vote conservative, but thanks to our antiquated and utterly retarded voting system, they still ended up with a majority :rant:
 

Barber

Timing is everything...
Super Member
Registered
Joined
Apr 4, 2008
Messages
1,273
Reaction score
302
Location
Toronto, Canada
LOL, we don't really say aboot in Canada! The only 'out' word we pronounce that way is route, which is the French influence.

However, we do pronounce our words-ending-in-o.u.t. differently from Americans. It's tighter, more Irish than English. Then again, our accent ranges from east to west. My family's from Newfoundland, so trust me, I know! We're not called Goofy Newfies for nothing :)

And we usually say 'eh' where Americans say 'huh'.

South of the border: "See my new shoes? They're nice, huh?"
North of the border: "See my new shoes? They're nice, eh?"



ETA: I'm so proud that my 1,000th post ended up in the Oh, Canada thread!!!! And it only took me 3 years and 1 month to get here.
 

Tracey Taylor

Super Member
Registered
Joined
Mar 19, 2011
Messages
63
Reaction score
0
Location
Ontario, Canada
How much do any of you you care about US history in the form of historical novels?
I like US history. Mainly because I'm a visual learner and since I live in Ontario it's really easy for me to travel to the NE United States and visit some famous sites (even further south like Washington and Virginia aren't hard to get too since they're only a day away). I can go see where Gettysburg happened, where George Washington lived, visit Jamestown and see the original fort that the British built so many centuries ago.

There's not much like that in my area. I live close to a WWII spy training camp where Ian Fleming once trained but nothing remains except for a plaque marking the camp.

I also live near a former WWII POW camp (the last remaining one in Canada) but the buildings are in such bad shape that the place is only opened for one day each summer. Historical groups want to restore the site but they're met by resistance from the government. I fear the government is just going to sit on things until the remaining buildings have to come down for safety concerns and then approve for modern houses to be built on the site.

I would love it if both places were restored. I think we need to embrace our history more. We have a few places like Fort Henry and Fort George but we need more and it's not too late.