Canadian English

English is arguably the most popular and influential language in the world. Originally the sole owners of this language were the British. However, with the introduction of colonization, the British had a good opportunity to promote their language to various lands, and they did that to devastating effect.

One fascinating result of this phenomenon is that these lands have developed their own way of speaking the language. This is especially true for Canada and America. Due to this fact, there are obvious differences between spoken and written English in each of these countries. These differences in Canadian and American English extend beyond daily conversation, influencing industries like online gambling, where unique terminology adds to Canada’s distinct gaming culture.

Canadian English and Online Gambling: Bridging Cultures

As Canadian English has evolved through historical ties with both Britain and America, so too has its unique blend of vocabulary influenced various industries, including online gaming.

With the rise of online casinos, Canadian players encounter gaming terms borrowed from both British and American English, creating a fascinating linguistic blend within the gaming space. This crossover not only reflects Canada’s rich cultural heritage but also adds a unique layer to the online gambling experience. It helps players connect with the best Ontario online casinos through sites designed with user preferences in mind. Reliable reviews and trusted recommendations on these platforms ensure that players can make informed choices, maximizing their gaming enjoyment. These resources highlight top-rated options and provide insights into secure, user-friendly casinos tailored for Canadian audiences.

The influence of Canadian English on various sectors, including online gaming, highlights the country’s linguistic diversity, which extends to Canada’s official languages and many regional dialects.

What Language do Canadians Speak?

Seems like a straightforward question. Canadians have two official languages – English and French.

Further migration has brought many more languages to the country. And there are indigenous languages, including Iroquois and Cree. So, it’s a little more complicated than it seems, and – as with all languages – Canadian English is continually developing and evolving.

What is Canadian English?

A Brief Dip Into History

The second wave of immigration followed, with more than a million British people – from England, Wales, Scotland, and many from Ireland – encouraged to make a move to Canada and shore up loyalty to the British Crown.

That said, America has always been Canada’s closest neighbor, as well as their most important trade partner, helping to explain some of the shared vocabularies between Canadian versus American English. Think American automobile, hood, and gas rather than the British car, bonnet, and petrol, all on the basis that America undoubtedly sells more cars – or automobiles – to Canada that the British ever could.

Vocabulary

Indigenous Languages: borrowing from Canadian Indian (including Cree and Dene), e.g. chipmunk, moose and muskrat. Borrowing from Inuktitut (inuk – person, titut – like), and spoken in areas north of the Tree Line, Canadians use parka, kayak and many related words; such as husky and malemute – describing the ancient dog breeds that have travelled around the world, retaining their original Inuit and Eskimo names. It makes historical sense that many indigenous words that have found their way into Canadian English reflect and describe the natural world and the traditional Canadian environment.

From the French: Canadian sled dogs – the huskies and malamutes – respond to the command mush to run, from the French marcher. Interestingly, a lot of borrowed/adopted French vocabulary in Canada reflects the North American geography and the nature of people’s lives: portage refers to carrying canoes beyond rapids. At the same time, a caboteur describes a coastal trade ship. With two official languages, signage and vocabulary are often bilingual – sometimes by law, and sometimes for convenience, such as Postes Canada Post.

Spelling

Reflecting the general ambivalence of Canadians to American and British influences, standard Canadian spelling varies between the two languages.

But, perhaps, the unique Canadian feature is an acceptance and understanding of both. That said, while vocabulary may be moving more towards their closest neighbor, Canadian spelling still retains much from its British English roots: just ask a Canadian what their favourite colour is! Whether it’s at one end of the spectrum or firmly in the centre, it does seem to follow the British English spelling… except when it doesn’t, for example, when you analyze it.

There are class issues at play and the linguistic developments that occur over time, geography, and political influences. And nowhere is this more evident than in the much-discussed area of pronunciation. And in the question of the Canadian Eh.

Pronunciation

Whether you’re at A in the alphabet or nearer to Zed (note: not the American pronunciation, Zee), you’ll notice some specifically Canadian pronunciations and linguistic traits.

• Canadian Raising: This term was coined by J. K. Chambers in the 1970s – when Canadian English was first being explored and discussed as a language separate from its British and American counterparts. In physical terms, it represents a raising of the tongue rather than the standard lowering, which happens in most other dialects. Try saying knife/knives, or bite/bide and you see – or, rather, feel – the difference. This explains the ‘oot and aboot’ myth: maybe this comes from Scottish immigration, back in the nineteenth century, but it doesn’t seem to be how anyone in Canada talks in the modern world.
• Low Back Merger: If there’s a cot/caught distinction, then this shift is very much a work in progress and is a linguistic feature in areas of the United States as well as Canada: New England and Pennsylvania, at least.
  Your offal may be awful in Canada or some USA areas unless you’re attuned to the pronunciation.

Being aware of this difference can help avoid confusion in conversations between Canadian vs American pronunciation.

Eh?

So, to myth-busting and class issues. It’s been said that you can tell a Canadian – by their use of eh. Sprinkled into any anecdote, any question, or just a comment on the weather (which, as an aside, is a quintessentially British preoccupation), it’s a defining feature – at least according to Americans. But language changes and develops, and eh is far less a feature than is commonly thought.

Whether it’s to emphasize a point, to keep up the pace and interest in the telling of an anecdote, it has its origins back in British English and in French (colloquially, hen) and is increasingly thought of by Canadians as reflecting a lower-class, less-educated version of themselves – so, if you’re American, it’s probably better to drop this stereotype, if you don’t want to offend.

Canadian English vs. American English

Spelling in American vs. Canadian English

Is Canadian English British or American? Ultimately, this seems to come down to what you were taught in school. While Canadian English generally favours British English spelling, Canadians will often use American spelling, and it’s not likely that anyone in Canada would have an issue either understanding or accepting either variant.

It might be stretching a point to say that Canadian English spelling owes as much to the French as it does to Britain. If you trace the language back to the Norman Conquest in 1066, you can see that French became the language of government in England, and so, from this point onwards, written English adopted French spelling. So, Canadians adopting British English spelling makes sense, from the French and the British connections.

There are exceptions across British, American, and Canadian English to every rule of spelling – it’s the nature of linguistic development that languages evolve. So, it’s worth checking with a Canadian dictionary – or setting the spellcheck to whatever language you’re using. That said, a rough guide would include:

• Our vs. or: British and Canadian keep to flavour and colour while Americans use flavor and color.
• Re vs. er: British and Canadians use centre, whereas Americans spell it center.
• Ise vs ize: British English tends towards analyse, recognise, whereas both American and Canadian English favours analyze and recognize.

American vs. Canadian Pronunciation

Let’s take a look at what happens when we look at Canadian pronunciation vs American. While there are regional and local dialect variations in both Canada and the US, Canadian pronunciation is probably closer to American English than to British – which, again, has numerous variations in dialect. However, there are some significant differences in vocabulary and Canadian vs American words pronunciation.

So Americans and Canadians don’t really have any difficulty understanding each other.

Of course, with a global media industry, North American English has become somewhat ubiquitous, regardless of historical and geographical connections and origins.

As with the status-related question over the use of eh, linguists have noted that Canadian raising is being dropped, particularly by younger women, as noted by Jennifer Coates, and are moving more towards American English as the more prestigious accent.

Why is Canadian English Unique?

To most people especially the Americans, the Canadians speak the same language with them in all completeness par some of the accents used. This makes them believe that Canadian English is simply American English. However, there are several reasons why it can be said that the Canadians have their own set unique variant of the English language. What makes Canadian English so unique compared to the rest of the pack?

• A Variant of Both Variants: when you think about being stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea, Canadian English is a perfect example of that. Due to the fact that their next-door neighbors speak American English, no doubt that they were largely influenced by it. However, it is to be noted that Canadians strongly resisted colonization when Americans tried to force them to join. This showed just how much loyalty they have for the Queen of England. The English spoken by the British and that spoken by the Americans are worlds apart and the Canadian English took the best of both worlds to create the perfect unique blend.
• The Canadian Accent: nothing beats the uniqueness of the Canadian accent. This accent can be traced down to the history of the first Canadians. The first persons to arrive on Canadian soil were the Irish who were under the rule of the British crown. However, soon after, the immigrants who came from neighboring America also started flooding in. Many accents collided and mixed into something between the British and the American accent. It created certain mannerisms which cannot be found in either the British or the American English.
• Mannerisms: when you are in Canada, you cannot help but notice mannerisms used by the majority of Canadians. The word ‘eh’ is one word which has fully come to be associated with the Canadians. You would most likely hear a Canadian speak to you and end his sentence with ‘eh’. This trickles the American ear as it is very strange and different from what they know.

Canadian Linguistic Characteristics

• There are more than 200 languages spoken in Canada, across different groups, nationalities, and races. This makes Canada one of the most diverse countries in the world.
• Canada’s 2011 census showed that over 75% of the population can speak at least one language in addition to the official languages of the country, especially true for urban city-dwellers.
• The fastest-growing language in Canada is Tagalog. A language from the Phillippines that has increased in popularity in Canada by 60% since 2006. It shows the Asian influence in migration to Canada.
• More than 10% of Canada’s population say they’re quite at ease speaking at least two languages at home.
• Over 60% of immigrants living in Canada, whose mother tongue is not English, can read and write fluently in English.
• Year-on-year, the number of people speaking French in the French-speaking regions seems to be showing a slow decline, but a reduction nonetheless. And this trend looks set to continue.
• More than five million people living in Canada can hold a reasonable conversation in both the official languages of English and French. Quite a bilingual, not to say multilingual population.

British Words vs. Canadian words

While there is a lot of overlap, British vocabulary is still an influence, with Canadians using more uniquely North American terms. But many word usage differences exist when you compare British vs Canadian words.

British English vs Canadian English Words: Key Differences

• British tend to use words like “lorry”, “lift”, “nappy”, “trolley” where Canadians would say “truck”, “elevator”, “diaper”, “shopping cart”.
• British say “autumn” while Canadians say “fall”.
• British use “holiday” more broadly to refer to any vacation/trip, while Canadians tend to say “vacation” for time off and “holiday” referring mainly to statutory holidays.
• British say “maths” while Canadians say “math”.
• British say “chemist” for a pharmacy, Canadians say “drugstore”.
• British refer to the ground floor as “ground floor”, Canadians would say “first floor”.
• British say “biscuits” for what Canadians call “cookies” or “crackers”.
• British say “crisps” where Canadians say “chips” for potato chips.
• British say “rocket” where Canadians say “arugula”.
• British use “sellotape” where Canadians say “scotch tape”.
• British say “plasters” for what Canadians call “bandages” or “band-aids”.
• British tend to use more Latin phrases like “i.e.” or “e.g.” where Canadians would spell them out “for example” or “that is”.

Canadian Words vs American Words

There is quite a significant lexical difference between Canadian and American English, with Canadians tending to use more British-influenced terms in some cases. The accents also sound a bit different, eh?

• Canadians say “chesterfield” instead of “couch” or “sofa.”
• Canadians say “runners” instead of “sneakers” or “tennis shoes.”
• Canadians say “eavestroughs” instead of “rain gutters.”
• Canadians say “pencil crayon” instead of just “colored pencil.”
• Canadians say “serviette” instead of “napkin.”
• Canadians say “parkade” instead of “parking garage.”
• Canadians say “stall” instead of “bathroom stall.”
• Canadians say “lineup” instead of “line.”
• Canadians say “mickey” instead of “flask” or “mini liquor bottle.”

Find more words below.

Unique Canadian Words

Despite the similarities between Canadian and American English pronunciation, there are words unique to Canada, including lots of slang and lots of food. Here’s our top 10.

Garburator	Waste disposal unit under the sink
Toque or Tuque	A knitted hat
Butter tart	Probably Canada’s unofficial national pudding
Loonie	A 1-dollar coin (named after the bird featured on its face)
Toonie or Twoonie	A 2-dollar coin (not named after the polar bear that features on it!)
Washroom	Bathroom, restroom
2-4	A box of 24 beers, and a big feature of May 2-4 Weekend national holiday
Molson muscle	A beer belly – grown as a result of a lot of 2-4s
Hydro	Electricity, as in paying your hydro bill
Double-Double	A coffee with 2 sugars and 2 creams

Canadian Accent – a Few Words to Look out for

We’ve already seen that there is no clear defining difference between pronunciation, probably why Canadians abroad are mistaken for Americans with Canadian vs. American English. Apparently, one of the easiest ways to tell a Canadian from an American is to stand on their foot – accidentally-on-purpose. A Canadian will always apologize! That said, here are some examples of differences, not always true, but worth looking/listening out for.

• Sorry: If you do tread on a Canadian, they’re more likely to respond soaree, whereas an American would more likely apologize with a sahrey.
• Avenue: Americans are more likely to say avenew. A Canadian is more likely to use the British avenyew.
• Out and About: we couldn’t leave this off the list. As stereotypes go, Canadians are more likely to pronounce this oot and aboot. That said, it is a stereotype, and Canadians will often only say this when mocking Americans attempting a Canadian accent!
• Place Names: this is, perhaps, the area where differences in accent is showed: Scarborough: Scarbra for Canadians, Scarboroh if you’re American, and Scarbarah for the British.

Canadian Accent vs. American Accent

While both Canadian English and American English originate from the same British roots and remain mutually intelligible, there are several distinctive differences you can find when you compare Canadian vs. American accents. When contrasting the accents side-by-side, you can hear variations in vowel sounds, consonant pronunciations, rhythms, and speech patterns, which reveal the key differences between Canadian and American English.

• Vowels: Canadians tend to pronounce some vowel sounds (like “ou” and “igh”) with a more rounded mouth shape, while Americans pronounce them with a more open mouth shape. For example, Canadians say “out” more like “oot” and “right” more like “rye-ght.”
• Rhoticity: Most American accents are rhotic, meaning they pronounce “r” sounds after vowels. Canadian accents are typically non-rhotic, often dropping post-vocalic “r” sounds. For example, Americans say “car” with a clear final “r” while Canadians are more likely to say “cah.”
• Timing: Canadian accents feature vowel sounds that are held longer before voiceless consonants like “t” or “s.” This leads to subtle timing differences. For example, a Canadian “late” sounds a bit more like “le-ate.”
• Raising: Canadian raising has Canadians pronounce certain vowel-consonant combinations (like “igh” and “aw”) with a higher tongue position. So “height” and “house” sound more like “hye-t” and “hyew-s.”
• Consonants: Canadians are more likely to pronounce “z” as “zed” while Americans say “zee.” Canadians sometimes pronounce “t” as a light “d” in words like “Toronto.”
• Pitch: Canadian accents may have a higher overall pitch or more varying pitch than American accents.

So while the accents have a common ancestry, the pronunciation and speech patterns have diverged over time, leading to the distinctive differences between American and Canadian English heard today. But there is still great variation within each country as well. The accents exist on a spectrum rather than being completely distinct.

Some Final FAQs

We’ve looked at Canadian English history and its development, trying to see how it sits alongside its British ancestor and its American neighbor. More so than other variants in English-speaking countries such as Australia and New Zealand, Canada’s proximity to the USA inevitably means there’s more sharing. So, here’s our final quick pointers to help you get a handle on the basics.

A Final Note