A Canadian English Story

Have you read anything in Canadian English before? You probably haven’t. Well, let’s read a conversation between Kevin (a Canadian) and William (an Englishman) that incorporates many examples of Canadian English slang ( highlighted  in red ). In the conversation, William already knows some colloquial Canadian, but still has problems understanding the language that Kevin uses.  

 William: Hi Kevin. How’s it going?
Kevin: Oh, I feel logey¹ today. I prolly² had too many drinks last night at The Ballet³. I don’t remember how many. Prolly half a suitcase⁴. 
William: Yes, you do look tired. What did you see at the ballet? Swan Lake? The Nutcracker?
Kevin: Oh no. It wasn’t that kind of ballet. No this was the exotic dance bar club downtown.(centro)
William: Oh right. Well, you must be starving.(muriendo de hambre ) Let’s buy something from the Loblaws grocery store.(colmado ) There’s only homo milk⁵ in the fridge.
Kevin: What, from blahs blahs⁶? That’ll take too long. I think we should decide between McRats⁷ and the Dirty Bird⁸.
William: Oh, you mean McDonalds and Kentucky Fried Chicken. Yes, let’s go to the Dirty Bird. 
Kevin: Good choice (buena elección ). They got some delicious desserts on the menu these days. Last time I had beaver tail⁹.
William: What’s that? I hope you weren’t eating part of a beaver.(castor)
Kevin: Oh no, it’s nothing to do with eating a beaver. It’s a type of pastry  in the shape  of a beaver’s tail. Some people call it an elephant’s ear¹⁰. 
William: Ah! You learn something every day.
Kevin: Oh no. I hardly ( apenas) have any money. I’ve only got a fin¹¹. I hope you’ve at least  got a double sawbuck¹².
William: I don’t know.  How much is a fin and a double sawbuck?
Kevin: Oh sorry, yes, that’s Canadian English again. Yes a fin is five dollars, while a double sawbuck is twenty dollars.
William: Oh Ok. Yeah, that’s no problem mate (colega). I’m tickey boo¹³ with money. I’ve just received this month’s wages.(salario)
Kevin: Excellent. I think I’ve decided what I’m going to have. A double-double¹⁴ and a jam buster¹⁵.  Well, just wait a minute. William. I’ll just get some joggers¹⁶ on before we go.


 In the table below we can see definitions of the Canadian English expressions used in the Kevin-William conversation: 

Canadian English	Definition
1. Logey	Tired
2. Prolly	A substitution word for probably
3. The Ballet	An exotic dance club or strip bar
4. Suitcase	A case of 24 bottles of beer
5. Homo milk	Abbreviation form of homogenised milk
6. Blahs blahs	Slang name for the Canadian grocery chain store (cadena de tiendas)  called Loblaws
7. McRats	Other name for McDonalds. Other names for this fast food restaurant are Animal Recycler, Rotten Ronnies, McDogFoods.
8. Dirty Bird	Nickname (apodo ) for Kentucky Fried Chicken
9. Beaver Tail	A dessert food basically consisting of a pastry, usually covered with lemon juice and cinnamon ( canela)  sugar. Given its name because it resembles the shape of a beaver’s tail.
10. Elephant’s Ear	Other name for a beaver’s tail
11. Fin	A five dollar note, also known as a fiver
12. Double Sawbuck	A twenty dollar note (billete )
13. Tickey Boo	Everything is going well
14. Double-double	A coffee with double cream and double sugar
15. Jam buster	A jam doughnut
16. Joggers	Another word for tracksuit bottoms( pantalón de chandal )

Blue Hawaii Cocktail

There are three parts to this post. First of all, we show (mostramos) you how to make a Sour Mix,(mezcla cítrica y ácida para cocktails) a common ingredient of many cocktails in Hawaii. Then, we show you how to make a Blue Hawaii cocktail including the sour mix. Finally, just in case you need it, we give you a few hints (pistas) on what to do if you have a hangover! (resaca).

How to make Sour Mix

It’s Sour Mix is easy to make and it only takes five minutes. You can also buy Sour Mix at the supermarket if you prefer, but it is not as authentic.

1. Whisk (bate) one egg white (clara de huevo) until frothy.(espumosa)

2. Mix in one cup of sugar, two cups of water and two cups of fresh lemon juice.

3. Using a funnel,(embudo) Pour (vierte) the liquid into a bottle and store(guárdalo) it in the fridge.

Important: use within (dentro de) four days.

How to make a Blue Hawaii cocktail

Mix 25ml Blue Curaçao, 25ml Rum, fresh pineapple juice (zumo de piña) and a splash (un chorro) of Sour Mix. Shake (agita) the mixture and pour over ice in a tall glass.

If you drink too much Blue Hawaii and have a hangover…

1. Drink lots of water. The “hair of the dog” (tomar otra copa para que se te pase la resaca) is not recommended!

2. Eat something, preferably something with a lot of Vitamin B in it, such as meat or spinach.

Finally, here you have a video showing you how to make a delicious Blue Hawai Cocktail! Enjoy it!

Canadian English

As you know, the most  spoken language in Canada is English. But unless ( a no ser que ) you have had a Canadian teacher, you will not understand certain expressions that are common in Canadian English, and will also find the accent strange. Today we focus on this important variety of English and look at whether Canadian English is a dialect that is totally unique or there are similarities to British English or American English. 

 History of Canadian English

Canadian English has constantly been evolving ( evolucionando) over the last two hundred years thanks to various waves (olas) of immigration during that period. The birth ( nacimiento)  of the Canadian English language started when British Loyalists escaped from the states on the eastern ( del este) coast of the United States during the seven-year American War of Independence that culminated in 1783. The next phase of mass immigrant occurred thirty years later, when Canada encouraged  (animaron ) people from Britain and Ireland to settle.( establecerse ) This policy was initiated because the government was increasingly  worried about anti-English feelings amongst (entre) its population. In the twentieth century, the two main waves of immigration, from mainland  Europe ( continente europeo) after 1910 and Asia after 1960, turned Canada into a multicultural society. Today Canadian English is either spoken as a first or  second language by 85 percent of the 32 million Canadians that make up ( conforma ) the country’s population.

Canadian English Spelling

The spelling of Canadian English generally combines both  British and American English rules. For instance, French-derived words that end in -re (e.g. theatre) and -our (e.g. colour) use the British English spellings, although American spellings sometimes occur. This is also the situation for words that have double consonants in British English (e.g. travelling) but single consonants in American English (e.g. traveling). However, Canadian English uses only the American English -ize (e.g. organization) endings,( terminación) whilst (mientras que) British English uses both -ise and -ize (e.g. organization, organisation). From the following chart(X) you can see how Canadian English combines both British and American spelling varieties.

	British English	American English	Canadian English
-re versus -er	centre, kilometre theatre	center, kilometer theater	centre, kilometre theatre / theater
-our versus -or	colour, harbour, honour	color, harbor, honor	colour / color harbour / harbor honour / honor
Single or double consonant	counsellor, jewellery marvellous, travelling	counselor, jewelery marvelous, traveling	counsellor / counselor jewellery / jewelery marvellous travelling / traveling
-ity or  -ty	speciality	specialty	speciality
-ise or -ize	emphasise, generalise	emphasize, generalize	emphasize, generalize
-ue or  ue	catalogue, dialogue,	catalog, dialog	catalog, dialog
Miscellaneous	cheque, grey, pyjamas, tyre	check, gray, pajamas, tire	cheque1, gray, pajamas, tire2

¹ British English cheque, not the American check, is used in Canadian English because of the historical importance of British banking.

² The importance of the American car industry in the 1920s has led to Canadians using tire and not the British English tyre.

On our next post about Canadian English we will examine its  pronunciation, vocabulary and slang,( argot) before finishing with a Canadian English conversation. Don't miss it  !

Are you “making it” or “doing it”?

One of the most common questions that non-native speakers of English ask is: “Is it make or do?”

It’s a good question… and here are a few ways to help you learn which is right

Make has, in general, a more creative connotation. Do is used more often with words or expressions related to jobs and obligations – things that are necessary, but that aren’t particularly pleasant or enjoyable.

When we use do, it often implies (implica) things that are routine, repetitive, monotonous, boring, tiring, or difficult. Things we do may require (exigir) discipline, concentration, and perseverance. For things we make, we need to use imagination, talent, creativity. When we use the word make, we might be referring to something that we can finish or complete, leaving us with a product, a creation, a piece of art, an accomplishment.(realización) What we do seems to be more continual or never-ending. We usually have to do things over and over again because they are necessary or required. An obvious exception to this general “rule” is that we say to make the bed. Most people would agree that making the bed is not particularly creative and that it is a necessary part of our daily routine.                                      
You can usually remember which verb is right if you make a list of similar words that use either one or the other.

We use the verb DO with :


work gardening              farm work                rescue work



tasks homework            charity work             police work


jobs schoolwork            field work                dirty work

  housework                    book work              volunteer work    
the ironing                    the vacuuming           the washing up

the dishes                     the dusting                the bathroom


the cleaning                  the baking                 the mopping

  the sweeping                the sewing                 the chores        projects                        business                   inventories

marketing                       tasks                 promotions planning

  campaigns    presentations   market studies      statistics  

Now compare the do expressions (above) with the following make expressions (below). Can you see the difference between the types of expressions they use?

Food preparation

a salad       a dessert     cookies     bread

breakfast    tea    a sandwich   scones   pies

lunch      coffee    spaghetti    bacon and eggs  dinner 

a cake    toast     a drink     a cocktail     soup    biscuits

Passion / conflict / cause / performance

trouble plans    a scandal     a mistake

an impression    a reservation     a phone call    love

a comment       a decision     an exception    a noise

Handwork

clothes      a picture (draw, paint)     pottery (cerámica)

a sweater   a chair     decorations     a movie

a jacket      a sculpture     a poster     a CD


Expressions that mean “get” or “obtain”

money     contacts    advances     friends

peace      enemies     millions       progress

   


Complete the sentences in the exercise with the correct form of either make or do. Later, check your answers in the key to see if you’ve made the grade.

1. The teacher told us to ...................... pages 50 and 51 in the workbook.

2. If you................. the bedrooms, I’ll....................the kitchen.

3. Something smells good! Oh, you’re.....................popcorn.

4. Your homework looks good, but you still have to................your maths.

5. Clean up your workspace. The boss is going to...............an inspection.

6. How many mistakes did you...................on the exam?

7. Have you..................any plans for the summer?

8. Spike always tries to....................the right thing.

9. It would be better not to................any comments about the war.

 

Answer key

          1. do 2. do / do 3. making 4. do 5. make 6. make 7. made  8. do  9. make