While most of us are familiar with the distinctly Canadian term âehâ or maybe even âall-dressedâ as it pertains to potato chips, there are numerous words, phrases and expressions that have come to shape modern-day Canadian English, according to a unique dictionary.
The second edition of (DCHP-2) is the culmination of 10 years of work, primarily by the University of British Columbiaâs Canadian English Lab. The first edition was published in 1967.
According to the on its website, the goal of the scholarly work is âto provide a historical record of words and expressions characteristic of the various spheres of Canadian life during the almost four centuries that English has been used in Canada.â
The dictionary will be published online this month in conjunction with the countryâs 150th anniversary of Confederation.
Margery Fee, an English professor at the University of British Columbia and the dictionaryâs associate editor, told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝ Channel on Tuesday that there were so many words and expressions relevant to Canadians that they werenât able to cover them all.
In addition to the entries taken from the original publication, the latest edition has more than 1,000 words and more than 1,100 meanings. The popular and oh-so-Canadian word âehâ was obviously included in the work, but its etymology can actually be traced to Canadiansâ ancestors across the pond.
Fee explained that despite its common association with Canadians, âehâ was actually a popular word in British English.
âSometimes words get new meanings and that seems to have happened in Canada,â Fee said. âWe have a lot of different ways of using this little two-letter word.â
Even though the dictionary credits the British with the term, Fee said it was included in the publication because it has become a national mark of Canadiansâ collective identity.
Another word that has come to mean different things for different people is âtableâ when itâs used as a verb. Although it seems straightforward enough, Fee said Canadians tend to use it in a way that differs from their neighbours south of the border. She said the dominant meaning in Canada is to âbring something forward,â such as to âtable a billâ for example. In the U.S., the word is used to âput something asideâ and âtable it for later.â
The disparity in the meaning of the word âtableâ isnât the only difference between Canadian English and American English. Fee said Canadians are more inclined to use the word âwashroomâ over ârestroomâ and ârunnersâ over âsneakers.â
Regional differences
The dictionary recognizes that linguistic variation isnât a country-to-country phenomenon either. Fee said the publication also addresses the diverse âCanadianismsâ within the countryâs regions.
For example, residents in Ontario or British Columbia may not know that a âkitchen partyâ is usually a gathering involving music and dancing in Prince Edward Island or that a âbunny hugâ refers to a hooded sweatshirt in Saskatchewan.
One term that most Canadians should be familiar with, thanks to its widespread branding on potato chip bags, is âall-dressed.â According to Fee, âall-dressedâ was originally a French term used in Quebec to add all of the extra toppings or garnishes to a fast-food item.
âIt applies to everything. Itâs the equivalent of what an Anglo-Canadian would say, âOh a pizza with the works. Everything youâve got, put it on,ââ she said.
As for Feeâs favourite âCanadianismâ in the dictionary, she said itâs too difficult to choose just one.
âThatâs like asking which one of your children you like,â she said with a laugh. âTheyâre all great.â