B. A. Major Thesis Supervisor: Mgr. Jan Chovanec, Ph
Download 331.17 Kb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- 3.1 Canadian English - A Unique Mosaic
- 3.2 Regional Varieties of Canadian English
- 3.3 Canadian Vocabulary in Relation to British and American Varieties of English
- 3.3.1 British English: Political and Legal Terminology
- 3.3.2 American English: Motoring and Transport
3. VocabularyBefore approaching the influences of BrE and AmE noticeable in the vocabulary of CanE, which is the main focus of this chapter, the other components of Canadian vocabulary will be mentioned. Besides, as CanE is not homogenous, i.e. not the same all over the country’s territory, there will also be included a brief overview of the regions in which the most significant variations3 were noted. 3.1 Canadian English - A Unique MosaicThe metaphorical designation of the Canadian nation – Canadian mosaic, ářčáářrepresenting the idea of one nation composed of a variety of culturally distinct groups, could be to a certain extent applied to the English language spoken in Canada.4 Its components include the aboriginal languages – Indian and Eskimo, Gaelic (associated with Scottish immigrants), South-West English and Irish features which are especially preserved in Newfoundland English, German, the Chinook jargon ("the only pidgin English ever to exist in North America") (Orkin 1970: 107), and most importantly the British and American standard varieties of English. Besides, it is significantly influenced by the French language, and there are also Spanish-American terms and borrowings from other languages (Orkin 1970: 66). Thus, features contained in CanE can also be found in other languages or language varieties. The combination which they create together in the form of CanE, however, is unique. 3.2 Regional Varieties of Canadian EnglishFrom the point of view of the regional differences in CanE, the following dialects can be distinguished: Atlantic (comprising the Maritime Provinces, i.e. New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island, and the Newfoundland as a specific sub-area), Quebec (including Montreal), Ottawa Valley, and General Canadian (covering the area from Toronto to the Pacific), which has recently been regarded as “a class-based urban dialect of broadcasting and educated speech” (Mc Arthur 1996: 274).5 Focusing on CanE as a whole, I am not going to describe any of the regional varieties in detail. However, some prominence will be given to the province of Ontario and Quebec, especially to Montreal area, because the South of Ontario is the richest and the most densely populated area in Canada and the English spoken in this region is seen as a ‘norm’ for the whole of CanE (Viereck 2005[2002]: 181). Montreal area develops within the French province and is hence under greater influence of the second official language of the country. 3.3 Canadian Vocabulary in Relation to British and American Varieties of EnglishOne the most striking features that distinguishes CanE from the British and American varieties is the mixed character of its vocabulary. Once a word of either origin becomes part of CanE, it can develop freely, its meaning can be shifted, it can be a preferred term in one region while not occur but rarely in another. Besides, more terms of both British and American origins can co-exist or be combined among each other into a new Canadian expression, e.g. chicken-run which is a combination of British fowl-run and American chicken-yard (Orkin 1970: 72). To illustrate the changes which can affect an originally British or American expression after it enters CanE, I will use four items from C. J. Lovell’s classification of the Canadian vocabulary on the basis of its resources. From the sixteen headings covering most of the previously mentioned ingredients of CanE, the following relate to the British and American varieties: Everyday words formed into combinations unfamiliar abroad, such as apartment block, bush pilot, fishing admiral, New Canadian, staking rush; Words replacing synonyms more often used in England, such as elevator (lift), gasoline (petrol), movies (cinema), sidewalk (pavement), truck (lorry) ; Terms representing different things than in British English, such as black cat (marten), crocus (prairie anemone), north country, maid of honor, robin; Words which have developed additional meanings unknown in England, such as concession, frontier, reeve, unionist (‘an advocate of Confederation’), warden (1955, qtd. in Orkin 1970: 66-67).6 The classification attests to the formerly mentioned notion of the respected position of the BrE, which appears as ‘an authoritative resource’ for CanE, a ‘model variety’ with which the Canadian vocabulary is compared. On the contrary, AmE, which is referred to only indirectly in the second heading above, seems to exercise only a minor influence on CanE.7 The way Lovell approaches the American influence contrasts with Alexander’s view of CanE as an amalgam of BrE and AmE, but “with a strong leaning toward the American pattern” (1955, qtd. in Orkin 1970: 70). What is significant about Lovell’s classification, though, is the accentuation of the characteristics of the words in CanE which are different from those in BrE and AmE and which the words acquire only in the Canadian background. Thus, Lovell’s classification supports the idea of the existence of CanE as a distinct variety. As far as the choice between Americanisms and Britishisms is concerned, “Canadians,” according to Orkin (1970: 70), “thread an uncertain and apparently arbitrary path between British and American usage”, hence billboard (AmE) is preferred to hoarding (BrE) but instead of American oatmeal and faucet a Canadian opts for British porridge and tap. The ‘arbitrariness of the choice’ in different places in Canada is not ‘absolute’, however, for it is not unimportantly affected by preferences in individual regions. Apparently, a confusing inconsistency might seem to govern the choice of words for formation of compounds. Canadians prefer luggage (BrE) instead of baggage (AmE) but in composite words (baggage-car and baggage-check) the American expression is chosen. Similarly, American store is preferred to the British shop, whereas the composites (barber shop or bake-shop) contain the British variant. Yet there are equally composites with store, such as book-store, grocery-store, and drug-store (Orkin 1970: 79). I do not find this ‘inconsistency’ as something that should be forcibly ‘corrected’ by choosing only one expression for both independent words and compounds. Rather, I consider this phenomenon a result of the distinct development of words in CanE; and this phenomenon should not be ignored as, again, it makes the Canadian vocabulary different from British and American ones: Canadian. As for the co-existence of both originally British and American words in Canada, they “flourish side by side […], although they are not always synonymous” (Orkin 1970: 71). Interchangeable are couples like braces (BrE) and suspenders (AmE), parcel and package, odd jobs and chores as well as both a pack or a deck of cards (Orkin 1970: 71), having, though, different preferences in individual regions. The co-occurence of flat (BrE) and apartment (AmE) is an example of the ‘non-synonymous co-existence’: in Canada, apartment, in contrast to flat, is usually self-contained (Orkin 1970: 71). Nevertheless, there are domains in which either British or American vocabulary prevails, such as law and politics (BrE) or motoring industry (AmE). This reflects, respectively, the important influence of the British political organization on Canada (Orkin 1970: 79-81) as well as the Canada-US neighbourhood which enabled developing the trade and economic relations between the two countries. 3.3.1 British English: Political and Legal TerminologySince the Canadian “institutions are largely patterned on English [British] models” (Orkin 1970:80), most parliamentary and constitutional vocabulary stems from Britain. As for the terms themselves, most of them are contained in the B. N.A. Act8; for instance “dominion, provinces as political divisions of a federal state, Governor-General, privy council, Lieutenant-Governor,[...], electoral district, decennial census [or] disallowance” (Orkin 1970: 81). Several political terms occur both in Canada and the US, as they “derive independently from a common British source, as cabinet, speaker, committee” (Orkin 1970: 82). American vocabulary prevails on the local and municipal levels, e.g. mayor, controller, ward. In addition, riding, referring to a constituency, is a borrowing from BrE (in which it has, however, quite different connotations) (Orkin 1970: 82). 3.3.2 American English: Motoring and TransportIn CanE, terms connected with vehicles, such as “trucks, fenders, trunks, cabooses,9 etc.” (Crystal 1988: 232) are typically American. While Britons, when referring to their vehicles, use such expressions as accumulator, saloon-car, wind-screen, or gear lever Canadians use words borrowed from Americans: battery, sedan, windshield, or gear lever, respectively (Orkin 1970: 80). Similarly, the terms connected with transport by train are predominantly American: All aboard! (AmE) is used for Take your seats, please! (BrE), conductor for guard, one-way ticket for single ticket and ties for sleepers (Orkin 1970: 79-80). British railway, however, is preferred to American railroad (Cornerstone 2006).10 Download 331.17 Kb. Share with your friends:
|