News about the Strathy Language Unit and Canadian English studies
[Please note that this page is an archive of blog posts from 2014. Some of the links to articles are no longer active.]
Australian Babies and Canadian Accents
Date: December 15, 2014 | Category: In the Media
Australian babies have an easier time distinguishing Canadian English vowels than Australian English ones. This is the finding of recent research out of the University of Western Sydney. Read more about the study and the researchers' interpretation of these results .
Language and Diplomacy
Date: December 4, 2014 | Category: In the Media
The Canadian government's new English and French Twitter accounts have sparked controversy with the first tweet over the translation of English tag "eh" as French "ouais". Read more about it in and in the Montreal Gazette.
Newfoundlandisms in Republic of Doyle
Date: November 12, 2014 | Category: In the Media
In behind-the-scenes footage for CBC's Republic of Doyle, several actors discuss the use of characteristic Newfoundland phrases in the show. and then select episode 4 beneath the viewer.
Wellingtonhohummer
Date: October 20, 2014 | Category: In the Media
Is Canadian English lacking terms for different types of wind? What would you propose? .
Canadian English Speaker in Propaganda Video?
Date: October 12, 2014 | Category: In the Media
The FBI recently released a propaganda video by the Islamic State featuring a masked narrator speaking in a North American accent. Several Canadian English linguists believe that the speaker learned English in Canada based on his pronunciation of several vowels. .
Disappearing Darbies?
Date: September 23, 2014 | Category: In the Media
Storyteller Dale Jarvis explores the origins and meanings of the Newfoundland term "darby" - referring to a supernatural creature - in this piece in The Telegram. [article no longer available]
A Common Shift
Date: September 21, 2014 | Category: In the Media
In his latest Watchwords column, Mark Abley speculates that "common" connotations are increasingly negative. [article no longer available]
Manitoba Dialect
Date: September 5, 2014 | Category: In the Media
"Got a booter bumper-shining to the LC, you say?" This recent article in the Winnipeg Free Press - - highlights research on the English spoken in the province.
Vocal Fry in Female Canadian English Speakers
Date: September 4, 2014 | Category: News
The latest article in our series Strathy Student Working Papers on Canadian English is now available on QSpace. In , authors Goodine and Johns present an acoustic study of vocal fry in 21 speakers as well as results of a survey exploring attitudes towards speakers who exhibit vocal fry.
Summer Media Stories
Date: September 2, 2014 | Category: In the Media
The blog is back from hiatus, and we are happy to report that this has been a great summer for media coverage of Canadian English. Below are links to several articles that caught our attention. Please send us any that we may have overlooked!
- (The Globe and Mail, August 11)
- Regional differences in Canadian English alive and well (Metro News, July 31) [no longer available]
- (Toronto Star, July 6)
- How a mishmash of English dialects and linguistic quirks morphed into an accent identifiably Canadian (National Post, June 28)
- Canadian English: Do we really say 'eh'? (Metro News, June 2) [no longer available]
- Canadian English: Listen up hosers! (Metro News, June 2) [no longer available]
Blog Hiatus - July and August
Date: June 28, 2014 | Category: News
The blog will be on its usual summer hiatus during July and August, returning in September with more news and media stories!
Bad English?
Date: June 21, 2014 | Category: In the Media
On a recent episode of CBC's The Current, author Ammom Shea discussed the pet peeves of language purists and the inevitability of change. You can listen to the episode here. [no longer available]
Genderless Pronouns in Vancouver Schools
Date: June 20, 2014 | Category: In the Media
Efforts to introduce genderless pronouns into English have been a topic of discussion for decades. The Vancouver School Board recently voted to allow students to be referred to by the pronoun of their choice. For some background on the issue and an overview of past proposed innovative forms, see this article from the National Post. [no longer available]
Quebec Origins for "mulligan"?
Date: June 17, 2014 | Category: In the Media
Can the origins of "mulligan" be traced to a businessman/chauffeur/golfer in Montreal? Mark Abley explores tales of the word's history in this article The Gazette. [no longer available]
CVC 8 Photos
Date: June 10, 2014 | Category: News
Change and Variation in Canada 8 was a great success! The event was hosted by the Strathy Unit May 31-June 1 and featured many interesting talks. () Here are a few images from the weekend.
Canadian English and Canadian Identity
Date: June 2, 2014 | Category: In the Media
The evolution of English in Canada and the hows and whys of its unique characteristics are explored in this article from Metro News: Canadian English, from 'eh' to 'zed'. [no longer available]
CVC 8 Programme
Date: May 19, 2014 | Category: News
The programme for Change and Variation in Canada 8 is now available. .
Alberta Accents
Date: May 5, 2014 (updated May 18, 2010) | Category: In the Media
A recent article in the Calgary Herald explores regional accents across the country with a focus on the distinctive sounds of Alberta. Take their quiz and see how well you can distinguish Albertans from Ontarians!
19/05/14 Update.... The quiz results are in.
[quiz and results no longer available]
Funding Available for Student Researchers
Date: April 23, 2014 | Category: News
The Strathy Unit is pleased to offer conference grants and research grants again this year to ÷ÈÓ°Ö±²¥ students pursuing work on Canadian English. Applications are welcome from both undergraduate and graduate students.
Swear Words in the Media
Date: April 8, 2014 | Category: In the Media
Should Canadian newspapers spell out swear words? Should newscasters pronounce them? Catch up on the latest usage debate with and this episode of CBC's Q. [no longer available]
CVC8 Abstract Deadline Extended
Date: March 20, 2014 | Category: News
The abstract deadline for Change and Variation in Canada 8 has been extended to April 25, 2014. For the latest conference information, visit the CVC8 website at: .
Orthography and Ideology
Date: March 10, 2014 | Category: News
Dustin Grue's article "Testing Canada's 'honour': Does orthography index ideology?", is the latest addition to our series Strathy Student Working Papers on Canadian English. Read the abstract below and the .
| Recent studies in orthographic variation have assumed identity-driven motivations for spelling choice (Lipski 1975, Schieffelin & Doucet 1994, Sebba 2000), linking this motivation to national ideological positions. In the Canadian context, Heffernan et al. (2010) propose a method for representing the connection between national sentiment and orthography using quantitative measures and, using data extracted from the University of Alberta's student newspaper The Gateway, demonstrate a strong quantitative correlation between anti-Americanism and a decrease in the use of American spe |