When you tell people you are from Canada

[Izoom 0]

^^ You would think that more people would at least know this ^^

You could throw a rock from that tip of NS to Maine if you got any closer

[Krikit 1,165]

I could go on for awhile with the words they dont complete in the South.

how 'bout the ones they add extra syllables or letters to, like "masonAry" or "mandantory" or my favourite, "chimLey" My hubby drives me nuts with that ####

Do you think that might be a NC thing? My husband is from there and, sometimes, I'll just stare at him when he says something and he'll stop and say "That's a made up word, isn't it?"

[Southern_Canadian 0]

My family and friends here call me Canada.

I met one guy.. and when he found out that I am from Canada, he came up to me and asked how do you speak Canadian? I was like huh?!?! I speak the same as you do! Then he started asking questions about Eh and why we use it. He was rude and I just ignored him. But for the most part, people are really nice when they hear that I am from Canada. I have a lot of people guess that I'm from Ontario.. mainly because that is the only Province that they remember. lol But at least their guess is right

[antda 13]

Hi Southern_Canadian and Everyone,

Wait a minute, Canadians do "speak Canadian", as in....

Rephrased: "Canadians use and spell words in Canadian English", which is more so a mixture of British/UK English and American English.

See this link for more information about "Canadian English" (and British English and American English too): http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/br...icanvocaba.html

Personally, I prefer "Canadian English", "the metric system", and writing the date "dd/mm/yyyy".

Uggh...oh the looks I get from the "Americans" here when I don't use the proper "American English and Measurements". Oh why is the English language the same, yet different?...lol....

Ant (A Canadian communicating in "Canadian English"...)

I met one guy.. and when he found out that I am from Canada, he came up to me and asked how do you speak Canadian? I was like huh?!?! I speak the same as you do!

[Cassie 8]

The one she gets most often is "Oh, where is that?"

Being that she is from Halifax, Nova Scotia...she has even got the response "That's in Europe right?" I guess that since its a

maritime province and being on the far eastern seaboard puts it out of people's minds.

Yeah, I've heard that before, even from my now-husband, who, when we first met online, said "Nova Scotia -- that's near Germany right??"

I've been giving him heck for that ever since

I use Maine as a reference point when explaining where I come from, makes life easier!

[Emancipation 2]

My family and friends here call me Canada.

Yep.. here too.. and "the hippie"

[xtinab 0]

I get the "Canadian "eh" all the time....also, if I say "eh" around some people, they follow with "Bee?" It was funny the first few times. Now its just old!

[Sprailenes 47]

Almost always get asked if I speak french. Followed by a comment about the weather.

[Reba 2]

Do you think that might be a NC thing? My husband is from there and, sometimes, I'll just stare at him when he says something and he'll stop and say "That's a made up word, isn't it?"

It may even just be a western NC thing, I dunno. They're a strange bunch out here I tell ya. Gives me headaches sometimes trying to figure out what the heck they're talking about

[JillA 2]

Has anyone ever seen "The Real Housewives of Orange County".... There was a girl from Ontario on the show who flew to OC to meet this guy Shane that she met online... well anyway his uncle was suspicious of her, because she was very pretty and had a great smile so he said "Canadian people don't have nice teeth, they don't have flouride in their water so she can't be from Canada"

[Krikit 1,165]

Has anyone ever seen "The Real Housewives of Orange County".... There was a girl from Ontario on the show who flew to OC to meet this guy Shane that she met online... well anyway his uncle was suspicious of her, because she was very pretty and had a great smile so he said "Canadian people don't have nice teeth, they don't have flouride in their water so she can't be from Canada"

Are you serious?

[Southern_Canadian 0]

Hi Southern_Canadian and Everyone,

Wait a minute, Canadians do "speak Canadian", as in....

Rephrased: "Canadians use and spell words in Canadian English", which is more so a mixture of British/UK English and American English.

See this link for more information about "Canadian English" (and British English and American English too): http://www3.telus.net/linguisticsissues/br...icanvocaba.html

Personally, I prefer "Canadian English", "the metric system", and writing the date "dd/mm/yyyy".

Uggh...oh the looks I get from the "Americans" here when I don't use the proper "American English and Measurements". Oh why is the English language the same, yet different?...lol....

Ant (A Canadian communicating in "Canadian English"...)

I met one guy.. and when he found out that I am from Canada, he came up to me and asked how do you speak Canadian? I was like huh?!?! I speak the same as you do!

Oh.. I know that we say and spell things differently. But this guy was being drunk and rude about it.. saying mean comments about Canadians.. that's when one of my friends said that I was from Canada. Oh well... oh and yea, I've noticed that they do the date differently here.

[Carlawarla 1]

Has anyone ever seen "The Real Housewives of Orange County".... There was a girl from Ontario on the show who flew to OC to meet this guy Shane that she met online... well anyway his uncle was suspicious of her, because she was very pretty and had a great smile so he said "Canadian people don't have nice teeth, they don't have flouride in their water so she can't be from Canada"

That's kind of an overgeneralization don't you think? lol Ontario has a LOT of flouride in their water. BC and Quebec, the lowest. Actually only about 43% of Canadians drink or brush in flourinated water, compared to about 70% of water in the U.S. Most of Europe doesn't. Scotland doesn't. Japan doesn't. Here's a breakdown that I found.

Fluoridated water Not fluoridated

B.C. 3.9% 96.1%

Alberta 74.6% 25.4%

Saskatchewan 31.7% 68.3%

Manitoba 73.2% 26.8%

Ontario 70.3% 29.7%

Quebec 6.9% 93.1%

New Brunswick 19.1% 80.9%

Nova Scotia 44.8% 55.2%

Newfoundland 3.5% 96.5%

PEI 23.4% 76.6%

Nunavut 7.1% 92.9%

Yukon 100%

NWT 53.8% 46.2%

It is still so controversial 70 years later! I had a g/f from PEI that had very dark teeth, and deposits on here teeth from not having flourinated water during her youth. She was raised in a rural area, and she said most people from her area had horrible teeth.

My dentist always told me that the complexion of your teeth, and their strength was about 75% genetics.

So, I'm sure the Uncle was maybe thinking of flouride and it's inception to the water system in North America and equated that with a white toothed smile.

Edited October 8, 2008 by Carlawarla

[antda 13]

Hi Southern_Canadian,

Sorry that the guy you encountered was being rude to you. It would make sense he was acting this disrespectful way, as he was drunk. Hope you don't encounter mean people like that again.

Yeah, the date thing I still have problems with, as I still write it in "Canadian" at times. I've had to resort to actually "practicing" writing the date the "American", kind of like children first practicing their cursive writing skills... .

Strage, sometimes while I am writing the date in "American", in my head (not out loud) I end up saying the date in another language instead, or thinking of words in other languages... .

Ant (Confused, and still "practicing" "American English"...)

Oh.. I know that we say and spell things differently. But this guy was being drunk and rude about it.. saying mean comments about Canadians.. that's when one of my friends said that I was from Canada. Oh well... oh and yea, I've noticed that they do the date differently here.

[trailmix 77]

Strage, sometimes while I am writing the date in "American", in my head (not out loud) I end up saying the date in another language instead, or thinking of words in other languages... .

Ant (Confused, and still "practicing" "American English"...)

While Ant is speaking in tongues - I simplify by just writing out the month (like on cheques etc)