Canadian English
Canadian English
(Course project in Introduction to Varieties of English)
Introduction
Every language has several varieties which differ from each other in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Different speakers use different varieties depending on their regional provenance, individual social background, or educational level. Even the same speaker may use several varieties according to different situations. This paper will focus on the varieties of English used in Canada. Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. Canadian English has been very little researched and not much is known about it, especially if compared with American and British English. Also Canadian English has been chosen because the author’s interest in Canada. This research will focus on the Canadian English’s grammatical, phonetic and vocabulary features. Author of this paper will start with a brief history of the language in Canada, next will be described grammatical peculiarities of Canadian English; phonetics and phonology of Canadian English; vocabulary of Canadian English; dialects of Canadian English and at the end author will draw relevant conclusions.
History of the Language in Canada
Canada has two official languages – English and French. But, as was mentioned before, Europeans were not the first people who inhabited Canada. Which was the “official” language before Europeans? Are there any other languages spoken today in Canada? The Aboriginal people were the first Canadians; consequently, their languages were the first spoken in Canada. When the Europeans came, their contacts with native inhabitants were mainly economic and religious. Important population movement began in the 17th century (Edwards, 1998). The French arrived first with their language, but due to historical events English became more spread than the French language. The term Canadian English was first recorded in 1854. Nowadays it is considered that Canadian English
(Course project in Introduction to Varieties of English)
Introduction
Every language has several varieties which differ from each other in terms of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Different speakers use different varieties depending on their regional provenance, individual social background, or educational level. Even the same speaker may use several varieties according to different situations. This paper will focus on the varieties of English used in Canada. Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. Canadian English has been very little researched and not much is known about it, especially if compared with American and British English. Also Canadian English has been chosen because the author’s interest in Canada. This research will focus on the Canadian English’s grammatical, phonetic and vocabulary features. Author of this paper will start with a brief history of the language in Canada, next will be described grammatical peculiarities of Canadian English; phonetics and phonology of Canadian English; vocabulary of Canadian English; dialects of Canadian English and at the end author will draw relevant conclusions.
History of the Language in Canada
Canada has two official languages – English and French. But, as was mentioned before, Europeans were not the first people who inhabited Canada. Which was the “official” language before Europeans? Are there any other languages spoken today in Canada? The Aboriginal people were the first Canadians; consequently, their languages were the first spoken in Canada. When the Europeans came, their contacts with native inhabitants were mainly economic and religious. Important population movement began in the 17th century (Edwards, 1998). The French arrived first with their language, but due to historical events English became more spread than the French language. The term Canadian English was first recorded in 1854. Nowadays it is considered that Canadian English
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