How to speak Canadian: vol. 1

It's time for you, my darling readers, to learn a few Canadian words and sayings. I don't mean "eh" and "aboot," since these are stereotypical and self-explanatory. No, you're going to learn the real stuff: loonies, toonies, toques, and "bai." Some of these I learned the easy way. Some the hard way. Either way, it's your turn.

Canadians use one-dollar and two-dollar coins, rather than bills. The coin on the left is the one-dollar coin, which is called a loonie. On the right, you see the two-dollar coin, which is called a toonie. Calling them anything else makes your waitress laugh at you. Plus it deprives you of the pleasure of saying things like, "Can I get ten dollars in loonies?"

In my tech writing class today, our teacher was using an example that involved mittens, boots, and toques. "Toque?" I said in what I thought was a quiet voice. Wrong. The whole class heard, and enjoyed a hearty chuckle at my expense. Now pay attention, so you don't make the same mistake I did. See this item over here to the left? It's not called a hat, or a stocking cap. It's called a toque. The last two letters are silent, and the "o" is pronounced like in "loop." Say "two," and end it with a "ck" sound.

On one of my first days here, my friend Eric told me to listen for people saying "bye." I was confused, since I figured farewells in Canada were similar to those in the states. He explained further that some people, usually Newfoundlanders, say "by" or "bai" as an abbreviation of "buddy." It's like Americans speaking quickly and shortening "probably" to "pry." I thought he was pulling my leg, until someone asked me, "Will you pass me the salt, bai?"

I'll continue to add more vocabulary as it crops up. Hopefully I'll learn from helpful people like Eric instead of my ruthless tech writing classmates (they're nice folk, but they can't help picking on the only American and English major in the class). If anyone has requests, questions, or suggestions, let me know!

Keep reading!

Love,

Maggie