Canada is often referred to as The Great White North and the true north strong and free. Its all so true! We talk slang from Coast to Coast. Love our Country! Love our slang! We are all so proud to be Canadian.
Lay of the Land
Canada is bi-coastal with the Pacific Ocean to the West and the Atlantic Ocean to the East. Mountains to the west are the beautiful Rockies that extend up to the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. Eastern Mountains are the Appalachian Mountain Range. These mountains, waterways and the vast wooded areas we call home; were attractive to early settlers. This was the land of great opportunity and new beginnings. British Columbia is the most coastal province on the west then Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec in the interior. Most easterly are the Atlantic Provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland/Labrador and Prince Edward Island.
Canadian Heritage
The earliest settlers were the Indigeneous Peoples who had settlements spread out across the whole country. Their culture and heritage is celebrated at numerous festivals where you can experience their customs, music and dance. The French explorers sailed to the Eastern shores of Canada then sailed on up to and settled the Quebec region. Multiple ethnic groups then began to travel to this new land from the English, Irish, Scottish, Dutch and others. As a result; Canada has become known as a melting pot. From there; settlers soon spread out to the interior with the hope and promise of new land to settle. They braved miles of travels by wagon trains or waterways and endured great hardships. This new land offered a new way of life and opportunity to pioneering families. Cant begin to imagine life then! Can you?
Canadian Slang
So what influenced the slang spoken by Canadians everywhere? That all depends on which province you are in. Coastal slang had strong influences from the waterways. The interior provinces woud have been more influenced by the ethnic groups that settled the areas. Fishing, lumbering, logging, mining were all areas offering great industry and substantial growth for each province. The larger the area became the bigger the slang influences. Thieves, beggars and criminals strongly influenced slang; in the earliest years, by the secret codes they used to communicate with each other. Slang evolved from there, crossed all borders and genres and is now found everywhere you look. We all have our own slang unique to each province. The different accents you hear make it even more amusing. Hope all y’all are sharin’ yer slang with yer loved ones. We sure need to keep some of the good stuff alive! So share yer slang! Share the origins of it! Most of the sayings we use are quite humorous! We all sure need a bit of that in our lives! Right?
Gatherings
Canadians from coast to coast are known for their friendliness,kindness, generosity and strong work ethics. We also gather together to celebrate most everything and anything. Many East Coasters have settled to the west and vice versa. We welcome all with open arms and lend a helping hand wherever possible. East Coasters are known for kitchen parties as its their best place to be gather; around that kitchen table. Well this online forum is an avenue for that. Its one big online kitchen party!
Sharin’ Canadian Slang
Slang has many influencers right across Canada. Words may have one meaning on the East Coast and have a completely different word or meaning on the West Coast. So lets share those words and connect our slang from coast to coast. Here a few very common slang words we all are familiar with. Please add to the list any old and new slang. Share your favorites. Lets see which province can collect the most slang sayings. Slang by Canadians is a pretty unique language we all love, know and talk! Lets talk some good ol’ slang!
