Tuesday, March 1, 2011

How to speak Canadian: vol. 3

It's been a while since you've been treated to a linguistics lesson, my darling readers. Also, I might possibly be doing a little teeny bit of procrastinating.

This is the 26th letter of the alphabet. In the states, we say "zee." In Canada, we say "zed," which rhymes with "head." Pretty straight-forward. You may think that opportunities to mispronounce letters would be scarce. However, I am an avid Bananagrams player, and my friends correct me every time I say, "Shoot! I don't want a zee!"

Another term I've learned is puck bunny. A puck bunny is a girl/woman who only dates hockey players. So, a very picky jersey chase.

The picture I've provided features Inga Skaya, who was the 2008 Canadian candidate for Miss Universe. She wore this costume to maintain the proper Canadian spirit, not to look like a puck bunny. However, an image search of "puck bunny" generates a whole lot pictures that are very Hugh-Hefner-esque. Think maple leaves in place of Playboy bunnies. Anyway, I figured this would be a more appropriate illustration than a half-naked women using goalie gloves in place of a bra.

Last but not least for today, we have this lovely item, usually called a couch or a sofa. Canadians say Chesterfield. However, one should note that not all Canadians use this word. From what I've gathered, the term is about as popular as "davenport": recognizable, but mostly used by citizens over the age of 50.

My collection of slang is growing quickly, so volume four may appear fairly soon. Not so soon as to enable further procrastination, but I digress. I'm going to study for my Children's Lit midterm. Wish me luck, and keep reading!

Love,
Maggie

2 comments:

  1. Australians say "zed" as well. I was thrown for a loop when in my math class the standard 3D coordinates are x, y and "zed".

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  2. Chesterfield?!? Haha.. I was just about to say "WHO says chesterfield?" and then you pointed out that not all Canadians say that.

    I know that I've heard the term... maybe my grandparents said it? :-)

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