| THE
GREAT CANADIAN WORD
On Novermber 13, we asked our viewers to sum
up our vast country in one little word - the Great Canadian
Word. Here are some of the suggestions we've received:
Parallel ... as in 49th.
Brent Travis
Poutine
Tyler Brownbridge
SKI-DOO, eh
unique, national, powerful, evocative...
Allan Eastman
Toronto
I would have to say that my favourite canadian
word is confederation; it symbolizes our country as a whole.
Kortney A. Sheldon
So, you would like a word that is uniquely
Canadian and that encompasses something of what is Canadian.
Canada; that's my choice.
Welcome to the village.
Michael
I think the best Canadian word is Toque
because we all know it but if you say it in front of someone
else not from Canada they look at you with puzzled eyes. So
it is Toque
Kimberly LaRonde
I don't know if this is the right area
to respond to, but, this is my favorite Canadian word, "
Kraft Dinner." I know it's actually 2 words but I think
it's cute. It demonstrates how we are all so connected here.
Everyone in Canada would know what I was talking about &
ppl from other places would not.
Natalie Reeves
Twofour
Tedd & Sandy
Mtl, PQ
Favourite word for me is SEAS......bounded
by thee oceans (seas) Canada is one of few nations that can
attest. Like the song says;"from sea to sea to sea".
Its something we have over our good neighbours to the south!
Yes, I think SEAS is my favourite word.
Ralph MacDonald
Borden-Carleton, PE
One word that discribes Canada! Color,
I think about the green & Blue of Vancouver, the gray
and green of the rockies, the gold and blue of the praries,
The red, yellow, orange of Ont. and Que. in fall and the blue,
green, blue of the atlantic province. then we have the thing
that Canadians have become very proud of in the last few decades,
mult-culturism.
Fred Eden
i think one of the great canadian words
has to be inquiry... although we often get bored and bothered
by the many royal comissions that seem to point out our failures,
we endure them in the spirit of honest inquiry... they often
result in national progress.... is there any other good use
for an inquiring mind?
cheers,
lenny
Hi Carole, the greatest Canadian word without
a doubt is "Mountie". This word is known by everyone
coast to coast regardless of age , gender, or ethnic background.
The word Mountie symbolizes who we are in a powerful yet humble
way. It is a word unique only to Canada and Canadians.
thanks
Dave Fraser
Upper Sackville NOva Scotia
My suggestion for favourite Canadian word
is Toonie. I love it because it makes no sense and there has
never been anything like a toonie before. You can also use
a toonie to buy some timbits, another favourite word and snack!
Elizabeth Karanja
the grates canadian word is clearly "eh."
Its used all the time. Its so common you don't know your saying
it. Here are some examples. "Its so cool, eh". or
"ya, eh". or from my fav canadian comedians Bob
& Doug McKenzie "Good day, eh"
Bradley Gallant
My favourite Canadian word is 'joual'.
While well-known in Canada, it's not familiar to inhabitants
of France. (It's also an acceptable "French-Canadian"
word in the Official Scrabble Dictionary).
Maryanne Pentick
my favorite canadian word is spellrd two
ways and is definetly a canaian made word everytime im online
with people from around the world this is well known as a
canadian word and that word is EH or AY that is truely canadian
worldwide and that is my favorite word becuase i have been
reminded that im canadian by this word many times while being
online through out the world of internet
joff
Double-double ! (Tim Horton thing)
Jean-Jacques
Ottawa
Hockey
Zamboni!!
Trudeau
Eh
....just a few suggestions.
Betty Ferreira
Favorite canadian word - inuit
jason Ray
My Favourite Canadian word is "chesterfield".
Nothing reminds me more of home in Canada than referring to
the couch as a "chesterfield". One feels the woodsy
flavour of our country in that word.
Nicole Visscher
This word is not an exclusive Canadian
colloquialism nor is it exclusive to the Canadian dialect
of the English language but when it is applied to Canada it
is the most beautiful word in the world.
That word is "HOME".
Barry Manion
As a french speaking man, I would say my
favorite word is "Tuque". I had so many
times a hard time trying to explain how to pronounce it to
my english friends.
Tuque is the french name and I think the closest
word to describe it in english
is "hat". But it's not a hat, it's a tuque!
That's not a word you can find somewhere else,
and it reminds us the beautiful
winters we have in Canada.
Jérémie Bourgeois
Étudiant en Génie Mécanique
Université de Sherbrooke
favourite word: "dominion", as
in "dominion of canada"
Simon Browning
Can the word be French?
Try "souverainté"
o,r if you insist on English... "separatism" - Guaranteed
to be used only here and only for the last forty years or
so.
How about, "eh?"
Or "indépendentiste"
Or "fleure-de-lysé"
Anyway, our "solitudes" are certainly a source of
distinction, and the conflict between them makes us unique
on this earth. So why not celebrate it?
Sacha Vigeant
Montréal
eh?
Blake Heald
My favourite Canadian word is 'touque'.
Nicole
Distinct Canadian Word,
I catch myself saying the word 'sorry' quite
often and I've been trying very hard not to say it for every
little thing I do wrong - on the street, in the office, on
the phone, in stores ...
The more I try not to say it - the more I notice
that so many Canadians also say it quite often.
Is this a distinct Canadian word?
Sam Campbell, Toronto
My favourite Canadian word is toque....
Ric Gauthier
One of my favorite Canadian words is Toque.
This is because we are the people to understand what it means
and it says a lot about our country in two ways. 1) That our
country is subject to cold weather and 2) We are just like
the toque: warm and friendly.
Toni
"Poutine"
Richard LeBreton
Markham, ON
Hi guys: I'd like to add the word "Prairie"
to the list of favorite Canadian words. To me this word represents
more than just a vast area of our country, but a rural sense
of community, small towns, good people, and everything non-urban.In
essense all things "Corner gas".
Its also fun to say, Do try it.
Regards,
Murray Snelgrove,
London On.
In response to the Favourite Canadian Word,
I must admit that I was inspired by the word canoe. It is
as Canadian as Tom Thomson. It brought to mind images of Canadian
nature enjoyed in the peace and solitude of a canoe. It made
me think of what word I would consider as my favouite Canadian
word, and I came up with the word toboggan. As canoe is to
lakes and trees, toboggan is to snow and cold....something
that Canada has always been known for. Have you ever known
a Canadian who hasn't had the thrill of being on a toboggan?
Barbara York
well, in that case.... my favourite canadian
word would have to be Maple. I chose maple because, welll
it's just so canadian. We make the best maple syrup, we've
got the Maple Leafs, and we've got the Maple leaf on our flag.
So, to me, Maple is my favourite (and the best) Canadian word.
graziela mcbean
The first word that came to mind was eh!
True Canadian identifier that one little word eh!
E.Beneke
My favourite is actually two words: snow
fence. As in, as Canadian as snow fence. Anyone not familiar
with what a snow fence does would say: ' So, you build fences
out of snow in Canadian, eh?'
jim meyers
Best Canadian word: "multi"
english or french, use it with any other words and it will
become "Canadian".
Goose
I think a word that represents what it
is to be Canadian is "immigrant". This country is
built on immigration, and is an ethnic mosaic of the world.
Omma Rampersad
Toronto resident
My favorite Canadian word is:
1. French;
2. Integral to traditional Inuit culture; and,
3. Used profusely by anglophones across the country.
Phoque.
Sorry, I couldn't help myself. ;-)
Jacques Cafard
It was fun listening to your piece on
the Favorite Canadian word. I would like to submit one of
my own.
"Chalet"
This word conjures images of pristine lakes,
sunsets and sunrises, beautiful trees, in the winter, thoughts
of ski hills and fireplaces. This is Canada!
Connie Defalco
Hi Gang,
Good show. My favourite word or words have to
be Loonie. My spell checker does not recognise it nor does
the rest of the world. Definition: Loon n. a large fish-eating
diving bird of the northern regions from scandinavian word
loom for sea bird. Loonie is used everyday. Its value dives
like a loon with world currencies and has been known to fly
lately.
My favourite Canadian word...loonie or is it
loony?
Peter Teminski
Come on, eh!
EH - No other word in the Canadian vocabulary is so distinctively
ours. Just ask any American or Brit.
Farren
I love your show and try not to miss it
every Sunday morning.. Sunday mornings is my T.V. watching
time and my family knows not to disturb me... first is my
all time favorite, Coronation Street, followed by your excellent
news magazine.. Two of my favorite , and I think uniquely
CANADIAN words. are.. TOQUE, & POUTINE.
Sincerly,
Margot Low
Regina, Saskatchewan
My favourite word is "HENCE"
I Like the sound and its continuence of explanation.
christine McKeating
Dear young people: I only caught a few
minutes of sundays program,where you were talking about your
favourite words.Mine is a coined word that I will use in a
sentance.We had the dog Taxideterminized.I never new a word
other than stuffed that could describe the job.So that is
my favourate word.
Jim Hartt
My one word that describes Canada is
DIVERSITY
It describe not only the landscape but also the people of
this big country
Ray Girard
Ile Des Chenes
Manitoba
Re: Governor General Award winners choose
the Great Canadian Word
OH-MY-GOD,
Once again Canada's cultural superstars have proved to be
an insular bunch of toadies. Can you imagine choosing "Atwood"
to be the word that best represents Canada? I'd sooner go
with "up-chuck" or "ass-kisser". And I'm
sorry, "theatre" doesn't cut it either. Ninety-nine
percent of the country has no idea what goes on in theatres.
Way to use your moment in the sun to promote your craft, though.
I'm beginning to see some parallels in how our
government operates and how our cultural elites congratulate
themselves. In this spirit, I've made my choice for the word
to best represent Canada. Corrupt.
Jon Wojkowski
St. Mary’s, Ontario
'Hockey', I think is a distinctly Canadian
word. Its an obvious choice but when you think Hockey you
think Canada. One of my favourite words. Thank you
Deepjot Sethi
My favorite Canadian word is "you
betcha", as in "It's going to be a great day"
"You betcha"
Candace Belliveau
My favourite Canadian word is..."Whatnot"
It is used to describe anything and everything and to complete
the sentence, thought, concept or whatnot that otherwise cannot
be completed.
It has no intrinsic meaning and yet whenever it is used every
Canadian knows exactly what it means. A non-Canadian wouldn't
have a clue.
If brevity is the soul of wit then the word "whatnot"
makes we Canadians all look very smart indeed.
Chris Conway
Calgary, AB
I am an eleven year old girl and my favourite
canadian word is touque because it is a cool hat that is very
warm and sometimes has neat designs!
Jessa Rogi
Re: Greatest Canadian Word
Probably one of my favourite Canadian words
is "figgers" from the English "figures".
One simple word to shorten something like......."I only
could have assumed as much". An accountant would also
be good with "figgers"
Carl Lavier, Brockville, ON
In response for a single word that..."
best expresses Canada"....
When an American shoves into you in a crowd or makes a mistake
in judgement, his/her response is usually a flat, "Excuse
me.."
When an Englishman finds himself in similar predicaments,
he quickly says, "I beg your pardon.." or "Pardon
me.."
When a Canadian reacts, it is with an embarrassed and sincere,
"Sorry!"
Given the current state of our political leaders in Ottawa,
is it any wonder this word seems so appropriate in expressing
Canada?
Sorry!
William MacNeily
Windsor, Nova Scotia.
My favourite canadian words: poutine, toboggan,toque,
and flapjacks
tosca cooper
I searched online for Canadian words and
came across a website about Canadian "Regionalities'.
It made me laugh to find a site that discussed words like
'siwash', 'bunnyhug', and 'vico'. Siwash is a heavy knitted
sweater-coat, bunnyhug is the old-school word for hoodie,
and vico is chocolate milk. These might be specifically Saskatchewan
"regionalities" or just from decades past. But it
is very interesting to consider the concept of regionality
and take a closer look. This makes it difficult to come up
with one true Canadian word. I think its impossible to do
such things (like "the greatest canadian"!) as the
country is so diverse. I am stating the obvious here, but
I guess your questions and these exercises bring about a kind
of light dialogue that might otherwise go undiscussed.
Suzie Q
I think the most obvious and most used
Canadian word is quite simply, "eh" Like "I'm
a Canadian eh! or "That was a great show, eh?" On
second thought, "eh" may not be a word, but it's
uniquely Canadian!!
Thank-you,
Carolee Neudorf
The best word is.... RESPECT. But that
goes hand in hand with "EH"...
ie. "That is what I think, eh?" --> means: I
would respectfully like
2 have your opinion also... (eh?)
So "Respect" and "Eh" together are my
favorite words....
Paul Hinton
Pointe-des-Cascades, Quebec
My favorite Canadian word (sentence actually)
is "Keep your stick on the ice" (Red Green).
I think the most memorable Canadian phrases for years to come
(sadly) will be "culture of entitlement" and "sponsorship
scandal".
Terry Murrin
Corner Brook, NL
NEGOTIATE
When Danny Gallivan, longtime Canadiens play
by play announcer, used to
say, "Lafleur failed to negotiate the pass", hockey
was immersed in an
air of intellectualism and sophistication never experienced
by other
professional sports. How Canadian!
Skip Kutz
Saskatoon Sask.
In the search for the Great Canadian word,
I'm convinced that "toque" should take the prize.
Its monosyllabic perfection adorned in a classically Canadian
excess of vowels are beautifully evocative of many a blustry
winter past.
Kathleen Clarkson
Halifax, NS
Hello,
I believe the best example of a truly canadian word is:
coureur de bois
Thanks for Listening
Bobbie Bentley
The one word that represents modern Canada
is bureaucratize. Quite simply, this is what we do. We create
bureaucracies. Health is a bureaucracy. Education is a bureaucracy.
So is Air Canada, the CBC, even the Weather Network (with
its 40 Cmos: whatever they are) – in fact, the list
will rapidly become a litany if we give it any rein whatsoever.
We have bureaucracies to deal with issues which might never
arise. But then again, they might, mightn’t they? So
shhh, or we’ll have to create a bureaucracy to look
into all the other bureaucracies. And aren’t these bureaucracies
efficient? One set of bureaucrats even declared that the west
coast no longer needs lighthouses or foghorns: presumably
an easy call when you’re at least a time zone from the
nearest ocean and three from the area affected. No one starts
out to create a bureaucracy, presumably. The initiator of
one local jurisdiction out here declared from the outset that
the idea would be a failure if the body in question ever employed
more than four – count them, four – people. Now,
three decades later, this body has moved three times in five
years because they can’t find an office building large
enough to house all the bureaucrats. There is a play; just
a little play, which may not have made it back east. It is
set in the year 2015. The premise is that Canada is about
to launch its first space vehicle. The reason? We need to
transport a bureaucrat…in order to begin the canadianization
of outer space.
Bob Thompson
Re: Favourite Canadian Word
Welcoming :)
Maria
In your show last Sunday (Nov 13), you
asked for the word that most epitomised Canada.
I would suggest that word has to be 'eh?' but
not just for the obvious reason that we throw it around like
confetti.
The Oxford dictionary has 3 definitions for
the word:
1) Inviting assent:
- we are a polite people and would much rather seek common
assent than impose; for instance we are still prepared to
negotiate Softwood Lumber and Mad Cow restrictions to the
death than actually take a stand
2) asking for something to be repeated or explained:
- unlike our cousins to the South, we do not expect the world
to bow to our every demand and we never seem quite able to
believe our luck when somebody actually agrees with us
3) expressing inquiry or surprise:
- even now, after Governor General sprees, Gomery finger pointing
and empty Goodale promises, we can still seem surprised that
our political machines could actually be that careless with
our money
Yes, we still want to believe that the world
is not all bad (at least, our little corner of it) and 'eh'
is just the perfect word to allow us to do that. That's probably
why we coined it in the first place.
Mike Archer
Pickering
Great Canadian word: toque
This word evokes: cold, snow, outdoor skating, snowshoeing,
French, fun, everything wonderful about being Canadian.
Barbara Haydon
My favourite Canadian word is toque.
Tricia Martin
Re: Question of the Day; Favourite Canadian
Word.
I think it would be a shame to have this discussion
without mentioning the all-time Canadian great word ‘eh’.
It may be an easy and obvious choice, but should not be overlooked.
Its use has become the key distinguishing feature of Canadians
on an International stage, aside from a large maple leaf attached
somewhere in plain view. Why is it so great? Well, while it
has various uses and meanings, perhaps its best feature is
that it can turn any to-the-point statement into the perfect
inviting rhetorical question. So Canadian, eh?
Jennifer in Toronto
My wife's favourite Canadian word is "Hydro"
for electricity, as in "the hydro's off". I once
read in an English newspaper an account by a Canadian about
watching a squirrel run up a hydropole. Clearly the British
editor didn't realise it was actually a hydro pole.
My favourite Canadian word is "about",
or, in fact, almost anything containing the "ou"
sound. Whereas the rest of the English speaking world says
"abowt" Canadians say "aboat" or, occasionally,"aboot".
Astonishingly they cannot hear this.
Tony Reynolds
Since Carole is so fond of 'double' maybe she'd
like a popular Newfoundland 'double'. A double dark and dirty!
(A double dark rum and coke). That'll wake you up!
Elizabeth Counsel
Charlottetown Labrador
"Stormstayed" is a uniquely Candian
word desccribing a situation where one has to succumb to Mother
Nature and stay at home, or wherever one finds oneself at
the time. No need to call in the army, sorry Mel,... sometimes
you just have to accept we aren't going anywhere for the time
being. Strangely enoughthis word might just as well describe
our political system that has become 'stormstayed' in the
political maelstrom we currently find ourselves in. Perhaps
this should be added to the political lexicon in Canada to
describe how our political parties cannot work together in
coalitions/minority governments to keep things happening...I
can't imagine how proportional government will ever work in
Canada until all the parties learn that they are all going
to have to be flexible and compromise if we are going to be
able to govern the country,... I'm afraid majority governments
may have become a thing of the past as our political parties
become regional blocks.
John Burke
One of the greatest Canadian words has
got to be “Tecumseh”. Chief Tecumseh allied with
Canadian militia and troops in defending the territories of
British North America during the War of 1812. This followed
the invasion of Canada by American expansionists. Today I
live in the Crowsnest Pass, Alberta, far away from the origins
of this event and yet I live near Tecumseh Road at the foot
of Mount Tecumseh and I went to air cadets at the Tecumseh
Armouries in Edmonton. I would like to see a compilation of
Tecumseh place names from across this huge nation. The word
invokes a defining event in our country's birth.
Jon Underwood
Crowsnest Pass, AB
My favourite word is "Blessed".
That's how I feel about being a Canadian and "Doublely
Blessed" is my favourite word about being a Newfoundlander.
Betty Field
I believe all of the words described here
are truely Canadian, however one that seems to have been missed
is brutal; well actually "broodle" as in the Leafs
are broodle! I wish I could take credit for this word but
I actually got it from a very funny book I read years ago
called Canajan, Eh? by Mark Orkin.
Sam Halas
Calgary
In my grade 12 Canadian Literature class,
we discussed some options for the "Great Canadian Word".
Here are some of our suggestions: chesterfield, toque, igloo,
eh, endgate, teepee, colour, toboggan, fish 'n chips, bunny
hug, kayak. We look forward to finding out more truly Canadian
words!
Melissa Meadows
The Great Canadian word is most obvoiusly 'eh'.
I work for a global company where the HQ is in Canada and
there are branches all over Europe, the United States, Mexico
and Asia. When I talk to these people aroud the world, the
most commonly known Canadian word is 'eh'. The most uncommonly
known and most loved (especially by the Americans) is 'shit-disturber'.
I have heard this from my parents who are from Montreal. I
wonder if it is from a Quebecios term in French.
Mia Kroll
Kitchener, Ontario
My Word that I think best describes Canada is
Freedom, because we have the
rights to go to school and do a lot of other things. In our
national anthem
it says that we are a free country. We are one of the only
countries who
dosen't have to be afraid to walk to school in terror of being
bombed or
blown up.
Kaley Sheppard
|
Read
some of our viewer ideas for "The Great Canadian Word"
