Talking Canadian

Overview

Why do English-speaking Canadians talk the way we do? Why do we say couch instead of chesterfield, windshield instead of windscreen, and ee-ther and eye-ther, sometimes interchangeably? Why do Newfoundlanders have a distinctive accent and use colourful words like ballicatter that can’t be heard anywhere else? How have French words like portage and prairie, and Native words like chipmunk and toboggan become part of our everyday speech? How have immigrants who are not from the British Isles had an impact on the way we speak?