The Identity of Canadian English

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Drama, Anthologies
Cover of the book The Identity of Canadian English by Kirsten Vera van Rhee, GRIN Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Kirsten Vera van Rhee ISBN: 9783640990795
Publisher: GRIN Publishing Publication: August 23, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing Language: English
Author: Kirsten Vera van Rhee
ISBN: 9783640990795
Publisher: GRIN Publishing
Publication: August 23, 2011
Imprint: GRIN Publishing
Language: English

Seminar paper from the year 1995 in the subject American Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,0, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Englische Philologie), course: Language and Identity, language: English, abstract: 1. Introduction The linguistic situation of Canadian identity has been subject of numerous debates and still there seems to be no real agreement on certain subject matters. Experts say that 'for historical reasons, Canadian English [is] the type of English associated with Southern Ontario, formerly Upper Canada, [that] has become the basis for a national norm, an imperfectly described but recognized standard across Canada.... As such, it ... has spread widely across the country, to be heard with increasing frequency among the educated, non-regionalized young in every province from the Ottowa River to the Pacific, including Newfoundland....' However, opinions differ as to what really constitutes the uniqueness of Canadian English. The problem of a separate Canadian linguistic identity becomes best apparent in the various ways in which Canadian English has been defined by linguists as quoted by Görlach: 'Canadian English is a fairly recent hybrid which resembles American English in some respects and British English in other while exhibiting much that is singularly Canadian. It is, in fact, the composite of these characteristics which gives Canadian English its unique identity.' (Avis 1973:43) 'Canadian English ... is not a composite of archaic or rustic features or a potpourri of British and American speechways but a true national language.' (Bailey 1982:152) This paper does not focus on the attempt to reconcile opposing views, but rather tries to show how far the Canadian English is both like and unlike American English as it resembles and differs from British English, yet, at the same time is distinctively Canadian, exisiting 'in its own rights and [owing] its existence to the Canadians who have made it what it is.' However, in their struggle for a distinct linguistic identity 'Canadians tread an ... apparently arbitrary path between British and American usage,' thus Orkin writes, 'with a strong leaning toward the American pattern.' Though the development of Canadian English towards a distinct linguistic identity is considered to be 'not yet complete,' it is the aim of the following to introduce the main linguistic characteristics of Canadian speech, focusing on the impossibility of separating phonological and grammatical Canadian features from the British and, especially, American influence.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Seminar paper from the year 1995 in the subject American Studies - Linguistics, grade: 2,0, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (Englische Philologie), course: Language and Identity, language: English, abstract: 1. Introduction The linguistic situation of Canadian identity has been subject of numerous debates and still there seems to be no real agreement on certain subject matters. Experts say that 'for historical reasons, Canadian English [is] the type of English associated with Southern Ontario, formerly Upper Canada, [that] has become the basis for a national norm, an imperfectly described but recognized standard across Canada.... As such, it ... has spread widely across the country, to be heard with increasing frequency among the educated, non-regionalized young in every province from the Ottowa River to the Pacific, including Newfoundland....' However, opinions differ as to what really constitutes the uniqueness of Canadian English. The problem of a separate Canadian linguistic identity becomes best apparent in the various ways in which Canadian English has been defined by linguists as quoted by Görlach: 'Canadian English is a fairly recent hybrid which resembles American English in some respects and British English in other while exhibiting much that is singularly Canadian. It is, in fact, the composite of these characteristics which gives Canadian English its unique identity.' (Avis 1973:43) 'Canadian English ... is not a composite of archaic or rustic features or a potpourri of British and American speechways but a true national language.' (Bailey 1982:152) This paper does not focus on the attempt to reconcile opposing views, but rather tries to show how far the Canadian English is both like and unlike American English as it resembles and differs from British English, yet, at the same time is distinctively Canadian, exisiting 'in its own rights and [owing] its existence to the Canadians who have made it what it is.' However, in their struggle for a distinct linguistic identity 'Canadians tread an ... apparently arbitrary path between British and American usage,' thus Orkin writes, 'with a strong leaning toward the American pattern.' Though the development of Canadian English towards a distinct linguistic identity is considered to be 'not yet complete,' it is the aim of the following to introduce the main linguistic characteristics of Canadian speech, focusing on the impossibility of separating phonological and grammatical Canadian features from the British and, especially, American influence.

More books from GRIN Publishing

Cover of the book Ulysses from Notes and Drafts to Editions and Revisions by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Wir selbst sind Zeit by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Phase-stabilized Ultrashort Laser Systems for Spectroscopy by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Reactive Integration by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Chinese in the American West by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book The Role of Urban Life in the Poetry of Langston Hughes by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Germany and the enlargement of the EU - An impact analysis by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Green Issues - What are the Benefits of Environmental Management by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Resistance in James Kelman's 'How Late It Was, How Late' by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book International Perspectives on Protection of Child Rights by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Love and dramatic genre - Approaches to the topic of love in three Shakespearean plays by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Explaining the gold price after the Bretton Woods Agreement using independent variables. An ARIMA model approach by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Konkretes Denken by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book Kündigung wegen 'geringfügiger' Vermögensdelikte by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
Cover of the book 'Wuthering Heights' and Victorian values by Kirsten Vera van Rhee
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy