OT: Parlance

[whitefang]

So...Duff. Tell me...is "poutine" anything like "poontang"?

 

The only Canadian oddity I notice is pronouncing "sorry" as "Soary". Before 9/11 and the required $45 passport or driver's license "enhancement" I used to go across the Ambassador to Windsor often and also never heard "a-boot". The closest was some woman working the snack bar at a bingo hall who said "a-boat".

Whitefang

[Scott Fraser]

I've never heard davenport used once in my 51 years...it's either couch or sofa.

 

I grew up hearing 'davenport' from my Oregonian parents. My mother's parents were from Minnesota, so it might be an upper Midwest term.

 

No one in Canada says "a-boot"...I don't know why that perception still exists.

 

Every Canadian I know makes the same assertion, & every Canadian I know pronounces the 'OU' diphthong distinctly & identifiably differently from every American I know. A-boot is an exaggeration but it's the one reliable way to distinguish Canadian English speakers from American English speakers.

[Dannyalcatraz]

Yeah, I've heard it from Canadians...and from people who spent a lot of time in Michigan as well.

 

They can swear on a stack of Bibles they don't say it, but they can't do anything aboot/aboat it- it happens.

 

Its like some of my fellow New Orleaneans who say "zink" instead of "sink".

[Larryz]

I know we've got a few Canadians in the house...I mean hoose...

 

serviette = napkin

davenport = couch

eh = you know what I mean

mum = mom

a-boot = about

 

etc....

 

Serviette is rarely used anymore, it's just "napkin".

 

I've never heard davenport used once in my 51 years...it's either couch or sofa.

 

No one in Canada says "a-boot"...I don't know why that perception still exists.

 

Most people call tissues "Kleenex".

 

Snow machines used to be called "Skidoos" (brand name), but now almost everyone calls them "sleds".

 

Carbonated beverages are called "pop". If you ask for a coke, you'll get an actual Coke...or they'll say "Is Pepsi okay?" if the establishment has a licencing deal with Pepsi.

 

None of what I said is made up or is from my imagination. The OOOOHHH in [about] is clearly there. Maybe it's a west coast thing and I don't know if others hear it in other parts of the country. Davenport and serviette were dropped from the vocabulary of one of my best friends and his family after I pointed out that us California dudes have no idea of what it is they were talking about. I only intended to help him get into the groove in high school after moving down from Vancouver BC, and I was not making fun of him. His mum has been my other mum since I was 16 and at my current age of 63, she still is. His mother, brothers, sister, dad, and other relatives all have the oooohhhh in [about] too, eh...

 

ps. My buddy pointed out a few errors in my hick vocabulary ways too...like, I called the "fridge" an "ice box". Which went out with days of the Honeymooners...

[Scott Fraser]

I called the "fridge" an "ice box". Which went out with days of the Honeymooners...

 

My dad used that term also. Of course, he grew up in the era when it really WAS an ice box.

[Larryz]

Yeah, I remember an episode of the Honeymooners when the Ice Man came to deliver a block of ice. I thought about what a job it would be to climb all those stairs delivering blocks of ice to all those apartments. Those guys were huge looking dudes. I still remember the days when the Milkman would come door to door and the Ice Cream Man driving up the street with us kids chasing after them...

[skipclone 1]

My grandma used to call it a `Frigidaire`, which was a brand name of refrigerator. I grew up in Minnesota, I have heard `davenport` before. My grandma grew up in Mobile, Ala.-she also used to say, `take that and put`t in the dishwasher`. `You can get`t at the grocery store`.

 

Say, here`s one that may be more of a grammar hunter question, I`ve always wondered-where did that juxtaposing of syllables thing come from? ixnay the anplay-meaning nix the plan? it always sounded to me like something from the military, a way to speak in code in front of non-native speakers.

 

[Scott Fraser]

Say, here`s one that may be more of a grammar hunter question, I`ve always wondered-where did that juxtaposing of syllables thing come from? ixnay the anplay-meaning nix the plan? it always sounded to me like something from the military, a way to speak in code in front of non-native speakers.

 

I always thought that was just children's play. We called it Pig Latin for some unknown reason.

[Winston Psmith]

We called it Pig Latin in NYC, too. Learned it so long ago, I can't even remember when. It's been around for quite a while. Here's what Wikipedia says about it -

 

Pig Latin

 

[whitefang]

Well, Larry, we still have the ice cream men. And a local dairy around here ( Calder Bros.) still home delivers, although in limited area. When I was a kid, all the way up to 14 years of age, my Mom used to take home delevery of Sealtest. My sister still has the glasses my Mom got through them. Used to come with sour cream or cottage cheese in them. Sort of their answer to jelly coming in glass containers that could be reused as drinking glasses( Give me a moment to work out the CRICK in my back!).

 

I too have heard old timers call it the "Fridgidaire" regardless of the actual brand name. There are other items like that. Even though there are several "store brands" of facial tissue, and Puffs and other brands, they're ALL called "Kleenex" by everybody. Same goes for glass lined, thermal beverage containers. In spite of Stanley making them, and another brand called Alladin, everyone calls them "Thermos".

 

Ex servicemen can be a mixed bunch. My oldest friend was in the marines, as was his Dad before him. Yet when we were about 15, his Dad, who at that time was 20 years out of the service, would say things like, "I'm going to bed", or "I have to use the bathroom". My buddy, 40 years since discharge, STILL says things like, "I'm getting some RACK time", and , "I gotta HIT THE HEAD". It even annoys his Dad!

Whitefang

[Larryz]

We even had a donut truck come through the neighborhood...mmmmm. The only military term I keep hearing myself say once in awhile is "Chow". Let's go get some chow, time to chow down, time to get in the chow line, etc. Over time you just lose it, but then I get some of it back when I'm around my old veteran buds as we tend to joke a lot.

[skipclone 1]

We called it Pig Latin in NYC, too. Learned it so long ago, I can't even remember when. It's been around for quite a while. Here's what Wikipedia says about it -

 

Pig Latin

 

Interesting stuff, I guess no one is sure where it comes from.

[Dannyalcatraz]

The only military term I keep hearing myself say once in awhile is "Chow".

 

Not even those wonderful military acronyms like FUBAR, SNAFU, SUSFU, SUIFU, TARFUN, and the like?

[Larryz]

The only military term I keep hearing myself say once in awhile is "Chow".

 

Not even those wonderful military acronyms like FUBAR, SNAFU, SUSFU, SUIFU, TARFUN, and the like?

 

Nope...I didn't know what FUBAR was until my buddy explained it to me on the way to FUBAR's which was a comedy club somewhere near Martinez, CA. I could figure out SNAFU from WWII, but we didn't use that one either. Mostly Hollywood stuff I guess or maybe I just spent too much time outside the wire. Reminds me of my buddy's father-n-law from China. We took him out for Chinese food and he had never seen a fortune cookie. He just started eating the whole thing paper and all until we said WAIT!

 

We did use FTA a lot which was F*** The Army...I think the Navy used FTN, etc. We had all sorts of military terms like: SIT REP...which meant Situation Report? SIT REP Negative, meant you could go back to sleep, nothing to see here...SIT REP Positive, meant you better be ready as you're about to be in a world of shit...

 

We had a lot of 2nd language terms like Boo Koo, DD mow, Dinky Dow, Short, Short Time, Butterfly, TT, La Day, Number 10, Number 1, Feeling Froggy?, Mama Son, Pappa Son, Baby Son, etc., which allowed us to communicate with civilians and GI's...those kind of terms tend to stay in my memory banks...

[Dannyalcatraz]

I heard those acronyms all the time in the 1970s and 80s...as a military dependent.

[02R96]

Speaking of "Military Speak" my brother-in-law is a Sargent in the Army (thank you for your service Wes), and a typical conversation with him can go something like this...

 

"So I got called over to the AO's office and he sent me to the JLZ to file a MO1-5 report. But I got pissed because I thought I was supposed to fill out a 9845J but the LT there said I needed to bring him three copies of a GEN-AUTH first."

 

Ahhh OK? :idk

 

Seriously, Wes is a great guy, did 4 tours of duty in the Middle East, and has earned everyone of the rockers on his sleeves.

[Bluesape]

I've never heard davenport used once in my 51 years...it's either couch or sofa.

 

I grew up hearing 'davenport' from my Oregonian parents. My mother's parents were from Minnesota, so it might be an upper Midwest term.

 

No one in Canada says "a-boot"...I don't know why that perception still exists.

 

Every Canadian I know makes the same assertion, & every Canadian I know pronounces the 'OU' diphthong distinctly & identifiably differently from every American I know. A-boot is an exaggeration but it's the one reliable way to distinguish Canadian English speakers from American English speakers.

 

 

Around here they called sofas "chesterfields".

 

Poutine is a heart-stopping concoction of fries, gravy, cheese curds, and local additives, like peas, pork, chicken, bacon, onions, sausage....all depending on the locale. Everyone has their own take on it. Even KFC now has their local version here.

 

A "poutin" is a lady of the evening, but but both words tend to have the same pronunciation.

[Winston Psmith]

Bluesape, that 'poutine' concoction sounds a lot like home-style Southern cooking from the U.S. - one of those meals that takes a week to burn off.

 

FUBAR is used throughout the construction/renovation trades, although there are a lot of veterans in those fields, so the term may have migrated with them. My dad, a WWII vet, explained SNAFU - that's one you don't hear so often, in any context.

[A String]

No one in Canada says "a-boot"...I don't know why that perception still exists.

 

Every Canadian I know makes the same assertion, & every Canadian I know pronounces the 'OU' diphthong distinctly & identifiably differently from every American I know. A-boot is an exaggeration but it's the one reliable way to distinguish Canadian English speakers from American English speakers.

 

When I say "about", it sounds like "out", not "oot". I think it's a regional thing. Folks like me, that are hugging the American boarder, are less apt to have a strong variation in the language. That really strong "oot" sound is more associated with the east coast and along the prairies (close to Minnesota/North Dakota area where the Americans have that same strong accent).

 

To be fair though, I do notice that the "ar" sound is slightly more pronounced like in the word "car". Again, not as strongly as the Eat coast, but I do notice it.

[whitefang]

Upper peninsula Michigan residents, lovingly called "Yoopers" by Michiganders, are credited with having the same speech quirks as Canadians, and also some reqarded as on par with Minnesotians. Like how they talk in the movie "Fargo".

 

I DO have a story, an incident that happened to a friend of mine while in the service, that may or may not have anything to do with any of this:

 

One day, he was walking through the camp he was stationed at, and a passing seargent asked him the time. "It's almost five o'clock" my friend told him. The sarge stopped him on the spot, ordered him to attention and started giving him a heated lecture about "military time". Like, "It's NOT FIVE O'CLOCK, but 17:00 hours", and the proper usage of military time, and the WHY it's important for him, in the service of his country, to keep a diligent use of it and so on, and so forth. In the middle of this lecture, a passing lieutenent spoke to the seargent, saying, "Better get to the PX sarge. It's almost FIVE O'CLOCK."

 

The seargent paused with finger pointed mid air, looked disgustedly down to the ground and finally told my friend, "Get the fuck outa here!" with my friend fighting hard not to laugh out loud.

Whitefang

[Larryz]

No one in Canada says "a-boot"...I don't know why that perception still exists.

 

Every Canadian I know makes the same assertion, & every Canadian I know pronounces the 'OU' diphthong distinctly & identifiably differently from every American I know. A-boot is an exaggeration but it's the one reliable way to distinguish Canadian English speakers from American English speakers.

 

When I say "about", it sounds like "out", not "oot". I think it's a regional thing. Folks like me, that are hugging the American boarder, are less apt to have a strong variation in the language. That really strong "oot" sound is more associated with the east coast and along the prairies (close to Minnesota/North Dakota area where the Americans have that same strong accent).

 

To be fair though, I do notice that the "ar" sound is slightly more pronounced like in the word "car". Again, not as strongly as the Eat coast, but I do notice it.

 

My friends are from the west coast just over the line in Vancouver. The oooo sound is very subtle and after 47 years my buddy, his mom and the brother who moved down to California have pretty much lost the oooo sound. His dad died about 10 years ago and he had a whole different accent. Although he had never been to Ireland he had the heaviest Irish brogue you ever heard. The oooo sound is very subtle and most people in the US wouldn't notice it or know you were Canadian unless they had some close friends or relatives from Canada. The eh? is a definite give-away. My buddy's brother and his sister who still live in Vancouver both came down for a visit this past year and it's fun for me to hear that the oooo sound is still there, although I do not mention it...

[skipclone 1]

My buddy in midstate N.Y. pronounces `radio` and `radiator` with the same a as `radical`.

[desertbluesman]

I was back east last week and I saw a sign for "Hoagies" which is what we called submarine sandwiches in Philly.

[skipclone 1]

I also recall moving to N.Y. and having friends saying `roof` of a house like it rhymes with `goof`. I said it and still say it like `foot`. I say `root` and `hoof` the same way.

[Larryz]

I was back east last week and I saw a sign for "Hoagies" which is what we called submarine sandwiches in Philly.

 

I just called them "Subs" but some people called them "Poor Boys". I would know what a "Hoagie" is if I was in the sandwich shop. If I just saw a sign along the road, I would have to think about it as I would also think it might be a surf shop...

[whitefang]

I just re-read my post from yesterday, and noticed it's been "auto censored".

 

WTF?

Whitefang

[Winston Psmith]

I also recall moving to N.Y. and having friends saying `roof` of a house like it rhymes with `goof`. I said it and still say it like `foot`. I say `root` and `hoof` the same way.

 

NYC guy here, and yeah, 'roof' and 'goof' rhyme in my ear. The 'OO' sound is the same as in 'tooth'; it's a long 'U' sound, like in 'truth'. In my neighborhood, at least, 'radio' and 'radiator' had the same long 'A' sound as 'raid', or 'maid'.

[Scott Fraser]

NYC guy here, and yeah, 'roof' and 'goof' rhyme in my ear. The 'OO' sound is the same as in 'tooth'; it's a long 'U' sound, like in 'truth'. In my neighborhood, at least, 'radio' and 'radiator' had the same long 'A' sound as 'raid', or 'maid'.

 

Exact same here in LA, actually all throughout California.

[Phloid]

I see a lot of musician parlance over in the keyboard player sub-forum. I don't see the same thing in this guitar player or any other guitar forum. A lot of those guys seem to consider it a hang out for pros rather than a hang out for anyone who would read Keyboard Player magazine.

 

Somehow, and whether accurate or not, I get the impression that pro keyboard players are a category of the uncool people in bands and in need of a place to walk and talk like the cool people they often play with. Like in school when the outcasts group together and within their sub-group they mimic the cool kids. It shows up in the way topics are introduced and responded to......the rhythm and repetition of words and phrases.

 

The big guys that would lug ice blocks to your door in the past are the guys lugging Alhambra, Sparklettes and Arrowhead water jugs to your house and office today.

 

I see and hear waiting "on line" used when I think of it as waiting in line, as in get in line, stand in line, etc.. It seemed like people were lazily or ignorantly using "on line" from using the internet and mixing it up with waiting in a line until I was informed that on line is used on the East Coast.

 

There is also the "you guys" and "you all" or "y'all."

 

I remember those big orange roadside restaurants. I did not realize they were Orange Juliuses. I have tried the mall versions and did not like what they served.

 

We used to go for weekend rides in the car and get "Frostys" at Foster's Freeze or Dairy Queen. To us at least (a family in California) it meant the soft ice cream that was dispensed into a cone.

 

 

[whitefang]

Ah, so THAT'S possibly where it came from.

 

When I was a kid, "soft serve" ice cream was only available at Dairy Queen or Tasty Freeze until around 1960 or so, when trucks started coming around the neighborhoods with the name "Mr. Frosty" on them. BIG suckers all lit up inside selling soft ice cream in cones.

 

In neighboring Southgate Mich., there's a place called "Bob & Jo's" that sells "frozen custard", that has a much smoother texture than the Dairy Queen soft serve. They've been there since 1947(according to their sign)and is still hopping every summer. There's one Dairy Queen in my town that's been there about as long.

 

But we just called it ice cream.(even though it's NOT, really...)

Whitefang