The Canadian English dialect

40 signs that you may be Canadian

  1. You’re not offended by the term “Homo Milk.”
  2. You understand the phrase, “Could you please pass me a serviette? I just dropped my poutine on the chesterfield.”
  3. You eat chocolate bars, not candy bars.
  4. You understand the joke, “How do you like your coffee?” “Crisp.”
  5. You drink pop, not soda.
  6. You don’t care about the fuss with Cuba. It is a cheap place to travel and has good cigars.
  7. You get milk in bags, as well as cartons and plastic jugs.
  8. You know that a pike is a type of fish and not part of a highway.
  9. You drive on a highway, not a freeway.
  10. You know what a Robertson screwdriver is.
  11. You have Canadian Tire money in your kitchen drawers.
  12. You cried when Mr. Dressup died.
  13. You know that Mounties “don’t always look like that.”
  14. You know that the Friendly Giant isn’t a vegetable product line.
  15. You know that Casey and Finnegan are not a Celtic musical group.
  16. You have an Inuit carving by your bedside with the rationale, “What’s good enough protection for the Prime Minister is good enough for me.”
  17. You wonder why there isn’t a 5-dollar coin yet.
  18. You use a red pen on your non-Canadian textbooks and fill in the ‘U’s missing from “labour”, “honour”, “neighbour”, and “colour”.
  19. You were in Grade 12, not the 12th grade.
  20. You know the French equivalents of “free”, “prize” and “no sugar added”, thanks to your extensive education in bilingual cereal packaging.
  21. You get excited whenever an American television show mentions Canada.
  22. You make a mental note to talk about it at work the next day.
  23. You can do all the hand actions to Sharon, Lois & Bram’s “Skinnamarink” opus.
  24. When you go, you go to the washroom.
  25. You know that Dan Ackroyd and The Tragically Hip both come from Kingston, Ontario.
  26. You can eat more than one maple sugar candy without feeling nauseous.
  27. You know what a tuque is.
  28. You design your Halloween costume to fit over your snowsuit.
  29. You celebrate Boxing Day by going to the mall.
  30. You know that the last letter of the English alphabet is always pronounced “zed.”
  31. You get warm fuzzies from watching the “I am Canadian” commercial series.
  32. Your local newspaper covers the national news.
  33. You know that when it is 25 degrees outside, it is a warm day.
  34. You understand the Labatt’s Blue commercials.
  35. You know how to pronounce and spell “Saskatchewan.”
  36. You know that Toronto is neither a province nor the capital of Canada.
  37. Back bacon and Kraft Dinner are two of the food groups.
  38. You use elastics and not rubber bands.
  39. You know that Smarties contain chocolate and have a slight similarity to M&Ms. They are NOT those small, round, sugar-only candies; those are called Rockets.
  40. You know that the entire country uses the metric system; however, when asked about weight you use pounds, and when asked about height you use feet and inches.

Canadian National Anthem

English version

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

From far and wide,
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

French version

O Canada! Terre de nos aïeux,
Ton front est ceint de fleurons glorieux!

Car ton bras sait porter l’épée,
Il sait porter la croix!

Ton histoire est une épopée
Des plus brillants exploits.

Et ta valeur, de foi trempée,
Protégera nos foyeurs et nos droits.

Protégera nos foyeurs et nos droits.

  

English translation

O Canada! Land of our forefathers,
Thy brow is wreathed with a glorious garland of flowers!

As in thy arm ready to wield the sword,
So also is it ready to carry the cross!

Thy history is an epic
Of the most brilliant exploits.

And thy valour, steeped in faith,
Will protect our homes and our rights.

Will protect our homes and our rights.

Some creations, discoveries, and inventions by Canadians

(From about.com)