Pronunciation of Canadian place names
 

On another forum, about another country, someone asked a question regarding the pronunciation of a city name in that country.

It occurred to me that there were some tell-tale pronunciation mistakes that would make a newcomer to Canada stick out like a sore thumb, so I thought I'd mention them here just for fun.

The biggest no-no, I think, is pronouncing Newfoundland in three equally stressed syllables, as I did before I moved to Canada, as in NEW-FOUND-LAND. It's actually NEWfinlind. The emphasis is on the first syllable, and the subsequent syllables are spoken quickly and almost swallowed up.

Calgary, my home of many years, is not pronounced in equally stressed syllables, CAL-GEH-REE. Again the stress is on the first syllable, as in CAL-gry. The second "a" is dropped.

British Columbia's Okanagan Valley is not pronounced O-CON-agan, as I first thought, but rather O-ca-NAH-gin.

There is a book about Canada that devotes a whole chapter to the correct pronunciation of "Eh?" I still don't know if I've got that right.;)

The one place whose pronunciation I am NOT going to tell you is Toronto. I've received too many conflicting opinions from opposing but seemingly equally well qualified factions. Ducking and running......

Judy -
I think that Newfoundland is pronounced more like "NEWfundland" rather than "NEWfinlind" (I've never heard anyone say it that way, especially not the last "lind" part, not even Rick Mercer ;-) !!).

And here out West we don't say the word "Toronto" if we don't have to :-D!!!(how about "trawna"??!!!)

>>>>>>I think that Newfoundland is pronounced more like "NEWfundland"<<<<<<

Yes, Borealis, that is a better way of expressing it. That's what I was trying to get at. I was just trying to emphasize the fact that the first syllable is emphasized, and then the remaining syllables just roll off the tongue.

>>>>>>how about "trawna"??!!!<<<<<<

That is indeed one of the versions I have heard.:)

Tourists quite often say NanAYmo for NanEYEmo (Nanaimo).

Judy and Borealis, I think that you'll find that only CFA's (come from aways) pronounce Newfoundland as you have suggested. Most Newfoundlanders stress the last syllable, as in "Understand, it's Newfoundland!"

Being from Ottawa I always pronounce Toronto as 'precious'or 'self-centre of the universe'.

I heard a Newfoundland politician interviewed on CBC radio about a year ago; he said that "Newfoundland" is pronounced so as to rhyme with "understand."

Yes, now that a couple of people have mentioned it, I too have heard instances in which Newfoundland has been pronounced NewfundLAND.

Dare I ask the correct pronunciation of Quebec?

A few variations I've heard are KAY-beck, Kwebeck and Kabeck.

Also, am I correct in thinking that the emphasis is on the last syllable in Labrador?

Just listen on TV to how Newfoundlanders like Brian Tobin, Danny Williams, Roger Grimes or Rick Mercer pronounce their home province's name (which officially is Newfoundland and Labrador). Or listed to any CBC announcer telling us that a prgram will be airing at "8:00, 8:30 in Newfoundland." The other half of the name, Labrador, is indeed pronounced with the accent on the last syllable (except in the case of the Labrador Retriever, where for euphony, the accent is on the first syllable.)

As to Québec, the French, and therefore official, pronunciation is Kay-bec, with a slight emphasis on the last syllable.

1.Toronto: Torontonians do not pronounce the last "t" in "Toronto". You will hear Peter Mansbridge & others from CBC pronounce the "t" but they are not "from Toronto" ( i.e.,born & raised in Toronto).

2. Louisbourg: Locally, it's "Lewis-burg" not "Louie-bourg".

3. Dalhousie: It's "Dal-how-sey" not "Dal-who-sey"

On my trip to Nova Scotia, I learned which syllable of Antigonish is stressed. And it wasn't the one I'd thought. It's the last one.

Well, Dalhousie is an interesting case. Besides the university in Halifax, there are well over 20 places in Canada with Dalhousie in their name. They are all named after Lord Dalhousie, who was Governor in Chief of British North America from 1820-28.

I don't know how they all pronounced, but I know of at least three variations. The University, and I suspect most of the places in the Maritimes, is pronounced "Dal-HOW-see". Dalhousie township near Ottawa is also pronounced that way.

However, Port Dalhousie, across the lake from Toronto is pronounced "Dal-OO-zee"

And Dalhousie Street in Ottawa is pronounced "Dal-HOO-see" To pronounce it otherwise will brand you instantly as an outsider.

I'm not sure how the various Dalhousies in Québec are pronounced, but there may even be a fourth variation.

boy, am i glad to see this post! we are planning a two-week visit to NS this June. i'm just now beginning to read up on my travel books and info...
so, how do you pronounce ceilidh? and Bras D'Or? and Tatamagouche?

you know i'll be asking more later...
thanks!
d

Gypsy, just to get you started:
1.ceilidh: Kay-Lee
2.Bras d'Or(arm of gold): Brah-Door ( the "brah" is more like the "bro" in "brother".)
3.Tatamagouche: TaT(emphasize the 2nd "t"...like "bat")-a-mah-gush ( like "bush")...so it's TaT-a mah-Gush.

I've been to Newfoundland twice, and I'd have to agree....it rhymes with understand. Great place to visit BTW.
I was born and raised in Toronto and don't say Tarawna, but rather Torawno.

Borealis, I thought that rather than not mention us here in torawno , you just called us the 'centre of the universe' LOL NEver heard that til a Calgary friend told me!!!

Erin in ON not too far north of MIssissausa, is a small town claled Erin. Not Erin, but pronounced EARin. They always know who the tourists are!!

Oh it must be the jet lag... I wrote this on the wrong post. I meant to put it on the Canadian Place Names post..
SOrry.

Actually Kodi, here in Alberta we refer to Toronto as "down east" ;)) !!

By the way, the centre of the universe is probably a Black Hole :-D !!

thanks, wow -
being from Texas, i butcher enough words as it is...

d

sheesh, my eyes must have been really playing tricks on my last night. I thought I was on the wrong post.
Borealis, sometimes Toronto IS a black hole!!!!!! But right now it's a dirty white. Oh I hate mucky snow!

Many people don't realize, including Vancouverites until they listen closely to themselves, that native Vancouverites stick a subtle 'g' between 'n' and 'c' so that it sounds like Vangcouver. I don't know why that is and you have to attune your ear to it but it's a surefire way to tell lifegtime residents from people raised elsewhere.

Gary, you mean everybody doesn't say it like that? ((?))

How does one pronounce "Tsawwassen" ?

And I've always pronounced Toronto as "TroHnno".. I've heard my american cousins pronounce it as "ToRaaHnto".

Cheers!

If you took out one of the extra 'w's and 's's Tsawwassen is pronounced just like it's spelled - difficult as that may be. i.e. tsa WA sen - accent on the second sylable.

Because of all the varieties of culture and education Toronto, like London or New York, is pronounced many different ways by the people who live there and there really is no 'native' or 'correct' way. Most usages however put the emphasis on the second sylable and drop or de-emphasize the last 't'.

I got this joke email from my Mother, and it is completely her sense of humor. I thought it was histerical, then I needed to know HOW to say it so I searched and found this site....I hope you all think it is funny too and I made you smile!!!!!!!
Sue - read on now!

Subject: Tatamagouche

Tatamagouche...can you say it!?!??!???

Two tourists from Ontario were driving through Nova Scotia.

As they were approaching Tatamagouche, they started arguing about the pronunciation of the name.

They argued back and forth until they stopped for lunch.

As they stood at the counter, one tourist asked the employee,
"Before we order, could you please settle an argument for us?
Would you please pronounce where we are...very slowly???"

The blonde leaned over the counter and said,

Buurrrr....geerrrr....Kiiiingggg".
(Burger King) ha ha ha

DS,
BC Geographical Names lists Tsawwassen as "sa WOSS-en" but you will hear the T pronounced more often than not.

When we lived in Winnipeg, all my English relatives referred to it as "Winny-peg" (i.e. Winny to rhyme with whinny) and MANNY-toba.

And when we first moved from England to Winnipeg, my parents, maybe ahead of their times in terms of political correctness, took great care to pronounce all the French street names in Winnipeg with ultra-correct French pronunciation, e.g. "Portage Avenue" (my parents said porTAZH instead of PORtidge) and Notre Dame (not NOTERdame). Local Winnipeggers soon set them straight.

When growing up in Boston some years ago, it would fascinate me to listen to CBC Radio, especially of course Hockey Night in Canada w/Danny Gallivan. (Sorry, the Foster Hewitt station was hard to receive.) I'd keep listening after the games, when they presented the news and then the weather, so I'd long been familiar with pronunciations of Mississauga and Algoma and others. But I'd only seen the spellings for the larger cities -- I can tell you I was surprised when I saw the name Kapuskasing and it dawned on me that that's how Cappa's Casing was spelled.

Is Ottawa not a suburb of Toronto somewhere east of Scarborough and
Calgary a small cow town north east of Mississauga?

You can always tell who's local and who's not in Vancouver by their pronunciation of Abbotsford.

There are those that say it as if it's two seperate names, as if it should be spelled "Abbot's Ford", stressing the "Ford", pronouncing it like a Ford truck.

Those that pronounce it like "AHB-itsfird", stressing the first syllable, rhyming exactly with "rabbits-bird".

Then, there are the locals to Abbotsford, known to call the whole city "Abby".

There is a very small town near Edmonton that is spelled "Waskatenau". When I first saw this I was not sure how it would be pronounced.

To my surprise it is pronounced as follows:
Wuh-set-nuh, with the emphasis on "set".

Don't be silly, Hogtown Jim. Calgary is west of Mississauga, not east! :)