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Oh, Canada: I love you, BUT --


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My parents are both Canadian although they've lived in the states for half a century (okay, my dad defected to the U.S. when I was 10; but they were both born in Canada); so prit near all my relatives are Canadian. I have a true fondness for you and your land and your people. I really do.

 

But I loathe your zip code system. Gah! I'm addressing envelopes for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary party and I think writing and then making sure I got the Canadian zips right slowed me down by half. I'm sure of it. :tongue_smilie:

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ha ha, don't like the alternating letters and numbers?

 

:willy_nilly:

 

You know, even three numbers and then three letters (or the other way around) would be FINE. Who invented this and whyyyyy? I need some chocolate.

Edited by milovaný
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FYI they are not zip codes, they are postal codes!

 

Yeah, yeah. And dinner is supper and napkins are serviettes and garAHJes are garAJes, and, and ... and Shreddies are yummy! :lol: Yes they are. Shreddies, Rosettes, Macintosh Toffee, Coffee Crisps, Aeros, gravy on French fries, and lots and lots of Cheese Whiz. Based on my childhood, these are what Canada is all about.

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So this makes Australia the free-est (or something) country? Our postcodes are only four digits long.

 

:tongue_smilie:

Rosie

 

All I can say right now, then, is that I wish my parents had been both born in Austreralia.

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Yeah, yeah. And dinner is supper and napkins are serviettes and garAHJes are garAJes, and, and ... and Shreddies are yummy! :lol: Yes they are. Shreddies, Rosettes, Macintosh Toffee, Coffee Crisps, Aeros, gravy on French fries, and lots and lots of Cheese Whiz. Based on my childhood, these are what Canada is all about.

 

I'm agree on all the above but I have never heard anyone pronounce garAHJes as garAJes here. :)

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Yeah, yeah. And dinner is supper and napkins are serviettes and garAHJes are garAJes, and, and ... and Shreddies are yummy! :lol: Yes they are. Shreddies, Rosettes, Macintosh Toffee, Coffee Crisps, Aeros, gravy on French fries, and lots and lots of Cheese Whiz. Based on my childhood, these are what Canada is all about.

 

Oh yes, yum, yum, yum - except for Cheese Whiz.

 

I also miss Kraft peanut butter, and Sussex gingerale (east coast!), and a host of other chocolate bars/candy - Smarties, wunderbar, mr.big,

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That would be an East Coast thing, at least that's where I'm from and I say garAJes.

 

That would be why then.:) I've lived in every province from Ontario to the west coast but I have never been down east.

 

Mais non. All my relatives originate from Saskatchewan (some now live British Columbia, Alberta and Manitoba -- one rogue cousin lives in Ontario), and the all of 'em say guh-RAJ for garage.

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I hate numbers and letters that look alike, like 5 and S or O and 0 or 1 and I.

 

But that's the beauty of the postal code!!! It's always Letter-number-letter, and the second part is to avoid jealousy. It's Number-Letter-Number.

So there's no mistaking whether it's a zero or an oh. Just look at where it's placed in the postal code!

 

LNL NLN (L = letter, N = number)

 

Simple, and easy to code for programmers!

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You think the letter/number/letter - number/letter/number thing is annoying? I have a "Z" in my postal code, and whenever I need to give it out over the phone I have to keep remembering to say "zed" instead of "zee". :glare:

I love "zed" instead of "zee." I don't know why but that is just the coolest thing.

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I'm agree on all the above but I have never heard anyone pronounce garAHJes as garAJes here. :)

Growing up in Ontario, I never noticed this, but after living in the US for a while I have to say that my Canadian relatives do talk this way (and I used to myself :)). The difference can also be heard in words like drama, plaza, pecan, pyjamas, and avocado. According to linguists, it's mostly found in words borrowed from other cultures. This site calls it the "pasta variable."

 

Canadian Phonology

 

From what I've observed, people from the British Isles tend to pronounce these words the "Canadian way," only more so. DH, a lifelong American, was quite perturbed when he overheard my Irish/Canadian mother reading Is Your Mama a Llama? But the children didn't seem to care, and at least it still rhymed. :D

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From what I've observed, people from the British Isles tend to pronounce these words the "Canadian way," only more so. DH, a lifelong American, was quite perturbed when he overheard my Irish/Canadian mother reading Is Your Mama a Llama? But the children didn't seem to care, and at least it still rhymed. :D

Yeah, when Raffi sings, "Have you ever seen a llama eating his pajamas, down by the bay," I smile a bit. It's supposed to be pronunced 'yama' anyway.

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