Maritimer English
Encyclopedia
Canadian Maritime English or Maritimer English is a dialect
of English
spoken in the Maritime provinces
of Canada
. Quirks include the removal of pre-consonantal r sounds, and a faster speech tempo
. It is heavily influenced by British
, Irish English, and Acadian French
--especially in northern New Brunswick.
An example of typical Maritime English might be the pronunciation of the letter t. The flapping of intervocalic /t/ and /d/ to alveolar tap
[ɾ] between vowels, as well as pronouncing it as a glottal stop
[ʔ], is less common in the Maritimes. So "battery" is pronounced [ˈbætɹi] instead of with a glottal stop.
Especially among the older generation, /w/ and /hw/ are not merged; that is, the beginning sound of why, white, and which is different from that of witch, with, wear.
Like most varieties of Canadian English
, Maritimer English contains a feature known as Canadian raising
: Diphthongs are "raised" before voiceless consonants. For example, IPA /aɪ/ and /aʊ/ become [ʌɪ] and [ʌʊ], respectively, before [p], [t], [k], [s], [f].
Although dialects vary from region to region, especially based on the rural
/urban
divide, there are some other commonalities. For example, there is heavy rhoticism
on vowels preceding /r/ sounds. Also, low front vowels seem to be lengthened and sometimes tensed, which in some regions can result in raising, and even a very slight rounding of the higher vowels and diphthongs. These phonetic differences are not all systematic: some lexical items do not apply to these rules, so perhaps it the vowel system is in a process of shift, or there could be interference from other, more urban dialects and the media.
Alternatively, one might hear the interrogative "Right?" (often pronounced "rate") which is also used as an adverb
(e.g.: "It was right foggy today!") as well. This sense may be of a degree of influence of the Welsh word "reit" [ˈrəɪt] literally meaning "very, rather, or considerably", also being ironic in that those with a Canadian Raise would pronounce "right" in this way. "Right" is often, though less today than before, used with this meaning in the American south, too. "Some" is used as an adverb as well, especially in Nova Scotia (e.g.: "This cake is some good!"). Another example is "s'pose" or "s'poseda" ("suppose" or "supposed"). (Ex. "S'pose'll ga down t' tha store"). Such expressions tend to be widely used in the rural maritimes, but are less common in urban areas.
The two expressions combined mean "extremely" and the proper order is always "right some", e.g. "It's right some cold out."
Words such as "fine", "right", "some", and "fearful" are frequent intensifiers, as in, "That's a fine mess!", "Oh, it'll be a right mess by the time they gets done!" and "That girl is a fearful fool!" (implying that the girl is extremely foolish). "That's some good" means "that's really good".
Terminal hard consonants are often dropped from pronunciation when found in sentences. "Ol'" rather than "old", "col'" rather than "cold", "tha'" rather than "that", "suppose'" rather than "supposed." (with the -s pronounced softly, rather than as a -z). When it is pronounced it is softly, almost imperceptibly. "Ain't" is also frequently heard in rural parts of the Maritimes. In Nova Scotia, "'ll" will be heard on various words, including "people" ("People'll do silly things."),
Common in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, but also found in downeast Maine, is aspirated speech; i.e.,"Yeah" or "No", spoken while inhaling. (colloquial pronunciation). This speech pattern bears no particular significance, other than its unusual nature. Competitive aspirated speech has been observed, with the intensity of aspiration increasing as conversation passes from one person to the next. The speaker is generally unaware of using this technique, and will frequently deny using it, when confronted.
Terms of British
origin are very much still a part of Maritime English, although slowly fading away in favour of American or Western terms. Chesterfield
and front room
are examples of this. Another is the use of the somewhat vulgar but colorful term, "arse" in place of the American and central and western Canadian form, "ass". In Nova Scotia, the names of meals are not used in the same way as in other parts of the country: "Dinner" specifically refers to the meal eaten at midday, "Supper" is the evening meal, and occasionally (Particularly with older speakers) "Lunch" refers to a snack eaten outside of regular meal times. "Breakfast" is used for the morning meal, as it is elsewhere in Canada.
Also, some terms are unique to the Maritimes. "Playing hooky" is often referred to as "jigging" in south-eastern New Brunswick; Nova Scotians usually say "skipping". A New Brunswicker, is likely to describe treacherous winter roads as "slippy" rather than "slippery". Also, most Atlantic Canadians will pluralize words, such as "somewhere" or "anywhere".
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
spoken in the Maritime provinces
Maritimes
The Maritime provinces, also called the Maritimes or the Canadian Maritimes, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. On the Atlantic coast, the Maritimes are a subregion of Atlantic Canada, which also includes the...
of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. Quirks include the removal of pre-consonantal r sounds, and a faster speech tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. It is heavily influenced by British
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
, Irish English, and Acadian French
Acadian French
Acadian French , is a regionalized dialect of Canadian French. It is spoken by the francophone population of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by small minorities in areas in the Gaspé region of eastern Quebec, by small groups of francophones in Prince Edward Island, in several tiny pockets...
--especially in northern New Brunswick.
An example of typical Maritime English might be the pronunciation of the letter t. The flapping of intervocalic /t/ and /d/ to alveolar tap
Alveolar tap
The alveolar flap or tap is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental, alveolar, and postalveolar flaps is .-Definition:...
[ɾ] between vowels, as well as pronouncing it as a glottal stop
Glottal stop
The glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
[ʔ], is less common in the Maritimes. So "battery" is pronounced [ˈbætɹi] instead of with a glottal stop.
Especially among the older generation, /w/ and /hw/ are not merged; that is, the beginning sound of why, white, and which is different from that of witch, with, wear.
Like most varieties of Canadian English
Canadian English
Canadian English is the variety of English spoken in Canada. English is the first language, or "mother tongue", of approximately 24 million Canadians , and more than 28 million are fluent in the language...
, Maritimer English contains a feature known as Canadian raising
Canadian raising
Canadian raising is a phonetic phenomenon that occurs in varieties of the English language, especially Canadian English, in which certain diphthongs are "raised" before voiceless consonants...
: Diphthongs are "raised" before voiceless consonants. For example, IPA /aɪ/ and /aʊ/ become [ʌɪ] and [ʌʊ], respectively, before [p], [t], [k], [s], [f].
Although dialects vary from region to region, especially based on the rural
Rural
Rural areas or the country or countryside are areas that are not urbanized, though when large areas are described, country towns and smaller cities will be included. They have a low population density, and typically much of the land is devoted to agriculture...
/urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
divide, there are some other commonalities. For example, there is heavy rhoticism
Rhoticism
Rhoticism is a word occasionally encountered when one of the following is intended:*Rhotacism, difficulty in pronouncing the /r/ sound*Rhotacization, the articulation used to produce an r-colored vowel...
on vowels preceding /r/ sounds. Also, low front vowels seem to be lengthened and sometimes tensed, which in some regions can result in raising, and even a very slight rounding of the higher vowels and diphthongs. These phonetic differences are not all systematic: some lexical items do not apply to these rules, so perhaps it the vowel system is in a process of shift, or there could be interference from other, more urban dialects and the media.
Alternatively, one might hear the interrogative "Right?" (often pronounced "rate") which is also used as an adverb
Adverb
An adverb is a part of speech that modifies verbs or any part of speech other than a noun . Adverbs can modify verbs, adjectives , clauses, sentences, and other adverbs....
(e.g.: "It was right foggy today!") as well. This sense may be of a degree of influence of the Welsh word "reit" [ˈrəɪt] literally meaning "very, rather, or considerably", also being ironic in that those with a Canadian Raise would pronounce "right" in this way. "Right" is often, though less today than before, used with this meaning in the American south, too. "Some" is used as an adverb as well, especially in Nova Scotia (e.g.: "This cake is some good!"). Another example is "s'pose" or "s'poseda" ("suppose" or "supposed"). (Ex. "S'pose'll ga down t' tha store"). Such expressions tend to be widely used in the rural maritimes, but are less common in urban areas.
The two expressions combined mean "extremely" and the proper order is always "right some", e.g. "It's right some cold out."
Words such as "fine", "right", "some", and "fearful" are frequent intensifiers, as in, "That's a fine mess!", "Oh, it'll be a right mess by the time they gets done!" and "That girl is a fearful fool!" (implying that the girl is extremely foolish). "That's some good" means "that's really good".
Terminal hard consonants are often dropped from pronunciation when found in sentences. "Ol'" rather than "old", "col'" rather than "cold", "tha'" rather than "that", "suppose'" rather than "supposed." (with the -s pronounced softly, rather than as a -z). When it is pronounced it is softly, almost imperceptibly. "Ain't" is also frequently heard in rural parts of the Maritimes. In Nova Scotia, "'ll" will be heard on various words, including "people" ("People'll do silly things."),
Common in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, but also found in downeast Maine, is aspirated speech; i.e.,"Yeah" or "No", spoken while inhaling. (colloquial pronunciation). This speech pattern bears no particular significance, other than its unusual nature. Competitive aspirated speech has been observed, with the intensity of aspiration increasing as conversation passes from one person to the next. The speaker is generally unaware of using this technique, and will frequently deny using it, when confronted.
Terms of British
British English
British English, or English , is the broad term used to distinguish the forms of the English language used in the United Kingdom from forms used elsewhere...
origin are very much still a part of Maritime English, although slowly fading away in favour of American or Western terms. Chesterfield
Couch
A couch, also called a sofa, is an item of furniture designed to seat more than one person, and providing support for the back and arms. Typically, it will have an armrest on either side. In homes couches are normally found in the family room, living room, den or the lounge...
and front room
Living room
A living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
are examples of this. Another is the use of the somewhat vulgar but colorful term, "arse" in place of the American and central and western Canadian form, "ass". In Nova Scotia, the names of meals are not used in the same way as in other parts of the country: "Dinner" specifically refers to the meal eaten at midday, "Supper" is the evening meal, and occasionally (Particularly with older speakers) "Lunch" refers to a snack eaten outside of regular meal times. "Breakfast" is used for the morning meal, as it is elsewhere in Canada.
Also, some terms are unique to the Maritimes. "Playing hooky" is often referred to as "jigging" in south-eastern New Brunswick; Nova Scotians usually say "skipping". A New Brunswicker, is likely to describe treacherous winter roads as "slippy" rather than "slippery". Also, most Atlantic Canadians will pluralize words, such as "somewhere" or "anywhere".