Canadianisms

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Distinctive words, phrases, or expressions originating from Canadian English that reflect Canadian culture and identity
2. Linguistic features, including unique vocabulary and idiomatic expressions, characteristic of the English spoken in Canada
3. Terms and language usages that are typically used by Canadians, distinguishing their English from other regional varieties

Etymology: "Canadianisms" is the plural of "Canadianism", a word built from "Canadian" and the suffix "-ism". The suffix comes from Ancient Greek "-ismos", which formed nouns of action, state or doctrine, and passed into English through Latin and French, where it attaches to a base to name a practice, belief or distinctive feature. Adding it to "Canadian" gives a term for a feature peculiar to Canadian speech. The pattern is a familiar one: "Americanism" and "Briticism" follow the same logic, marking expressions that set one national English apart from another. Because "Canadian" is itself formed from "Canada" plus the suffix "-ian", the word stacks two suffixes onto a place name whose own origin lies in the Laurentian language of the St. Lawrence region, where "kanata" meant village or settlement.

Synonyms: canadian english expressions, canadianisms