Ten Ways to Sound like a Torontonian
And now for something a little different. Some people might be a bit confused by the way that Torontonians speak. Granted, it is a lot closer to Americanized English than you are likely to hear from a lot of other English-speaking countries around the world, but there are still a few differences. Here are ten of them that I was able to think of off the top of my head:
- Torontonians frequently substitute the word Chesterfield in for the word couch
- Torontonians and most other Canadians use the proper term Inuit instead of the term Eskimo
- When Torontonians say the word ‘film’, it usually comes a lot closer to sounding like ‘fillum’
- When we say the word hockey, it means ice hockey, because that’s obviously the best kind. Don’t cross us on this one ;)
- Most Torontonians will substitute the phrase ‘icing sugar’ for the phrase ‘powdered sugar’
- If you hear a Torontonian say ‘The Rock’, they might just as likely be talking about Newfoundland as they are about the wrestler
- Rubbers means rubber boots, get your mind out of the gutter people!
- A case of beer that has 24 bottles in it is known as a two-four
- It’s pronounced ‘zed’, not ‘zee’
- Some Torontonians (mostly of the older generations) say “that’ll learn ya” as slang for “that will teach you”. I actually shouldn’t say of the older generations, because I probably do this myself relatively often
This is by no means an exhaustive list and I’ll probably do more at a later date, but for now this should get you started on your quest to sound like a Torontonian!
Tags: city-of-toronto, the-toronto-traveler, toronto, toronto-hockey, toronto-information, toronto-slang, toronto-tourismRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Sound Like a Local - "Local" Speak, Top Ten
8 opinions for Ten Ways to Sound like a Torontonian
Sirened
Dec 11, 2007 at 10:03 am
What about “eh”, “aboot” and “hoser?” :)
Justin
Dec 11, 2007 at 12:09 pm
Well, I figured “eh” was so obvious that there was no point in covering it, and the other two will be appearing in later posts ;)
The sad part is I say “eh” all the time unconsciously.
Heather
Dec 12, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I have spent a ton of time in Vancouver, B.C. and it’s incredible how the dialects differer from Toronto to Vancouver. I’m looking forward to learning more Torontonian-speak so I can impress my friends from Ontario!
Justin
Dec 13, 2007 at 12:07 am
Yeah, there is tremendous East to West diversity within Canada =)
I’ll try to post more Toronto-speak soon!
Sirened
Dec 13, 2007 at 7:47 pm
It’s funny how different country speak can be contagious. I’m sure if I lived in Canada I would start saying “eh” after awhile too.
My wife is Australian and I lived out there for a year and I started saying things like “dodgy” and “cheers.” And while we say cheers in the US to toast, Aussies say it in all different contexts, like saying cheers instead of thank you which is what I started doing. :)
Justin
Dec 13, 2007 at 10:18 pm
Haha yeah, I had a friend that went to the UK over the summer and she started using words like ‘lift’ instead of ‘elevator’ when she came back. It actually took her a good two months or so to return to her normal Torontonian vocabulary.
Alex
Apr 13, 2008 at 2:14 am
aaaand most importantly, anyone living in the Toronto area pronounces it Toronno.
oliver warmflash
Jul 22, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Here’s an interesting article from WIKI on Toronto English and the Toronto Accent.
” Natives of Toronto City Core — also known as the Old City — pronounce the second T in Toronto — and can identify each other instantly as a result. Additionally, in the “downtown” accent, Bloor Street is pronounced Bloor as in “door” and the effects of Canadian Raising are diminished. The Toronto ” downtown “accent and dialect sound ” American ” to much of the rest of Canada; perhaps because the accent is basically Standard American. And unlike their suburban and Canadian cousins, a downtown born and bred Torontonian rarely if ever says ” eh, ” ” aboot,” or ” who-ss ” for house.
Suburban residents are known to ignore the second T, pronouncing it as “To-RAW-no”, “T’Ronno” or even “Tronna” and Bloor Street as “Bluer Street”. Suburban residents describe east and west as the “East End” or the “West End”. Natives from the city core describe east and west as the “East side” or “East end” and the “West Side” or “West end”. “
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: