[QUOTE=KarlGauss]
I’ve always thought that the qunitessential American to Canadian translation was “soda” to “pop”. I still can’t get used to people saying, "I was putting on weight, so I switched to diet soda.
BTW, is “broadloom” used in the US.? In the states, I keep hearing people refer to “wall to wall”. But iin Canada, it’s only broadloom.
[/QUOTE]
I’ve never heard anyone say “Broadloom.” Actually, I never hear anyone say “wall to wall” either. People just say “carpet.”
I’ve never heard a Canadian say the word “chesterfield” unless they were at least twenty years older than me. (I’m 35.) I’d never heard of the word “Parkade” until I read some really bad article about alleged Canadianisms. Then I started noticing the word everywhere, on parking garages. But I’ve still never heard the word spoken.
I travel in the USA a lot, and the thing that always gives me away is saying “pop.” Americans generally say “soda” or, in the South, “coke.” There are some northern states where “pop” is common, though.
Another one is “power bar” versus “power strip.” In the USA, an apparatus that plugs into a wall outlet and then has a bar-shaped extension with four or more outlets on it is called a “power strip.” In Canada, it’s usually called a “power bar.”
Of course, in Canada, if you order a “Caesar,” you have ordered an alcoholic drink similar to a Bloody Mary but made with Clamato juice (another Canadianism.) If you want a Caesar salad, you have to say “Caesar salad” unless it’s in a context where you are obviously talking about a salad choice.
Oh, and by the way; Canadian and American beers are the same and anyone who says otherwise is clueless.
