# It's Canada, not Canadia! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 2, 2006, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954 "2006-07-02T18:10:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 11:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/81 "2006-07-03T11:36:03Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I note that in the Globe and Mail’s Canadian history test for Canada Day, one of the multiple choice options is “the bombing of Pearl Harbour.” > > There is no such place as Pearl Harbour. It’s Pearl Harbor. It’s a proper name. > > So we got you back for “Canadia.” It IS a proper name and EVERY English speaking country in the world spells it Harbour EXCEPT the USA. You funny spelling people are wrong. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/82 "2006-07-03T13:50:21Z")
Huh. And all this time I took using “Canadia” to be a self-deprecating way of mocking American ignorance about Canada, and have been using it as such. After all, why make fun of someone else when making fun of yourself is so much easier? - **WeirdO** , posting from the People’s Republic of Cambridge ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/83 "2006-07-03T13:52:36Z")
Does \*\*silenus \*\*even know he caused all this hullabaloo? Did anyone tell him? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/84 "2006-07-03T13:56:06Z")
> [@Sublight](#): > > Granted, I was rather surprised at how many Americans got bent out of shape over the term “USians”. I’ve never heard the term. How would one pronounce it? ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/85 "2006-07-03T14:13:13Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > It IS a proper name and EVERY English speaking country in the world spells it Harbour EXCEPT the USA. > > You funny spelling people are wrong. 🙂 I’m Canadian, you nitwit. Proper names are correctly spelled n the original. It’s “Pearl Harbor,” no U, and spelling it with a U is wrong in any version of English. It isn’t a matter for debate. For instance, take the country of New Zealand. Obviously, the country’s name was orignally misspelled; it’s correctly “Zeeland” or “Sjaelland,” depending on which land mass you think it was named after. Who knows why that happened? (“Lesser Australia” would have been a much better name.) However, they called it New Zealand, so that’s what it is now. It becomes a proper name, and is its own word, independent of the origin words. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/86 "2006-07-03T14:25:53Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > Proper names are correctly spelled n the original. It’s “Pearl Harbor,” no U, and spelling it with a U is wrong in any version of English. It isn’t a matter for debate. Exactly. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is always spelled thus–or should be–even by Americans, because that’s its name. Same with Pearl Harbor. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/87 "2006-07-03T14:37:01Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > I’m reasonably certain that there’s a Canadian Doper around here somewhere with “Canuckistan” as their location field. Damned if I can remember their name though. That would be Cowgirl. You might not find it on a search because _(wait for it . . .)_ there is a typo. ---
**Author:** ![Bobotheoptimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/919ad9/32.png) [@Bobotheoptimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bobotheoptimist)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/88 "2006-07-03T14:39:31Z")
> [@Pixiesnix](#): > > Maybe she’s out of moose. A Møøse once bit my sister … ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/89 "2006-07-03T14:48:01Z")
> [@Bobotheoptimist](#): > > Just wondering, is “Canuck” bad? (no really, I’ve no idea) We’re all bad up here in Canadia; we’re all very, very bad. (But there is nothing bad about the term “Canuck”: Captain Canuck comic; Vancover Canucks NHL hockey team; Crazy Canucks men’s downhill ski team; Calgary Canucks R.F.C. who’s logo is a beaver humping a rugby ball.) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/90 "2006-07-03T14:48:50Z")
Hmph. What about [Canandaigua](http://reference.allrefer.com/gazetteer/C/C01477-canandaigua.html), Ontario? ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/91 "2006-07-03T14:50:44Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I suck at ranting. Well, it’s not your fault. Being nice is part of your national character. You’re from Canadia. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/92 "2006-07-03T14:51:24Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I don’t care that “american” follows from “america” - that doesn’t mean everything else in the fucking universe has to follow in the same way. Do you care about spelling ‘America’ with a capital letter? I mean, if you can’t be bothered to get it right, why should anyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/93 "2006-07-03T14:55:44Z")
> [@Bobotheoptimist](#): > > A Møøse once bit my sister … Møøse bites Kan be pretty nast_ **i** _. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/94 "2006-07-03T14:57:16Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I’m Canadian, you nitwit. > > Proper names are correctly spelled n the original. It’s “Pearl Harbor,” no U, and spelling it with a U is wrong in any version of English. It isn’t a matter for debate. Quite, but I spell Brussels “Brussels” and The Hague “The Hague” and Copenhagen “Copenhagen”… none of them the way the natives would spell them. So “Pearl Harbour” is the correct spelling (in “u”-spelling countries) of the location spelled “Pearl Harbor” by the natives. 🙂 > [@RickJay](#): > > For instance, take the country of New Zealand. Obviously, the country’s name was orignally misspelled; it’s correctly “Zeeland” or “Sjaelland,” depending on which land mass you think it was named after. Who knows why that happened? (“Lesser Australia” would have been a much better name.) However, they called it New Zealand, so that’s what it is now. It becomes a proper name, and is its own word, independent of the origin words. _hides behind sofa, tin hat pulled well down_ ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/95 "2006-07-03T15:06:07Z")
> [@Malacandra](#): > > Quite, but I spell Brussels “Brussels” and The Hague “The Hague” and Copenhagen “Copenhagen”… none of them the way the natives would spell them. > > So “Pearl Harbour” is the correct spelling (in “u”-spelling countries) of the location spelled “Pearl Harbor” by the natives. But Belgians and Danes don’t speak English. Translation of a name for the sake of pronounciation - which itself is an anachronistic practice, although necessary in some cases, such as when the oriignal language uses a different alphabet, or a symbolic system of writing - is not the same as pretending that you can’t pronounce “Harbor.” Canadians and Americans both speak English; indeed, Canadian English is far closer to American than it is to British. > [@Muffin](#): > > We’re all bad up here in Canadia; we’re all very, very bad. > > (But there is nothing bad about the term “Canuck”: Captain Canuck comic; Vancover Canucks NHL hockey team; Crazy Canucks men’s downhill ski team; Calgary Canucks R.F.C. who’s logo is a beaver humping a rugby ball.) We actually had one guy a long time ago who freaked out over “Canuck,” claiming it was equivalent to calling someone a “nigger” or a “kike.” As I recall, the guy was kind of stupid. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/96 "2006-07-03T15:11:41Z")
> [@UncleBeer](#): > > Hmph. What about [Canandaigua](http://reference.allrefer.com/gazetteer/C/C01477-canandaigua.html), Ontario? Would that be the Canandaigua, Ontario, that is in New York, USIA? ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/97 "2006-07-03T15:15:14Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > We actually had one guy a long time ago who freaked out over “Canuck,” claiming it was equivalent to calling someone a “nigger” or a “kike.” As I recall, the guy was kind of stupid. Well as long as it isn’t spelled Canuki. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/98 "2006-07-03T15:31:42Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > But Belgians and Danes don’t speak English. Translation of a name for the sake of pronounciation - which itself is an anachronistic practice, although necessary in some cases, such as when the oriignal language uses a different alphabet, or a symbolic system of writing - is not the same as pretending that you can’t pronounce “Harbor.” Canadians and Americans both speak English; indeed, Canadian English is far closer to American than it is to British. Of course I can pronounce “Harbor”. It’s the same way as I pronounce “Harbour”. Why should I pretend I can’t spell it? Comes to that, I can pronounce and spell “Deutschland” acceptably and could probably have a stab at pronouncing “Den Haag” or “Hoek van Holland” - at least the spelling is probably a lot more consistent than in English - but that’s not how the names are spelled in English any more than the French spell (and pronounce) our capital “London”. So I’m not misspelling “Pearl Harbour”; I’m spelling it correctly in _English_ English. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/99 "2006-07-03T15:46:37Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > I note that in the Globe and Mail’s Canadian history test for Canada Day, one of the multiple choice options is “the bombing of Pearl Harbour.” > > There is no such place as Pearl Harbour. It’s Pearl Harbor. It’s a proper name. > > So we got you back for “Canadia.” > [@RickJay](#): > > I’m Canadian, you nitwit. > > Proper names are correctly spelled n the original. It’s “Pearl Harbor,” no U, and spelling it with a U is wrong in any version of English. It isn’t a matter for debate. It’s common practise in newspapers to change spellings of proper names that are based on common nouns and that differ only on the basis of U.S./U.K. (Non-U.S.) spelling preferences… American newspapers refer to the “Labor Party” in Britain, not the “Labour Party.” ---
**Author:** ![mrklutz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ebca7d/32.png) [@mrklutz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrklutz)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2006, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954/100 "2006-07-03T16:00:30Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > I like “fart in a jacuzzi” better. Note to self: beware of sharing a jacuzzi with **Patty O’Furniture**. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-canada-not-canadia/362954.md?page=6)