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Newfoundland English is a term referring to any of several accents and
dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is ...
s of Atlantic Canadian English found in the province of
Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
. Most of these differ substantially from the English commonly spoken elsewhere in
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
and
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
. Many Newfoundland dialects are influenced by the
dialects The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
's
West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glouc ...
, in particular the
city of Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
and the counties of
Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a Historic counties of England, historic county and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people ...
,
Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
,
Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...
,
Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
,
Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English cities on its south coast, Southampton and Portsmouth, Hampshire ...
and
Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lor ...
, while in terms of general cultural heritage, one estimate claims 80 to 85 percent of Newfoundland's English heritage came from
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
's southwest. Other Newfoundland dialects are influenced by the dialects of Ireland's southeastern counties, particularly
Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...
,
Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 ...
,
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
and
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
. Still others blend elements of both and there is also a discernible influence of
Scottish English Scottish English ( gd, Beurla Albannach) is the set of varieties of the English language spoken in Scotland. The transregional, standardised variety is called Scottish Standard English or Standard Scottish English (SSE). Scottish Standa ...
. This reflects the fact that while the Scottish came in smaller numbers than the English and Irish, they had a large influence on Newfoundland society. The dialects that comprise Newfoundland English developed because of Newfoundland's history as well as its geography. As to history, Newfoundland was one of the first areas settled by England in North America, beginning in small numbers in the early 17th century before peaking in the early 19th century. Newfoundland was a British colony until 1907 when it became a
Dominion The term ''Dominion'' is used to refer to one of several self-governing nations of the British Empire. "Dominion status" was first accorded to Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland, South Africa, and the Irish Free State at the 1926 ...
within the
British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
. It became a part of
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
in 1949 as the last province to join confederation. As to geography,
Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...
is an island in the
North Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...
, separated by the Strait of Belle Isle from
Labrador , nickname = "The Big Land" , etymology = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Canada , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 ...
, the sparsely populated mainland part of the province. Most of the population remained rather isolated on the island, allowing the dialects time to develop independently of those on the North American continent. Today, some words from Newfoundland English have been adopted through popular culture in other places in Canada (especially in Ontario and eastward). Historically, Newfoundland English was first recognized as a separate dialect in the late 18th century when George Cartwright published a glossary of Newfoundland words.


Other names for Newfoundland English

Newfoundland English is often called ''Newfinese''. The term '' Newfie'' is also sometimes used, though this word is often seen as pejorative.


Phonological and grammatical features


Consonants

Th-stopping The is used to represent the voiced “th” sound , and a to represent the voiceless one . For example, “that thing over there” becomes “dat ting over dere”. This is derived from
Hiberno-English Hiberno-English (from Latin '' Hibernia'': "Ireland"), and in ga, Béarla na hÉireann. or Irish English, also formerly Anglo-Irish, is the set of English dialects native to the island of Ireland (including both the Republic of Ireland ...
. Slit fricative t The phoneme when appearing at the end of word or between vowel sounds, is pronounced as in Hiberno-English; the most common pronunciation is as a voiceless alveolar non-sibilant fricative, also known as a "slit fricative". It does not have a separate symbol in IPA, and can be transcribed as (a retracted
voiceless dental fricative The voiceless dental non-sibilant fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. It is familiar to English speakers as the 'th' in ''think''. Though rather rare as a phoneme in the world's inventory of languages, it is en ...
). Thus, "hitting" is distinguished from "hissing" only by the fact that the fricative in the latter word is pronounced with clenched teeth (see
sibilant consonant Sibilants are fricative consonants of higher amplitude and pitch, made by directing a stream of air with the tongue towards the teeth. Examples of sibilants are the consonants at the beginning of the English words ''sip'', ''zip'', ''ship'', and ...
) and is
laminal A laminal consonant is a phone (speech sound) produced by obstructing the air passage with the blade of the tongue, the flat top front surface just behind the tip of the tongue in contact with upper lip, teeth, alveolar ridge, to possibly, as ...
, rather than being apical like the slit fricative in "hitting". As the th-sounds are stopped in the dialect, there is no confusion between the slit and the sound. H-dropping Both h-dropping and h-insertion occur in many varieties of Newfoundland English – for example, Holyrood becomes “‘Olyrood” and Avondale becomes “H’Avondale” Rhoticity Newfoundland is mainly a rhotic accent like most of
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
, as well as Ireland and the English
West Country The West Country (occasionally Westcountry) is a loosely defined area of South West England, usually taken to include all, some, or parts of the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bristol, and, less commonly, Wiltshire, Glouc ...
. However, you will find a little bit of non-rhoticity within the Newfoundland accent varying on the region. L-darkness Some speakers of Newfoundland English pronounce as unvelarized, so that the phrase ''sell it later'' is pronounced (cf. General American ), which may be due to Irish-settled varieties of English exhibiting light variants in both coda and onset positions.


Vowels

In much of Newfoundland, the words ''fear'' and ''fair'' are
homophones A homophone () is a word that is pronounced the same (to varying extent) as another word but differs in meaning. A ''homophone'' may also differ in spelling. The two words may be spelled the same, for example ''rose'' (flower) and ''rose'' (pa ...
. A similar phenomenon is found in the Norfolk dialect of
East Anglia East Anglia is an area in the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, a people whose name originated in Anglia, in ...
and in
New Zealand English New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
. The merger of diphthongs and to (an example of the line–loin merger) is extensive throughout Newfoundland and is a significant feature of Newfoundland English. Newfoundland English traditionally lacked
Canadian raising Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
; however in the generations since Newfoundland's 1949 merger with Canada this has changed to some extent.


Grammar


"After" past

In a move almost certainly taken from
Hiberno-English Hiberno-English (from Latin '' Hibernia'': "Ireland"), and in ga, Béarla na hÉireann. or Irish English, also formerly Anglo-Irish, is the set of English dialects native to the island of Ireland (including both the Republic of Ireland ...
and influenced by the
Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
, speakers avoid using the verb ''to have'' in
past participles In linguistics, a participle () (from Latin ' a "sharing, partaking") is a nonfinite verb form that has some of the characteristics and functions of both verbs and adjectives. More narrowly, ''participle'' has been defined as "a word derived from ...
, preferring formulations including ''after'', such as ''I'm after telling him to stop'' instead of ''I have told him to stop''. This is because in the Irish language there is no verb "to have", and more particularly because Irish Gaelic uses a construction using the words "Tar éis" (meaning "after") to convey the sense of "having just" done something – "Táim tar éis é a dhéanamh" meaning "I am just after doing it" or " I have just done it". Possession is indicated by "''Ta ... agam''" literally ".... is at me".


Northern Subject Rule

Newfoundland English often follows the Northern Subject Rule, a legacy of settlement from South East Ireland which in turn was influenced by
Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...
settlement from
Northern England Northern England, also known as the North of England, the North Country, or simply the North, is the northern area of England. It broadly corresponds to the former borders of Angles, Angle Northumbria, the Anglo-Scandinavian Scandinavian York, K ...
into Ireland. For example, the verb "to fly" is conjugated for third person plural as ''the birds flies''.


Archaic pronouns

''Ye'' is the plural form of ''you'' (singular) instead of ''you'' (plural), similar to how ''you guys'' is often used to replace ''you'' (plural) in
Standard Canadian English Standard Canadian English is the largely homogeneous variety of Canadian English that is spoken particularly across Ontario and Western Canada, as well as throughout Canada among urban middle-class speakers from English-speaking families, ex ...
. For example, when addressing two or more people, or when addressing one person but referring to everyone that person is with, a speaker of Newfoundland English would ask "What do ye think?" instead of "What do you guys think?" "What do you think?" would still be used when referring to a single person alone, and only refers to the single person alone, avoiding the confusion present in other English dialects in which a group of people would not know whether the speaker is inquiring about the opinion of the person they are directly speaking to or the various opinions of the entire group. In most areas of the province that use the pronoun such as the
Avalon Peninsula The Avalon Peninsula (french: Péninsule d'Avalon) is a large peninsula that makes up the southeast portion of the island of Newfoundland. It is in size. The peninsula is home to 270,348 people, about 52% of Newfoundland's population, according ...
outside of St. John's, ''ye'' mirrors the same variant in
Hiberno-English Hiberno-English (from Latin '' Hibernia'': "Ireland"), and in ga, Béarla na hÉireann. or Irish English, also formerly Anglo-Irish, is the set of English dialects native to the island of Ireland (including both the Republic of Ireland ...
, in which ''you'' (singular), ''you'' (plural), and ''they'' correspond to ''you'', ''ye'', and ''dey'' (the latter simply arising from a change in pronunciation, so the term is spoken ''dey'' but written ''they'', whereas the rest are written and spoken in the same way). Variants of ''ye'' are also used for alternative cases, such as ''yeer'' (your), ''yeers'' (yours), and ''yeerselves'' (yourselves). In some communities on the island's northeast coast, ''you'' (singular), ''you'' (plural), and ''they'' correspond to ''ye'', ''dee'', and ''dey'', respectively.


Habitual aspect using "be"

The word ''bes'' is sometimes used in place of the normally conjugated forms of ''to be'' to describe continual actions or states of being, as in ''that rock usually bes under water'' instead of ''that rock is usually under water'', but normal conjugation of ''to be'' is used in all other cases. "Does be" is Irish grammar
calque In linguistics, a calque () or loan translation is a word or phrase borrowed from another language by literal word-for-word or root-for-root translation. When used as a verb, "to calque" means to borrow a word or phrase from another language ...
d into English – there is no habitual aspect in English, so Irish speakers learning English, would say "does be" as a literal translation of "bíonn mé" "I (habitually) am".


Me instead of my, mine

The use of ownership in Newfoundland English is characterized by pronouncing "my" as "me", a characteristic common to Irish, Scottish, Northern English, Western English and some overseas dialects, as in Australia. Before the
Great Vowel Shift The Great Vowel Shift was a series of changes in the pronunciation of the English language that took place primarily between 1400 and 1700, beginning in southern England and today having influenced effectively all dialects of English. Through ...
, "my" was pronounced , "mine" as , while "me" was pronounced . As with all sound shifts, not all possible words change. This older usage of has carried over into present-day Newfoundland English as it has in the other dialects noted. An example would be, "Where's me hat?" as opposed to "Where's my hat?". The use of "to" to denote location is common in Newfoundland English, using "where's that to?" rather than the more standard "where's that?". This is a carryover from West Country dialects and is still common in southwest England, particularly Bristol.


Other notes

* Archaic adverbial-intensifiers are preserved in Newfoundland (e.g., in Newfoundland ''that play was right boring'' and ''that play was some boring'' both mean "that play was very boring"). This kind of grammar is also retained in Northern English dialects such as
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...
and
Geordie Geordie () is a nickname for a person from the Tyneside area of North East England, and the dialect used by its inhabitants, also known in linguistics as Tyneside English or Newcastle English. There are different definitions of what constitute ...
and is sometimes heard elsewhere in Atlantic Canada. * Newfoundland dialect is not homogenous and can vary markedly from community to community as well as from region to region. This reflects both ethnic origin as well as relative isolation. For many decades Newfoundland had very few roads connecting its many communities. Fishing villages in particular remained very isolated. * In Newfoundland English the affirmative ''yeah'' is often made with an inhalation rather than an exhalation among the older generations. This is an example of a rare pulmonic ingressive
phone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into ele ...
. * In Newfoundland English, it is typical for a response to a metaphorical question like ''How's she cuttin'?'' with a dry, literal response. A proper response to the foresaid question would be ''Like a knife''. (the question/greeting of "How's she Cuttin'?" is a phrase still current in the Irish midlands and north and rarely if ever responded to with such a literal answer) * To non-Newfoundlanders, speakers of Newfoundland English may seem to speak faster than speakers of General Canadian. This perceived tempo difference may be a coupling of subtle pronunciation differences and unusual sayings and can be a contributing factor to the difficulty non-Newfoundlanders sometimes experience with the dialect.


Other languages and dialects that have influenced Newfoundland English

There is also a dialect of
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
centred mainly on the
Port au Port Peninsula The Port au Port Peninsula (french: péninsule de Port-au-Port; mic, Kitpu) is a peninsula in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Roughly triangular in shape, it is located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland. Geogr ...
on the west coast of the island which has affected the syntax of English in the area. One example of these constructs found in Newfoundland is ''Throw grandpa down the stairs his hat'', a
dative In grammar, the dative case ( abbreviated , or sometimes when it is a core argument) is a grammatical case used in some languages to indicate the recipient or beneficiary of an action, as in "Maria Jacobo potum dedit", Latin for "Maria gave Jacob ...
construction in which the hat makes the trip, not the grandfather. Another is the use of French subject pronoun reinforcement constructions in sentences such as the reply to a question like ''Where are you going?'', reply: ''Me I'm goin' downtown'' (this form of subject pronoun grammar also exists in Irish English and Jerriais). Newfoundland French was deliberately discouraged by the Newfoundland government through the public schools during the mid-20th-century, and only a small handful of mainly elderly people are still fluent in the French-Newfoundland dialect. In the last couple of decades, many parents in the region have demanded and obtained French education for their children, but this would be Standard French education and does not represent a continuation of the old dialect per se. Some people living in the
Codroy Valley The Codroy Valley is a valley in the southwestern part of the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. The Codroy Valley is a glacial valley formed in the Anguille Mountains, a sub-range of the Long Range M ...
on the south-west tip of the island are also ancestrally
Francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the l ...
, but represent
Acadian The Acadians (french: Acadiens , ) are an ethnic group descended from the French who settled in the New France colony of Acadia during the 17th and 18th centuries. Most Acadians live in the region of Acadia, as it is the region where the desc ...
settlers from the
Maritime Provinces The Maritimes, also called the Maritime provinces, is a region of Eastern Canada consisting of three provinces: New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. The Maritimes had a population of 1,899,324 in 2021, which makes up 5.1% o ...
of Canada who arrived during the 19th century. This population has also lost the French language. The greatest distinction between Newfoundland English and General Canadian English is its
vocabulary A vocabulary is a set of familiar words within a person's language. A vocabulary, usually developed with age, serves as a useful and fundamental tool for communication and acquiring knowledge. Acquiring an extensive vocabulary is one of the ...
. It includes some
Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territorie ...
and First Nations words (for example ''tabanask'', a kind of sled), preserved archaic English words no longer found in other English dialects (for example ''pook'', a mound of hay; ''dipper'', a saucepan; ''damper'', a stove burner; etc.),
Irish language Irish (Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
survivals like ''sleveen'' and ''angishore'',
compound word In linguistics, a compound is a lexeme (less precisely, a word or sign) that consists of more than one stem. Compounding, composition or nominal composition is the process of word formation that creates compound lexemes. Compounding occurs when ...
s created from English words to describe things unique to Newfoundland (for example ''stun breeze'', a wind of at least , English words which have undergone a semantic shift (for example ''rind'', the bark of a tree), and unique words whose origins are unknown (for example ''diddies'', a nightmare).


Newfoundland English expressions

In recent years, the most commonly noted Newfoundland English expression might be ''Whadd'ya at?'' (''What are you at?''), loosely translated to "How's it going?" or "What are you doing?" Coming in a close second might be "You're stunned as me arse, b'y," implying incredible stupidity or foolishness in the person being spoken to. Other local expressions include: * ''Eh, b'y'' (also spelled 'Aye b'y' and 'ay b'y', and sometimes said as 'yes b'y): shortened form of "yes, boy." It's a term used to agree with what someone is saying. Can be used sarcastically. * ''Yes, b'y'': Yes boy. It is an expression of awe or disbelief. Also commonly used sarcastically to mean yeah right. It is similar to "eh, b'y." * ''Where ya at?'': Where are you? * ''Stay where you're to/at till I comes where ya're at/to.'': Wait there for me * ''Get on the go'': Let's go. It is also a common euphemism for partying. ''on the go'' by itself can also refer to a relationship – similar to a dating stage, but more hazy. The term also refers to drinking ("gettin on the go tonight" – going out drinking tonight) * ''Havin' a time'': having fun * ''You knows yourself'': Responding to statement in agreement. * ''What are ye at?'', or ''Wadda ya'at b'y?'': How are you doing, or sometimes What are you doing? * ''Wah?'': what? * '' What's after happenin' now?'' : What happened? (used when someone seems distraught or emotional) * ''Havin' a yarn'': Used to refer to a group telling a long story or having a long conversation. * ''Luh!'': Look! (Also used the same way as "Lo", to draw attention to something or somewhere) * ''G'wan b'y!'': Literally, "go on, b'y/boy?" Can be used as a term of disbelief or as sarcasm, like the term "No, really?" * ''Hows you gettin' on, cocky?'': "How are you today?" * ''You're a nice kind young feller'': "You are a nice young boy" * ''Me Son'': a term of endearment, like "my friend" or "my bud." * ''Me ol' cock'': another term of endearment like "my friend," "me son," or "my bud." * ''You're some crooked'': You are grouchy * ''He he/deyjust took off'':, They left recently/quickly. Whether or not it denotes time depends on use of the word "just;" by not including "just" denotes speed, whereas using "just" denotes time. * ''Mudder'' or ''me mudder'': mother * ''Fadder'' or ''me fadder'': father * ''Contrary'': Difficult to get along with. * ''After'': "have." For example, "I'm after sitting down" for "I have sat down." it is also used like "trying" (i.e.: ''whaddya after doin' now?'', "what have you done?") * ''Oh me nerves'': an expression of annoyance * ''Ducky'': female friend or relative, used affectionately. This is commonly used in the
English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the ...
but is used for both genders. * ''My love'': female friend or relative * ''Batter'': Leave/begone. Typically used in the form of the phrase "Batter to Jesus." It can also be used as "Take that (object) away from here", in the form of "Batter that" * ''My treasure'': female friend or relative. These three terms are used platonically. * ''Rimmed/Warped'': to be deformed or distorted in an unusable fashion. Often used to describe someone who is seen upon as weird or an outcast (i.e., She's rimmed, b'y). * ''Right'': synonym for "very;" i.e.: "She's right pretty." * ''Scrob/Scrawb'': a scratch on one's skin, likely from the Irish "scríob" (i.e.: "The cat gave me some scrob, b'y" falling into disuse in lieu of "scratch") * ''Gets on/Getting on'', used to refer to how a person or group behaves (i.e. "You knows how da b'ys gets on" / "How's she getting on?") * ''On the go'', To have something processing ("I've got an application on the go") or be in a relationship ("He's got some missus on the go") * ''Can't do 'ar ting when ya got nar ting ta do 'ar ting wit.'' - "You can't do anything when you have nothing to do anything with." ar - any, opposite of nar (from ''nary,'' as in "nary a one" - not a one)(Some examples taken from ''A Biography of the English Language'' by C.M. Millward) Also of note is the widespread use of the term ''b'y'' as a common form of address. It is shorthand for "boy", (and is a turn of phrase particularly pronounced with the Waterford dialect of Hiberno-Irish) but is used variably to address members of either sex. Another term of endearment, often spoken by older generations, is ''me ducky'', used when addressing a female in an informal manner, and usually placed at the end of a sentence which is often a question (Example: ''How's she goin', me ducky?'') – a phrase also found in East Midlands British English. Also pervasive as a sentence ending is ''right'' used in the same manner as the Canadian ''eh'' or the American ''huh'' or ''y'know''. Even if the sentence would otherwise be a non-question, the pronunciation of ''right'' can sometimes make it seem like affirmation is being requested. Certain words have also gained prominence amongst the speakers of Newfoundland English. For instance, a large body of water that may be referred to as a "lake" elsewhere, can often (but not uniformly) be referred to as a pond. In addition, a large landmass that rises high out of the ground, regardless of elevation, is referred to unwaveringly as a "hill". Yet there is a difference between a hill and a big hill. Another major characteristic of some variants of Newfoundland English is adding the letter 'h' to words that begin with vowel sounds, or removing 'h' from words that begin with it. In some districts, the term house commonly is referred to as the "ouse," for example, while "even" might be said "h'even." The idiom "'E drops 'is h in 'Olyrood and picks en up in H'Avondale." is often used to describe this using the neighbouring eastern towns Holyrood and Avondale as examples. There are many different variations of the Newfoundland dialect depending on geographical location within the province. It is also important to note that Labrador has a very distinct culture and dialect within its region.


Other

Although it is referred to as "Newfoundland English" or "Newfinese", the island of Newfoundland is not the only place which uses this dialect. Some southerly areas of Labrador and an area near the Labrador border, the mostly English-speaking Basse-Côte-Nord of
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...
, also use this form of speaking. Younger generations of this area have adapted the way of speaking, and created some of their own expressions. Some older generations speak Newfoundland English, but it is more commonly used by the younger generations. ''B'y'' is one of the most common terms used in this area. It is also common to hear Newfoundland English in
Yellowknife Yellowknife (; Dogrib: ) is the capital, largest community, and only city in the Northwest Territories, Canada. It is on the northern shore of Great Slave Lake, about south of the Arctic Circle, on the west side of Yellowknife Bay near the ...
,
Southern Alberta Southern Alberta is a region located in the Canadian province of Alberta. In 2004, the region's population was approximately 272,017.Fort McMurray Fort McMurray ( ) is an urban service area in the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo in Alberta, Canada. It is located in northeast Alberta, in the middle of the Athabasca oil sands, surrounded by boreal forest. It has played a significan ...
,
Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest T ...
, places to which many Newfoundlanders have moved or commute regularly for employment. Newfoundland English is also used frequently in the city of
Cambridge, Ontario Cambridge is a city in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, located at the confluence of the Grand and Speed rivers. The city had a population of 138,479 as of the 2021 census. Along with Kitchener and Waterloo, Cambridge ...
. This is due to the high population of Newfoundlanders there, most of whom are from Bell Island.


See also

*
Newfoundland Irish The Irish language was once widely spoken on the island of Newfoundland before largely disappearing there by the early 20th century.List of communities in Newfoundland and Labrador This article lists unincorporated communities of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Incorporated towns and cities are incorporated municipalities and can be found on List of municipalities in Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundl ...
*
List of people of Newfoundland and Labrador A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to: People * List (surname) Organizations * List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America * SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
*
Highland English Highland English ( sco, Hieland Inglis) is the variety of Scottish English spoken by many in the Scottish Highlands and the Hebrides. It is more strongly influenced by Gaelic than are other forms of Scottish English. Phonology *The '' svarabhak ...
*
Manx English Manx English (Manks English), or Anglo-Manx (Anglo-Manks; gv, Baarle Ghaelgagh), is the historic dialect of English spoken on the Isle of Man, though today in decline. It has many borrowings from Manx, a Goidelic language, and it differs wi ...


References

Works cited * "CBC Archives." ''CBCnews''. CBC/Radio Canada, n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * "Comedian Says Memorial University Taking His Catch Phrase , CBC News." ''CBCnews''. CBC/Radio Canada, 19 July 2012. Web. 21 May 2019. * "Dictionary of Newfoundland English." ''Dictionary of Newfoundland English Search''. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * "Do Be Doing Be's: Habitual Aspect in Irish English." ''Sentence First''. N.p., 12 May 2015. Web. 21 May 2019. * "Great Vowel Shift." ''The History of English – Early Modern English (c. 1500 – c. 1800)''. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * Higgins, Jenny. "Scottish in NL." ''Scottish in NL''. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * "Language." ''Language''. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * McCafferty, Kevin. "' under Storms Is Verry Dangese in This Countrey They Come in Less than a Minnits Notice...' The Northern Subject Rule in Southern Irish English." ''The Northern Subject Rule in Southern Irish English , Kevin McCafferty''. John Benjamins Publishing Company, n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * "Newfie English Dictionary." ''Largest Source of Internet Humour, Eh!'' N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * "Newfoundland." ''IDEA International Dialects of English Archive''. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * "ON THE ROAD WITH ANN – In Search of the Newfoundland Soul , Convivium." ''Archive.is''. N.p., 19 Jan. 2013. Web. 21 May 2019. * "Sponsored Settlement: The Colonization of Newfoundland." ''Sponsored Settlement: The Colonization of Newfoundland.'' N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * Statistics Canada. "Population by Selected Ethnic Origins, by Province and Territory (2006 Census)." ''Population by Selected Ethnic Origins, by Province and Territory (2006 Census)''. N.p., 28 July 2009. Web. 21 May 2019. * "The Proper Spelling of the Newfoundland Slang "B'." ''GregPike.ca''. N.p., 30 July 2009. Web. 21 May 2019. * "The West Country." ''West Country''. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019. * "同志社大学附属 同志社国際学院 Doshisha International Academy." ''同志社大学附属 同志社国際学院 Doshisha International Academy''. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 May 2019.


External links


''Dictionary of Newfoundland English'', 2d ed

CBC News report (8 November 1982) on the publication of the Dictionary



Samples of Newfoundland Dialect(s)/Accent(s)
{{English dialects by continent Languages attested from the 18th century Canadian English
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
English language in Canada