I’m originally from Montreal, and I’ve lived in several cities in the Eastern Townships. So I’m a city girl who has adopted the Moyenne-Côte-Nord lifestyle. Moving away from home, even within your own province, can help you discover new types of wildlife and learn regionalisms.
Here’s how I added new words to my vocabulary and learned about a bird I was unfamiliar with. It all happened on my very first cruise in the Mingan Archipelago:
“Hello, I’d like to take the boat cruise to Île aux Perroquets [parrot island].”
“Okay, we have a boat departing at 1:00 p.m.”
“Fantastic! I can’t wait. I didn’t think there were parrots in Quebec!”The lady selling tickets smiles with an amused expression.
“Sorry, there aren’t any parrots, but there are clowns of the sea. They nest on the island, which owes its name to the fact that the birds look like parrots.”
Later, on the boat:
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have arrived at Île aux Perroquets! If you take the path to the right, you’ll see the puffin nesting site.”
“Huh? Puffins? I thought we were seeing clowns of the sea.”The captain smiles kindly.
“It’s the same bird. We call them clowns of the sea. But they’re actually called Atlantic puffins.”
So, what do Atlantic puffins, sea parrots and clowns of the sea have in common? Well, they’re the same bird known by different names!
In English, the official term is Atlantic puffin, and its scientific classification is as follows:Note 1
Scientific name: Fratercula arctica
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Alcidae
The term Atlantic puffin comes from the fact that the bird is the only species of puffin that lives on the Atlantic Ocean. But this bird was originally named after the monks of yesteryear. Because the bird’s black and white feathers look like the monks’ robes, French zoologist Mathurin Jacques Brisson named the bird macareux moine [monk puffin] and introduced the genus Fratercula, which comes from the Latin word for friar.
Atlantic puffins are also known as sea parrots. The lady at the tourist kiosk told me that the Atlantic puffin’s beak resembles that of a parrot, and that’s why it’s called a sea parrot. To me, the puffin’s coloured beak looks more like a toucan’s beak.
And what about clown of the sea? Where does that nickname come from? The Atlantic puffin earned this name because of its large white cheeks, triangular eye markings, and orange beak and legs. The name also refers to the way the puffin walks. The Atlantic puffin is actually a bit clumsy on land. When it walks, it moves its whole body back and forth, much like a clown.
I am always impressed when I see that the name of an animal, plant or place is derived from an analogy or metaphor. It always makes for descriptive, original and sometimes amusing names.
Have you ever learned regional vocabulary while visiting a different part of Canada? Tell me about it in the comments section!
Adapted by the Translation Bureau
