Katherine Barber
(Language Update, Volume 5, Number 3, 2008, page 33)
Do you know the correct spelling of the following words that have established themselves as part of Canadian English?
- A shrub of the North American genus Shepherdia of the oleaster family, whose berries are used to make a thick frothy drink:
a) soapalally
b) soopollalie
c) soopalallie
d) soopolally - A member of an Aboriginal people living in southeastern British Columbia and northeastern Washington:
a) Ktoonaka
b) Tunaxa
c) Ktunaxa
d) Ktunaaxa - An Icelandic crepe made with eggs, sugar and milk, often served sprinkled with both white and brown sugar and rolled:
a) pönnukökur
b) ponokukor
c) pönnakökker
d) punnokukur - Fine, soft wool from the underbelly of a muskox:
a) quiviut
b) qiviut
c) qivviut
d) qivuit - A sluice gate in a dike, which allows flood water to flow out but does not allow sea water to enter, found especially in New Brunswick:
a) abboiteau
b) aboitteau
c) aboiteau
d) abboitteau - A Newfoundland stew made of hardtack soaked in water and boiled:
a) bruise
b) brewes
c) brewiz
d) brewis - A game in which wooden discs are flicked across a round wooden board towards its centre:
a) crokinole
b) croquinole
c) croquignole
d) croakinole - Ukrainian cabbage rolls:
a) hollubtsi
b) holubtsi
c) holubtchi
d) hallubtchi - A baked pizza-like turnover, consisting of dough folded into a sealed pocket, filled with tomato sauce, cheese, etc.:
a) panzarotto
b) panzaroto
c) panzerotto
d) pansarotto - Thread, cord or thong made of rawhide:
a) shaganappi
b) shagganapi
c) shagannapi
d) shaganapi - Among some North American Aboriginal peoples, a thin board to which an infant is strapped so that it can be transported on its mother’s back or placed on the ground or against a tree; a cradleboard:
a) tikkinagan
b) tikkanagan
c) tikkinagan
d) tikinagan - A small, spotted, venomous North American rattlesnake, Sistrurus catenatus, found in the Bruce Peninsula:
a) massasauga
b) masassauga
c) massassauga
d) masasauga - A dish of french fries topped with cheese curds and a sauce, usually gravy:
a) putain
b) putine
c) poutine
d) pooteen - A large serpentine sea creature supposedly inhabiting the waters off Victoria, British Columbia:
a) Cadburysaurus
b) Cadborosaurus
c) Cadborasaurus
d) Cadbarosaurus - A small marshy pool or lake produced by rain or melting snow flooding a depression in the soil on the prairies:
a) slue
b) slew
c) sloo
d) slough - Slush consisting of small ice crystals formed in water too turbulent to freeze over:
a) frazzle
b) frazil
c) frasel
d) frazel - A pentagonal ceremonial blanket worn by West Coast Aboriginal peoples, woven from mountain goat hair and shredded cedar bark and covered with symbolic designs in yellow, blue, black and white:
a) Chillkat blanket
b) chill-cat blanket
c) Chilkat blanket
d) Chilkatt blanket - An Inuit language spoken in the Coronation Gulf area of the Central Arctic:
a) Inuinnaqtun
b) Innuinnaqtun
c) Innuinaqtun
d) Inuinaqtun - A large squirrel, Spermophilus parryii, with a dappled greyish-brown coat, of Northern Canada and Asia; the Arctic ground squirrel:
a) siksik
b) sicksick
c) siksick
d) sicsic - A large North American pike, Esox masquinongy, especially of the Great Lakes:
a) muskielunge
b) muskelunge
c) muskellunge
d) muskalunge
Answers:
- b.
- c.
- a.
- b.
- c.
- d.
- a.
- b.
- c.
- a.
- d.
- a.
- c.
- b.
- d.
- b.
- c.
- a.
- a.
- c.
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