We learn and try using some popular east coast Canadian English expressions with Hannah.
***Transcript***
What’s up everybody this is Keiran the crazy Canadian, and welcome to another podcast of unnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncensored English! Where we talk about whatever the hell
We want to talk about. So good morning, good afternoon, good evening, goodnight, to however you are wherever you are, and thank you for joining us.
So today I’m recording in a new location and we have an East Coast Canadian person on the podcast today. She’s going to help us learn a little bit about East Coast Canadian English. So how’s it going Hannah?
H: It’s pretty good, so how are you doing? That was a really impressive intro.
K: Yeah yeah Thank you. It’s uh.. I’ve been working on it for a few months.
H: I can tell.
K: Why don’t you tell everybody out there a little bit about yourself, you know who you are, what you do, what you’re about.
H: Alright, well I’m Hannah, I come from PEI, but have some diversity on the east coast, my father’s from Nova Scotia, and my ancestors are from Newfoundland.
K: Ok
H: Um I’m studying here in Montreal doing art history, my masters. So yeah that’s what I’m up but I’ve taught in some ESL programs. Got lots of little phrases and things that I can help your students out with.
K: Alright, alright cool and so you grew up PEI, PEI is on the east coast right?
H: Yup, Yup so it was fun. It’s very picturesque. It’s got lots of fields and farms, it’s cute, um. Anne of Green Gables the book by Lucy Maud Montgomery.
K: Um hmmm.
H: You just spit a little bit of water out there
K: Yeah a little water, I know.
H: k, so yeah Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote this amazing book in 1901 I think, 1910. And it’s really loved by all Canadians. All English students should actually read it.
K: Yeah they made a TV show out of it right?
H: Yup a couple, Road to Avonlea, Anne of Green Gables.
K: I have a friend who was on road to Avonlea. Alright so what’s a few expressions that if you go over to the East coast of Canada you’re going to hear over there that you’re not going to hear over here.
H: Um, one that I really like is there are a lot of jokes that happen, around PEI
K: Um hmm
H: around PEI whenever you kinda don’t believe someone’s story, like they like to tell tall tales. You go “go on wit cha”. Which is like Go on with you. Um but to say it in the accent is like go on with you.
K: Alright so if I was hanging out with Gabriel and Gabriel said “ uhh I just performed in front of like 500 people and killed” I would say oh yeah go on wit cha Gabriel.
H: Exactly, it’s like total disbelief.
K: Yeah, tell me more right.
H: Total, a total liar. Doesn’t know what he’s doing, like pfff go on wit cha.
*laughter*
K: Can you give us another example of how you would use that?
H: Umm …. Ughhh… when Gabe says like… you know … that he’s really successful that he’s going to graduate one day. Another like pffff go on wit cha.
Keiran: * laughter*
H: It’s really, it’s really good.
K: Yeah were just going to shit on Gabriel for this podcast today. Cause we both know Gabriel and by shit on Gabriel I mean were going to make fun of him and trash talk him a little bit. Alright so go on wit cha when you don’t believe what someone is saying and you’re encouraging them to tell you more.
H: or like Gabe has a girlfriend, you’re like pffff *laughter* go on wit cha
K: But do you mean, do you, like when I say go on wit you do you mean I genuinely want you to tell me more?
H: No no
K: Does he know that I’m making fun of him? Or will he be like oh you’re making fun of me.
H: yeah you’re telling him to like get out
K: Oookay
H: You’re kidding, get out, go on wit cha is like dismissive.
K: Right, so I’m saying you’re lying to me.
H: Yeah get out of here.
K: ok
H: it’s the east coast of get out of here.
K: Alright cool, so if you don’t believe what someone is saying you could say go on wit cha.
H: Exactly, it’s fun.
K:Alright cool that is fun. What else? What else do they say in the East coast of Canada?
H: If you want to like, ask what someone is doing, this is very popular in Newfoundland, um you’ll say things like. Where you to? Or what are you at? These are two like common phrases like just in basic conversation between friends.
K: Ok so if you were an English person in another part of Canada you would think that’s a grammatical mistake.
H: Yeah you wouldn’t know what’s happening. When someone says where you too you’re like… what am I up to? Is this what you’re asking.
K: Yeah
H: You’re trying to piece together what this question is but.
K: but it means..
H: what are you doing?
K: Right, so if I was from the east I’d call you up and like where you to?
H: Yeah and I’d be like I’m just having coffee, but I wouldn’t necessarily say where or I, you know, they’re asking what you’re doing.
K: Right, that’s weird.
H: It is weird.
K: It’s like they broke, or messed up the English and their proud of it.
H: Well you know
K: Or maybe that was the accurate way to use it and everybody else messed it up.
H: No, Newfoundland had some pretty interesting histories.
K: Yeah I was just trying to be nice.
H: *laughter* I have a bit of an Irish accent. It’s really fun.
K: Ok so where you to means, what what are you doing?
H: Yeah
K: And where you at means the same thing?
H: No, where you at means where are you.
K: Ok that’s not as bad as where you to.
H: Yeah, where you at or what are you at … are both kinda like synonymous.
K: ok so what are you at and where you at means where are you.
H: Yeah
K: alright cool. Alright so what else do we have here?
H: Well this is whenever you see someone, there really hungry, and their eating a burger or something and there just like stuffing it in their face
K:uh huh
H: Buddy’s going to down
K: yeah
H: On that burger.
K: He’s going to down on that burger.
H: He’s doing something really intense. Or uh, you know really getting into it.
K: Right is it always about eating though?
H: No, no no, he could be like chopping wood. And like shit he’s going to down on that wood.
K: Yeah,
H: You know there’s things like that
K: So yeah if I called you up and was like Hannah can we go out, come out to the comedy show tonight and you be like “no I’m going to down on my thesis”
H: Yeah, exactly. I’m just working really hard at this.
K: Going to down. You know I use that expression but I never use it. I guess it’s used a lot in the east coast
H: yeah. We’re just going to down. Or givin her.
K: Givin her. What’s givin her
H: Givin her is really fun one, it’s like your frigin going at it, like you’re running a race. Like you’re giving her.
K: So give me an example of how to use it.
H: So like, if Gabe’s trying really hard on stage
K: Ok, laughter
H: And he just can’t get the words out. Like he’s just getting no laughs. And then he like jumps into impressions and you’re like. ohhh Gabe don’t do that. But he’s like really givin her. He’s yelling into the mic with his shitty expressions.
K: he’s putting his heart into it but it’s not working
H: He’s giving her. It’s sad he’s givin her.
K: What is it it’s give
H: Give giving, her.
K: That’s interesting, givin her.
H: givin her
K : givin her, ok.
K: Ok and I remember before we started doing the podcast you told me another really popular word that everyone likes to use , fuck. They have another word we use in the east coast instead of fuck
H: yup, it’s frig.
K: frig
H: Say there’s like a fucker, they could be a frigger.
K: ok
H: And like, I don’t give a frig.
K: Is it considered like crass to say frig?
H: It’s almost like, well it kinda is but it depends on how you use it, like kids will say frig.
K: like it’s the clean version of fuck right?
H: Sort of, yeah.
K: But if I said to my dad like frig you
H: but there’s never frig you. Frig you doesn’t happen.
K: OH ok, so it’s not like a complete translation of fuck.
H: No, its like frigin, it’s almost like a verb. Frigger, I guess friggers a noun.
K: Ok so give me another example, I can’t say frig you but I can say like you’re a frigger.
K: Like you’re a fucker.
H:Yup
K: That’s an insult.
H: Yup, well it’s like friend insults, you fuckin frigger. You could even put in fuck before frigger.
K: Or I could say what the frig.
H: Yeah
K: What the frig is like what the fuck, I don’t understand how this is happening.
H: friggin, frigger, what the frig.
K: Alright, we’re going to wrap this up cause I’m going to have to type the podcast for this and it’s going to take a long time. So today on the podcast we talked about a few different expressions with Hannah, they are go on wit cha, meaning
H: Disbelief, disbelieving that Gabriel is a cool person.
K: right *laughter*
H: go on wit cha.
K: Ok going to town meaning
H: you know, really intense work. Going to town on your thesis
K: Right or I’m going to down on the hamburger.
H: Yeah or like the big woodpile. You're just like going to down.
K: Yeah I’m just taking care of it.
H: yeah
K: And then the last one was where you to, or where you at.
H: yeah
K: those two mean
H: Where you to, is what are you doing. And where you at is where are you?
K: Alright cool . So guys if you’ve enjoyed the podcast rate it subscribe to us on itunes, listen to it a few more times it will help you retain the English. And now next time you go to the east coast of Canada you can fit in a little better with these interesting expressions. So we’ll catch you next time on the next episode of Unnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnncensored English.
