Canada Misconceptions about Canada

Yeah, we're known for being too pacifist for our own good.

 

I don't know, I happen to know a few Canadians how are pretty darn aggressive.

 

Well I guess I was making quite a general statement, yes in any country there are aggressive people, your key word Ver. was "few" when it came to aggressive people in Canada, you have to admit each culture has their own unique characteristics that set them apart in different ways....that's true! The world would be boring if we were all EXACTLY the same!

 

True enough.

 

Actually, RCMP's DO ride horses in many parts of Canada.

 

They do indeed ride horses on occasion, but only for ceremonial purposes. The red uniform is also ceremonial. Modern RCMP really look no differet than American police.

 

Stupid things tourists have asked Rangers in Banff National Park:

"Is that food coloring in the lakes?"

"When did you build the glaciers?"

"How much for a moose?"

"Where are the igloos?"

"How do the elk know they're supposed to cross at the Elk Crossing signs?"

"At what elevation does an elk become a moose?"

"Are the bears with collars tame?"

"Is there anywhere I can see the bears pose?"

"Is it ok to keep an open bag of bacon on the picnic table, or should I store it in my tent?"

"Where can I find Alpine Flamingos?"

"Where does Alberta end and Canada begin?"

"How far is Banff from Canada?"

"What's the best way to see Canada in a day?"

"When we enter British Columbia, do we have to convert our money to British pounds?"

"Where can I buy a raccoon hat? All Canadians own one, don't they?"

"Are there phones in Banff?"

"So it's eight kilometers away. Is that in miles?"

"We're on the decibel system, you know."

"Is that two kilometers by foot or by car?"

"Did I miss the turnoff for Canada?"

"Do you have a map of the State of Jasper?"

"Is this the part of Canada that speaks French, or is that Saskatchewan?"

"If I go to British Columbia, do I have to go through Ontario?"

"Do they search you at the British Columbia border?"

"Are there birds in Canada?"

"I saw an animal on the way to Banff today. Could you tell me what it was?"

"How do you pronounce 'Elk'?" / "'Elk.'" / "Oh."

"Where can I get my husband really, REALLY lost?"

 

For some reason, my post didn't up this thread.

//confused

EDIT: This post upped it though. What is this? Terrorists hitting the JC now?

 

I actually remember another misconception about Canada.
Friends of mine in France country tought Canada people were torturing the poor indians and running after them on horses across the mountains... Hey, we have mountains but not everywhere... hey, we do have many indians, but we dont torture them , they are friends!!... and hey, we only go on horses for fun now... cars came in canada like everywhere else.

Force and Peace for you all...

 

?? I'd like to know where they taught that in France? Je ne pense pas mon ami.

 

"I do not think my friend."

Eh? Oh, and if the friend is female, it should be "ma amie".

Anyway, I'm not really all that surprised they would think that in France. You should hear what they teach those kids about Germans. We eat babies, you know.

 

WOw, you do know your french...unless you are using a translator online!! AHA HAAA! That's it! No I am just kidding. We just don't know if Master K. is female or male so it is grammatically correct to assume masculine.

My husband is French and he wasn't taught that! So stop that!

I love French people!

 

I just ran it through the translator, and it gave the right answer, but that's rare. The translator is almost always wrong, so I don't use it.

I don't know any more French than any other Canadian with 8 years of French instruction. Remember, knowing French here is not a big deal at all. Now, if only I could remember some more German... that would be nice.

 

Actually for the correct way...
my female friend.... mon amie
my male friend.......mon ami
ma amie is not right.

I know, I am french!

 

I met a lot of odd quacks when I was in Spain this summer and some of them were American
I was sitting on a bench on day in a plaza when this guy, he must have been about 15 came up to me and asked me if I spoke English. He had a phonecard that he was trying to use but it was all in Spanish so he couldn't understand it. After I helped him, we got talking - he turned out to be from Boston and on vacation. When I told him I was from Canada he looked shocked and asked me why I didn't have the "aboot" and "eh?" accent. When I told him that I had never met a Canadian who talked like that he was really disappointed and kept going on and on about it.

 

Well I am American and I would never talk that way!!
How long were you in Spain for? Was it your first time there?

I was married in France this(now past) summer and had my honeymoon in Spain. I have been to France 4 times, but for Spain it was my first time there. My husband went there almost every year with his family. They own an apartment over there. Spain is really a neat experience. It is REALLY hot and I am use to cooler weather but overall I think the people were pretty nice. I can only speak a little Spanish but when I tried to speak, the Spanish people were very nice in helping me along. It is not expensive at all for shopping and the beaches are beautiful! I also loved seeing the style of architecture over there and the old Churches.
Of course France is still my favorite place but I really liked Spain!

 

Actually for the correct way...
my female friend.... mon amie
my male friend.......mon ami
ma amie is not right.

The person who said it is female, so yes, I was right.

 

AT60: You can't say ma amie, you have to say mon amie even if amie is feminine. It's an exception in the french language! That's what Qui-Gon_Ludo tried to explain.

 

Thanks Marianne, that was just what I was going to explain!

Admiral,No it's not... I looked it up in my french book. In most cases when you have a feminine noun or person you would use ma. In the case of amie(ami) because it starts with a vowel it is different. It is Mon amie for a female friend whether you are male or female. It is Mon ami for a male whether you or male or female. You know in french when you have two vowels together you do this..m'amie but that is not correct for that either. It would be correct however to use.. l'actrice for example.

Don't dispute me on this I know what I am talking about!

 

When I told him that I had never met a Canadian who talked like that he was really disappointed and kept going on and on about it.

You've met me. I say "eh" all the time. That's a stereotype that's true. It's certainly not something I'm ashamed of though. That's our sibboleth! It defines us. Aboot, on the other hand... that's just something the Americans made up.

 

I have Canadian friends and one year I was in Montreal for New Years with them. I don't usually hear "eh" in Montreal but at that party I did! I do remember hearing "eh" more often in Ontario though. Does that make sense?

 

It's very popular in Ontario. As I said in another thread, Quebecers are different.

Where I come from, BC, it is very, very popular, eh?

 

Y'all....

 

Up, eh.

 

Sure, be

I say y'all all the time! That's something that'll never change, no matter how long I'm in Canada...

And it's very true...people from Ontario say "eh" more than any other provincal residences I've come in contact with...there's tons of people at the college from Ontario, and they all overuse "eh"!