- Canada – a linguistic battleground between the US and Britain | Mind your language
As a Canadian living in London, I am caught between ancient British roots and the new American order laid down by Webster in his dictionary. Where should my loyalties lie?A few years ago I moved to the United Kingdom from the Canadian prairies. This was a luxury I was afforded via two grandparents who were born in Britain, ensuring my access to the elusive ancestry visa.Many Canadians still feel a greater allegiance to our colonial British roots than to our neighbours to the south; the monarchy is still represented on our money and most Canadians are well versed in singing God Save the Queen. We even toast Her Majesty at most fancy public events.Despite these and other symbols of allegiance, however, Canadians continue to hold on to some ambivalence over our British roots through our generally inconsistent use of language. While gazing at our commemorative Princess Diana spoons and watching the Queen's Christmas Message every December, we are still uncommitted when it comes to our geopolitical allegiance to language. Just as we often straddle international conflicts by playing the peacekeeper, most Canadians sit on the fence, moving interchangeably between American and British spellings. If there's anything notable about our use of language, it's that we are pretty lackadaisical about it.Before the American Revolution, everyone in North America was formally governed by the United Kingdom, except for a region in eastern Canada that was held by France. Following America's independence, there was a movement towards differentiating its unique culture from that of Britain. This was a major inspiration for Noah Webster, the man behind the dictionary that decisively set out a new order in American spelling and style. Some of the most noticeable differences Webster introduced t ロンドンのカナダ人として、私は古代のイギリスのルーツと新しいアメリカのためにウェブスターが彼の辞書に起工の間で板挟みです
- THE IDOLM@STER 2009 H@ppy Christm@s P@rty!!ライブレポ
the idolm@ster 2009 h@ppy christm@s p@rty!!に行ってきたよー!!
- マイケルの言葉
☆-christmas message from michael jackson 2002-☆
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