Reading Task #1

Akinori Watanabe

#1----- The summary of the chapter 1 of “ Canadian English”

According to the book, “Canadian English” (Methuen Publications, 1975), the author, J.K. Chambers insisted that even though some people said almost all the Loyalists had influenced Canadian English, it was formed by admixture of American English, British English and other causes, such as had been brought to Canada. Additionally, he indicated that many factors had affected its formation for hundreds of years since the first settlement.
Firstly, admitting Loyalists’ influence on Canadian English, he retraced its history in the past 400 years, finding other reasons influencing its different formation from American English. Needless to say, as it is today, he revealed Canada had been under considerable influence from its foundation, pronouncing Canada’s historical, political and economical long relationship with the U.S. Moreover, it cannot be overlooked, according to the author, that Immigrants, armies and merchants from the U.K, helped Canada mold its language to some extent. In addition, besides, immigrants from countries ,where English was not spoken, also contributed to its constitution with diverse backgrounds.
Secondly, Chambers claimed that not only factors above but also valiant resources had dominated Canadian English considerably. First of All, geographical and social status of people were main causes of its formation, as regional distribution of the immigrants were various and worked mutually, producing a number of effects on it. Second of all, situational causes played main roles in Canada’s language diversity. For instance, English in Maritime provinces was influenced by New England states, while one in Quebec was not influenced by them. Repeatedly, acknowledging Loyalists’ presence in Canadian English, their factor shouldn’t be overemphasized in order to comprehend correctly, said the author. Furthermore, with the fact that Canadian English is a branch of American English, Chambers noted Canadian English was basically eighteenth century American English modified by South standard English and the English taught by Scots teachers.
Consequently, considering factors above, a lot of aspects functioned in the formation of Canadian English; therefore, it is admixture of various causes mentioned above, in addition to the presence of the Loyalists.



#2-----15 Words I have chosen in the Chapter 1 of “Canadian English.”

1. Antidote-----A medication for detoxification, Detoxifier, A paradigm, A solution
( Some leaves found in the forest can be antidotes for certain poison. )

2. Lessen-----Diminish, Pull back, Make less
( When people speak ill of someone, his reputation will be lessened to some extent. )

3. Probable----Likely, Feasible, Presumable
( It is probable that Apple can take back a share in the computer sales which Microsoft has deprived. )

4. Polyglot-----Able to deal with multiple languages.
( There are many polyglot people in the society where many immigrants have come from various nations. )

5. Vernacular-----Endemic, Indigenous, innate
( Vernacular animals, such as Kangaroo in Australia and Panda in China, are viewed as precious from many zoologists.

6. Transient-----Temporary, Transitory, Momentary
( Transient travelers, like Backpackers from Europe, are cunning when using money. )

7. Dashing-----Vigorous, Lively, Active
( Dashing children can often be injured when playing with friends in the park. )

8. Divergence-----Divarication, Deviation
( There was some divergence from authorized rules among members of a political group. )

9. Allegorical-----Figurative, Parabolical, Tralatitious
( Allegorical stories are appreciated by infants. )

10. Sparsely-----Thinly, Patchily, Infrequently
( Office buildings were sparsely located in a rural area in Toronto. )

11. Admixture-----Mixture, Compound, Fusion, Blending
( Modern English is an admixture of Old English, French and Norman language. )

12. Proximity-----Nearness, Approach
( My house’ proximity to the airport helped me arrive there on time in a traffic jam. )

13. Ubiquity-----Omnipresence, Universality
( The ubiquity of washrooms in Toronto is very appreciated by many travelers. )

14. Unrounded-----Uncrumpled, Unrolled-up
( English pronunciation is difficult if the tongue is unrounded. )

15. Swamp-----Flood, Overflow, Submerge
( A lot of immigrants from Asia swamped a traditional culture of Canada after the second world war. )