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-   -   Weird question about Canadians (https://britishexpats.com/forum/maple-leaf-98/weird-question-about-canadians-910190/)

supergirly Mar 8th 2018 8:04 pm

Weird question about Canadians
 
So, this might sound a bit weird but has anyone experienced Canadians copying them? I have experienced it A LOT. From one "friend" who's wedding was a carbon copy of ours -same venue, colour scheme even down to asking for the same barman - to another friend dressing her husband in the same style of clothes as my husband!

Then there's the copying of patter such as "cheers", "wanker" etc Makes me cringe!

Would be interesting to know if anyone else has come across this or if it's just the people that I mix with. Thanks in advance for your replies :thumbsup:

bats Mar 8th 2018 8:11 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 
Nope

Danny B Mar 8th 2018 8:31 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by supergirly (Post 12458846)

Then there's the copying of patter such as "cheers", "wanker" etc Makes me cringe!

Are you sure they are not just taking the piss out of you? My mates call me a 'bloody wanker' from time to time.

BristolUK Mar 8th 2018 8:40 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 
Just Canadian family members.

Teaandtoday5 Mar 8th 2018 8:44 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 
I had a friend in the UK who decorated her living room with the same colour/sofa etc as mine. I hadn’t noticed, but she commented. My OH is prone to picking up accents. When we first came over here I spent too much time with elementary school teachers, and found myself saying ‘good job’ and ‘awesome!’. People pick things up, even if they don’t want to. And very few people have original ideas, even in such hotbeds of ‘novelty’ as weddings. Pinterest tells us that.

My husband dresses like someone wdgaf about clothes. Looking around I see that this is fairly common in middle-aged men. Or perhaps they are all copying him?

Edo Mar 8th 2018 9:35 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by supergirly (Post 12458846)
Would be interesting to know if anyone else has come across this or if it's just the people that I mix with.

Nope, its neither of the above. Its just you.

dbd33 Mar 9th 2018 12:17 am

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by supergirly (Post 12458846)
Then there's the copying of patter such as "cheers", "wanker" etc Makes me cringe!

This is common among the tri-hard immigrants where I work. There are very few cradle Canadians and a couple of vocal Brits (that is, me and a Londoner of Indian parentage). There are lots of people who are marginally literate in English. The keener immigrants adopt the phrases they hear and so pepper their business speak with rhyming slang circa 1985, "cheers" and "yiddo!". I am certain that they don't know the latter as anything but an expression of enthusiasm so one might say "I was reaching out and stakeholder was agreeing with proposal, yiddo!".

The Canadians don't do this. They say "literally" to mean "figuratively" and "inherently" to mean "um".

Siouxie Mar 9th 2018 4:55 am

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by supergirly (Post 12458846)
So, this might sound a bit weird but has anyone experienced Canadians copying them? I have experienced it A LOT. From one "friend" who's wedding was a carbon copy of ours -same venue, colour scheme even down to asking for the same barman - to another friend dressing her husband in the same style of clothes as my husband!

Then there's the copying of patter such as "cheers", "wanker" etc Makes me cringe!

Would be interesting to know if anyone else has come across this or if it's just the people that I mix with. Thanks in advance for your replies :thumbsup:

“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

No, although I do have a few friends who like to extract the urine by immitating the way I talk (or trying to) sometimes!

:)

Atlantic Xpat Mar 9th 2018 12:20 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by Siouxie (Post 12459047)
“Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness.”

No, although I do have a few friends who like to extract the urine by immitating the way I talk (or trying to) sometimes!

:)

Ha! My 8 year old daughter (born here) and her friends do the same.;)

BristolUK Mar 9th 2018 12:49 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 
My Canadian stepson often says 'Bloody' which he got from me.

It sounds really weird coming from someone who often swears like he's in a Quentin Tarantino movie.

Souvy Mar 9th 2018 12:52 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 
I see this all the time with our neighbours (who we do allow into our house).

An example here is decor. We (OK, she) have a style. We go for multiples. A big, bold picture, say of poppies. We get two of them and hang them next to each other. Neighbours have started doing the same. Ditto the garden. If we do something, it will happen elsewhere on the street.

Just a lack of imagination, I guess.

The thing that really racks me off is the post-event offer of help. I do something and then tell someone who says "I was going to help you with that".

A bit late. It's done but I seem now to owe you a favour.

The really annoying bit is the confusion between loan and gift. I no longer lend things to people because I know I'll never see them again. My next-door neighbour still has a book I lent her over a decade ago.

Teaandtoday5 Mar 9th 2018 2:37 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by Souvy (Post 12459296)
I no longer lend things to people because I know I'll never see them again. My next-door neighbour still has a book I lent her over a decade ago.

Oh god this could so be me. A friend once lent me a dvd. I don't think I asked, she just thought I would like it. We didn't get around to watching it for a while, and I felt I couldn't give it back without having watched it. Somehow the fact that I 'had' to watch it made it so much more difficult to get round to. We had it for ages. I was put off watching it by the thought of the embarrassment of returning it.

Eventually we watched it and returned it, but I still have never watched any others in the (potc) franchise as just thinking about this makes me cringe. I am not nearly as bonkers as this makes me sound. Honestly. :o

Shard Mar 9th 2018 5:18 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by Souvy (Post 12459296)
The really annoying bit is the confusion between loan and gift. I no longer lend things to people because I know I'll never see them again. My next-door neighbour still has a book I lent her over a decade ago.

I lent a book to a Canadian colleague once and when I asked for it back he said sure. It took many many months or re-asking to get it back, and the end I feel like he might have on-lent it, and had to retrieve it. At the time I was annoyed (because it was part of my "collection") but in retrospect I think I might have been a bit anal about it. Dunno. But in general I think unless is specifically gifted, the borrower should return it.

dbd33 Mar 9th 2018 5:33 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by Shard (Post 12459502)
I lent a book to a Canadian colleague once and when I asked for it back he said sure. It took many many months or re-asking to get it back, and the end I feel like he might have on-lent it, and had to retrieve it. At the time I was annoyed (because it was part of my "collection") but in retrospect I think I might have been a bit anal about it. Dunno. But in general I think unless is specifically gifted, the borrower should return it.

I would certainly like to see my skunk trap returned. Ideally without a skunk.

JamesM Mar 9th 2018 6:39 pm

Re: Weird question about Canadians
 

Originally Posted by supergirly (Post 12458846)
So, this might sound a bit weird but has anyone experienced Canadians copying them? I have experienced it A LOT. From one "friend" who's wedding was a carbon copy of ours -same venue, colour scheme even down to asking for the same barman - to another friend dressing her husband in the same style of clothes as my husband!

Then there's the copying of patter such as "cheers", "wanker" etc Makes me cringe!

Would be interesting to know if anyone else has come across this or if it's just the people that I mix with. Thanks in advance for your replies :thumbsup:

When it comes to Canadians there is no such thing as a "weird" or "stupid" question.


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