May 10, 2023

MAY 10, Canadiana : Canadian "raising" (linguistics)

 


CANADIAN "RAISING"  OEDILF #T562930

The young doctor (Canuck) spoke on gout,

Thought he left no important facts out.

His transcriptionist wrote

Up his treatise on "goat" —

Interaction that left lots of doubt.

"Gracious me! What's he talking about?"

Authors' Note:  This is a mostly true story. Medical details about gout are provided in a verse at OEDILF by sallycello.

The Canadian in question had moved south to undertake a fellowship in clinical pharmacology. At the time, thiazide diuretics were very commonly used drugs in the treatment of hypertension and fluid retention. These medications often increase the blood level of uric acid, the biochemical substrate for attacks of gouty arthritis, an infrequent but important side-effect.

The transcriptionist, a southern woman, was victimized by her unfamiliarity with "Canadian raising", a speech variation altering and shortening the sounds of vowels in words like houserice and out; this pattern affects the speech of many speakers in the northern US, as well as in Canada.


You can review poems, pictures and diverse nonsense related to Canada on the post "Canadiana" on our full-service blog  "Edifying Nonsense".

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