Prince Edward Island Sayings

Edward L. Edmonds is a professor of education at the University of
Prince Edward Island and honorary chief of the Mi’kmaq of Prince
Edward Island.

Prince Edward Island Sayings is a companion piece to Terry Pratt’s
earlier Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English. Its appearance is
most timely. His carefully recorded aphorisms, idioms, comparisons,
catch-phrases—distinctive and still familiar in popular parlance—may
otherwise lose their currency under the spread of more universal ways of
saying things. The vigor of the metaphor recaptures so much of a way of
Island life on this “million acre farm.”

The editors’ research is impeccable in design, meticulous in
execution, and well documented with source maps. Pratt’s introduction
is scholarly in tone and content, and at times not without a sense of
humor. The bibliography is comprehensive. The book features a theme
index and a striking cover design.

Interest in Canadian English as a genre of its own is now fast growing
and Prince Edward Island Sayings is an admirable addition to this genre.
Recommended for all Canadian libraries.