Only in Canada, You Say: A Treasury of Canadian Language.

Naomi Brun is a freelance writer and a book reviewer for The Hamilton
Spectator.

Katherine Barber has earned the distinction of being Canada’s word lady. She has been a lecturer at the School of Translation and Interpretation at the University of Ottawa, a research associate with the Canadian Bilingual Dictionary project, and, most recently, the editor-in-chief of the Canadian Oxford Dictionary until the Oxford University Press closed the division in 2008. Barber is a foremost expert on Canadian English and has a talent for presenting her work in an accessible and pleasing way.

Only in Canada, You Say divides our particular vocabulary into 15 broader themes, covering most aspects of a Canadian’s day-to-day life. This approach allows Barber to write a brief introduction to each chapter, contextualizing language use for the reader. This is important, of course, when discussing regionalisms, but perhaps even more so for language more commonly used throughout the country. Barber often will hypothetically place an American or a British citizen in a Canadian conversation, and point out which words they would be unlikely to understand. Canadians often take for granted that they speak the same English as Americans, but with more of an English influence. Thanks to Barber, they are in for a surprise.

Barber is well educated and works in an academic field, but manages to keep her tone light and her vocabulary choices interesting. Canadians from all walks of life can relate to ordering a double-double and a Dutchie, living in a backsplit, or complaining about the GST, but few people from outside the country would know what any of these things are. Barber has even included an extensive quiz for readers who want to test their knowledge. For those with a more intellectual bent, there is also a chapter on the evolution of the English language.

Only in Canada, You Say is an informative and fun read, guaranteed to teach even the most well versed reader something new about his own country.