Of Asphalt and Potatoes

I'm back from a brief sojourn in Winnipeg, where I collected charming examples of all the funny ways in which people in this fine country pronounce their words.

Like, for example, asphalt. Note the spelling: a s p h a l t. NOT a s H p h a l t. So why do they say it "ash-fault"?

Answer: they just do, okay?

And then there's potato. Which I have recently heard pronounced "puh-DAY-duh." I was informed that Red Green, a faux person I had to look up, says it this way. Well, so does an otherwise veddy proper CBC radio guest who sounded as if she affected it for some reason unknown to me.

Not that I say, precisely, "poe-TAY-toe." More like "puh-TAY-doe."

And then, as I am about to pontificate about asphalt, I discover this Wikipedia entry for Canadian English. The fine folks at Wikipedia have been compiling alongside me. And a fine job they have done, too.

But remember, Canada is a big place. Rather like the U.S., where I grew up saying neither "soda" (affected Yankee-ism) nor "pop" (pff, that baby word), but "coke." As in, "What kind of Coke do you want? We have 7-up or Dr. Pepper." And this was a universal usage in my hometown, not one of those "your family talks funny" usages.

The point is, as I have mentioned before in relation to Canada and Canadians, beware of too-broad brushstrokes.

And now, I'm off to steam a pudayduh on the ashphalt. It's just THAT hot 'n' muggy here.