Set of varieties of the English language native to Canada
"CanE" redirects here. For other uses, see Cane (disambiguation).
Canadian English
Region
Canada
Native speakers
21 million in Canada (2021 census)[1] about 15 million, c. 7 million of which with French as the L1
Language family
Indo-European
Germanic
West Germanic
North Sea Germanic
Anglo-Frisian
Anglic
English
North American English
Canadian English
Early forms
Old English
Middle English
Early Modern English
Writing system
Latin (English alphabet) Unified English Braille[2]
Language codes
ISO 639-3
–
Glottolog
cana1268
IETF
en-CA[3][4]
This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA.
Part of a series on the
English language
Topics
English-speaking world
As a second language
History
Advanced topics
English as a lingua franca
European language
Modern English
Loanwords
Linguistic purism
Phonology
Phonology (History)
Dialects
American
Anguillian
Antarctic
Antiguan and Barbudan
Australian
Bahamian
Bajan
Bangladeshi
Bay Islands
Belizean
Bermudian
British
Brunei
Cameroonian
Canadian
Caribbean
Cornish
England
Falkland Islands
Fijian
Gambian
Guyanese
Ghanaian
Indian
Irish
Jamaican
Kenyan
Liberian
Malawian
Malaysian
Manx
Myanmar
Namibian
Nepali
New Zealand
Nigerian
Pakistani
Philippine
San Andrés–Providencia
Scottish
Sierra Leone
Singapore
South African
South Atlantic
Sri Lankan
Trinidadian and Tobagonian
Ugandan
Welsh
Zimbabwean
see also: List of dialects of English
Teaching
Teaching English as a second language
v
t
e
Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA)[5] encompasses the varieties of English used in Canada. According to the 2016 census, English was the first language of 19.4 million Canadians or 58.1% of the total population; the remainder spoke French (20.8%) or other languages (21.1%).[6] In the Canadian province of Quebec, only 7.5% of the population are anglophone, as most of Quebec's residents are native speakers of Quebec French.[7]
The most widespread variety of Canadian English is Standard Canadian English,[8] spoken in all the western and central provinces of Canada (varying little from Central Canada to British Columbia), plus in many other provinces among urban middle- or higher-class speakers from natively English-speaking families.[9] Standard Canadian English is distinct from Atlantic Canadian English, its most notable subset being Newfoundland English, and from Quebec English. Accent differences can also be heard between those who live in urban centres versus those living in rural settings.[10]
While Canadian English tends to be close to American English in most regards,[11][12] classifiable together as North American English, Canadian English also possesses elements from British English as well as some uniquely Canadian characteristics.[13] The precise influence of American English, British English, and other sources on Canadian English varieties has been the ongoing focus of systematic studies since the 1950s.[14] Standard Canadian and General American English share identical or near-identical phonemic inventories, though their exact phonetic realizations may sometimes differ.[15]
Canadians and Americans themselves often have trouble differentiating their own two accents, particularly since Standard Canadian and Western United States English have been undergoing a similar vowel shift since the 1980s.[16]
^English (Canada) at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)
^"History of Braille (UEB)". Braille Literacy Canada. 2016. Archived from the original on 3 January 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2017.
^"English". IANA language subtag registry. 16 October 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
^"Canada". IANA language subtag registry. 16 October 2005. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
^en-CA is the language code for Canadian English, as defined by ISO standards (see ISO 639-1 and ISO 3166-1 alpha-2) and Internet standards (see IETF language tag).
^Cite error: The named reference Dillinger was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^"Population by mother tongue and age groups, percentage distribution (2006), for Canada, provinces and territories – 20% sample data". Statistics Canada. 2007. Archived from the original on 10 March 2009. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
^Chambers, J. K. (1998). Edwards, John (ed.). English in Canada. Vol. Language in Canada. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 252.
^Dollinger, Stefan (2012). "Varieties of English: Canadian English in real-time perspective." In English Historical Linguistics: An International Handbook (HSK 34.2), Alexander Bergs and Laurel J. Brinton (ed.), 1858-1880. Berlin: De Gruyter. pp. 1859-1860.
^Butler, Colin (24 August 2016). "Southwestern Ontario accent to be documented in study". CBC. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.
^Boberg, Charles (2004) Standard Canadian English Archived 11 April 2023 at the Wayback Machine." In Raymond Hickey. Standards of English: Codified Varieties Around the World. Cambridge University Press. p. 159.
^Labov, p. 222.
^Dollinger, Stefan (2008). "New-Dialect Formation in Canada". Benjamins, ISBN 9789027231086. p. 25.
^Boberg (2010:49)
^Dollinger, Stefan (2011). "Canadian English". Public OED.com. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 26 May 2016. Retrieved 16 May 2016.
^Harbeck, James (2014) "Why It's Difficult to Tell a Canadian Accent from a Californian One Archived 2015-12-02 at the Wayback Machine". The Week. The Week Publications, Inc.
CanadianEnglish (CanE, CE, en-CA) encompasses the varieties of English used in Canada. According to the 2016 census, English was the first language of...
well as French Canada and North American Aboriginal groups.[citation needed] In addition to the terms "EnglishCanadian" and "Canadian", the terms "Anglophone...
Atlantic CanadianEnglish is a class of CanadianEnglish dialects spoken in Atlantic Canada that is notably distinct from Standard CanadianEnglish. It is...
STANDARD CANADIAN Pacific Northwest Aboriginal Canadian Quebec Ottawa Valley ATLANTIC CANADIAN Lunenburg Newfoundland This article contains phonetic transcriptions...
grammar of American English and CanadianEnglish, the two spoken varieties are often grouped together under a single category. Canadians are generally tolerant...
EnglishCanada comprises that part of the population within Canada, whether of British origin or otherwise, that speaks English. The term English Canada...
element of Canadian identity. In Quebec, cultural identity is strong and there is a French Canadian culture that is distinct from EnglishCanadian culture...
The Canadian Oxford Dictionary is a dictionary of CanadianEnglish. First published by Oxford University Press Canada in 1998, it became a well-known...
contrast than English, which may influence the use of linguistic features in Dene Suline English which are not present in standard CanadianEnglish, two features...
speakers. English is either the official language or one of the official languages in 59 sovereign states (such as in India, Ireland, and Canada). In some...
Canadian naming conventions vary based on whether one is Indigenous, EnglishCanadian, or French Canadian. In EnglishCanada, names follow much the same...
6% of the Canadian population report an Indigenous language as their mother tongue. Since the establishment of the Canadian state, English and French...
are unified nationwide but distinct from other English dialects around the world. Any American or Canadian accent perceived as lacking noticeably local...
Canadian English: Aboriginal English in Canada Bungi of the Canadian Metis people of British descent Atlantic CanadianEnglish Lunenburg English Newfoundland...
sterling, and renminbi. The Canadian dollar is popular with central banks because of Canada's relative economic soundness, the Canadian government's strong sovereign...
American English American and British English spelling differences Australian English British Sign Language CanadianEnglish Commonwealth English Hiberno-English...
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (French: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and...
Canadian literature is the literature of a group of multicultural communities, written in languages including CanadianEnglish, Canadian French, and Indigenous...
public opinion polls conducted from the 2021 Canadian federal election leading up to the 45th Canadian federal election. A number of polling firms survey...
List of Canadian women writers in French List of Quebec writers List of French Canadian writers from outside Quebec List of famous Canadians Lists of...
of Canadians who are of English descent is largely unknowable given the propensity of many Canadians to use the term "EnglishCanadians" or "English-Canadians"...
The 45th Canadian federal election will take place on or before October 20, 2025, to elect members of the House of Commons to the 45th Canadian Parliament...
Americans nationwide. Arguably, all CanadianEnglish accents west of Quebec are also General American, though Canadian vowel raising and certain newly developing...
Multicultural Toronto English (MTE) is a multi-ethnic dialect of CanadianEnglish used in the Greater Toronto Area, particularly among young non-white...
Afrikaans from Dutch). CanadianEnglish contains elements of British English and American English, as well as many Canadianisms and some French influences...
The CanadianEnglish Language Proficiency Index Program, or CELPIP (/ˈsɛlpɪp/), is an English language assessment tool which measures listening, reading...
1985 the Canadian government was indicating a willingness to privatize both Canadian National Railways and Air Canada. In 1988, Air Canada was privatized...
use of a distinctive set of CanadianEnglish spellings is viewed by many Canadians as one of the unique aspects of Canadian culture (especially when compared...
began to be played in Canada in the 1860s, and many of the first Canadian football teams played under the auspices of the Canadian Rugby Football Union...
distinction of English and French. You are all His Britannic Majesty's beloved Canadian subjects." It was the first-known use of the term Canadian to mean both...
Global Information
