Grandparents In Canada
– B2-C1 (upper-intermediate to advanced) –
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In the English language, the term “grandparents” refers to:
DEFINITIONS
(plural noun; standard; gender-neutral) the mother(s) and father(s) of your mother or father
Generally, North American English speakers will specify which grandparent they are talking about by using the following vocabulary:
Grandmother
(noun; standard; formal*) the mother of your mother or father
*This word is more commonly used by adults when compared to children and teenagers.
Grandma
(noun; informal*) the mother of your mother or father
*This word is commonly used by people of all ages.
Grandfather
(noun; standard; formal*) the father of your mother or father
*This word is more commonly used by adults when compared to children and teenagers.
Grandpa
(noun; informal*) the father of your mother or father
*This word is commonly used by people of all ages.
IN CANADA
In Canada, however, there is much more variability with this vocabulary. Since Canada is a mosaic society, meaning multiculturalism is the foundation of the country and a key aspect of Canadian identity, there are many different ways a person can refer to and talk about their parents’ parents. These different ways depend on the cultural, ethnic and linguistic heritage of an individual, more notably of an individual’s grandparent.
In Canadian English, not only is it natural to use the vocabulary listed above–especially if one’s grandparents are of anglophone origin–but it is equally common to use the word for “grandmother” or “grandfather” in the (heritage) language of one’s grandparent. Even though not all Canadians share the same vocabulary regarding grandparents, such words are generally understood based on context and due to the high frequency of them being used by Canadians across the country.
For example, if someone’s grandmother on their mother’s side is Cree, then it would be common to call her kookum while speaking English in Canada, as such means “grandmother” in the Cree language. If that person’s grandfather on their mother’s side is Mexican, then it would be common to refer to him as your abuelo, meaning “grandfather” in Spanish. Equally, it would be common for that person to refer to their Ukrainian grandmother on their father’s side as baba and their Swedish grandfather on their father’s side as farfar.
As such, a Canadian conversation could look like the following:
EXAMPLE
JOHN: “Did you see your grandma on Mother’s Day last week?”
MARY: “Yeah, we visited my nonna (Italian) at the care home, but not Bunica (Romanian) unfortunately. She was too sick and didn’t want any company. She’s fine now, though. It was just the flu. What about you? Did you see either of your grandmothers?”
JOHN: “Well, my lola (Filipina) is no longer with us, so we just went to pay our respect to her at the cemetery in the morning like every year…”
MARY: “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
JOHN: “That’s okay. She lived a long life. And we spent the rest of the day with my bubbe (Yiddish) at her and Grandpa’s (of anglophone origin) house. We played cards and had a big meal. It was a lot of fun.”
Is it common to borrow words from other languages when referencing grandparents in your native tongue? What do you call your grandparents? Let me in the comments below.
