English As We Don’t Know It

Jagmeet Singh, (Canada’s NDP leader) switches seamlessly from formality to so-called ‘multicultural Toronto English,’ sounding educated and down-to-earth at the same time, writes Prajakta Dhopade in Maclean’s magazine. 

"Not only does Singh use an informal register here, but he seems to be influenced by something U of T Mississauga linguist Derek Denis refers to as “multicultural Toronto English.”  Multicultural Toronto English is a “multiethnolect”— a variation of language that is influenced by multiple ethnic groups”.

“Denis says a characteristic of this particular multiethnolect is noticeable in the “o” vowel sound in Singh’s “yo.”  Rather than moving his jaw to turn two vowel sounds into one (a diphthong—that would sound like “yuh-oh”),  Singh uses a monophthong, where the jaw is still while making that “o” sound, so more like “y-OH.”  Toronto slang and multicultural Toronto English are heard a lot in the suburbs of Toronto, including in Brampton, where Singh was an MPP and where Denis happened to have collected some of his research.  This type of pronunciation is also common in Jamaican patois, Nigerian English and Indian English, to name a few, says Denis”.

“That might appeal to multiple demographics;  to university students in downtown Toronto who appreciate his use of slang and multicultural Toronto English, but also to those in rural Ontario, where informal language is everyday-speak. His ability to have both a distinct “work voice” and a “talking to friends” voice is something every Canadian can relate to — he just does it on a public stage”.

I have always been concerned by the impact on changes to the English language as represented by the Oxford English Dictionary (O.E.D.) by such linguistic developments.  The O.E.D. (or whichever dictionary you may be unfortunate to use) is affected by so-called ‘common usage’ and should not be dismissed lightly.  Like it or not, we are bound to accept the authority of edited dictionaries, as long as terms, i.e., common usage and slang, are highlighted.  

Personally, I believe that such words be described in a separate addendum, and left for a reasonable period of time, until included in the main content.  Otherwise, obsolescent editions become a problem ... have you checked yours recently ?

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