To the Canadians...

[Sabeine]

What is a Canuck?

I know they are the Vancouver hockey team, but what is a Canuck? Is it a person, and animal, a tree, a native Indian tribe?

My stepmom is Canadian so would most likely know, but it costs less to post a question here, than to call her.

[Newroo]

hi! im not Canadian, but this seems to be most consistent meaning given...
.......""However, according to "Unkind Words," a fascinating book on ethnic labeling by Irving Lewis Allen, "Canuck" isn't really that simple. First of all, it seems that French-speaking Canadians living in or near the northeastern U.S. consider "Canuck" to be an offensive ethnic slur. But in the rest of Canada, "Canuck" is a label of national pride, as evidenced by the name of the Vancouver Canucks hockey team. Go figure.

As to the origin of "Canuck," Allen reports that it may have arisen as a blending of "Canadian" and the Inuit (Eskimo) word "inuk," meaning "man." "".....

[Natasha]

I'm Canadian and I think you answered that better than I would have. I would just say it's a slang term for Canadian, and nothing more.

A proud Canuck! ;D

[Natooke]

Canuck here
During WW1 Canadian solders were given the name Canuck by the allies.
Patriotic WW1 poster

and some others
www.spitcrazy.com/Craig-Glorious-And-Free.jpg
www.spitcrazy.com/Craig--In-All-Our-Sons-Comm.jpg
www.spitcrazy.com/Craig--We-Stand-On-Guard.jpg

Across the foam our gallant sons have fought for Britain's glory;
Their deeds shall live for many a day, in picture and in story
How at the call from Motherland they shouldered arms and rushed,
And swore to ne'er turn back again till Britain's foes were crushed.

Singing Heigh! Singing Ho! Singing up with the Union Jack!
So, to Johnny Canuck's health and luck and when he comes marching home,
All pride and pluck our Johnny Canuck comes gaily marching home.
He'll be the nation's white haired boy.
We'll welcome him with sounds of joy;
When Johnny Canuck comes marching home.

'Neath Afric's burning sun they fought, like vet'rans, did their duty;
Full many a blow for Empire struck, our thoughts of home and beauty
But foot by foot and stroke by stroke they pushed the foeman back
Till proudly in that alien land they raised the Union Jack.
Singing Heigh! Singing Ho! etc.

We mourn the boys who'll ne'er come back, in distant graves they slumber;
The trump of Fame shall loud proclaim their glory and their number
But here's to those who, safe, return to tread their native land
With heart and voice we'll welcome home our brave Canadian band.
Singing Heigh! Singing Ho! etc.

As Newroo posted … apparently with the name Canuck is a offensive term to French Canadians … however in my lifetime I’ve always known it as an endearing nick-name & Slang.


www.comnet.ca/~dmarchak/candef.htm

“Okay, so just exactly what is a Canuck and why is it an offensive term? Then again, if the word is so insulting, why did they name our team the "Canucks"? Off to the library I went.

The first dictionary I checked reported:
CANUCK ( ) n. Slang. Canadian [sometimes offensive or patronizing in non-Canadian use]. Origin obscure.
Boy, when they said "origin obscure" they weren't kidding. It seemed like every dictionary had a different origin for the word. One suggested that the word came from CANUC which is used vulgarly and rather contemptuously for Canadian. Another suggested that it came from CONNAUGHT which was a nickname given by French Canadians to describe Irish Canadians in the early 1800's.

Finally, there was a suggestion that "Canuck" began as the Hawaiian word KANAKA which represented a south sea islander (no, not a New York Islander). It seems that French Canadians and these islanders were both employed in the Pacific Northwest fur trade and the term was used to describe them. The theory is that the word evolved, taking "CAN" from "Canadian" and adding it to "AKA" to form CANAK (CANUCK).”<br>

Later in WW2 a comic book came out … with Johnny Canuck … even later in 1975 another came Captin Canuck.
CANADIAN HEROES IN FACT AND FICTION
www.nlc-bnc.ca/2/6/h6-208-e.html
Johnny Canuck
www.skypoint.com/members/schutz19/jcanuck.htm

[Natooke]

I hope this helped a little Sabeine ... Where is your step-mom from in Canada?

Modern Day Canuck but I think he's a real hoser eh!

[Sabeine]

She's from Hamilton, but she has lived in many other cities there. Vancouver, Calgary, and some others on the west coast. For the past 19 years she's lived in California.