Brother Broken

How are you today? Are you up to a lesson in languages?

Most people that I knew spoke Saskatchewanese, which is particularly handy for anyone living in Saskatchewan. We used words like gibbled, Vi-Co, and chesterfield, and didn’t think the lingo caused confusion for anyone. I didn’t even know our dialect was distinct from the rest of the world.

My family was also well versed in Saskatchewanese en français. Apparently, the word we used to refer to the toilet was actually borrowed from the Queen’s English. We called it the bécosse (bā∙kuss). The English referred to it as the “backhouse.” French people adopted the English word, added their own distinct flair, and it came out sounding like bécosse. In much the same way “cut the grass” became mowdelawn, and tro-up translated to vomit.

The trick is to speak rapidly and merge the words using a French accent.

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