Western Canadian Dictionary and Phrase Book - Facsimile - First published 1912, Second edition 1913 - Introduction by John Orrell

Oct 13, 2026

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Western Canadian Dictionary and Phrase Book presents a facsimile of the 1913 edition, originally first published in 1912 by John Sandilands and republished by The University of Alberta Press in 1977. The introduction frames the dictionary as more than a practical word list, highlighting its celebration of Canadian English rhythms, emphases, humor, and irony. It emphasizes how newcomers engage language through lived listening and discovery, and it notes the shift from earlier humorless aims toward a lively portrayal of Canadian English and its slang and provincial usage.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time1 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Purpose and audience

From utilitarian list to celebration

Reading approach and contents

# WESTERN CANADIANDICTIONARY AND PHRASE BOOK PICTURESQUE LANGUAGE OFTHE COWBOY AND THE BRONCHO-BUSTER The University of Alberta Press NUNC COGNOSCO EX PARTETHOMASJ.BATA LIBRARYTRENT UNIVERSITY Western Canadian Dictionary and Phrase Book Facsimile of the 1913 editionwith an Introduction by John Orrell e.5d First published byJohn Sandilands in 1912,Second edition 1913 This facsimile of the 1913edition published by The University of Alberta PressEdmonton,Alberta,Canada,1977 This edition copyright C1977The University of Alberta Press Canadian Shared Cataloguing in Publication Data ## Main entry under author John SandilandsWestern Canadian Dictionary and Phrase Book. ISBN 0-88864-021-8 1.English Language-Provincialisms 2.Canada-English Language-Slang 3.Canadianisms(English)4.I Title Pe 3237.S 31977427.9'71 C.77002209X Printed in Canada byPrinting Services of the University of Alberta ## Introduction Everybody has a vested interest in the language:in his own languagefirst,and then,if he is privileged to know them,in those of other nations.We who call ourselves English-speaking Canadians have for the mostpart thought of our language as either English or American,for we call itthe one and speak it with many of the inflexions of the other,recognizingour separateness from England but acknowledging too the very obviousfact that the words and the forms of our speech descend from those ofthe English people (or,more accurately,the British)and carry withinthem the rhythms of Chaucer and Spenser and Shakespeare and Milton. John Sandilands'little dictionary has to do with the awkwardnessand the excitement of that recognition,with all its ambiguities,para-doxes,and scope for irony.He published it first in 1912 in a staid andsober version,aiming simply to be helpful.It was,he claimed,the firstdictionary ever printed in Canada,"Explaining in Plain English,for theSpecial Benefit of Newcomers,the Meaning of the Most Common Cana-dianisms and Colloquialisms."There may be other contenders for theprize of being first,but one could hardly doubt the authenticity ofSandilands'claim to be useful.He intends,he says,to include all themost common terms of trade and business that would "be unknown inthe Old Country and in old lands,expressions which the newcomer is upagainst the moment he lands in the Dominion,and which heretofore hecould only fathom by much questioning and consequent betrayal of thefact that he had just blownin." Now although the first edition of the Dictionary was a relativelyhumourless affair,there is about the sentencelhave just quoteda certainuneasyjocularity that betrays what I take to be John Sandilands'emerg-ing recognition that what he had undertaken to do was impossible,andmore than that,undesirable.Only a very pompous immigrant or a man ina funny story would actually question and betray in quite the waySandilands imagines.In real life we pick up our language more subtlythan that,and do our questioning and betraying by inference,punctu-ating our discoveries with hesitations,quick rushes of words,and a lotof listening. So it is not surprising that the second edition of the Dictionary,which we reproduce here,has moved away from these unrealistic aims.What the editor gives us this time retains all the mechanics of lexicog-raphy that were found in the first,but they are transformed by a new sortofenthusiasm.For this second edition of 1913 is no mere utilitarian word-list but a celebration of the rhythms and emphases of Canadian English.In entry after entry it exercises the reader in those forms of the languagethat distinguish it from its staider parent,and it need disturb no one thatin doing so it is often a touch self-conscious,at times a touch vulgar.Look at the article under"Boost"and you will be reminded that 1913 wasa boom year in the West,with visionary buildings springing almost ready-made,it seemed,out of the unresisting clay.The Great War and anotherkind of clay were yet to come,th

FAQs

What is the nature of this publication?

It is a facsimile of the 1913 edition of Western Canadian Dictionary and Phrase Book, republished in 1977 with an introduction by John Orrell.

What does the introduction say about the dictionary’s purpose?

The introduction argues it is not just a technical word list, but a celebration of the rhythms and emphases of Canadian English, including its ambiguities and occasional vulgar self-consciousness.

How does the introduction recommend reading the dictionary?

It suggests reading it by taking “pot luck” to see what one encounters, or using the contents page to find some of the more amusing entries.

Oct 13, 2026

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