As an older teacher now, I can reflect on several generations of how kids talk. Though formally the language is quite stable, practical usage is  fluid.  Kids adapt language. It is their toy, their most accessible mode of inventing, no props needed.  In 2012 I realize how little common ground I have with an elementary school child unless I really work hard to keep connected. I have to know about Miss Kitty and SpongeBob, Happy Feet, Clifford, Bob the Builder and Dora the Explorer and for older kids Harry Potter, Twilight, Justin Bieber, Taylor Lautner, Ice Cube, Jay-Z and Beyonce.  Their sports heroes, their music and fashion idols are new names to me and I have to stay current to make allusions they might understand.

Little kids imitate how we speak but also are amazing at shortening and simplifying. They take an expression and apply it new ways. The other day I was in a grade 2 class where the teacher told the kids it was hump day. I asked him what it meant. Apparently he had overheard a child saying that every Wednesday is the week’s mid point and after it you’re over the hump.  The little boy called Wednesday hump day and the other kids imitated. Now the teacher uses the expression too.  I’ve taught on March 14 and been told at a secondary school that it was Pi Day (3.14) and of course on Pyjama Day and Pizza Day, all names unknown to pioneer kids.

I love the way kids redefine language on purpose, making it their own. It is part of their rebellion and in 2012 the expressions of even five years ago are probably seen as lame, they suck, they are so ten minutes ago.  Through the generations things teens approve of have been called the cat’s meow, hot, cool, awesome, rad, wicked, bad, fly, sick. How we speak dates us. Little kids born today never heard of Elvis or Marilyn Monroe, Princess Diana or even hockey heroes of ten years ago.  Teaching is always a process of updating your allusions, maybe like a good stand up comic does.

Teens at school say they wrote a killer exam, aced a test, crammed all night.  The expressions for not attending, skipping,  ditching, cutting class, playing hookey, have changed over the years but not the concept. Kids cheat, fudge, copy;  they review, study, brush up on. They forget, draw a blank, oops, zone out. They bomb, flunk, fail while teachers may say they did not yet achieve attainment of all necessary skill sets.  Little kids tell me in horror that someone budged and they don’t mean he moved. They mean he butted into the lineup.

I like kids and try to see past where we don’t quite speak the same language to more basic things where we do.  They still get the giggles,  feel insecure, still need help with their mittens. Teens still spend a lot of time trying to impress each other, worry a lot about what impression they are making, wonder how little work they can get away with doing while getting an OK mark.  There still are a few kids in each class who are the class clowns, the beauty queens, the helpful ones for the teacher, the rebels and the bored.  I particularly liked also the message of the movie The Breakfast Club where every student is also a bit of each of the categories. Teachers must not stereotype.

Teachers however have their own language too..  You’d think that slang comes from the bottom of a social hierarchy and creeps upward, but for teachers it is often officialdom that hands the new expressions down. Government is rife with educational jargon. Teachers are told the categories of daily physical activity (DPA), computer assisted instruction (CAI), career and technology studies (CTS) with acronyms that are supposed to just flow off  your tongue. Newcomers take ESL (English as a second language) and little kids are in ECS (early childhood services).  AV (audio visual) aids are stored in the IC (instructional materials center). The Alberta government has set up the AISI program, which for those who don’t know what it is, is actually defined as “a bold approach to improving student learning” and means Alberta Initiative for School Improvement.  It is the government that set up the PATs (Provincial Achievement Tests), and the legality of funding schools through P3s (Public Private Partnerships). Each school has to create its own SEP (School Education Plan) and make its SARR (School Annual Results Report).

Departments of education use terms like multiple learning pathways, critical thinking, brain-based learning, hands-on experience and child-centred multiple intelligences. Parents’ eyes may glaze over. 

I  myself use more down to earth expressions. What I noticed is that when I do, I find I am using age-old pioneer expressions. It is their legacy and it now pervades some of prairie discourse even in downtown offices. The pioneers and their attitude are still with us, in the language.

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 English is a blend of many languages, a pot-pourri.  Calgary was a gathering point for settlers and dreamers from many countries.  In 1914 of every six Albertans, only three had been born in Canada, one was American, one was British and one was from Europe.  Norwegians and Irish, Scottish and Ukrainian, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German, French came in waves, settled, spoke their language and English and brought to the schools the blend.  As of 2006 the racial mix of the city is over 25,000 Filipino, or 2% of the population. 5% are South Asian, 6% Chinese, and about 1% each Arab or Latin American.   We have many languages here and little kids from US cartoons are learning Spanish, from Quebec media are learning French.  Calgary restaurants have a wide range of options- including Thai, Cajun, Caribbean, German, Italian, Greek, Japanese, Mexican,  Vietnamese, Indian.  Children in many schools learning French or Spanish are actually learning their 3rd language – they already speak English and one other at home.  They bring this linguistic wealth to the schools and kids, being primed to soak up language, are comfortable with many new expressions.  They are also learning root expressions that western culture  always had.

The teacher in the 1900s  taught the kids a standard language from the textbooks and readers.  What early settlers had in common though was the fact of being early settlers. All the expressions of the climate here, of the roads and fields, of the hardships and farms, of planting and harvesting, became key elements of how they related to each other, and metaphors for how they looked at life.The legacy then of pioneers is also passed down in words. 

If you spend much of your day on a farm, it is creative to refer to something outside the farm with an expression in metaphor. A person who acts impulisvely might be feeling his oats, may need to go to sleep early, hit the hay.  Kids and adults created expressions outside the literal, using farm expressions. I am  not saying these were all invented in western Canada but they flourished here. Many of them are still with us, in the oddest ways.

Expressions about horses and riding horses

            He’s too big for his britches (arrogant)

            He rides high in the saddle (is self-confident)

            Spur you on (motivate you)

            A bay horse (brown horse)

            Chomping at the bit (anxious to get going)

            Hold your horses (stop, wait)

            Horsing around (fooling  around)

            Lash out at him (get angry)

            Horsefeathers! (nonsense)

            He’s feeling his oats (experimenting as youth do)

            She”s saddled with problems

            Rein them in (control them)

            It’s a cinch (easy )

            Horse sense (common sense)

            He’s got the trots (diarrhea)

            He’s hot to trot (keen)

            He’s chomping at the bit (anxious to start)

            Let’s hoof it (walk, not ride)

            That’s a horse of a different color ( another topic)

            He’s putting the cart before the horse (planning in the wrong order)

            Whip up enthusiasm (excite) 

            Cut to the chase (get down to what matters)

Expressions about dogs

            Dogged determination

            Dog-tailing (running with rear end slightly unaligned)

            Crooked as a dog’s hind leg (dishonest)

            A dog’s breakfast (a mess)

            He’s all bark and no bite (not really fierce)

            Dog-tired (exhausted)

            Dog-eared books (ones with worn pages)

            He’s sicker than a dog

            He’s gone to the dogs (turned bad)

            He’s in the dog house (in trouble)

            The tail wags the dog (order of power is illogical)

            He’s top dog (boss)

Expressions about cats

            Cat got your tongue? (are you struck speechless?)

            Having a cat nap

            Scaredy cat

            Fat cat (rich, arrogant person)

            Look what the cat dragged in! (surprise to see someone)

Expressions about cows

            Milk him for the details (ask, pester)

            Butter him up (flatter him)

            Close the barn door after the cows got out (doing something too late)

            He’s milking the situation (looking for advantage)

            On the horns of a dilemma

            A cash cow (good business investment)

            Strong as an ox

Expressions about deer

            The young buck (healthy young man)

            Making doe-eyes (flirting)

Expressions about pigs

            Go the whole hog (all the way)

            He’s wallowing in it (surrounded by excess)

            Pig out (eat a lot)

            Gathering at the trough (wanting handouts)

            Sweating like a hog

            Went hog wild

            Pig-headed (stubborn)

Expressions about mice, gophers, chickens and other wildlife

            Knee high to a grasshopper (short)

            Sniffing around (being nosy)

            Perked his ears up (listened)

            I smell a rat (suspect a problem)

            Squirrel your money away (save)

            Wolf it down (eat fast)

            Went at it tooth and nail (fought viciously)

            In two shakes of a lamb’s tail (quickly)

            Get your goat (irritate you)

Expressions about birds

            Straight as the crow flies

            Blind as a bat

            Rare as hen’s teeth (very rare)

            Ding bat (person who has no sense)  

            Crazier than a hoot owl

            Feathering his nest (adding personal benefit)

            Laid an egg (did something unfortunate)

            Let’s talk turkey (get down to business)

            Chickens come home to roost (fate gets back at you)

            Clip your wings (restrict freedom)

            Hen-pecked (man with bossy wife)

            Pigeon-toed

            No spring chicken (middle aged person)

Expressions about weather, cold,

            Right as rain (good, correct)

            Snowed under (overwhelmed)

            Clear as mud (unclear)

            It’ll be a frosty Friday before I do (unlikely)

            A farmer’s tan (dark on face and upper arms only)

            Slower than molasses going uphill in January

            Hasn’t got a snowball’s chance in August

            Dry as dust

Expressions about plants,  fields, harvests

            a bluff (group of trees)

            put him out to pasture ( retire him)

            dumb as a doornail

            head for the hills (run away)

            shelter belt (trees beside house)

            deaf as a post

            sharp as a tack (smart)

            young sprout (young child)

            sowing wild oats (having sex in youth)

            a slough (pond)

            He’s on the fence (neutral)

            He’s stumped (confused, can’t find the answer)

            dugout (water supply for farm)

            the back forty (acres farther from home)

            fenced in

            growing like a bad weed

            gone to seed (become corrupt)

            over the hill (old)

            ditch him (get rid of someone)

            a rose among the thorns (handsome person amidst less handsome)

            every blooming thing (everything)

            everything coming up roses (all is going well)

            hit pay dirt (get a good result)

Expressions about time

            Till the cows come home (for a long time)

            Haven’t seen you in a month of Sundays (not for a  long time)

            Long time no see (I haven’t seen you for a long time)

            Haven’t seen you in a coon’s age (for a long time)

            Three ways from Sunday (very quickly)

Expressions about manure

            Buffalo chips, cow patty, cow pie

Expressions about money

            Feeling flush (rich)

            Scare up a few dollars (get some money)

            Two bits (twenty five cents)

            Tell me your two cents’ worth (your input)

Expressions about household tasks and farm chores

            Her rear end is two axe-handles across (she’s heavy)

            Hit the hay (go to sleep)

            Roll in the hay (have sex)

            He got hung out to dry (exposed to criticism, rejected)

            Dumber than a doornail

            Give him a tongue lashing (criticize)

            Smart as a whip (pun for intelligence plus the sting of a whip)

            Pretty as a picture

            Live off the fat of the land (live a good life in comfort)

            Douse the light ( put out the light)

            Can’t hold a candle to it (can’t compare)

            Get down to brass tacks (get down to what matters)

            I’m gonna clean your clock (punish you)

            Strike while the iron is hot (seize the opportunity)

            Light a fire under her (get her to hurry up)

            Pitch an idea

            Tan your hide (spank you)

            He was axed (let go from job)

            Put it in mothballs (delay it)

            Hit the hay (go to sleep)

            He has a screw loose (is crazy)

Expressions from school

            Pencil that in (make an appointment)

            Mind is an empty slate (mind open to new impressions)

            Gave him a tongue lashing (yelled at him)

            Mind your ps and qs (follow the rules)

            Dot your I’s and cross your t’s (be careful about details)

Expressions about food

            Can’t cut the mustard (can’t accomplish)

            Fork it over (hand it over)

            He’s a bad egg (bad)

            Put it on the back burner (delay it)

            You won’t amount to a hill of beans (have no future)

            Cream of the crop (best)

            He’s a good egg (nice person)

            Simmer down (be calm)

            Use some elbow grease (do physical labor)

            Sugar coat it (make it falsely pleasant)

            In a pickle (in trouble)

            Got canned (got fired, laid off at work)

            Grease his paws (bribe him, entice him)

            Walking on egg shells (being careful)

            Chew the fat (chat)

            Rot gut, red eye, bug juice (whisky)

            That’s a bunch of baloney (nonsense)

Expressions from medicine and folk medicine

            Sick as a horse, sick as a dog

            There’s a fly in the ointment (a problem)

            Itchin for a fight

            He’s off his rocker (crazy)

Expressions about pioneer clothes

            Put on your best bib and tucker (get dressed up)

            She has a bee in her bonnet (has a complaint, grudge)

            Too big for his britches (arrogant)

            Dyed in the wool (that way naturally)

Expressions from early games

            According to Hoyle (following the rules)

            He’s all played out (exhausted)
            the shindig (dance)
Expressions related to faith religion and slang for swearing

            It’s hotter than the hubtails of Hades(very hot out)

            Holy Cow, Holy Crow

            Jumpin Jesophat

            Mr and Mrs. Dam and the whole Dam family

            Speak of the devil (joke about speaking of sudden newcomer)

            It stinks to high heaven

           
Expressions from early cars

            Slow down Lizzie!     

            Axle grease (butter)

            A washboard road (bumpy with gravel like a laundry board)

            Going full throttle (top speed)

            It really got him going (irked him)

            Driving me round the bend (irritating me)

            Get the lead out (hurry)

            Rev it up, crank it up (hurry)

Expressions about pioneer travel

            The whole kit and caboodle (all you own, everything)

            Stay between the ditches (drive safely)

            Lock, stock and barrel (everything)

            Make tracks (get going, set out on journey)

            Riding the rails (hitching rides on train cars illegally)

Expressions about guns  and the military

            Take aim

            Pull the trigger

            Gunning it (going fast)

            Missed our target

            Go off half cocked (unprepared and emotional)

            Enough to feed the army (lots of food)

There is something interesting too about frontier grammar.  It is not that it is backward at all. In fact it is extremely practical. What is odd is correct grammar. What I’ve noticed is that pioneers without much ‘book-learnin’” made their speech very efficient.  First there is the dropping of ‘g’ for ing.  Comin’, speakin’, runnin’ are easier to say than taking the trouble to add the g.

There was a logic to how they spoke too. For instance if we logically  say my book, his book, her book, your book we use adjectives of possession.  When we speak of ourselves we just add ‘self’ – myself, herself, yourself, ourselves’ and it would be logical to also then say ‘hisself’.  It is correct grammar to not do that though, to say ‘himself’ but frontier people often didn’t make that final somewhat odd shift.   They said “He did it hisself”

When we say “He gave it to me, to you, to them, to him, to her’ we are using pronouns.  Their form is supposed to change if they are doing the action – I did it, you did it, they did it, he , she did it.  Pioneer people made that shift. But if two people were acting, it must have seemed that this was a kind of explanation, so maybe more like a receiver of action.  Formally we’re supposed to say’ He and I walked over there”  but they might say “Him and me  walked over there”. Small children actually make this same error normally as they learn to speak. It is a logical error.

A similar thing happens with verbs. English has many grammar exceptions. The verbs go, be, have, do, see, come are common verbs. However they are actually constructed in nonstandard ways.  Pioneers just made them  more standard.  For instance, we say I talked, I jumped so the past takes “ed’.  This is true for thousands of verbs. It just doesn’t happen to be true for I comed, I goed, I doed,  and occasionally pioneers just assumed  ‘ed’ worked more widely. They might say “I seed it, ” which is kind of logical.

For the exception verbs- I came, I went, I did – the pioneer speaker sometimes preferred another form of the past tense without the hassle.  We can say ” I have walked, I have  jumped” and this form does not have to change for  ” He has talked, she has jumped”. It did not have to be changed from the regular past.  So what seems to have happened is that the pioneer may have figured he’d just use the past expression without the ‘have’ and it would work widely. So instead of “I have been, You have been” he might say “I been, You been” Instead of “I have seen’ he might say “I seen it”. Instead of  “I have done, they have done’ he might say ‘I done it”. 

In these ways people who spoke without much book study were  still using logical theories.  Even their errors are often intelligent ones.  A nervous teen in the 1940s,  seeing the school teacher said to her  :”I saw you in town but I  didn’t know who you was”.

We all have levels of language. How we talk in court is more formal than how we speak at dinner.. There is a jargon that goes with our paid work place and another for friendly banter. People who use the formal level at social gatherings seem arrogant.  Educated people know how to make the switch.  People without much formal education often just don’t know the other formal level much.   When pioneers tried to sound more educated, they sometimes made the switch a little awkwardly but it does not mean they lacked intelligence.

There is a line in the movie Silence of the Lambs where the perceptive psychiatrist can tell the social background of a woman from the practicality of the purse she carries. He says something like she is only a few generations from the farm.  Our language reveals our roots  and that is not a secret to be ashamed of.  It is something to be proud of.