Of Tamarack, Hackmatack, and Muskeg: language resources for the integration of loanwords in early Canadian English

摘要

This paper presents the results of my exploration of the interactions among linguistic strata through close lexicogrammatical analyses of Canadian aboriginal loan words in the context of early Canadian English texts. Specifically, it provides contextual examples from the three loanwords in the title to demonstrate the various resources for loanword integration along various strata. Based on the results of analyzing hundreds of contextual examples, I provide a model to illustrate these resources from the level of phonology, through lexicogrammar, and into the context of culture. Since these words are considered an essential part of the Canadian language and its distinctiveness, as per A Dictionary of Canadianisms on Historical Principles (Avis, 1967), the connotational meaning embedded within them provides a valuable insight into not only the words themselves but also the culture which employs them. The stress placed on them through the use of language resources along all of the strata ensure that these loanwords maintain their "foreign-ness" within the English system, while simultaneously being employed to differentiate the Canadian form of the language from other forms of English. As such, these loanwords form a fascinating subset within the lexis of English, carrying a disproportionate burden within the cultural context.