Toronto Work & study

Study

Language

We challenge you to name a language that isn't spoken in the GTA! City Hall notices are printed in Chinese, English, French, Greek, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Tagalog and Tamil. Unlike the rest of Canada, most of Toronto's bilingual signs are written in English and Chinese, not French. Most of the French signs are near the US border, as if Ontario wants to hit arriving Americans with the message, 'We are Canadian! We are bilingual!'

In practice, Toronto is predominantly Anglophone. Residents don't exactly speak the Queen's English, but many British terms and spellings (eg 'centre' instead of 'center') endure. The proper pronunciation of the city's name troubles visitors. You can pick out the newbies by how they enunciate each syllable of 'Toh-ron-toh, ' while natives dissolve the second 't' and slur the word into 'Tuh-rah-noh.'

A quick glossary of Canuck (Canadian) slang: 'ski-doo' means snowmobile; a 'toque' (rhymes with duke) is a winter hat; 'peameal bacon' is cured (not smoked) pork; a 'Newfie' is someone from Newfoundland (a source of much amusement to many Canadians); a 'hoser' is a beer-guzzling fool; if you're tired, you're 'bagged'; a 'patio' is a terrace, courtyard or deck; the word 'all' adopts an 's', becoming 'alls.' To summarize: 'Alls I did was ride my ski-doo to Newfie to buy a toque, but I'm totally bagged. You hosers wanna eat some peameal bacon on the patio?'

For a full explanation of the famous Canadian 'eh?, ' check out Will and Ian Ferguson's book How to Be a Canadian: Even if You Already Are One (2001).

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Courses

With top-rated universities and multicultural resources galore, Toronto is an excellent place to study something new. Call or check websites for schedules.

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Language

Toronto delivers a world of language learning opportunities. Comprenez-vous?

Alliance Française(416-922-2014; www.alliance-francaise.ca; The Annex, 24 Spadina Rd; 8am-9pm Mon-Thu, to 3:30pm Fri & Sat; Spadina) French.

Berlitz(416-924-7773; www.berlitz.ca; Bloor-Yorkville, 94 Cumberland St; Bay) French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish.

GEOS(416-599-2120; www.geostoronto.com; Financial District, 59 Adelaide St E; Queen) French and Japanese.

Goethe-Institut Gallery German.

Italian Cultural Institute(416-921-3802; www.iicto-ca.org; The Annex, 496 Huron St; 9am-1pm & 2-5pm Mon-Fri; Spadina) Italian.

Spanish Centre(416-925-4652; www.spanishcentre.com; Yonge Street Strip, 46 Hayden St; 10am-9pm Mon-Thu, to 8pm Fri, to 4pm Sat; Bloor-Yonge) Spanish.

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