Flanker Dictionary of Newfoundland English

A book for those who come from away and for us livyers. This work brings together words from indigenous cultures and words spoken and recorded in English from the time of the European discovery of the New Founde Lande in 1497. The dominant European language became English, imported from the West Country of England and enriched by settlers from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the Channel Islands, and France. Because settlements were separated from the Mother Country and from each other, in its written and spoken forms the language became a time capsule of unique expressions drawn from everyday life. The Newfoundland vocabulary was greatly influenced by the early commercial activities of the European settlers engaged in the cod fishery, sealing, and fur trapping. In addition, commercial and social interaction with indigenous cultures exposed the newcomers to a treasury of words from the ancient North American languages. The living cultures of the Inuit, Innu, Mi'kmaq, and the French Mi'kmaq rightfully deserve dictionaries of their own, well-researched by experts in their respective fields. We are fortunate that numerous words from these cultures and from the Beothuk became incorporated into the lexicon of English-speaking writers, and many are included here.

Autorentext

Garry Cranford was born in Markland, Trinity Bay, and grew up in Buchans (Central Newfoundland) and New Harbour (Trinity Bay). He is the president of Flanker Press, the largest trade book publishing firm in Newfoundland and Labrador, founded in 1994 and based in St. John's. He is also the founder of Pennywell Books, an imprint of Flanker Press that specializes in literary fiction, short stories, drama, essay collections, young adult fiction, and children's books. A proactive campaigner for the preservation of this province's culture and heritage, Garry Cranford is author, co-author, and editor of many non-fiction books dealing with the history of Newfoundland and Labrador, including Norma & Gladys, The Buchans Miners, Potheads & Drumhoops, From Cod to Crab, Tidal Wave, Not Too Long Ago, Our Lives, Sea Dogs & Skippers, and The Flanker Dictionary of Newfoundland English. He has two children, Justin and Jerry, and two grandchildren, Nicholas and Grace, and lives in St. John's with his wife, Margo.