Barometer
Labels for locals
Names for people who are from places—also known as demonyms—are, for the most part, what the people prefer to call themselves. My extensive research has shown that most Northwordians, we Yellowheaders, are very reasonable. But some disagree on what to be called, and others are downright demented!
Let’s start with BC’s “Northern Capital,” and refrain from getting into an argument about what that is. “Fellow Prince Georgians,” a diesel enthusiast calls out on an “events and rallies” forum on the net, and an official city page about a transportation study echoes that grand name.
“Prince Georgian” does sound rather regal and historical, doesn’t it?
However, on-line fly-fishing types seem to prefer more slangy lingo: “For you PGers: what’s the Nechako like for fishing?”
PGers, eh? Kinda hip, kinda now! Georgie!
The Prince George Citizen reports in a story titled Dikes Breached, Nechako Breaks 200-year Mark: “It is a sight most of we longtime PGers have never seen.”
We are at an impasse here, with this correspondent’s exhaustive studies on the issue coming up fifty-fifty for these terms.
You might think it would become easier as we move west, but if you do, you’re wrong.
What do you call people from Vanderhoof? Many sources employ Vanderhoofian. That is a fun word, I must say. A blogger writes, “You Winterpeggers have got to work harder to catch up with us Vanderhoofians this year. We’re still getting fresh snow everyday.”
Ditto Vanderhoof’s Omenica Express, reporting on a study of local drivers in an article called Viewing a Variety of Vehicular Vanderhoofians.
But hold on a minute. What about the young people, the Face-bookers and Bebo-contributors, those who blog about pubs and parties? A MySpace entry informs us, “...there was hardly anyone there…so us Fraser Lakers decided to go hit up Tim Horton’s…grab a bite to eat, meet up with some Vandy people.”
Is there a difference between Vanderhoofians and Vandy people? If so, what is it? Obviously, large amounts of public and private funding need to be poured into this topic to tease out the vital details.
Fortunately Fraser Lakers and Burns Lakers agree on their nomenclature—which is good, because I needed a break at this halfway point in my investigation.
And with all the Hazeltons in the Hazelton area—Old, New, and South—I am pleased to report they agree on Hazeltonian, and live together in demonymic harmony.
You know, most reasonable people are happy to use –er or -ian to tack onto the end of the name of their town, and be done with it. But in my immediate neighbourhood, the town-dwellers seem quite daft, if not completely dotty, in their “demonyming.”
What do people in Smithers choose? That’s right, the result of a mighty explosion: Smithereens! Even their official Hockeyville website employs this cartoony mess.
Terrace rhymes with Paris, but while Parisians have a lovely lilting moniker, we here have chosen the nasty pest-like Terracite: isn’t there an insecticide for that?
Never mind those people down at the Douglas Channel, mashing it up with Kitimatian. Who knows what they are thinking!
Finally, some sanity at the coast: people from Prince Rupert are Rupertites. But never ever Prince Rupertites—you have to leave out the “Prince.”
Did you know, if you are driving to PG, you are driving to Prince; if you are driving to PR, you are driving to Rupert. Seems those city-folk simply don’t have the time to say the whole name.
And if you take a short sea cruise, you can chat with Queen Charlotte Islanders, or hang out with Haida Gwaiians. Either way, it’s a good idea to get away for a much-needed summer break after all this work!
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