Newswise — We are all familiar with the holiday phrases Santa Claus, tinsel or mistletoe. But what about Crimble? Tofurkey? Buche de Noel? Not only are the toys changing, but the language associated with Christmas is as well, says Dr. John Considine, a professor of English at the University of Alberta.
One way in which that is happening is in the development of region-specific language for Christmas. For example, CRIMBO and CRIMBLE--alternative terms for Christmas--both of which are first recorded in the last century, appear to be largely British at present; neither is in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary and both are marked as British in the Oxford English Dictionary.
Although it seems political correctness is a modern-day habit, Canada's well-known department store, Eaton's, was wishing its customers a "Happy holiday season," as early as 1896. Current children's reading is not exempt from its own attempt of being politically correct: a book for small children in the "Blue's Clues" series about giving and unwrapping presents is called "It's Present Day," meant to avoid any suggestion of Christmas, Yule, or the like.
Staying on top of holiday products can be difficult, said Considine. Although a recent addition to the Canadian Oxford Dictionary includes "icicle lights", "tree stand" or "tree skirt" do not appear.
"I don't blame the lexicographers: it's hard to keep up with the names for consumer goods," said Considine. "One which they probably should have caught by now is TOFURKEY, which is neither in Canadian Oxford Dictionary nor Oxford English Dictionary, though it has been around for nearly 20 years. Google isn't too sure about TOFURKEY either: at the bottom of my page of search results, it asked me anxiously 'Did you mean to search for TURKEY?'"
And Buche de Noel is a popular kind of chocolate cake eaten around the holiday season but has yet to make its debut in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary or Oxford English Dictionary.
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