Its a French word.
We also do draggage.
We also do draggage.
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Happy National Telephone Day! 🔔☎️📱📶
POLL: How do you pronounce portage?
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A por-tij sounds like serious hard work, whereas a por-tazh sounds more lighthearted, maybe even whimsical and it might include some skipping.
No matter how you say it , it's always gonna be a fun time!
That really is a great observation. I think I'll use that differentiation going forward because some of them are more like a walk in the park.
Alan
Blab:
Portage like garage (with similarly French origins pertaining to water travel) maybe ought to be prounounced correctly, keeping in mind that etymology is fluid ; but we are all free to acquire and exercise knowledge as we please ...or not if that's your choice. The beauty of language is both practical like a tool and artistic like a medium. The more you know and use a language, the farther and deeper you can go with ability and expression. But like I say we all have that choice to explore with a box full of paints and brushes, or merely smear a single colour with our hands. The differences, both within and without a single language, reflect the cultural landscapes, (eg. you say carry, I say portage; they're both good to know), making for fun and interesting times. In Canada the anglicized franglais joual I speak (clumsily) helps me navigate other worlds in other places. The travels we all do via the spoken and written words of language guide us or limit us. It's all entirely up to us.
However, the weaponizing of proudful ignorance and choice of words speaks loudly of one's hubris and not of one's humanity.
In short: Some say potato, some say patata, some say patate, some say pommes de terre, some say...Your words, your trip.
Portage like garage (with similarly French origins pertaining to water travel) maybe ought to be prounounced correctly, keeping in mind that etymology is fluid ; but we are all free to acquire and exercise knowledge as we please ...or not if that's your choice. The beauty of language is both practical like a tool and artistic like a medium. The more you know and use a language, the farther and deeper you can go with ability and expression. But like I say we all have that choice to explore with a box full of paints and brushes, or merely smear a single colour with our hands. The differences, both within and without a single language, reflect the cultural landscapes, (eg. you say carry, I say portage; they're both good to know), making for fun and interesting times. In Canada the anglicized franglais joual I speak (clumsily) helps me navigate other worlds in other places. The travels we all do via the spoken and written words of language guide us or limit us. It's all entirely up to us.
However, the weaponizing of proudful ignorance and choice of words speaks loudly of one's hubris and not of one's humanity.
In short: Some say potato, some say patata, some say patate, some say pommes de terre, some say...Your words, your trip.
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In a similar vein, when talking or writing are you consistent in your use of measurement terms (yards/metres etc).
Visitors to Canada from the US are "required" to use metric measurements, some do, some don't.
Personally I have been around since way before metric became a thing here (1970). I use a mix of both depending on who I am speaking/writing to and perhaps more important the actual type of measurement.
I have a habit of mixing both types even in the same sentence........
"After this 200 metre portage, we will have to paddle 3 miles down the lake where there are two short(ish) ports, the first is just 50 feet, the second one is 150 metres". After that there is a 300 metre Class III which we might be able to run. Maybe you should stand by with your 75 foot throw rope in case I swim, there is a 3 metre ledge at the bottom and I don't want to swim over that especially given the water temp is only a few degrees above freezing (are those c or f degrees?) ( doesn't matter what matters is that it is dang cold!).
or
"It going to be really hot today, the forecast is for well over 90 degrees but it's going down to zero overnight" (the 90 is f, the latter is c).
My Canadian friends know what I mean, my American friends are thinking "Zero?????, really?)
Then of course there are things like Gallon.
Statement: "I'll need a gallon of water for dinner tonight"
Q - Is that an Imperial Gallon or a US Gallon?"
A - Doesn't matter just fill up the pot
Occasionally heard in a grocery store when an American is doing last minute shopping near the put-in.......
Q - Does this quart of milk seem small to you?
A - No, that is the normal size (muttering.... for a Litre!)
Then there is the mass confusion when a freeze dried meal only gives the water required in cups, which type of "cup" is that?
en.wikipedia.org
Visitors to Canada from the US are "required" to use metric measurements, some do, some don't.
Personally I have been around since way before metric became a thing here (1970). I use a mix of both depending on who I am speaking/writing to and perhaps more important the actual type of measurement.
I have a habit of mixing both types even in the same sentence........
"After this 200 metre portage, we will have to paddle 3 miles down the lake where there are two short(ish) ports, the first is just 50 feet, the second one is 150 metres". After that there is a 300 metre Class III which we might be able to run. Maybe you should stand by with your 75 foot throw rope in case I swim, there is a 3 metre ledge at the bottom and I don't want to swim over that especially given the water temp is only a few degrees above freezing (are those c or f degrees?) ( doesn't matter what matters is that it is dang cold!).
or
"It going to be really hot today, the forecast is for well over 90 degrees but it's going down to zero overnight" (the 90 is f, the latter is c).
My Canadian friends know what I mean, my American friends are thinking "Zero?????, really?)
Then of course there are things like Gallon.
Statement: "I'll need a gallon of water for dinner tonight"
Q - Is that an Imperial Gallon or a US Gallon?"
A - Doesn't matter just fill up the pot
Occasionally heard in a grocery store when an American is doing last minute shopping near the put-in.......
Q - Does this quart of milk seem small to you?
A - No, that is the normal size (muttering.... for a Litre!)
Then there is the mass confusion when a freeze dried meal only gives the water required in cups, which type of "cup" is that?
Cup (unit) - Wikipedia
Don't forget about $USD vs $CAD or is it CND?
As an engineer, I am comfortable using either. When I am working on a Search and Rescue incident, distances are measured in meters, coordinate locations are in UTM (meters), but elevations on topo maps are still in feet above sea level (MSL).
A disaster awaited the Mars Climate orbiter in 1999 as it approached and ultimately burned up in the thin Martian atmosphere because different teams of engineers failed to take into account that one team used metric measurements (as is common worldwide in science and engineering), while the other used Imperial American system measures. Oops.
As an engineer, I am comfortable using either. When I am working on a Search and Rescue incident, distances are measured in meters, coordinate locations are in UTM (meters), but elevations on topo maps are still in feet above sea level (MSL).
A disaster awaited the Mars Climate orbiter in 1999 as it approached and ultimately burned up in the thin Martian atmosphere because different teams of engineers failed to take into account that one team used metric measurements (as is common worldwide in science and engineering), while the other used Imperial American system measures. Oops.
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It's pronounced, "ooof"
I'll change my pronunciation depending on who I'm talking to. Same with the word 'coyote' - you can infer a lot of socio-cultural information depending on whether a person says "ky-ot-ee" or "ky-oht". I largely think of a portage, however it's pronounced, as a carry.
As a general rule I don't change how I pronounce or mispronounce words depending on where I am or whom I'm talking to. One exception to this is that I can go way overboard rolling my Rs when ordering food in a Mexican restaurant.
Fromage
Fromage portage
How about pronouncing the American Voy'-ager (emphasis on "Voy") vs the French Canadian Voya- geur' (emphasis on "geur"). Long boat canoes at one time were once designated in races as War Canoes, but that switched over to the supposed less offensive PC term of Voygeur canoes.
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Having grown up south of the Province of Quebec I learned to pronounce 'portage' like the Quebecois do, no matter where I lived. But now that I routinely canoe in the Adirondacs I refer to moving my canoe and gear as a 'carry'.
So much can depend on geography. Down south I have heard it called "tote" as in "Tote that canoe down to the river." A portage as a physical entity can be referred to as a path or trail as in "Tote that down to the river on that path".
Does one "Portage" as an act of carrying or does one walk on a "Portage"? Is it simply a path between two bodies of water? If so, can a carry from a parking lot half a mile to the water still be a Portage?
Such deep questions abound upon closer examination.
Does one "Portage" as an act of carrying or does one walk on a "Portage"? Is it simply a path between two bodies of water? If so, can a carry from a parking lot half a mile to the water still be a Portage?
Such deep questions abound upon closer examination.
A port is both a noun and a verb.
"Where is that darn port, I want to port it before it get's dark."
After porting Hell Port, I swore I would never port it again.
"Where is that darn port, I want to port it before it get's dark."
After porting Hell Port, I swore I would never port it again.
Geeze, how did H double hockey sticks even make it past the software? First time for everything lol.
I for sure sound like an MidWest American whenever I say things like portage, crevice, glacier….pop
I’m a Port-idge sayer or is it.. pour-tij?
I’m a Port-idge sayer or is it.. pour-tij?
I guess we're allowed to swear in proper nouns! Who wants to test this theory?