Nickname for people living in a certain place

[north 42]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Townie is our denomyn, though, even if it doesn't meet some definitions. It's not just a nickname, there literally is no other term used for someone from St. John's.

Townie is very generic and is used in quite a few places though, so it wouldn't really wouldn't help identify what city they would be referring to for someone who is not from the area.
I assume that St. Johner would never be used then? Do any towns or municipalities in the St. Johns' Region have their own denomyns?
I can't really think of any other towns here in Essex County that use a denomyn for their citizens, other than Windsor, which is kind of weird! Maybe it's mostly the major towns and cities that use a denomyn, and not the smaller local towns and suburbs?

[MonctonRad]

Saint Johner = somebody from Saint John (NB)
Townie = spmebody from St. John's (NL), ie not a Bay man

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by north 42

Townie is very generic and is used in quite a few places though, so it wouldn't really wouldn't help identify what city they would be referring to for someone who is not from the area.
Would St. John'r ever be used?

No, it isn't used here.

In Newfoundland, it's very obvious what's meant by Townie. It'd never be misunderstood. I wasn't even aware until this thread it was even used elsewhere. And with an isolated island, that'll likely never change in that there'll never be an adjacent city we interact with on a daily basis that could be confused with Town. It doesn't impact our lives at all if mainlanders don't know what a Townie is.


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The lack of recognition doesn't bother me, though. It's not like most people even know we're here. St. John'ser/ian/ite would be little more understood by most people. Even the small minority intimately familiar with the Maritimes and Newfoundland would still have to ask which it refers to.

[Marty_Mcfly]

I don't think "townie" was ever meant to be the denomyn for St. John's residents, but it may as well be. I guess it sort of is in an unofficial way, but no one from outside Newfoundland would ever understand its origins.

For what it's worth, the Public Works website of the Canadian government lists "St. John'ser and St. John'san" as the official denomyn's of the city, however I don't think I've ever heard these terms used before.

[SignalHillHiker]

Me either but I do like the apostrophe lol. We should try to make one of them a thing people actually say.

[MolsonExport]

Ford Nation = Etobicoke, Scarborough and other blue collar areas in Toronto


utsc

The Lizard and the Elephant

[MolsonExport]

Coupe Longueuil

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[Acajack]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

No, it isn't used here.

In Newfoundland, it's very obvious what's meant by Townie. It'd never be misunderstood. I wasn't even aware until this thread it was even used elsewhere. And with an isolated island, that'll likely never change in that there'll never be an adjacent city we interact with on a daily basis that could be confused with Town. It doesn't impact our lives at all if mainlanders don't know what a Townie is.


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The lack of recognition doesn't bother me, though. It's not like most people even know we're here. St. John'ser/ian/ite would be little more understood by most people. Even the small minority intimately familiar with the Maritimes and Newfoundland would still have to ask which it refers to.

That's all that counts, really. Some demonyms elsewhere aren't intuitive to outsiders either.

[TownGuy]

I use townie all the time. In any small town or city it's not hard to spot the townies.

[kwoldtimer]

Off the Island, "Newfoundlander" would really be the only one that counts for anything. Nobody would much care, istm, what part of the island one is from. Where it is used, the context would normally make clear whether you meant someone from St John's or something else.

[MolsonExport]

Don't Newfoundlanders disparagingly call people born outside of Newfoundland "Mainlander"? No matter how long you have lived in the province?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by TownGuy

I use townie all the time. In any small town or city it's not hard to spot the townies.

In Kingston you have the townies and the gownies. The townies are people from Kingston not affiliated with Queen's University.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Montreal - Montréalais or Montrealer (BTW, if you say Montrealer when speaking in French, it's a pejorative, and refers to the anti-French people who burned down the Parliament in the mid 1800s. Or so I am told.)

I should have mentioned that when speaking in English "Montrealer" is not loaded and is a run-of-the-mill demonym.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Acajack

In Kingston you have the townies and the gownies. The townies are people from Kingston not affiliated with Queen's University.

It has been used on rare occasions in Waterloo as well, although it would be the exception rather than the rule.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

No, it isn't used here.

In Newfoundland, it's very obvious what's meant by Townie. It'd never be misunderstood. I wasn't even aware until this thread it was even used elsewhere. And with an isolated island, that'll likely never change in that there'll never be an adjacent city we interact with on a daily basis that could be confused with Town. It doesn't impact our lives at all if mainlanders don't know what a Townie is.

...

The lack of recognition doesn't bother me, though. It's not like most people even know we're here. St. John'ser/ian/ite would be little more understood by most people. Even the small minority intimately familiar with the Maritimes and Newfoundland would still have to ask which it refers to.

^ True, and SJ is locally called "Town", therefore it just follows, although it should be capitalized, and in the above example it was used generically without capitalization.

I just have a few problems with the word "Townie" as a demonym though. I think it's fine as a nickname, but not a demonym. You can't use it properly in an officially sounding sentence, as in a campaign slogan; "Townies want lower taxes, Townies want better services", without sounding a bit ridiculous, therefore it's normally used in a non-serious way. It also carries with it the expectation of particular cultural and political views, often people don't consider you a Townie unless your family has lived there for generations and were anti confederate, while a proper demonym just indicates current place of residence. "Townie" is also similar to "Newfie" in its etymology, it even rhymes. What's the difference?

[SignalHillHiker]

Good points. Maybe we should use Caps lol. VOCM would love it.

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

Don't Newfoundlanders disparagingly call people born outside of Newfoundland "Mainlander"? No matter how long you have lived in the province?

Mainlander, or Come From Away, or just CFA. In St. John's, sometimes Canadian. It's not always disparaging, though - lots of mainlanders describe themselves as such once they settle here - and only applies to the first generation.

It's a bit like Newfie. Some hate it. Some identify with it.

Mainlander is only applied to Canadians. Come From Away or CFA can be applied to all (to use the mainlander term) newcomers.

[Taeolas]

For Fredericton, I believe it is Frederictonian; and sometimes Freddy Beacher; but I don't think I've ever heard either used much. (Maybe the later is used more often by the radio announcers).

I've heard Monctonian for Moncton. For Saint John, no name has really stood out to me. Maybe, as noted, Saint Johner; but that doesn't sound all that familiar.

[Blitz]

Originally Posted by north 42

I can't really think of any other towns here in Essex County that use a denomyn for their citizens, other than Windsor, which is kind of weird! Maybe it's mostly the major towns and cities that use a denomyn, and not the smaller local towns and suburbs?

The only local example I can think of is people from Tilbury being called Tilbillies, heh.

[240glt]

Originally Posted by Metro-One

In the interior of BC they call people in Van and Vic "Coasters."

As someone born & raised in the interior, I can say that I've never heard anyone say that

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Blitz

The only local example I can think of is people from Tilbury being called Tilbillies, heh.

I love things like that, especially when the place referenced is actually at least at a suburban scale.