Episode 20: Do Canadians say sorry a lot?
Script:
Hello, everyone, and welcome back!
I'm sorry I missed last Friday's episode. I was really busy last week.
Today's topic is "Do Canadians say sorry a lot?" I chose this topic because I read an article that said Canadians apologize a lot, even if we're not at fault. The article is called "Sorry — Can We Talk About Why Canadians Apologize So Much?" by Emily Keeler.
Emily's favorite example of a Canadian apology is when you're out for brunch or at a restaurant and you need some ketchup. Instead of saying "Excuse me, can I have some ketchup please?", Canadians say to the waiter, "Oh sorry, hi, could I have some ketchup, please? Oh thanks, sorry."
She also mentioned that we say sorry even when the other person is at fault. For example, if we're biking and a car knocks us down, we apologize to the driver who almost killed us.
Really? Is that the case? I'm not sure. Most Canadians are polite, but not to this extent. Besides, it depends on the culture. Canadians come from all over the world.
Emily's theories as to why Canadians apologize so frequently are interesting. Theory number one is inherited awkwardness. We're a byproduct of British settlement. British identity — for better or worse — is fixed. What it means to be Canadian, on the other hand, is not. Hmm, I can't relate to this theory.
Her second theory is that we want to be different from Americans, who don't apologize as much. In the U.S., issuing an apology is often framed as an admission of inadequacy, weakness, or guilt.
After reading this article, I did my own research and found that we have an Apology Act in Ontario, Canada, that was established in 2009. The Apology Act is a law in the province of Ontario that states that apologies made by a person do not necessarily constitute an admission of guilt. It is a measure to give lawyers a fair chance to defend clients who were never guilty but apologized to the aggrieved.
Vocabulary: