Multicultural Toronto English (MTE) is a
multi-ethnic dialect of
Canadian English used in the
Greater Toronto Area, particularly among young non-white working-class speakers.[1][2][3] Emerging in the early 1990s and first documented in linguistic research in the late 2010s and early 2020s,[4][5][1] the dialect is popularly recognized by its phonology and lexicon, commonly known as the Toronto accent and Toronto slang, respectively. It is a byproduct of the city's
multiculturalism, generally associated with
Millennial and
Gen Z populations in ethnically diverse districts of
Toronto.[6] It is spoken specifically within the
Greater Toronto Area,
Hamilton,
Barrie, and
Ottawa.[7][8]
History
The origin of Toronto's slang and accent can be traced back to widespread migration from the
Caribbean,
East Africa, and the
Middle East to Canada from the 1960s to the 1990s. During this period, a significant influx of immigrants from countries such as
Jamaica,
Trinidad,
Guyana,
Syria,
Lebanon,
Iran,
Iraq,
Somalia, and
Ethiopia predominantly settled in Toronto and other parts of the
Greater Toronto Area.[9][10][11] With many of these immigrants fleeing war, conflict, and poor economic conditions, they were left with limited financial resources and, as a result, found homes in Toronto's lower-income communities.[12][13][14] These neighbourhoods rapidly transformed into vibrant
melting pots, filled with a diverse array of cultures and ethnic backgrounds.[15][16] This cultural amalgamation played a crucial role in developing MTE, which is rooted in
Toronto's multiculturalism and draws heavy influence from
Caribbean,
East African, and
Middle Eastern languages.[17] Towards the end of the 90s, native Toronto rapper
Kardinal Offishall released his
Billboard-charting single
BaKardi Slang showcasing a variety of the cities slang throughout the lyrics and signaling the dialect was already significantly developed by this time.[4]
The second-generation descendants of these immigrants significantly contributed to embedding Toronto's distinctive slang and accent into the city's culture.[18] Faced with limited economic opportunities within their communities, these children of the initial immigrant influx turned to creative outlets like
rap music,
fashion, and
athletics for both expression and livelihood.[19] Their influence as in these areas helped shape the city's popular culture, especially among the youth in the
Greater Toronto Area.[20] Consequently, their unique manner of speaking, shaped by the aforementioned
multiculturalism of their communities, gained widespread adoption throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, given their status as local tastemakers.[21] 2006 marked the first mention of Toronto's slang or accent in any formal or academic research.[22] The rise of blogging in during this time period played a pivotal role in documenting the use and development of MTE. One notable example is Jane-Finch.com, a community-driven archive dedicated to the
Jane and Finch area that captured key examples of MTE's use throughout the decade.[23] Furthermore, documentaries produced by local broadcasters such as
CityTV and
CBC served to spotlight the dialect's presence in the city.[24][25] This linguistic evolution during this period not only reflected Toronto's multicultural heritage but also served as a unifying
cultural element for the city.
The late 2000s and much of the 2010s marked a pivotal era of growth for MTE, significantly driven by the third-generation descendants of the original immigration wave. The brewing
Toronto music scene, deeply rooted in the artistic expressions of Toronto’s lower-income and culturally diverse working-class communities, began receiving nationwide attention.[26][27] The emergence of
YouTube and
streaming services revolutionized the music industry by dramatically reducing the barriers to music distribution, thus enabling local artists to reach vast audiences beyond the traditional mediums of
CDs and
mixtapes.[28] Neighborhoods such as
Regent Park,
Jane and Finch,
Lawrence Heights,
Chester Lee,
Alexandra Park, and
Rexdale became hotbeds of cultural growth, producing
Rap and
R&B artists like
Smoke Dawg, Robin Banks, Top5, Pengz, K Money, and Moula1st, to name a few.[29][30][31][32] These artists had significant influence among the youth of the
Greater Toronto Area; the use of MTE in their lyrics, a reflection of the dialect spoken within their communities, spread contagiously as they began to ammass millions of views and followers in the hundreds of thousands.[33][34][35] Consequently, the dialect once confined to their lower-income communities began breaking ethnic and socioeconomic barriers, making its way into suburbs and highschools, transforming Toronto's linguistic landscape.[36][37] The impact of this cultural and linguistic shift was further magnified by the advent of social media. Platforms such as
6ixBuzz and Waveroom put a spotlight on the culture brewing in these communities through short-form, easily digestible content, attracting millions of followers. This significantly contributed to the widespread adoption and normalization of MTE seen today.[38][39]
The distinct accent features of Multicultural Toronto English include the TRAP vowel before a nasal consonant being
unraised or only slightly raised and the GOAT vowel being
monophthongal, both of which are "distinctly non-normative" in 21st-century Standard Canadian English and led by men in the Toronto area.[3]Th-stopping is a variable feature, likely adopted from
Patois, for instance with words like youth, thing, and themcolloquially spelled as yute, ting, and dem.[40]
"Miskeen" (pathetic, or poor - frequently used referring to someone who is "civilian" and "innocent," not involved in any crime) [originates from
Arabic
"Vexxed" (annoyed, upset or irritated) [originates from
Jamaican Patois
"Wossy" (something crazy or unusual, usually describing the actions of a person) [originates from
Jamaican Patois
"Waste" (describes something as undesirable or dissatisfying) [originates from
Jamaican Patois
Interjections
"Abaay, Abaay" (an expression of surprise, similar to "oh my god") [originates from
Somali
"Ahlie" (expression to agree with something or "am I lying?") [originates from
Jamaican Patois[54]
"Are you dumb?" (to describe someone who behaves stupidly and completely idiotically)[54]
"Bless up!" (expression of greeting or farewell)[55]
"Dun Know/dunno" (replaces "you already know," "of course," or "I know", and also used as a farewell) [originates from
Jamaican Patois[56]
"Eediat ting" (can refer to an event or action that was stupid or embarrassing to the point of disbelief) [originates from
Jamaican Patois
"Fend that" (instructing someone to defend themself, or respond to confrontation)
"Fiyah/Fire" (used to refer to a homosexual individual, similar to the equivalent word "Bawtymon" or "Batty boy") [originates from
Jamaican Patois
"Haye, haye" (an adlib that directly translates to "okay, okay" or "alright, alright") [originates from
Somali
"Holy!" (pronounced 'holay' and used as an expression of surprise)[57]
"Say honest?" (used to rhetorically emphasize honesty, truth or sincerity, similar to "You serious?" or "Really?")
"Soobax" (directly translates to "come outside" or "lets go") [originates from
Somali
"Gwan easy" (telling someone to "take it easy", or "calm down") [originates from
Jamaican Patois
"Inshallah" ("If God wills it") [originates from
Arabic
"Jheez" (used to express surprise, excitement or support)
"Jokes!" ("that's jokes!", compliments something funny or hilarious)[58]
"Khallas" (signifies that something is finished, completed or done) [originates from
Arabic
"Mashallah" (used to congratulate someone) [originates from
Arabic
"Nyeah eh" ("yeah eh?" or "oh really?", used in a hostile tone)
"More life" (used to wish someone good will, most commonly used to replace "happy birthday")
"Nize it/nize that" (to tell someone to shut up or stop talking) [56]
"Say less/say no more/don't say a word" (used to enthusiastically or supportively agree to a demand, request, or suggestion)
"Seen/Zeen" (A way of saying “got it” or “understood”) [originates from
Jamaican Patois[59]
"Styll" (pronounced "still" and means agree to someone or the truth and is occasionally used at the last part of a statement)[60][61]
"Top left" (used to emphasize the truth or sincerity of a statement, similar to "I swear" or "I promise")
"Wagwan" (an equivalent greeting to "what's up" or "what's going on?") [originates from
Jamaican Patois[62][54]
"Wallahi" ("I swear to God") [originates from
Arabic[63]
"Warya" (used to address a man directly, or get his attention) [originates from
Somali
"What're you sayin?" ("what you up to?" used as an expression of greeting) [originates from
Jamaican Patois[58]
"Y-pree" (used to tell someone to mind their own business) [originates from
Jamaican Patois[64]
Pronouns
"Mans" or sometimes "man-dem" (I/me/you/people; first-person singular is the most notable usage) [originates from
Jamaican Patois[37]
Mans in 21st-century Toronto English has gained special attention in being applied as a variety of
personal pronouns, including (most notably) as a
first-person singular pronoun (like I or me), a second-person singular pronoun (like you), or an
indefinite pronoun (similar to people or folks). A plural-conjugated verb is required with the use of mans; for example: "Mans are ready" can mean "I am ready", "you are ready", or "we are ready". "What are mans saying?" can mean "What am I saying?", "What are you saying?", or "What are we saying?". The similar usage of man as a pronoun is common in
Multicultural London English (MLE), but mans as a singular pronoun is exclusively Torontonian;[65] the two terms likely developed in parallel timeframes, but not with one dialect directly affecting the other.[66] It is likely that both usages ultimately come from man with a
Jamaican Patois or other
Caribbean Creole origin, though no Creole uses mans in this exact way. The process of this pronoun emerging from the original noun, man(s), has been happening in Toronto since roughly 2005 to the present.[67]
"My guy" (close friend or acquaintance)
"Them/dem-mans/man-dem" (them)
"Us mans" (we)
"You mans" (you, plural)
"Fam" (Friend, or more broadly anyone considered 'family' in a communal sense; can be used in place of 'we' or 'us') [originates from
Jamaican Patois
Nouns
"6ix" (Toronto, in reference to its six districts and both its area codes containing the number "6")[68]
"Cro/crodie" (crip version of 'bro/brodie' but usually refers to a friend, popularized among non-gang-affiliated individuals through local rap music)[70]
"Cronem" (group of 'cros', crip version of 'bronem', and refers to a group of friends)
"Cyattie" (describes a female who is being loud and obnoxious) [originates from
Jamaican Patois[71]
"Wasteman" (a worthless, garbage, insensible idiotic person who makes bad decisions with their life, both words being used interchangeably) [originates from
Jamaican Patois[45]
"Wasteyute" (used similarly to wasteman, but more specifically describes a childlike or naive individual) [originates from
Jamaican Patois[40]
"Toke/tump" (the action of smoking, often referring to marijuana)
"Yellowtape" (indicate that something is completed, finished, or closed off)
Intensifiers
"-azz" (a suffix used to amplify or emphasize the meaning of other words or slang)
I heard his new track, its a hardazz.
"-dem" (a pluralizing element that can emphasize the size of a group or relationships between members of said group)
Tell the rest of the dawgsdem to come through.
"one-two" (a pluralizing element that emphasizes quantity of an action, object, task, etc)
I already tried to call him one-two times, it goes straight to voicemail.
Misconceptions
The increasing criticism of the Toronto accent as "fake" or indicative of a "ghetto" identity reflects a form of
linguicism, akin to the discrimination encountered by speakers of
African American Vernacular English in the
United States. Such perceptions suggest that non-standard linguistic features are indicative of low intelligence or poor education; a perspective rooted in
classism,
racism, and
xenophobia.[90] Specifically, this
xenophobia manifests as it associates multicultural expressions—which the dialect is an amalgamation and celebration of—with the negative stereotypes of being a non-contributing member of society. Additionally, the prevalent social media claim that "People don’t speak like this in Toronto" reinforces the belief that only speakers of "proper" English are fully functional members of society, while others should be subconsciously dismissed.[91][92] By dismissing Toronto's diverse linguistic expression as merely "fake" or "ghetto," there is a failure to recognize it as a legitimate part of the city’s cultural identity.
This misconception often stems from the dialect’s incorrect adoption and use by outsiders, particularly in suburbs and cities outside Toronto, such as
Hamilton,
Barrie, and
Brampton. These regions are significantly disconnected from the communities and localities where the culture and dialect organically developed.[7] As a result, the accent’s portrayal by individuals from these areas can sometimes appear inauthentic or caricatured, which heavily distortes its true character and contributes to a negative perception of its genuine use.[8]
Compounding this issue are broader misunderstandings regarding the development of MTE. Critics have accused it of mimicking
Multicultural London English, However, this is not the case; Both dialects have evolved independently, sharing roots in similar immigration patterns, thus showcasing unique sociolinguistic developments reflective of their respective cities’
multicultural landscapes.[93][94] Furthermore, the spotlight has often been placed on public figures such as
Drake or
PartyNextDoor, attributing the development and popularization of the slang to them.[95] This overlooks the deeper, historical, and community-driven origins of the language. In reality, the dialect predates careers like
Drake's by decades, something even he had acknowledged before adopting it himself.[96]
Discussions around cultural appropriation have arisen in regards to MTE and its origins. Some have argued the possibility of its usage veering into the territory of
cultural appropriation.[97] This results from a failure to recognize that the concept of 'cultural appropriation' is largely rooted in American cultural discourse—analyzing an inheretly Canadian multicultural phenomenon through this lens may not be entirely appropriate.[98] A nuanced understanding positions Toronto's slang and accent as a celebration of cultural diversity and integration. Rather than a medium of appropriation, the dialect serves as a fusion of diverse cultural elements, reflecting the appreciation and mutual understanding within Toronto's diverse communities.[99]
In popular culture
From 2016 to 2019, Toronto-based comedy group 4YE in collaboration with Bell Media released a multi-part series featuring
"Tyco" and
"Judge Tyco," caricatures of the stereotypical Toronto man, set in the early 2000s.[100]
In 2017,
Drake was featured in a Toronto-based comedy skit "T-Dot Goon Scrap DVD 2" produced by 4YE, in which he made heavy use of Toronto's slang and accent.[101]
In a Vanity FairYouTube video,
Shawn Mendes, a popular Canadian singer and songwriter, was featured, teaching about
Canadian slang (primarily Toronto slang vocabulary).[102]
^Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
"Information archivée dans le Web"(PDF). publications.gc.ca. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
^Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada.
"Information archivée dans le Web"(PDF). publications.gc.ca. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
^
abBigelow, Lauren; Timothy Gadanidis; Lisa Schlegl; Pocholo Umbal, and Derek Denis. 2020. Whyare wasteyutes a ting? University of Pennsylvania Working Papers in Linguistics 26(2): Article 3.
^Derek, Denis (2016).
"A note on mans in Toronto"(PDF). (TWPL) Toronto Working Papers in Linguistics.
Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2022.