CarolC, I was in a hotel bar in Toronto. The server had a pronounced accent that to my unaccustomed ear sounded northern English, or possible Irish with immersion in one of the northern cities. I asked her about it, and was embarassed to find out that she was new to the mainland, but wasn't from the British Isles, but from Newfoundland.

People from the Caribbean here do have the vernacular of their home islands. They put on a Carib Fest every year. Their children lose island accents quickly. I should NOT have used the term African-American- that was a slip. We seldom use terms like African-Canadian (or African-African?- hadn't thought about that one). We tend to label them with country of origin (after all a Scot remains a Scot) until they become Canadian in attitude. Emigrants from Africa are so varied, and I am ignorant of the languages and political boundaries.

To most of us, it means a variety of cuisines- we have very good Ethiopian, Moroccan, Egyptian, and east African, etc. restaurants in addition to all the Asian ones. (over 20% of our population is composed of visible minorities).

The technician whom I call to solve problems I have with my computer is an East Indian born in Kenya, who has forgotton his family's language, but can still speak Swahili.