Name of Toronto

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A pen of hogs at the William Davies Company, circa 1920. Although the vast pork processing plants are long gone, Toronto's nickname of "Hogtown" remains.
A pen of hogs at the William Davies Company, circa 1920. Although the vast pork processing plants are long gone, Toronto's nickname of "Hogtown" remains.

The name Toronto has a rich history which is distinct from the history of the eponymous city in Ontario, Canada. Originally, the term referred to The Narrows, a channel of water through which Lake Simcoe discharges into Lake Couchiching. This narrows was styled tkaronto by the Mohawk, meaning where there are trees standing in the water.[1]

By 1680, Lake Simcoe appeared as Lac de Taronto on a map created by French court official Abbé Claude Bernou; by 1686, Passage de Taronto referred to a canoe route tracking what is now the Humber River. The Humber River became known as Rivière Taronto as the canoe route became more popular with French explorers, and by the 1720s a fort to the east of the mouth of the river was named Fort Toronto.

The change of spelling from Taronto to Toronto is thought to originate on a 1695 map by Italian cartographer Vincenzo Coronelli.[1]

[edit] Pronunciation

The stress is on the second syllable; with careful enunciation "Toronto" is pronounced /toʊˈrɒntoʊ/ toe-RON-toe or /təˈrɒntoʊ/ tuh-RON-toe. In conversation, locals generally pronounce it təˈrɒnoʊ tuh-RON-oe (as in 'I'm gonna go to Toronno'), /ˈtrɒnoʊ/ TRON-oe, /ˈtrɒntoʊ/ TRON-toe, /toʊˈrɒnə/ toe-RON-uh or /təˈrɒnə/ tuh-RON-uh (listen to an example (help·info)), or its most abbreviated form, /ˈtrɒnə/ TRON-uh. As with other words beginning with tr, the stressed /tr/ often sounds almost like [tʃʰɹʷ] chr, for pronunciations such as CHRON-oe and CHRON-uh. The same speaker may pronounce "Toronto" differently depending on the subject of the conversation in which it is used.

Torontonians may identify someone as a local if they say traw-na. A pronunciation of toe-RON-toe in casual speech is usually seen as a sign of someone not being a native of the city.

Canadian francophones say IPA: [toʁɔ̃ˈto], with the French nasal on on the second syllable and (if the word is said at the end of a phrase) the accent on the third syllable.

[edit] Nicknames

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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008)

Toronto has garnered various nicknames throughout its history, including:

  • T.O. – an acrostic for Toronto, Ontario, or a false acrostic for Toronto; pronounced "Tee-Oh"
  • T-dot-O- pronounced "Tee-Dot-Oh"
  • T-dot-O-dot- pronounced "Tee-Dot-Oh-Dot", from hip-hop slang
  • T-dot or T.dot – short for "T-dot, O-dot", a hip-hop slang nickname for Toronto[2]
  • The Megacity - a name which evolved from the amalgamation of the former Metropolitan Toronto[3]
  • The Big Smoke – originally a nickname for London, England, presumably imported by British immigrants.
  • The Centre of the Universe - A derogatory term used by Canadians outside of Toronto; Torontonians have come to also use it fondly, reversing the original sentiment
  • Hogtown – Related to the livestock that was processed in Toronto, largely by the city's largest pork processor and packer, the William Davies Company.[4]
  • Toronto the Good – from its history as a bastion of 19th century Victorian morality. There is a 1898 book by C.S. Clark, Of Toronto the Good. A Social Study. The Queen City of Canada As It Is[5]. This is sometimes used ironically to imply Toronto's standing is something less than great, or inverted (i.e. "Toronto the Bad") as a derogatory nickname
  • Methodist Rome – an analogy implicating the city as a centre for Canadian methodism, akin to Rome's role in Catholicism[citation needed]
  • City of Churches[citation needed]
  • Hollywood North – a shared nickname with Vancouver describing the film industries.
  • Queen City – a reference most commonly used by francophone Quebecers ("La Ville-Reine")[citation needed]
  • Muddy York – derived from Toronto's previous name, York, and the weather's effect on its once-largely unpaved streets[citation needed]
  • The 416 – 416 is the original telephone area code for much of the city (the other area code in Toronto is 647; 905 is used in the surrounding GTA suburbs)
  • The Economic Engine of Canada[6][7][8]

[edit] References and notes

  1. ^ a b The real story of how Toronto got its name. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved on 2006-04-17.
  2. ^ Benson, Denise. Putting T-Dot on the Map. Eye Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  3. ^ Perly's Toronto Megacity Mapbook. Retrieved on 2006-12-05.
  4. ^ P.J. Hare. Toronto Pork Packing Plant. Toronto Green Community. Retrieved on 2008-03-07.
  5. ^ Of Toronto the Good. A Social Study. The Queen City of Canada As It Is. - CLARK, C.S
  6. ^ Finnigan, Bob (2007-05-19). Transportation plan a positive first step. Toronto Star. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  7. ^ Provincial government support for internationally trained individuals achieving results. Canada NewsWire (2005-01-31). Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
  8. ^ Toronto Competes. City of Toronto. Retrieved on 2008-03-06.
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