Meaning of "canada"
Tomas Leal
We have a canada running through our property on Pico. It's a footpath running from the rua up the side of the hill to allow access to the various terraces which are land-locked. Canadas started as footpaths, whether providing access to terraces above, cutting through a woods, or leading to someone’s house from one of the “caminhos,” which were more used roads within and between towns. To identify where someone lived or something was, villagers gave names to many of the canadas. Over time, some of the canadas got widened so a cart could get through and some got gravel put on them. Outside of the established cities such as Ponta Delgada, Angra, Horta, and a few others, most Azorean roads had only popular names the locals used until the second half of the 20th century, when "official" names came into being. Some canadas became newly-named roads that kept the word "canada" in their names, but often these new roads were given names honoring various individuals. Thus, a canada name that appears on an old birth, marriage, or death registration may no longer exist by that name—if it exists at all today. Sometimes, oldtimers remember where a certain canada used to be or what name a current road popularly had in the past. As a result, a canada can be a nameless footpath but today it could also be a back alley or a minor road in a town.
Cara...@aol.com
We have a canada running through our property on Pico. It's a footpath running from the rua up the side of the hill to allow access to the various terraces which are land-locked. Canadas started as footpaths, whether providing access to terraces above, cutting through a woods, or leading to someone’s house from one of the “caminhos,” which were more used roads within and between towns. To identify where someone lived or something was, villagers gave names to many of the canadas. Over time, some of the canadas got widened so a cart could get through and some got gravel put on them. Outside of the established cities such as Ponta Delgada, Angra, Horta, and a few others, most Azorean roads had only popular names the locals used until the second half of the 20th century, when "official" names came into being. Some canadas became newly-named roads that kept the word "canada" in their names, but often these new roads were given names honoring various individuals. Thus, a canada name that appears on an old birth, marriage, or death registration may no longer exist by that name—if it exists at all today. Sometimes, oldtimers remember where a certain canada used to be or what name a current road popularly had in the past. As a result, a canada can be a nameless footpath but today it could also be a back alley or a minor road in a town.
Tomás Leal
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Rosemarie Capodicci
We have a canada running through our property on Pico. It's a footpath running from the rua up the side of the hill to allow access to the various terraces which are land-locked. Canadas started as footpaths, whether providing access to terraces above, cutting through a woods, or leading to someone’s house from one of the “caminhos,” which were more used roads within and between towns. To identify where someone lived or something was, villagers gave names to many of the canadas. Over time, some of the canadas got widened so a cart could get through and some got gravel put on them. Outside of the established cities such as Ponta Delgada, Angra, Horta, and a few others, most Azorean roads had only popular names the locals used until the second half of the 20th century, when "official" names came into being. Some canadas became newly-named roads that kept the word "canada" in their names, but often these new roads were given names honoring various individuals. Thus, a canada name that appears on an old birth, marriage, or death registration may no longer exist by that name—if it exists at all today. Sometimes, oldtimers remember where a certain canada used to be or what name a current road popularly had in the past. As a result, a canada can be a nameless footpath but today it could also be a back alley or a minor road in a town.
Tomás Leal
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George Medeiros
Sent from my iPad
We have a canada running through our property on Pico. It's a footpath running from the rua up the side of the hill to allow access to the various terraces which are land-locked. Canadas started as footpaths, whether providing access to terraces above, cutting through a woods, or leading to someone’s house from one of the “caminhos,” which were more used roads within and between towns. To identify where someone lived or something was, villagers gave names to many of the canadas. Over time, some of the canadas got widened so a cart could get through and some got gravel put on them. Outside of the established cities such as Ponta Delgada, Angra, Horta, and a few others, most Azorean roads had only popular names the locals used until the second half of the 20th century, when "official" names came into being. Some canadas became newly-named roads that kept the word "canada" in their names, but often these new roads were given names honoring various individuals. Thus, a canada name that appears on an old birth, marriage, or death registration may no longer exist by that name—if it exists at all today. Sometimes, oldtimers remember where a certain canada used to be or what name a current road popularly had in the past. As a result, a canada can be a nameless footpath but today it could also be a back alley or a minor road in a town.
Tomás Leal
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linda
I really appreciate your information.
Linda
Steve
In one case, the surname Canada apparently derives from canyon (similar to ravine).
A line with the Bartolomeu surname changed it to Canada during their immigration process to California. As one descendent wrote, “because the father owned land in a canyon (cañada) in the Azores,” referring to Santa Cruz das Flores.
Although cañada is defined as glade/dell or gully/ravine in Spanish, this topographical feature somehow also became a geographic place name in Portugal and France. This is discussed in:
Marshall, A Elliot. 1888. Origin of the Name ‘Canada.’ Pp. 164-173 in A. Marshall Elliot, ed. Modern Language Notes, Vol. III. Baltimore, MD.
Marshall describes the use of canada for path in Portuguese, but discusses the second sense of the Latin word root, relating it to Spanish and Portuguese.
Regarding topographical features and place names, Marshall concludes:
“Again: the extensive use in Spain, as opposed to Portugal, of the word canada or cañada as a geographical designation, would argue in favor of the probable origin of the name on Spanish soil…”
and he notes, in addition:
“But not alone in Spain do we find the word Canada widely used for marking topographical sites. On the map of France, we note seven places of this name scattered throughout as many different Départements, in all of which the same general characteristics exist that we have seen in the Spanish names…”
Steve
Mary Bordi
Kate Allen
Sent from my iPad
Eliseu Pacheco da Silva
Pleaseeee! J
Stop mixing portuguese with spanish. The word CANADA has “nothing” to do with the word or meaning of canyon… just N O T H I N G! Canada is the portuguese word (from the greek) for “narrow path, (sometimes sidded by canas in the Azores”.
JJJJ
Muito Obrigado,
Eliseu Pacheco da Silva
Azores (S. Miguel, Graciosa, Faial); Mainland (Alentejo)
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