THE NAME "CANADA”
The origin of the word “Canada” is curious. The Spaniards visited the country prior to the French, and made partial searches for gold and silver. Finding none, they often said among themselves “A can nada” (There is nothing here”). The Indians, who watched closely, learned the sentence and its meaning. After the departure of the Spaniards, the French arrived, and the Indians, who wanted none of their company, and supposed they, also, were Spaniards bent on the same -srrand, were anxious to inform them that their labour was lost by tarrying in that country, and they frequently repeated to them the Spanish sentence “A can nada.” The French, who knew as littlo of Spanish as the Indians, supposed the recurring sound to be the name of the country, and accordingly gave it the name of Canada.
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Bibliographic details
Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 20 August 1934, Page 2
Word Count
139THE NAME "CANADA” Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXVI, 20 August 1934, Page 2
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