Newfie

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Image:Carlb-fogo-newfoundland-ducks-2002.jpg "Newfie" is a colloquial term used in Canada for one who is from Newfoundland. It was first recorded in 1942, in a dictionary of slang; at the time, "Newfie" was used to refer either to Newfoundland itself, or to the Newfoundlanders (who were also "Newfiers").

The term Newfie has been applied to the Newfoundland people (properly addressed as Newfoundlanders). It also can refer to items of Newfoundland origin such as the "Newfie Bullet" (a nickname created by American military personnel serving at bases in Newfoundland during the Second World War for a former, notoriously slow passenger train named the Caribou which ran from Port-aux-Basques to St John's), "Newfie screech" (brand of Newfoundland rum) or even a large furry affectionate Newfoundland dog (Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province to have provided the names of two dogs).

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Ethnic jokes

The "Newf" or "Newfie" terms are considered derogatory by many Newfoundlanders owing to their use in "Newfie jokes", typical Canadian ethnic jokes told and retold since the days of the bankruptcy of the Dominion of Newfoundland government during the Great Depression. The jokes almost always insult the Newfoundlanders' intelligence, and as a result many from Newfoundland and Labrador find the word and the jokes offensive.

Most jokes were originally created (in nearly identical form) to insult the intelligence of other groups such as the Irish, Polish or Belgians.

Occasionally, Canadian place names are substituted into these old jokes.

"Newfie", however, is sometimes considered far less derogatory than "Newf", which is more associated with the insult "Dumb Newf" and, thus, is very rarely used by Newfoundlanders themselves. Many Newfoundlanders, and even others with some "Newfie" in them, proudly refer to themselves as "Newfies".

The use of the term has become a means of racially offensive description of individuals, not normally a resident of Newfoundland, in a derogatory context. The March 2006 disciplining of an Edmonton police office that had used the word Newphie to describe the apprehension of an individual under the Canada Mental Health Act highlights the extent of racial discrimination associated with the word Newfie, and not the endearing term it is meant to portray. <ref>Edmonton Sun article reference</ref>

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