English Only » Fall Colors / Fall foliage / Indian Summer

For a lot of people this may seem like hairsplitting, but there is actually a difference in how German-speaking folks use the word "Indian Summer" and the way North Americans use it. For those who are interested in the difference, here is the explanation>

When german-speaking people talk of Indian Summer, they think of the colours of the leaves. However, a Canadian or American calls this 'fall colors' or 'fall foliage'.
here are more links for the upcoming "leaf peeper" season>
http://janroncommunications.com/Fall-Colours.html


When North Americans speak of "Indian Summer" they are referring to a weather phenomenon, which is equivalent to our "Altweibersommer" and it refers to the temperatures in autumn, not so much to the colors (they are there usually, but an Indian summer can also happen in November, when the leaves are gone, but the weather is sunny and warm)

http://www.criacc.qc.ca/climat/suivi/indien_e.html

the reason I am posting this? Had a few German people here last year, who were raving about the Indian summer when we were driving through a particularly colourful forest, however the sky was grey, it was cool and the Canadians were very puzzled about what they were talking about...

Oh I guess that is just as odd as what canadians call here "beer steins" as those mugs are next to never made of stone, and stones in beer would be also something very strange. I think odd-ball terms you can find in any country.

Yes, but the Indian Summer is also equivalent to the Chinook in Calgary!

I guess most immigrants in Calgary know that the Chinook is connected to the temperatures and not any colours on trees that are barely existent in the Prairies anyhow.

Here is another one quite interesting:
An Alberta clipper, also known as a Canadian Clipper, is a fast moving low pressure area which generally affects the central provinces of Canada and parts of the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions of the United States[1]. Most clippers occur between December and February, but can also occur occasionally in the month of November. Alberta Clippers take their name from Alberta, Canada, the province from which they appear to descend, and from clipper ships of the 19th century, one of the fastest ships of that time


We are supposed to get snow tonight!!!!!

Best wishes from Calgary

Corina