THERE EXISTS TODAY a type of English that is distinctively British. By its side another form, American English, appears. A copious literature testifies to the latter's separate identity and titles are numerous, ranging, for example, from the modest sounding The English Language in America by George Philip Krapp,2 through American English by Albert H. Marckwardt,3 to the more nationalistic The American Language by H. L. Mencken.4 S. J. Baker's book The Australian Language5 and a substantial article by J. A. W. Bennett6 demonstrate the existence of a distinctive kind of English south of the equator. Can another form, namely Canadian English, be legitimately added to this list and, if so, what precisely would the name mean? This question is by no means a new one. A recent Check List of Writings on Canadian English (1867-962) compiled by W. S. Avis of the Royal Military College, Kingston, Ontario, contains I 3 items. This speaks eloquently in support of the fact that the English used in Canada has attracted attention. However, lest this attention be exaggerated, it should be noted that many of the entries on the list are only slight and make no pretence at scholarly depth. Forty-one items are less than three pages in length; only twelve items are ten pages long or longer. Nevertheless, the general opinion of those who have written on the subject seems to be that there is such a thing as Canadian English. Language exists in two forms-spoken and written. Although the two are obviously related, to some extent each goes its own way and follows its own rules. Furthermore, there are social distinctions of usage within both forms. From the highly formal, polite speech at one extreme, we range to the very free idiomatic chat amongst close friends at the other. In the same way, there is a range in written language from the literary to the almost illiterate. The main purpose of this article is to discuss the written language as it exists today in Canada at the literary level.