Americans vs. Canadians

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My great uncle was an early elected member of the CCF in Saskatchewan. It's something I'm proud of. As for the Canada/US thing....I have American cousins whom I love dearly, but I cannot talk politics with them. They watch FOX news and love it! And my daughter will likely be marrying an American (gun-toting law enforcement type) in the new year. Again, he's not one I would talk gun legislation with or politics. All good people. But very different in world view than I am.
 
My aunt said my great grandfather wasn't paid and played for the love of the game. I can't see that side of my family looking down on anyone poorer for wanting to play - I don't know if he was wealthy or not. I don't think so. I don't come from aristocracy. Regular middle class, I'd guess.
 
The only way this Aussie can tell the difference between a Canadian and an American accent is Canadians say (to Aussie ears) "aboot". Otherwise, we can't tell........ When I'm in both Canada and America I'm often mistaken for either English or South African - but the closest accent to the Aussie is the Kiwis. (except the Kiwis don't know how to pronounce "sex"!) ;)
 
In my first 21 years Winnipeg, I often felt as if I was one of those unique individuals with no noticeable accent. It took merciless teasing by my American friends to enlighten me. They insisted that I always said "aboot," and "eh" and mockingly imitated that jargon! I would have denied their charge of my "aboot" fetish, but I guess I was tone deaf to my own speech!
 
PilgrimsProgress said:
The only way this Aussie can tell the difference between a Canadian and an American accent is Canadians say (to Aussie ears) "aboot". Otherwise, we can't tell........ When I'm in both Canada and America I'm often mistaken for either English or South African - but the closest accent to the Aussie is the Kiwis. (except the Kiwis don't know how to pronounce "sex"!) ;)
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If you can't say sex are you non-sected?:LOL: bee' happy and buzzed over the hazing by Hur knowing how to raise cane or the rod of mu-sis ... that'd be mire-I'm ... a mollified state?

That's the dirt as it is just lying there ...
 
I've never understood how it is Americans (and Aussies too I guess) hear "aboot"! I really don't hear any Canadians saying aboot. If we say it like "aboot" then how do British people sound to Americans when they say about? To me, it sounds like it's pronounced, by Canadians, like "abowt" - as it should be! out, as in outside, not boot as in bootleg. Americans say it like "abayowt" (or "a buy-out" lol!), or a "a-bah-ot" or "a bat", depending on where from - I suppose in some Canadian accents I've heard it sound slightly more like "a boat" but never "a boot"!
 
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The problem with accents is that you never hear your own (unless you listen to recordings of your voice a lot and perhaps not even then since it is what you are used to). My Scottish friends used to joke that it was us Canucks who had an accent (theirs was pretty mild, though, compared to the Scots who went to my church. Lowland vs. Highland, IIRC).
 
Mendalla said:
The problem with accents is that you never hear your own (unless you listen to recordings of your voice a lot and perhaps not even then since it is what you are used to).
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This summer while I was back in St. Anthony, NL I had the chance to make the acquaintance of their current Minister who is from Sri Lanka.

While out for a drive I picked up a hitch-hiking member of the St. Anthony United Congregation and we began to chat. I mentioned that I had not seen him at Church while I was attending and then he responded by saying, "I can'ts understands a word e says. I wishes e spoke plain hinglish like I does la?"

Which required me to pull over to the side of the road until I stopped laughing.
 
Graeme Decarie said:
Oh, goodness, no. Prime minister King was a religious person - but in a very, very nutty. I don't know of any Canadian prime minister who was a model of Christianity. And, certainly, the views of religion have never been much of a force in Canadian politics.

The CCF party owed much to church influence. Perhaps the most important of its founders was Rev. J.S.Woodworth, a Methodist.

The part about Douglas having Communist ties was invented by the Canadian government. We were a police state even then, and Douglas had a thick file (with nothing really in it) that was kept by the RCMP.

What communist party there was in Canada was largely Jewish. They were a very gentle lot who really wanted a better Canada. Not until after the death of Stalin did they realize was Stalin was about. And almost all of them instantly quit the party.
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I wondered where Mystic got the idea that Tommy Douglas was associated with the Communist party. I do know that some people consider all socialists, and even all people who lean slightly to the left, to be communists and communists the most terrible thing that could be. I personally are more worried by some rather fascist ideas I'm hearing, particularly from the US.
 
I say about - rhyming with 'out' - as in 'out and about'.

I say 'aunt' rhyming with 'taunt', and not 'ant' an insect.

I say harassment, not harisment. I don't haris people, but I might sometimes harass them.

And khaki starts the same as 'car' - car-key.
 
My husband, from the Ottawa Valley, says certain words like my Dad used to ... also from the Ottawa Valley. Marilyn is always pronounced Mar(like car)ilyn. He also puts an h sound at the beginning of the letter h, so it is h ay ch. I know a few people that called a watch a warch. And I say 'crik' instead of 'creek'. Aren't we interesting?
 
Mendalla said:
The problem with accents is that you never hear your own (unless you listen to recordings of your voice a lot and perhaps not even then since it is what you are used to). My Scottish friends used to joke that it was us Canucks who had an accent (theirs was pretty mild, though, compared to the Scots who went to my church. Lowland vs. Highland, IIRC).
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So very true........
I lived in the U.K. for two years and I'll never forget hearing the Aussie accent "anew' when I first returned home.
What did I think?
"What a strange accent - in a word comical."

Now it just sounds "normal".........
 
Seeler said:
I say about - rhyming with 'out' - as in 'out and about'.

I say 'aunt' rhyming with 'taunt', and not 'ant' an insect.

I say harassment, not harisment. I don't haris people, but I might sometimes harass them.

And khaki starts the same as 'car' - car-key.
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I say ant. I think "ont" is an eastern accent. Khaki is ka-ki, not car-key. I've never heard that! Harass is the same. Out and about is the same - unless you say it like "boat" not "bowt".
 
Nancy said:
My husband, from the Ottawa Valley, says certain words like my Dad used to ... also from the Ottawa Valley. Marilyn is always pronounced Mar(like car)ilyn. He also puts an h sound at the beginning of the letter h, so it is h ay ch. I know a few people that called a watch a warch. And I say 'crik' instead of 'creek'. Aren't we interesting?
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I've never heard anyone say crik, that I can recall! We wouldn't know these things about (abowt ;) ) each other in print! A relative of mine named Marilyn would quickly correct you (or your husband)!

Actually, an ex boyfriend got mad at me years ago because his mom's name was Marlene, pronounced Marleen, and I brought up Marlene Dietrich, pronounced Marlaina, and he wasn't having any of it. She's Marlene (Marleen) has always been Marlene and that's that. I was just having fun but he got inordinately annoyed. It must've come up before.
 
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Pr. Jae said:
I say about (rhymes with out), ant, harASSment, and kakee.
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Me too. I also say "rewf" rhyming with goof not "rouf" rhyming with "woof" like a dog barking, or not like oeuf, as in the French word for egg. I say route like root, not like out (which I pronounce owt). But I say out faster and sharper than owl, maybe that's why it sounds like oot, to Americans.
 
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As well as accents, some people have words who use can suggest geographic origin. My mother, from the rural highlands of Scotland was United Church, but only because it was closer than the Presbyterian ones. She had very severe view about our place in the world. As a result, she was quite upset when I decided to go to university. She said I was trying to"....rise above my station."

But that was better than my very early years when she would sing me to sleep with Gaelic work songs like "Hayla, hayla shayla."

Then there are misunderstandings. Once, when I was five and walking down my street, some French kids across the street yelled what sounded like "Decarie". I was flattered at the recognition. Much later, I realized they were shouting the French term for "squarehead".
 
Dayta and data (da-ta, or more like dada) are interchangeable to me - it's whatever sound comes out. I probably subconsciously mimick how others around me pronounce it. Not picky about that one. I don't know...I guess day-ta is more American. (?)
 
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