Research shows Canadians do say many things differently. The Forbidden Fruit. What does this mean? It looks like a … Canadians, like New Englanders, tend to use a slightly different "a" sound, in words like can't, past, dad, etc. I've been in Canada for 11 yrs. Canadian Accent Test. But we do not have an accent. What explains Americans' insistence that Canadians all say "aboot"? Canadian English (CanE, CE, en-CA) is the set of varieties of the English language native to Canada. In Canadian accents, these often become more of an / ɔ / sound, with more of a true “oh” sound, and more lip rounding. wow lol. r/todayilearned: You learn something new every day; what did you learn today? LOL because you do. Canadians tend to say “eh” more often than Americans say “OK” but both groups use both phrases a lot. American accent is the way in which English is pronounced by American English speakers. There are a few varieties of English that turn the "ou" sound into "oo," most notably the one spoken by Scottish Highlanders and Scrooge McDuck, but Canadians don't do it. Thanks! To the average non-Canadian, the pronunciation of “about” as “aboot” is the only Canadianism they know. It's called Canadian Raising and it is very real. Particularly with the vowels. He doesn't, and it's not just him, and it's not just the word "about". In fact, the way we say things can even differ from one province or city to another. As a Canadian I can definitely agree that we say "Eh" just like Americans use the word "Huh". Accent commonly refers to the sound changes, whereas dialect commonly refers to word choice and phrasing. 1 decade ago. It’s called the Canadian raising and involves the pronunciation of a couple of vowels. That’s just how you sound to someone familiar with the American accent. Magilla. Top > Countries > North America > Canada. Although the symbol ʌ is defined as an open-mid back unrounded vowel in the International Phonetic Alphabet, ʌɪ or ʌʊ may signify any raised vowel that contrasts with unraised / a ɪ / or / aʊ /, when the exact quality of the raised vowel is not important in the given context. In most Canadian accents, about sounds a bit like American a-boat (IPA əbʌʊt). These are mostly cultural stereotypes by Americans. before words like about and house). Lv 7. A point of clarification: Canadians do not say aboot. The main difference between American and Canadian accent is that Canadian accent is characterized by the Canadian raising. Standard Canadian English is the greatly homogeneous variety of Canadian English spoken particularly all across central and western Canada, as well as throughout Canada among urban middle-class speakers from English-speaking families, excluding the regional dialects of Atlantic Canadian English.English mostly has a uniform phonology and very little diversity of dialects in Canada … I offer these examples of Canadian … This unique dialect separates Canada from the US, but many Canadians will tell you that they don’t always… In the U.S., aboot [əˈbut], an exaggerated version of the raised pronunciation of about [əˈbʌʊt], is a stereotype of Canadian English. Similarly in the southeast US you will hear y'all rather than you all. Halcyon. Despite the fact that … Canadians trying to get acting jobs in the states have to learn to suppress it! Canadian Dialect & Canadian Accent The two words - dialect & accent - are often used interchangeably, even within the accent/dialect industry. Paul, the father of No Accent revolution. Favorite Answer. Submit interesting and specific facts about something that you just … You'll hear it in "couch" "out" and "house" as well. I'm aboot to go doon to the river and … According to York University linguistics professor James Walker, what our southern neighbours notice is called "Canadian raising," which gives certain words a funny sound — at least to American ears. First of all, despite what some have said here, there is a Canadian accent — or, more precisely, there is a spectrum of Canadian accents, or (if you prefer) a bunch of variations on a common theme. It's funny when you think about it considering that a country like the United States is known for such a wide array of accents like Bostonian, Bronx, … Anonymous. No, it is not a myth at all. 1 decade ago. It often, though not always, sounds a bit closer to "ah" than the general american "aa." This week, Gretchen McCulloch is going to help us understand what it is that makes the Canadian accent sound the way it does. Lv 6. LOLLL. Canadian accents are most definitely different from American, but the differences are in very subtle vowel changes. Answer Save. Canadians born outside of Canada have an accent of where they came from, unless they came to Canada very young. If you are from US and listening to a commentary on a hockey match by a Canadian, you would feel that he said aboot when in reality, he said about. "To American ears, the Canadian pronunciation of about often sounds like aboot," writes Ontario linguistics professor Taylor Roberts, "but this is only an illusion." a wonderful Canandianism...I too thought it to be a myth until I came to live in montreal. I'm sometimes listed as the dialect coach when the only thing I worked on, technically, was the accent. It’s because virtually nobody in Canada says, “aboot”. In this article, we are going to look at the difference between American and Canadian accent. To anyone outside of the two countries, the difference between a Canadian and American accent is non-existent. There are different accents in different areas of the country. American Accent. A point of clarification: Canadians do not say aboot.. Canadian English features something called Canadian Raising, which basically means that the diphthong in “now” is raised before t, s or other voiceless consonants (i.e. :-D That's part of what makes traveling fun - different terms, expressions and accents. I live in NY and Ontario crossing the border daily. I totally agree that Canadians do not say aboot. Trust me you have an accent and you definitely emphasis the OU in "about". before words like about and house).. What does this mean? 8 0. All the best! Now, my accent is mixed I'll say "Aboot" like a Canadian, and then "CAW-fee" like a New Yorker. Gretchen McCulloch from All Things Linguistic explains why Canadians don't say "aboot" and why most Americans think they do. I know American accents probably annoy them or whatever, but still. The reality is that hardly anyone makes or cares about … Then enters Canadian English. Our southern neighbours tend to point out Canadian pronunciation as something that differentiates the two countries (yes, many of them think we actually say ‘aboot’!). As far as the Canadian accent is concerned, they appear to an American ear as more clipped that most Americans sound. Also, whereas the American pronunciation of the "o" in words like god, not, lot, tends to … Relevance . Lv 5. The same accent comes to play when he speaks house as you get to hear something like hoose and not house. 8 January 2018 at 22 h 44 min | Reply. Canada is one of the largest countries in the world but for some reason, when outsiders talk about it, they'll mention a single Canadian accent as if everyone spoke the same. An interesting thing happens, where the words “sorry” and “sari” (an Indian women’s garment) are pronounced differently in Canadian accents (/s ɔ ri/ vs. /s ɑ ri/, whereas they are pronounced exactly the same in American accents (both as /s ɑ ri/). Of course not! I … … Contrary to what you might think, the Canadian accent is a lot more nuanced and complicated than just “eh” and “aboot.” The Canadian dialect has an interesting and complex history that highlights our country’s unique populations and their varied linguistic quirks. Those who were born and raised in the Canadian Prairie and most of Ontario should fair the best in this test as the two of the most defining features of the … The primary reason for Canadians’ hard-to-identify accent is, of course, historical. What’s the difference between the pronunciation of house as in a big house and house as in I housed the visitors? This test asks questions to see if you talk in a way that is unique to Canada. 6 years ago. Update: Society & Culture > Cultures & Groups > Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered. 19 Comments. As far as aboot goes what you are hearing is about with what you might call a Canadian accent. Canadian Raising: Nobody says “Aboot” by Ben Trawick-Smith. Also, Canada is very diverse and it’s hard to find a definite accent - most people actually say “abowt”, not “aboot”. "Aboot" is a less accurate way to type it, it actually sounds more like "aboat". According to the 2016 census, English was the first language of more than 19.4 million Canadians or 58.1% of the total population; the remainder of the population were native speakers of Canadian French (20.8%) or other languages (21.1%). I am Canadian and do not say ‘Aboot’! 1 decade ago. :D. 0 0. How did the Canadian accent become, well, the Canadian accent? You will hear it more than we will. 19 8. Canadians don’t really say “aboot” although many Americans think they do. A larger number, 28 million people, reported using English as their … Do Canadians all use words like "eh" and "aboot" in everyday conversation? The Canadian accent – or accents, since there is a bit of variation across the country (and much more in Newfoundland) and a larger amount across socioeconomic levels – has a few signal features, and they, too, trace partly to the US and partly to Britain. Canadian /aw/ sound is pronounced with the tongue raised higher compared to the American /aw/ … Some people say Canadian accents just sound like Californian accents, so that could be correct depending on the people you are comparing. All Canadian born people have Canadian accents. I moved to Canada ten years ago and still wince and shudder every time when a Canadian-born colleague, a passerby or a TV anchor says 'out`or 'about' or 'trout' or pretty much anything that ends with 'out' - Canadians themselves do not hear … You can't hear the difference because you're used to it. 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