Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by ue

I've heard on occasion the 'aboot' phenomenon, but it's always with Southern Ontarians. More commonly, across the provinces, I hear 'aboat'. I even catch myself saying 'aboat' sometimes. It usually isn't very blunt, but it is there if you listen for it. A lot of people alternate between proper pronunciation and 'aboat.'

There's no such thing as a 'proper pronunciation'. Every dialect of English has a different way of saying every word. The only way to say one pronunciation is 'correct' is by trying to argue that some dialects are more correct than other dialects, which is impossible to logically justify using lingustic evidence.

Whatever you say in your dialect is correct for your dialect. And when you get down to it, every human essentially has their own personal dialect once you get finely distinctive enough. There's no 'proper' and 'improper'.

[1overcosc]

"aboat" (ə'boʊt) is actually the most common Canadian prounciation of about.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

So, no one has any commentary on my "aboot" video?

Well, I'm not qualified at all to comment on those things. No idea how you guys are supposed to pronounce "about", but I do know that I have no memory of ever hearing it pronounced in a nonstandard way (i.e. enough to make me notice).

[ue]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

There's no such thing as a 'proper pronunciation'. Every dialect of English has a different way of saying every word. The only way to say one pronunciation is 'correct' is by trying to argue that some dialects are more correct than other dialects, which is impossible to logically justify using lingustic evidence.

Whatever you say in your dialect is correct for your dialect. And when you get down to it, every human essentially has their own personal dialect once you get finely distinctive enough. There's no 'proper' and 'improper'.

You know what I mean...

[lio45]

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

There's no such thing as a 'proper pronunciation'. Every dialect of English has a different way of saying every word. The only way to say one pronunciation is 'correct' is by trying to argue that some dialects are more correct than other dialects, which is impossible to logically justify using lingustic evidence.

Whatever you say in your dialect is correct for your dialect. And when you get down to it, every human essentially has their own personal dialect once you get finely distinctive enough. There's no 'proper' and 'improper'.

More or less agree.

There's a continuum of dialects from Paris to Italy that go from French to Italian through Provençal... Same thing going southwest, the local patois (which has been disappearing alarmingly fast for a few generations now, but it's all in the records anyway, even if in practice only a few old folks still speak it) is a continuum from northern French to Occitan to Catalan to Castillan.

(I'm not familiar with Portuguese, but I'm sure an analysis of local dialects would also show a continuum going west in Iberia.)

So, yes, I'd say it's fully possible to draw a line somewhere and define "proper" French as the variant of the langue d'oïl spoken in Île-de-France, including the accent.

You have to draw a line somewhere, otherwise you end up with French and Spanish and Italian (and Provençal and Occitan and Catalan) all being "correct" versions of the exact same language. So, well, you can pick where you set that line...

[kool maudit]

everyone denies "aboot" (or whatever) because it's unprestigious. it's a prole sign.

[kool maudit]

"proper french" is metropolitan french, which means it's parisian french. the metropolis gets to dictate the language. it's one of the benefits.

[1overcosc]

Originally Posted by ue

You know what I mean...

Sorry... this very specific issue is one of the very few things in life that I actually get worked up over... I'm just a weird person

[SignalHillHiker]

Ryan has been living here for a few years. Anything stand out as not generic Ontarian in his accent?

The pace and manner of speaking is still very mainlander, and certain words (for example, "talking") are jarringly, "Oh, you're not from here are ya, love?".

But other things, like "There's", sound almost local to me.

• Video Link

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by kool maudit

everyone denies "aboot" (or whatever) because it's unprestigious. it's a prole sign.

I deny both "aboot" and "aboat". The furthest I'll go is that Canadians pronounce "about" differently from Americans, who pronounce it "abahwt", or something like that. The issue is theirs, not ours.

Edit: The dipthong in the Canadian "about" rhymes with "stout" and if anyone says Canadians say "stoot" or "stoat", I will be shocked.

[Architype]

I would tend to go with the British pronunciation of "about" - whatever that is.

[Mister F]

If anyone says aboat, it's the Scottish.

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I deny both "aboot" and "aboat". The furthest I'll go is that Canadians pronounce "about" differently from Americans, who pronounce it "abahwt", or something like that. The issue is theirs, not ours.

Edit: The dipthong in the Canadian "about" rhymes with "stout" and if anyone says Canadians say "stoot" or "stoat", I will be shocked.

Agreed, we don't say "aboat" or "aboot" or "abowt". It's about, simple as that. Four very distinct vowel sounds. Maybe some forumers really can't hear the difference?

A "boat" is a water vessel. A "bout" is a boxing match. It's night and day to me.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I deny both "aboot" and "aboat". The furthest I'll go is that Canadians pronounce "about" differently from Americans, who pronounce it "abahwt", or something like that. The issue is theirs, not ours.

Edit: The dipthong in the Canadian "about" rhymes with "stout" and if anyone says Canadians say "stoot" or "stoat", I will be shocked.

it sounds different from both americans and english people, but similar to scots.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Mister F

If anyone says aboat, it's the Scottish.



Agreed, we don't say "aboat" or "aboot" or "abowt". It's about, simple as that. Four very distinct vowel sounds. Maybe some forumers really can't hear the difference?

A "boat" is a water vessel. A "bout" is a boxing match. It's night and day to me.

Now that's interesting - I would have said that "about" and "a bout" sound the same.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Ryan has been living here for a few years. Anything stand out as not generic Ontarian in his accent?

The pace and manner of speaking is still very mainlander, and certain words (for example, "talking") are jarringly, "Oh, you're not from here are ya, love?".

But other things, like "There's", sound almost local to me.

• Video Link

Sounds pretty standard to me, except for the way he slurred the word "there" to sound like "thurr". Just a bit lazy to my ear.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I deny both "aboot" and "aboat". The furthest I'll go is that Canadians pronounce "about" differently from Americans, who pronounce it "abahwt", or something like that. The issue is theirs, not ours.

Edit: The dipthong in the Canadian "about" rhymes with "stout" and if anyone says Canadians say "stoot" or "stoat", I will be shocked.

... Out of curiosity, are you saying there's supposed to be an audible difference between "stout" and "stahwt"? I don't hear it (and have always been brought the right beer -- when it comes to beer, it's usually stout for me. So it seems my pronounciation isn't an issue).

(Which is probably why I also have been insensitive to the difference between "about" and "abahwt".)

[Pinion]

Kate Bierness (from Port Perry, Ontario) on TSN Sportscentre is a good example of a stereotypical Canadian who says aboat. The way she says "so" also stands out for me. Seems like a rural trait.

I couldn't find Kate saying aboat but I found someone interviewing her say it at "aboat" 1:29 on this

• Video Link

[Architype]

Originally Posted by lio45

... Out of curiosity, are you saying there's supposed to be an audible difference between "stout" and "stahwt"? I don't hear it (and have always been brought the right beer -- when it comes to beer, it's usually stout for me. So it seems my pronounciation isn't an issue).

(Which is probably why I also have been insensitive to the difference between "about" and "abahwt".)

Having grown up in the former foreign entity of Newfoundland, I can clearly hear the Canadian "aboot", but everyone doesn't have it - it startles me though when I do hear it. We don't actually have enough nuanced vowels in the English language to spell it properly.

[Mister F]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Now that's interesting - I would have said that "about" and "a bout" sound the same.

Do throat and moat sound the same to you as spout and doubt? Some people say them the same way sure, but it's hardly typical.

[Architype]

This documentary explains a lot aboout Candian English, eh?

• Video Link