Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada - Page 78

HillStreetBlues · #**1541** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 2:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

But Acajack, it IS Kwuh-bec! I'd agree about Kwee-bec, but I've only ever heard that pronunciation used in a mocking fashion.

I think it's Kuh-BEK.

I know people, mostly from rural Ontario, who pronounce it Kwee-bek without any irony. (I also know people who pronounce "Italian" with a long "i".)

I pronounce Newfoundland the same way kwoldtimer does: "NYEW-fun-land." I like MonkeyRonin's "NewFinland" idea, and do hear something like that around here often.

Acajack · #**1542** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 2:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

But Acajack, it IS Kwuh-bec! .

I don't feel strongly about it, and this isn't the killer argument, but...

The word Quebec comes from an aboriginal word that was pronounced somewhere in between kuh-bec and kay-bec.

No W sound in there at all!

kwoldtimer · #**1543** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 3:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

I don't feel strongly about it, and this isn't the killer argument, but...

The word Quebec comes from an aboriginal word that was pronounced somewhere in between kuh-bec and kay-bec.

No W sound in there at all!

True, but then you'd need to change the spelling of the word in English. Maybe it should be Quaibec!

RWin · #**1544** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 3:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Many Brits also say "Canada" in a way that sounds almost like "Canader".

To my ears, most of them say America.

kwoldtimer · #**1545** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 3:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWin

To my ears, most of them say America.

True, which makes "Canader" even weirder.

RWin · #**1546** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 4:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

True, which makes "Canader" even weirder.

Delete - never mind, already been discussed.

lio45 · #**1547** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 4:29 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

But Acajack, it IS Kwuh-bec!

Acajack, that's got to settle it then. Anything that an older Anglo gentleman like him deems to be proper English can't possibly be considered cringeworthy.

Plus, the logic is sound.

Aboriginal word makes its way into French (which then becomes the language of the place). It gets spelled in French in a way that matches the way the Aboriginals pronounce it. It becomes the name of the place.

The English come. The place has already had a name (and one and only spelling) for a long time. They start pronouncing that name the logical way to them considering the spelling. And things stay like that.

Acajack · #**1548** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 4:52 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

Acajack, that's got to settle it then. Anything that an older Anglo gentleman like him deems to be proper English can't possibly be considered cringeworthy.

Plus, the logic is sound.

Aboriginal word makes its way into French (which then becomes the language of the place). It gets spelled in French in a way that matches the way the Aboriginals pronounce it. It becomes the name of the place.

The English come. The place has already had a name (and one and only spelling) for a long time. They start pronouncing that name the logical way to them considering the spelling. And things stay like that.

Tu me fais rire!

lio45 · #**1549** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 5:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

Tu me fais rire!

T'es pas d'accord avec mon raisonnement?

Les Polonais peuvent bien décider de prononcer "Québec" comme ils veulent... l'orthographe est déjà fixée. À mon avis, l'orthographe peut primer sur le son s'il y a incompatibilité entre les deux (comme en anglais, par exemple) et c'est correct.

D'ailleurs, on fait pareil. On prononce Saskatchewan comme les Cowboys Fringants alors que les gens là-bas en font un mot d'une syllable et demie

Mais on ne va pas changer notre façon de faire pour eux, right?

Acajack · #**1550** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 5:09 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

T'es pas d'accord avec mon raisonnement?

Oh, je suis tout à fait d'accord!

kwoldtimer · #**1551** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 10:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

Acajack, that's got to settle it then. Anything that an older Anglo gentleman like him deems to be proper English can't possibly be considered cringeworthy.

Plus, the logic is sound.
Aboriginal word makes its way into French (which then becomes the language of the place). It gets spelled in French in a way that matches the way the Aboriginals pronounce it. It becomes the name of the place.

The English come. The place has already had a name (and one and only spelling) for a long time. They start pronouncing that name the logical way to them considering the spelling. And things stay like that.

Finally, someone who truly understands me!

biguc · #**1552** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 11:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

The English. They start pronouncing the logical way considering the spelling.

Right.

rousseau · #**1553** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 11:37 PM**

I say something between kuhbeck and kehbeck, but never kaybeck. That last one doesn't sound natural to me by force of convention. Kwuhbeck sounds fine to my ears, too.

I think there might be grounds to pooh-pooh the pronunciation of "Quebec" in English Canada when people in Quebec pronounce place names in the rest of Canada properly. Tongue in cheek, there. Still, though, if "Toronto" gets called Toh-roh-ntoh, i.e. with all three vowels sounding exactly the same and with even stress on all three syllables, then people really can't complain at the equal opportunity butchering going the other way.

Save for "croissant." I will not abide craw-sant. It makes my skin crawl.

rousseau · #**1554** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 11:43 PM**

Today I heard "vermicelli" pronounced verm-i-selly in a Vietnamese restaurant. It seems to me I've heard it before, though I don't know if it's universal among Vietnamese-Canadians (or indeed if that's how they say it in Vietnam).

It turns into a game of tennis when ordering, with me using the proper pronunciation and the server using the wrong one. Same with bruschetta pronounced as brushetta instead of brusketta (though we've been through this on this forum before).

If it wasn't for this online forum I might be tempted to correct people in real life. Imagine how boorishly and arrogantly I might come off. Or, off of which I might come.

Thank Buddha for this forum. And for anonymity, too.

esquire · #**1555** Posted **Feb 25, 2015, 11:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rousseau

Today I heard "vermicelli" pronounced verm-i-selly in a Vietnamese restaurant. It seems to me I've heard it before, though I don't know if it's universal among Vietnamese-Canadians (or indeed if that's how they say it in Vietnam).

Pro tip: Always order Vietnamese food using the numbers in the menu!

kwoldtimer · #**1556** Posted **Feb 26, 2015, 12:46 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rousseau

Today I heard "vermicelli" pronounced verm-i-selly in a Vietnamese restaurant. It seems to me I've heard it before, though I don't know if it's universal among Vietnamese-Canadians (or indeed if that's how they say it in Vietnam).

It turns into a game of tennis when ordering, with me using the proper pronunciation and the server using the wrong one. Same with bruschetta pronounced as brushetta instead of brusketta (though we've been through this on this forum before).

If it wasn't for this online forum I might be tempted to correct people in real life. Imagine how boorishly and arrogantly I might come off. Or, off of which I might come.

Thank Buddha for this forum. And for anonymity, too.

I wonder what the vermiselly/brushetta people would do with gnocchi? I imagine they don't much care as long as they can finish their meal with an "expresso".

SignalHillHiker · #**1557** Posted **Feb 26, 2015, 12:50 AM**

I've never had to say vermicelli out loud (though I did have Vietnamese just the other day!). Bruschetta I say without the hard C. It's normal in English now.

Gnocchi is like n'yoke-ie. But it's a western thing, to me. I only learned about it on the prairies. Like perogies.

Espresso is always with an S.

kwoldtimer · #**1558** Posted **Feb 26, 2015, 12:58 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I've never had to say vermicelli out loud (though I did have Vietnamese just the other day!). Bruschetta I say without the hard C. It's normal in English now.

Gnocchi is like n'yoke-ie. But it's a western thing, to me. I only learned about it on the prairies. Like perogies.

Espresso is always with an S.

edit

rousseau · #**1559** Posted **Feb 26, 2015, 1:08 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I wonder what the vermiselly/brushetta people would do (to) with gnocchi? I imagine they don't much care as long as they can finish their meal with an "expresso".

One irony of our coffee-obsessed age is the penchant for exuberantly complex and/or "traditional" processes for serving up and drinking expresso.

Acajack · #**1560** Posted **Feb 26, 2015, 3:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by rousseau

Today I heard "vermicelli" pronounced verm-i-selly in a Vietnamese restaurant. It seems to me I've heard it before, though I don't know if it's universal among Vietnamese-Canadians (or indeed if that's how they say it in Vietnam).

It turns into a game of tennis when ordering, with me using the proper pronunciation and the server using the wrong one. Same with bruschetta pronounced as brushetta instead of brusketta (though we've been through this on this forum before).

If it wasn't for this online forum I might be tempted to correct people in real life. Imagine how boorishly and arrogantly I might come off. Or, off of which I might come.

Thank Buddha for this forum. And for anonymity, too.

Arrrrgh! I think I am the one who brought up bruschetta on here.

I don't care that much if they say it wrong, but geez don't correct me when I am saying it right and I am the client!