Great Lakes Cities

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Crawford

But a Western NYer wouldn't sound much different from a stereotypical Canadian. Buffalo doesn't sound much different from Hamilton.

If you were from Rhode Island, or Staten Island, or Alabama, or West Virginia, I bet many could tell.

Depends on who's listening. I could tell a Canadian from a WNY'er pretty easily.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Crawford

But a Western NYer wouldn't sound much different from a stereotypical Canadian. Buffalo doesn't sound much different from Hamilton.

If you were from Rhode Island, or Staten Island, or Alabama, or West Virginia, I bet many could tell.

I think that it's more like Canadians living near the border sound like Western New Yorkers..St Catherines, Niagara Falls, and Welland come to mind. Just like Windsorites, they don't have that typical Ontario inflection. Not sure about Hamilton.
Western New York doesn't sound like typical Canadian at all.

Originally Posted by pj3000

Yeah, I can fully understand not being able to accurately discern a central/western NY accent from one in northern Ohio or Michigan.

But western PA (and PA in general) is an entirely different sound family. It's closer to what you hear in Philly/eastern PA/Maryland with some Appalachian thrown in. The northern half of PA generally sounds rather flat, with the strong, distinctive southern half from Philly and Pittsburgh counteracting any upstate NY tone.

Yes..As I am learning..Discerning accents really are a function of how connected to the much larger region you are plus how much interaction you have. I can tell certain Canadian regional plus some American accents apart I suppose, but someone from New Zealand would have a harder time. Like someone has already highlighted, North Americans can sound all the same when travelling abroad.

[Camelback]

Originally Posted by JManc

Depends on who's listening. I could tell a Canadian from a WNY'er pretty easily.

Once I hear "A-Boot", Canadian bells go off!

[JManc]

Originally Posted by Camelback

Once I hear "A-Boot", Canadian bells go off!

Most of them can't hide it...even in movies portraying American characters. I was a huge X-Files fan and one of the main characters, Cigarette Smoking Man, was played a guy from Toronto who slipped out plenty of 'oots' and 'aboots' over the years. If you ever watched Stargate SG1, you'd think the entire galaxy was inhabited by Space Canadians.

[Razor]

I can totally see the aboot thing. It's not quite "Aboot", but maybe halfway between "About" and "Aboot" perhaps depending.

Maybe I'm generalizing, but the word Missile.

Some Americans would have that drawl when saying it.

Miss-siile

Canadians cut it more short "missill"

Then there's that whole ruff vs rooof thing for "roof"

[Nouvellecosse]

Originally Posted by JManc

Most of them can't hide it...even in movies portraying American characters. I was a huge X-Files fan and one of the main characters, Cigarette Smoking Man, was played a guy from Toronto who slipped out plenty of 'oots' and 'aboots' over the years. If you ever watched Stargate SG1, you'd think the entire galaxy was inhabited by Space Canadians.

That is so interesting! I'm pretty sure I've seen every episode of all three series and I don't recall noticing any Canadian accents, other than maybe Rodney who played it up a bit since it was a Canadian character. Although I suppose that's to be expected since one doesn't tend to notice one's own accent anyway. It just sounds like someone speaking "normally."

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by Razor

I can totally see the aboot thing. It's not quite "Aboot", but maybe halfway between "About" and "Aboot" perhaps depending.

To an american ear, it sounds like "a boat" when your typical Canadian says "about".

We generally don't use the long "o" vowel sound in "ou" words.

[pj3000]

Originally Posted by Razor

Yes..As I am learning..Discerning accents really are a function of how connected to the much larger region you are plus how much interaction you have. I can tell certain Canadian regional plus some American accents apart I suppose, but someone from New Zealand would have a harder time. Like someone has already highlighted, North Americans can sound all the same when travelling abroad.

True, I do think where you are from/grew up and how much interaction with the surrounding region you have really allows for a more critical ear.

I guess, I'm basing my ability to spot glaring differences in accents within my regional sphere on my own experience... though someone from outside may very well hear things quite differently, to the point where certain accents within a larger mega-region tend to sound the same.

Originally Posted by JManc

If you ever watched Stargate SG1, you'd think the entire galaxy was inhabited by Space Canadians.

Space Canadians... you have a cross-border hit on your hands right there.

[Steely Dan]

Originally Posted by pj3000

Space Canadians... you have a cross-border hit on your hands right there.

Same thought.

"Space Canadians" is way too good of a title to go unused.

[Razor]

Originally Posted by Steely Dan

To an american ear, it sounds like "a boat" when your typical Canadian says "about".

We generally don't use the long "o" vowel sound in "ou" words.

Good example, and that sounds about half way too. "ou" can be "oa", but not quite "oo"..I think my own accent is half way between "ow" and "oa" myself, but who knows. That whole "aboot" thing seems a little exaggerated to me.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by JvcNYC

On a much more macro scale, most non native English speakers can't discern such accent subtleties. I'm a native Western New Yorker, but on a trip a few years ago to Morocco we met some local vendors who were less than fond of the U.S. President and then administration. Understanding 100% where they were coming from and hoping to still get a good deal, we told them we were Canadian. Few who are not from North America could tell the difference between an American or Canadian based on an accent.

My kids are born and raised in Canada but are native French speakers living in Quebec.

They can understand and speak English but it's clearly a good second language for them as opposed to almost a co-equal first language for me.

They can't really tell an Anglo-Canadian apart from an American with a fairly neutral accent (think someone from California or Colorado).

Though obviously they'd never confuse Canadians with Americans with what are (for them) more caricatural accents like those in the US South.

They can tell anyone from the British Isles apart from North Americans, but have trouble distinguishing Aussies from Brits.

[JManc]

When I first visited California, I was disappointed everyone there didn't sound like Pauly Shore.

[Buckeye Native 001]

Originally Posted by edale

Michigan and Cleveland (especially east side of Cle) have the same accent to me. My immediate family likes to imitate one of my aunts in metro Detroit because of her thick accent. We were with her once going to my uncle's house, and she warned us that he had a lot of cats-- "Ohh those keeeey-yaaaats. Soh many keeey-yaaatsss..."

Is this unique to Northern Ohio/Michigan? I hear a similar accent (elongated a's) pretty frequently from my family in Columbus and east/northeast of Cincinnati.

And my Kentucky side of the family (despite having been primarily raised in Fort Thomas and Cold Spring) sound like they're all from the South even though they're all a ten minute drive from Downtown Cincinnati

I have an uncle who grew up in Silver Grove and sounds like Kentucky Boomhauer. His dad is damn-near unintelligible.

[Shawn]

Originally Posted by craigs

More than once I've noticed, on my trips back to New England, that it's the women who have the stronger regional accents.

It’s true. My cousins’ accents can make my skin crawl

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Crawford

But a Western NYer wouldn't sound much different from a stereotypical Canadian. Buffalo doesn't sound much different from Hamilton.

what in the actual ****
you could not be more wrong

prime example:
I say 'Mum' and 'Dad'
'about' sometimes comes across sounding as 'aboat'

a WNYer (especially women) would say 'Maaawm' and 'Dyaaad'
about sounds like 'abowwt'

We both say 'Pop' instead of 'soda' though

I've lived on both sides of the border.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Buckeye Native 001

Is this unique to Northern Ohio/Michigan? I hear a similar accent (elongated a's) pretty frequently from my family in Columbus and east/northeast of Cincinnati.

And my Kentucky side of the family (despite having been primarily raised in Fort Thomas and Cold Spring) sound like they're all from the South even though they're all a ten minute drive from Downtown Cincinnati

I have an uncle who grew up in Silver Grove and sounds like Kentucky Boomhauer. His dad is damn-near unintelligible.

the “keee-aaaats” thing is present in st. louis. it may not be as extreme as michigan but its noticeable since i spend a lot of time in the mid-south and kentucky hence it stands out back home.

theres a similar thing with the meremec river serving as a kind of ohio river divide near st. louis (the missouri river doesnt really do that in outstate mo) - however theres probably more st. louis city born older whites that have populated the upper ozarks than cincinnati born in northern kentucky just due to historical populations and state divides i guess. you’ll see boomer or older parents with a northern vowel shift or whatever and their kids have midland accents.

[Razor]

Just curious.How does the Canadian accent come across to others?

Is it jarring, grating, annoying, funny, or pleasant sounding? I know that I like some of the American southern accents like Georgia, as well as some of the U.K .Wales to be more specific. I actually don't mind the New England accent.
I speak very little French, but someone from France once told be that the Quebec brand of French was a very old version..I myself find Quebec French very gutteral vs European French which has a singing quality to it.

And I know..I'm derailing this thread even more.

[Centropolis]

Originally Posted by Razor

Just curious.How does the Canadian accent come across to others?

Is it grating, annoying, funny, or pleasant sounding? I know that I like some of the American southern accents like Georgia, as well as some of the U.K .Wales to be more specific.

to me it sounds 75% american except for certain sounds and words being clipped off shorter. accents within the u.s. have far more variation honestly. and when i say most metropolitan canadians sound 75% “american” i mean straight up walter cronkite standard american.

if the canadian accent were in the u.s. it would be seen as a minor variation. i have an uncle in north mississippi and need a translator through my aunt.

[benp]

Originally Posted by Razor

Just curious.How does the Canadian accent come across to others?

Is it jarring, grating, annoying, funny, or pleasant sounding? I know that I like some of the American southern accents like Georgia, as well as some of the U.K .Wales to be more specific. I actually don't mind the New England accent.
I speak very little French, but someone from France once told be that the Quebec brand of French was a very old version..I myself find Quebec French very gutteral vs European French which has a singing quality to it.

And I know..I'm derailing this thread even more.

I think of someone like Ron MacLean from Hockey Night in Canada as having the most "typical" accent when I think of Canadians, but there is also the accent that French Canadians have when speaking English, like Marty Biron (Yes, I watch a lot of hockey).

And these are smoothed out accents as they are TV personalities.

Now, listen to Amy Bueme in this interview to hear the Buffalo accent.

[Centropolis]

that ron maclean accent sounds “cleaner” in a standard american sense than that buffalo accent to me. but he’s also a media personality so that makes sense.

in u.s. media its interesting (and obvious) how local tv news personalities with local accents usually stay in their home markets - i see this in the south and midwest a lot - while the people with a more standard accent dont stick around long term. my favorite weatherman in stl went to d.c. fairly quickly for instance, and had a very neutral accent.