Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

Yeah, I was going to point out that in all cases, the "Montreal way" also sounded somewhat like uncultured old guy from the boonies, when compared to the (more "International French") alternative.

It's not surprising that it's beginning to cease to be a distinguishing factor between kids from various corners of the province.

There is also a perceived hierarchy in the way the surnames mentioned here are pronounced. My friend Tardif says "tar-dee" is the classy way to say his name.

I've also heard that for "sha-bo", "tal-bo" and "boo-lay".

Not sure about Goupil though...

[Acajack]

The Irish name "Leah(e)y" is often heard as either "lee-hee" or "lay-hee".

In Ireland "lee-hee" seemed predominant and people there have told me that "lay-hee" is an "Amercanism". Their term.





Pour que nos amis ne se sentent pas trop exclus.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Pour que nos amis ne se sentent pas trop exclus.

I was trying to put myself in their shoes, imagining that I'd be witness to Albertans asking each other if they pronounce [bunch of English words] the Calgary way or the Edmonton way, and seeing answers like "oh, the Edmonton way, no doubt, in all cases" I'd feel like I not only can't contribute anything but also don't have the slightest idea of what's what.

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by Acajack

The Irish name "Leah(e)y" is often heard as either "lee-hee" or "lay-hee".

In Ireland "lee-hee" seemed predominant and people there have told me that "lay-hee" is an "Amercanism". Their term.

Aww, that's too bad - it's definitely lay-hee here. In the heaviest local accents, closer to "lie" but never anything resembling "lee-hee".

[Oyster Ditch]

What’s the difference between tabarnac and tabarnouche?

[FrAnKs]

Originally Posted by Oyster Ditch

What’s the difference between tabarnac and tabarnouche?

Tabarnouche is a polite Tabarnak.

It's a way to say the word, without totally saying it....

[lio45]

There's usually one or more mild version(s) per swear word. Câline instead of câlisse, etc.

Anglos do the same. "Gosh darn it", for example. I'm pretty sure all languages feature this (different available levels of swearing).

[Oyster Ditch]

Originally Posted by lio45

There's usually one or more mild version(s) per swear word. Câline instead of câlisse, etc.

Anglos do the same. "Gosh darn it", for example. I'm pretty sure all languages feature this (different available levels of swearing).

Bain hill of beans phoque

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

According to him the Montreal-based national sports media always used to mispronounce the last name of Quebec Nordiques' player Marc Tardif as "tarr-diff".

Ha. He was exactly who came to mind when the subject first came up... he's my main frame of reference and his name was to my recollection (and not surprisingly) always pronounced with the audible 'f' at the end.

[Andy6]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I was thinking that anglos also have different ways of saying the same names.

For example, if I read M(a)cKay, it can rhyme with eye or it can rhyme with hay.

I generally default to "hay" because that's what seems most common in my part of the world.

In Ottawa you have a McKay (MacKay?) Street and also a lake by the same name that were named for a guy who had it rhyme with "eye", but everyone AFAIK makes it rhyme with "hay".

MacKay might be pronounced like "K" now but it would never have been in the past. That's just a concession to the reality of contact with a world that isn't familiar with how the name is correctly pronounced. People didn't typically make their own decisions about how their name was to be spelled or pronounced. If you went to the U.S. (where most of these mistakes originate) and worked at a job for someone who was completely unfamiliar with Scottish names, they might pronounce your name as MacKay (like "K") and you'd gradually get used to it and even embrace it as a symbol of how you were breaking free of the traditions that had held you back in the old country.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Chabot with the final T pronounced is actually the most common way of saying it by far. Maybe upwards of 90% of families say it that way (off the top of my head).

Ottawa Senators player Thomas Chabot... "shah-butt" in French, though in English they often say "shah-bott".

Tardif, either "tarr-dee" or "tarr-diff" is closer to 50-50. It seems to vary regionally. Montreal and points west is more "-diff" and Quebec city and points east might be more "-dee".

Another name like this is Talbot: either "tal-bo" or "tal-butt".

I know people in Timmins with all of those family names.

I've heard Chabot pronounced here all three ways. I've heard francophones say both sha-bow and sha-butt.

Talbot I've heard both but it depends if the person is speaking English or French. Many francophones here (not all) will anglicize their names when speaking in English.

But I've only ever heard Tardif pronounced as "tarr-diff."

There are some other family names that I've heard that are pronounced differently by francophones. Lefebvre and Lévesque come to mind. But sometimes it's an Ontario and Quebec thing and sometimes older pronounciations remain in certain areas.

Lefebvre in Timmins is often "le five"

Lévesque here is usually le-vike

Francophones in Timmins and probably much of Ontario speak a French that was common in Quebec maybe 100 years ago. Very twangy, lots of slang and the Rs are rolled more. Our English here is also behind the times in many ways too.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I was thinking that anglos also have different ways of saying the same names.

For example, if I read M(a)cKay, it can rhyme with eye or it can rhyme with hay.

I generally default to "hay" because that's what seems most common in my part of the world.

In Ottawa you have a McKay (MacKay?) Street and also a lake by the same name that were named for a guy who had it rhyme with "eye", but everyone AFAIK makes it rhyme with "hay".

I have a family member with the last name MacKay and everybody in Timmins says it the North American way. (rhymes with hay)

But in Timmins there was a MacKay Presbyterian church up until a few years ago which had been around since the founding the city and it was always pronounced the old Scottish way. (rhymes with eye)

I don't think I've heard anybody with that name pronounce it the Scottish way this millennium in Canada.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I have a family member with the last name MacKay and everybody in Timmins says it the North American way. (rhymes with hay)

But in Timmins there was a MacKay Presbyterian church up until a few years ago which had been around since the founding the city and it was always pronounced the old Scottish way. (rhymes with eye)

I don't think I've heard anybody with that names pronounce it the Scottish way this millennium in Canada.

Towards the very end of the previous millennium I dated a girl who was 100% Canadian, Ontario born and raised, whose last name was MacKay and she pronounced it "mac-eye". Yes, she found herself correcting people all the time - including me the first time we met.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

In an effort to prevent being an oblivious older person myself (or at the very least, to prevent from becoming even more oblivious than I am now), maybe I should ask this here. I've been hearing more and more "Pock-iston" instead of the more familiar "Pakistan" of the past.

I always took "Pockiston" to just be "Pakistan" with a South Asian accent. But now white folks are saying it that way. Can someone fill me in?

I was surfing the radio dial this morning and on CBC Ottawa they were interviewing this guy talking about "kuun"(?).

Anyway he was obviously brought up in Canada and had a standard Canadian accent, but when he said Pakistan it was "pockistawn".

[SignalHillHiker]

Googled her to make sure I had her surname right. Former Miss NL. Her family pronounces it Mackie.



I wonder if it used to be MacKay?

[kwoldtimer]

Yes, it's from the same family of names.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Lefebvre in Timmins is often "le five"
.

Lefebvre is the French equivalent to Smith. Like Ferraro and Schmidt in Italian and German.

In North America, Lefebvre is the most common way to spell it. It can also be spelled Lefaivre and Lefèvre. The latter is most common in France I think, but I believe you find all three on both sides of the Atlantic.

Lefebvre is the least intuitive of the three in terms of pronouncing it - even for francophones. Though we're all familiar with the name so we know.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Talbot I've heard both but it depends if the person is speaking English or French. Many francophones here (not all) will anglicize their names when speaking in English.

.

Talbot I believe is one of those names that can be a full-fledged British name or a full-fledged French name.

Lambert is also like this.

Sometimes when people meet a person whose name is Walter Talbot or Stephen Lambert who speaks no French, they assume they're from a francophone family or background but that they assimilated at some point. But in some cases these people are 100% of British background going back to the UK.

I've also met people with names like Blanchard and Guerin (we write Guérin in French who are 100% of Irish background.

I doubt this person was of French Canadian background:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Guerin

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Acajack

In North America, Lefebvre is the most common way to spell it. It can also be spelled Lefaivre and Lefèvre. The latter is most common in France I think, but I believe you find all three on both sides of the Atlantic.

I have a French tenant named Lefèvre at the moment. That spelling is a dead giveaway that anyone is an immigrant from overseas. In Quebec the spelling (I want to say "one and only", actually...) is Lefebvre. Very common name, as well.

People of our generation pronounce it Lefevre (let alone your kids) but very old people with thick accents might (i.e. some of them will) pronounce it Lefâiive, another case of how Old Quebecspeak has been preserved in places like Timmins.

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Loco101

Lévesque here is usually le-vike

Same comment as above. Centenarian guy from the boonies in Quebec is likely to pronounce it Lévâiike.