Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada - Page 90

lio45 · #**1781** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:39 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xelebes

I don't know. When you meet up with a Plantegenet in exile, you can ask them.

One was moving around very recently, but not in a state to answer questions unfortunately.

BTW, I always love your etymological input on this forum.

SignalHillHiker · #**1782** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:40 PM**

RE: Lieutenant... checked with my cousin in the army. It's lef.

Sarah89 · #**1783** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I'd say that all Canadian native-English speakers pronounce "sorry" with a long "o". Yours, however, is the "classic" Canadian pronunciation where the "o" seems slightly drawn out. Americans sometimes make fun of us for it. In my case, they identify me when I say "house", but I've never been called out on my "sorry".

Interesting. I wonder if it's because I lived in a relatively small town with little exposure to any "multiculturalism". It was mostly just white canadian born people. I can imagine in Toronto certain canadian words are getting more watered down because of immigration.

I'm sure Americans would find my recording hilarious

lio45 · #**1784** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:42 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

RE: Lieutenant... checked with my cousin in the army. It's lef.

FYI, we all knew that already with the utmost certainty. You just wasted your cousin's time

SignalHillHiker · #**1785** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

FYI, we all knew that already with the utmost certainty. You just wasted your cousin's time

Well I wasn't convinced. "Leff" seems so odd.

Acajack · #**1786** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:47 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

Most Anglos on this planet pronounce it Lieutenant, not Leftenant. .

But all of them are in one country: the U.S. (OK, except for a couple million Canadians.)

But in every single anglophone country in the world other than the U.S., the official way to say it is "lef", and in all of these except Canada, basically everyone says "lef".

Aylmer · #**1787** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:00 PM**

I say it in a similar way as I would in French: "Lyoo-tenant" ("Lyeu-teu-nan" in French).

kwoldtimer · #**1788** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:04 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aylmer

I say it in a similar way as I would in French: "Lyoo-tenant" ("Lyeu-teu-nan" in French).

That is unique, although logical.

Acajack · #**1789** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:06 PM**

When you travel around the anglosphere, you really notice how much the United States is a real linguistic outlier in terms of vocabulary, pronunciation and spelling.

Canada is sort of in-between but is now heavily leaning to most U.S. usages.

But the rest of the anglo world (and even secondary "anglo" countries like India) has a remarkable linguistic uniformity. Most people don't really realize how much that is the case unless they leave this landmass...

lio45 · #**1790** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:10 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

That is unique, although logical.

I find that people like Aylmer, Acajack, myself often find themselves trying to minimize the mangling of French-sourced words when having to pronounce them in English. Generally speaking.

kwoldtimer · #**1791** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

I find that people like Aylmer, Acajack, myself often find themselves trying to minimize the mangling of French-sourced words when having to pronounce them in English. Generally speaking.

Well, they live in a place where English speakers talk about "dossiers" and "subventions", so the rest of us make allowances.

SignalHillHiker · #**1792** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:13 PM**

I used to cringe when anglos in Winnipeg would pronounce words like Lagimodiere in hard English... but, then, I don't even notice when we all say Lemarchant in hard English here.

It seems the inclination is to try to pronounce French-looking words the French way, hence so many anglo Canadians saying Kuh-beck instead of Kwuh-beck. But once a hard English way becomes dominant, you sound ridiculous trying to say it say it right.

kwoldtimer · #**1793** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I used to cringe when anglos in Winnipeg would pronounce words like Lagimodiere in hard English... but, then, I don't even notice when we all say Lemarchant in hard English here.

It seems the inclination is to try to pronounce French-looking words the French way, hence so many anglo Canadians saying Kuh-beck instead of Kwuh-beck. But once a hard English way becomes dominant, you sound ridiculous trying to say it say it right.

I don't see anglicization of French names to be a problem. It's been going on in English for a thousand years, almost.

One of my favourites locally is "Voisin", pronounced VOY-sen.

SignalHillHiker · #**1794** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:18 PM**

My favourite here is Aucoin. It's written and said O'Quinn today.

Not joking.

kwoldtimer · #**1795** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:22 PM**

The local Lavignes are known as "LaVING" here in K-W. Of course many of our old German family names have taken on anglicised pronunciations over the past 200 years as well.

Of course, many non-French names have also been francisized in French Canada.

esquire · #**1796** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:22 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I used to cringe when anglos in Winnipeg would pronounce words like Lagimodiere in hard English... but, then, I don't even notice when we all say Lemarchant in hard English here.

Every now and again you run into an out of towner who says Port-ahhhhj (the French way) instead of Portij (as in Portage Avenue). It sounds strange to my ears and I get the urge to laugh until I realize that they're pronouncing it correctly

Other streets that often get butchered are

Notre Dame (Noder day-m)
Lagimodiere (Ladge-a-mody-hey, or more commonly, just Ladge)

and the worst of all

Des Meurons (Dez Mew Rons)

Acajack · #**1797** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:23 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

I find that people like Aylmer, Acajack, myself often find themselves trying to minimize the mangling of French-sourced words when having to pronounce them in English. Generally speaking.

Some French words just can't come out of my mouth the English way, regardless of which language I am speaking.

SignalHillHiker · #**1798** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:24 PM**

I forgot all about Des Meurons!

I didn't even know what people were saying was originally French until I saw it written by chance once.

Acajack · #**1799** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:25 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

The local Lavignes are known as "LaVING" here in K-W. .

That's actually not too far off from how we generally say it in French.

Anglos in Ottawa tend to say "lah-veeegn(e)" though.

SignalHillHiker · #**1800** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 8:28 PM**

Trying to think of examples like Lemarchant in St. John's that we pronounce completely incorrectly... but no others come to mind. Most of them have been completely brutalized.

Like Cape Spear. Used to be Cap d'espoir. And, before that, Cabo Esperanza. But we just bastardized it to the point the whole meaning of the name is lost.