Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by Architype

Yes, in Nfld. we used the British term "biscuits", but somewhat interchangeably with "crackers" which I guess is an American term along with "cookie". In the UK biscuits are what Americans call "cookies". In the US, biscuits are a soft bready roll scone thing often covered with white gravy (i.e. KFC "biscuits").

A friend reminded me yesterday that the brand of soda crackers we had at home when I was young, McCormicks, were labelled as "soda biscuits", so I guess I came by the usage for that reason. My understanding is the Brits nowadays make a distinction between "biscuits" (eg. Oreos or Digestives) and "cookies" (big soft things that are seen as U.S.-style).

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

In the mid 80's I dated a girl from a small farming area between London and Chatham, Ontario and the local newspaper etc referred to married women as Mrs. John Smith etc...I found it so bizarre and had never heard of it before.

As well, at weddings in the area at about midnight they brought out more food which was mainly finger foods and desserts and it was referred to as 'lunch'.

That's still standard at weddings, but I've only ever heard it called "midnight buffet". It varies a lot, one cousin's wedding it was pizza from the local place down the street, my other cousin in the same family it was a whole nother meal with lobsters, other seafood, and pulled pork - the other half of that wedding was Portuguese pig farmers, hence the seafood and pork. The Portuguese are very big on the late night food I hear.

I thought about it, and I don't think I use the term biscuits at all. Cookies for sweet things, crackers for savoury. And I probably use the brand name "Premium Plus crackers" before I would say "saltine". And Ritz only refers to Ritz (the best cracker IMO).

[Architype]

In NL, perhaps other places too, people often had "lunch" as a late night snack before bedtime. A (usually) late night traditional type cooked meal for a party gathering was called a "scoff".

[Sarah89]

There was twitter video posted of some MP I think from Orilla? speaking in the house of commons against some Ford government hospital cuts. This guy had to have the worst version of the Canadian accent I've ever heard. No he didn't just say ''aboat''! he went all the way up to what sounded exactly like ''aboo-ohot''.

His speech sounded slow, garbled and he damn near sounded mentally challenged. I found the video by accident (literally just played when I was browsing) but I will try to find it again. This is why I hate having a Canadian Accent so much because I fear I will step into sounding like this version. I don't want to sound mentally challenged.

[MonkeyRonin]

That must have been really traumatizing for you.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

There was twitter video posted of some MP I think from Orilla? speaking in the house of commons against some Ford government hospital cuts. This guy had to have the worst version of the Canadian accent I've ever heard. No he didn't just say ''aboat''! he went all the way up to what sounded exactly like ''aboo-ohot''.

His speech sounded slow, garbled and he damn near sounded mentally challenged. I found the video by accident (literally just played when I was browsing) but I will try to find it again. This is why I hate having a Canadian Accent so much because I fear I will step into sounding like this version. I don't want to sound mentally challenged.

I don't think it would be the MPP for the Orillia area because that area votes Conservative.

[Sarah89]

Originally Posted by Loco101

I don't think it would be the MPP for the Orillia area because that area votes Conservative.

See this is what I was thinking. I know smaller cities like that are conservative. I just can't remember what city this guy was representing. But it definitely was one of the smaller ones.

[Acajack]

Would an MP in the House of Commons be complaining about the Ford government, anyway?

It's possible I guess, but pretty unlikely.

[SignalHillHiker]

I had a similar experience today, Sarah. There’s this Valley Girl-esque screeching thing going up at the end of sentences that a lot of middle-aged, VERY rural women here do and it is just... nails on chalkboard. I had to film a sample to send a buddy who hates it even more than I do. He still tells the story of going into a rural supermarket for a cake, asking missus if they had any butterscotch, and her screeching “whAT? butterscoTCH!?” so loud people turned to stare and he blushed lol

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[kwoldtimer]

Weirdest upspeak I’ve ever heard.

[Architype]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

There was twitter video posted of some MP I think from Orilla? speaking in the house of commons against some Ford government hospital cuts. This guy had to have the worst version of the Canadian accent I've ever heard. No he didn't just say ''aboat''! he went all the way up to what sounded exactly like ''aboo-ohot''.

His speech sounded slow, garbled and he damn near sounded mentally challenged. I found the video by accident (literally just played when I was browsing) but I will try to find it again. This is why I hate having a Canadian Accent so much because I fear I will step into sounding like this version. I don't want to sound mentally challenged.

Where did you grow up, and what sounds normal to you?

[Architype]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I had a similar experience today, Sarah. There’s this Valley Girl-esque screeching thing going up at the end of sentences that a lot of middle-aged, VERY rural women here do and it is just... nails on chalkboard. I had to film a sample to send a buddy who hates it even more than I do. He still tells the story of going into a rural supermarket for a cake, asking missus if they had any butterscotch, and her screeching “whAT? butterscoTCH!?” so loud people turned to stare and he blushed lol

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It's the Nfld sing-song accent. It's like a tonal diphthong, where the words have a sudden and abrupt change in tone mid-word, up or down from one note to another. I think it's more rural than SJs, isn't it?

[SignalHillHiker]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Four new cases in NB today (three in the Miramichi and one in Fredericton).



Unless the ass come out of her over the weekend, the entire province will revert to the Yellow Phase on Sunday night.

Stolen from another thread just to say do people actually say it that way, Moncton?

"The ass come out of her"?

Here it's "the arse comes out of her". No one here would ever say ass in that phrase, even if they never say arse otherwise.

[MonctonRad]

Ass, arse - c'est le meme chose.

On the mainland, Ass is more proper. Growing up on PEI, arse would be more common.

I've lived so long on the mainland that I've become assimilated. I no longer say slippy. It's slippery now.

[SignalHillHiker]

You know how some people's accent comes through when they're singing, and others don't?

Very few Newfoundland singers have especially strong accents when singing, but Fine Crowd surely does.

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And, the opposite end of the spectrum. YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME that Dick Nolan isn't just Johnny Cash (who hunted here frequently) pretending to be a Newfoundlander. He sounds American when singing...

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Even this guy, whose parents were born and raised in Ireland, barely has an accent singing:

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(If you belly laugh at the post-"we all must face" slideshow, we should be friends, add me on FB lol)

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

This is why I hate having a Canadian Accent so much because I fear I will step into sounding like this version. I don't want to sound mentally challenged.

Would you care to tell us which accents don't appear to you as being someone who is 'mentally challenged'.

To me, most Canadian accents are quite mild compared to UK, Australian, and southern US and boston and fargo type US accents.

I only notice my accent when amongst native english speakers from the UK here in Canada. My wife says she still hears faint tinges of my UK accent on certain words and expressions I use that she reminds me that native born Canadians don't tend to use.

We should be proud of the accent we have or the hybrid of accents we have.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

Ass, arse - c'est le meme chose.

On the mainland, Ass is more proper. Growing up on PEI, arse would be more common.

I've lived so long on the mainland that I've become assimilated. I no longer say slippy. It's slippery now.

While not nearly as common as "ass", I have found in my life that "arse" is heard in both the Maritimes and Ontario.

It's probably less common than it used to be most anywhere, though my guess is it persists more in rural areas than in the cities, and in the Maritimes more than Ontario.

Its continued existence in Canada is IMO a sign of residual Britishness, as AFAIK it's virtually unheard of in the US as soon as you cross the border.

[urbandreamer]

I was listening to my grandmother speak (I came across her book readings from the 1970s online) for the first time in years and it dawned on me: she sounds like the Queen! Her father was upper class English, Anglo Quebec mother. Educated in Paris. People say I have an English accent, although living in KW region I picked up using "eh" a lot ugh.

[Sarah89]

Originally Posted by Proof Sheet

Would you care to tell us which accents don't appear to you as being someone who is 'mentally challenged'.

To me, most Canadian accents are quite mild compared to UK, Australian, and southern US and boston and fargo type US accents.

I only notice my accent when amongst native english speakers from the UK here in Canada. My wife says she still hears faint tinges of my UK accent on certain words and expressions I use that she reminds me that native born Canadians don't tend to use.

We should be proud of the accent we have or the hybrid of accents we have.

Turn on TSN. ..

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by Sarah89

Turn on TSN. ..

And????some context please. I gather you don't want to be perceived as speaking like a rube.