Just got back home from my two week holiday in Ontario! Great holiday! But the question arose: do all Canadians speak with this accent or is this a regional thing?

Around Ottawa, when people are talking about their house, it sounds like they're talking "abowt their howse", or "aboat their hoase".

Hi Toon, glad you had a good time, tell us moreof your first impressions once you are over the jet lag!

The accent does vary by region, but Ive been here years and I dont really pick up on it unless its really thick. Mostly I can just about tell a canadian form an American now, about 20% of the time

Yes most Canadians have that accent with the exception of the Atlantic provinces and those in Quebec.

Atlantic Canadians sound Irish to me!

Interested

Where do you live?

Toronto

Those from the East have a distinctly different lilt to their accent than Westerners. Atlantic provinces say the "aboot" and "hoose" thing more noticeably. Newfies - what a mixture, and Quebecers are an accent of all their own, of course. Even fluent french speakers are baffled by the patois sometimes. Nova Scotians have a nice accent, it is softer than the Ontarians. None of the provincial accents could be mixed up with American, unless you get a Torontonian that works in New York regularly. That one I have to really listen to, to figure out where they are from.

Albertans have a slightly different accent from Saskatchewaners (?) ... but I'm not convined I could spot one.

Eastern accents sound nasal to me now ... don't meet anought people from BC to spot the difference.

Heard of western alienation? well, we call it BC alienation - we don't like to associate with the "riff raff" in the rest of Canada (hehehehe)

Hi

I don't like the accent here in BC especially in kids as everything is drawn out at the end and goes up really high....." I got in the carrrrr and we went to the parkkkkkkk" sorry but drive me nutttts!

JJ

It's what's know as "Canadian raising". Its due to the "ow" as in "house" being produced by the tongue being slightly higher in the mouth when they precede some consonents. Give it a try and become a Canadian!

I don't have a clue what a BC accent is like Most of my friends, collegues and neighbours are either new Canadians or from out East!!


Clare