Souvenir

So, if you met someone from the Carolinas, New Jersey or Alabama you wouldn't be able to tell that they weren't Canadian? How about Newfoundland or the Ottawa Valley? Could those people be mistaken for New Yorkers?

I'd agree that the range of accents in North America is not as great as in the British Isles but it's pushing things a bit to say that there is no discernible difference.

dbd33

I live with someone from the Carolinas. Canadians don't usually notice but assume her to be Canadian.

I take your point that there are some people in each country who have distinct regional accents but the vast majority look and sound very similar; who can tell Ohio from Ontario (actually, not just the people but the geography) or Montanans from Albertans? Even Newfies sound like people from Maine.

Souvenir

It's true that she doesn't much of an accent.

I didn't know, until I was told, that there are quite significant differences in accent among French-speaking Canadians. My missus can quite easily differentiate between people from various bits of QC, NB and northern Ontario. She has trouble understanding some of them (eg Acadians).

dbd33

The kids can tell Quebec (an accent their school discouraged) from Ontario (an accent the school abhored). I can't do it though, even when presented with exaggerated examples.

Souvenir

The Ottawa Valley French accent is foul and almost impenetrable.

Shortly after arriving here I found myself lined up behind a woman at my local Couche Tard. She uttered "vaynedegawzw" and walked out. I was only able to work out that she was paying for $20 of gas because she'd slapped a 20 on the counter, had no merchandise in her hands when she left, and it's a gas station. Without those clues, I'd have had no chance.

Alberta_Rose

I was informed yesterday ..... by a Canadian...... that I don't have much of an accent, which was odd.

I think they meant not like from Yorkshire or s'where (I am "home counties" born and bred, where they speak proper)

welshchem

I'm sad to say that after 8 years in Sheffield my valleys accent that was once described as 'lilty' is all but gone

Alberta_Rose

I trained at Cardiff, so know the Valleys accent well.

I'll bet it hasn't gone far, and when you are back with folks from the Valleys it'll come rocketing back!

We used to have a big Welsh Rugby-playing A/E consultant (Byron Wynn-Davies) in our local hospital .... His accent varied according to how excited he got about s'thing

welshchem

That's just it, it's been watered down by 8 years in Yorkshire and as of the 20th I'll be a resident of Toronto! :scared: :scared:

Souvenir

I'm not sure I have an accent or not. I'm originally from Brighton but haven't lived there for decades. I spent a long time in London. Anglophone Canadians can tell I'm from England but not which bit. Francophone Canadians, even bilingual ones, can't tell if I'm Anglo Canadian, Brit or Australian.

When I went to Trinidad years ago I was struck by the accent. It sounded very similar to the Welsh accent. Curiously, the two countries are also very similar in shape.

Daedra

It's hard for Canadians to distinguish between Welsh/English/Scottish/Irish accents because they are all foreign countries represented (often poorly) by what is put across as "British" actors who can and do come from all regions of the UK... pick up a Canadian gossip mag, does it refer to Catherine Zeta Jones as the "Welsh actress" or as the British actress?

But considering the amount of times I've been mistaken for a Yank in the UK, I think its fair trade off.... the point is, Canada & the USA are foreign to you all so it's harder & will take time to distinguish between the accents.

Welschem, I always mistake the Welsh accent for Scottish and vice versa *lol* My accuracy rate though has increased from 1/10 to 7/10 right... getting there!

dbd33

Surely there's no such thing. There are only US or British gossip mags with a few pictures of the children of Canadian politicians pasted in.

After twenty odd years I can't do it. Americans may use expressions such as "y'all" or "sir" which are unusual in Canada, but it's the usage, not the accent, that gives them away.

on edit: also Paris Match, that's not British or American.

Daedra

Canoe Jam, NOW magazine, your local TV Times and newspaper also has an "Entertainment" section with columns written by Canadians on Hollywood gossip. Surely you know this and were simply being sarcastic though

Well some people dont have the ear for it, my ears are still a bit off on some accents even after trying to distinguish them for 3 years. Isn't the 'expressions' part of identifying the region people are from in the UK too?

Surely there was something I was taught about "Hello duck" being used in one area of England and "Hello cock" being in another... surely an accent isn't solely based on rolling of the "R's"?

Souvenir

If someone says hello cock and rolls your arse, you're probably in Brighton.

Daedra

LOL!!