iwanttotalktoyou

Please share your experience. Things like: how did people react to your accent, "rubber", "fag", etc...

Grah

Probably the same way as you would when you hear a different accent

iaink

Its no biggie. Many people have british roots, so they may go into that. Questions about the royal family used to be common...less so now. So many different foreign accents in Canada, yours is just another one.

You get blank looks when you use an odd word, but you start to autotranslate as you go along after a while. Now I'm at the stage where I have to think of the "English" word when im talking to Brits. "Petrol" just sounds weird now!

flashman

It's not the accent but the slang. Words like bril or brilliant, rubbish, lorry will usually get you a blank look or a smile.

Here'a a start for the lingo

http://www.craigmarlatt.com/canada/s...adianisms.html

Airseir

I have met with mixed reactions. What amazes me is that some simple things are so different. I know teach my staff a few English words - although today I was teaching them the finer points of marmite and failed.

I asked a member of staff to type up no more than two sides of A4 - whoops
When I explained they thought stipulating the paper size was wierd.

I commented that one persons code was a bit OTT and then after a blank look I explained "Over the top" - still blank looks.

A fortnight for a project plan left some lost where as meeting at half three had them completly confused until after while they understood that I ment three thirty

bobby dazzler - lol they thought I was making words up

black over bills mothers - ???? ok looks like rain over the hills

i'll be back in a jiffy had them thinking I ment I would be mailed back in a jiffy bag.

Just going to buy a couple of cobs - they thought I was going to buy some horses at lunch time - kind of makes you think of "so hungry I could eat a horse - I think I will go and buy a cob"

obviously had fun with "can I bum a fag", "I need fag break", "I am going out the back for a fag" and "I fancy foggotts in Gravy for tea tonight"

Bonnet of a car = hood and they think a bonnet sounds like something you wear on your head????

Boot of a car = trunk - several people look at you weard when you say I will just nip to me car and put it in the boot. They seem to think you have a huge boot in your car that you keep things in.

I got skanked - here a skank is a loose woman - work the rest out.

yep - in short you can have fun but I still get suprised by just using slang that I didn't think about.

wizzard

My wife is Canadian and we have been married for 4 years and she has known me for over 6 and she still accuses me of making up words and phrases.

Airseir

Lol - My feeling is that the Canadians have spent a long time protecting the English language while the English teenages have been making up slang that adults won't understand which then filter into the main language - in short I guess they are just making up words and phrases.

frankieforehead

Things like...."I love Your accent"...etc..seem to be the normal comments...and we do have some difficulty asking for "water" and being understood, so I adopt the Canadian "Warrrrrttaaa" to overcome the problem.

My Son has All the girls around him, and last night at parent teacher interviews, this was the topic of conversation.

By and large though I think the majority of canadians understand what you want...so if you're "avin a fag", I don't think you'll cause too much of a fuss, as it's quite en vogue to be gay these days.

CalgaryBlade

Bart Simpson: "why do I have to learn English, I don't want to visit England"

Judy in Calgary

It's not only North Americans who are surprised by British expressions. It works the other way too. To Canadians a fanny pack is simply a practical accessory.

ClareBC

I worked with a woman that was very proud of her extensive vocabularly and accused me of making up words! What is common usage in England is not necessary so over here.

Second day at work I brought the office to a sudden *blip* by called out for a rubber. I still cringe about that one

Clare

dalehouse

A Canadian friend of ours delighted our children when we were having a discussion about formal clothes for work.
'I only dress up when I have to go to conferences' He said 'And then I just put on pants and suspenders'.
So it's not just them understanding us that's the problem - either that or chiropractors do strange things at their conferences!!

Bleech

What's funny about that? Don't all men wear stockings and suspenders under their trousers?!? Oh, must just be me then

My wife's name is Natalie, after trying to explain her name "na-talie" about 100 times, when asked for her name she developed a Canadian accent and became "Naderley", much easier

steve of 5-0

To all - I feel that it is safe to say that our UK accent`s are our "passport`s" to a successful resettlement in general?

Combined with our abilities to adapt to very pleasant surroundings, both the people here and the terrain/weather etc.

We also I feel show a genuine gratitude to Canadians, because of their warmth towards us, this makes the Canadians "happy to be of help.......".

I have read on this site, instances where people want to return to the UK, I can just about understand it if it`s regarding missing family members.

What I cannot believe, is when people complain about other issues that want to make them return to the UK.

Although the UK is not evil, it is not nasty, it is a safe area compared to the rest of this planet, it is on the slippery slide.

I think regarding the title of this thread "culture shock", yes and it lasts a day or two for us ex. Brits`, accompanied by happy feelings of relief that we have made it to Canada.

What I would say is that the Canadians are "more British than the Brits`" in some ways.

I would say to any one awaiting getting to Canada, you will not regret it one bit, if you truly want to leave the UK 100%.

hot wasabi peas

Yeah, after four years in England that one still sounds very odd to me. When I hear the word bonnet I think:

or or

I still can't relate the word to cars! "Let's take a look under the bonnet" ... ooo, errrr...