Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada - Page 89

Xelebes · #**1761** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 6:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by 1overcosc

Hmm, interesting that you don't know them. I suppose those two terms are more Ontario-specific rather than Mainland Anglo-Canada specific.

The term I used growing up was "Chinese baseball".

Sarah89 · #**1762** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 6:40 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

A very Canadian "sorry". "Bagel" with a soft rather than a hard "a" = I surmise you are not from Toronto or Montreal and you are not Jewish. "Vague" has a slight vowel shift that I've not heard before. "Lieutenant" with the U.S. pronunciation? Really?

Nope not from Toronto or Montreal. From Ontario though. I have never heard anyone say "leftenant" being 100% honest. In grade school my teacher always used the "Lu-tenant" pronunciation during spelling dictation.

My pronunciation of "sorry" is very common. When someone says "sari" I know instantly they're American.

Where are you from?

SignalHillHiker · #**1763** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 6:43 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah89

for fun

http://vocaroo.com/i/s1ounOcx1FtV

That is how I say these words. I tried to be as honest as possible

Stop yelling at me!

Here's mine:

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0As66b2zrGZ

Sarah89 · #**1764** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 6:48 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

Stop yelling at me!

Here's mine:

http://vocaroo.com/i/s0As66b2zrGZ

Ha sorry my recorder on my phone isn't very good so sometimes I have to kind of yell into it.

I think you sound fairly similar to myself. I think your "out" is a bit stronger than mine, just a little?

SignalHillHiker · #**1765** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 6:52 PM**

No idea - I can't really hear my own "ou".

It's SO hard to say a single word naturally, though.

lio45 · #**1766** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:00 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah89

Nope not from Toronto or Montreal. From Ontario though. I have never heard anyone say "leftenant" being 100% honest. In grade school my teacher always used the "Lu-tenant" pronunciation during spelling dictation.

I'd assume that most of the times the average Anglo Canadian has heard the word Lieutenant pronounced it's been in a Hollywood war movie.

I've been an Army reserves officer for a few years in Quebec and we eventually got a colleague from BC who was studying at Bishop's who joined our unit, that's when I discovered that in Canadian English I was in fact a 2nd "Left" enant. (Still makes no sense to me that it's pronounced that way

)

kwoldtimer · #**1767** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah89

Nope not from Toronto or Montreal. From Ontario though. I have never heard anyone say "leftenant" being 100% honest. In grade school my teacher always used the "Lu-tenant" pronunciation during spelling dictation.

My pronunciation of "sorry" is very common. When someone says "sari" I know instantly they're American.

Where are you from?

K-W, but studied law in Toronto (so I should know from "bay-guells"

). Your pronunciation of "sorry" is indeed very common - I am not sure why the "o" in my "sorry" is slightly more clipped. I stubbornly cling to "Leff-tenant" and "zed", along with Canadian spellings.

Xelebes · #**1768** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

(Still makes no sense to me that it's pronounced that way

)

Learn your Old French, friend. Lieu (Lief in Old French) is related to the English word Leave.

Acajack · #**1769** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:09 PM**

Yeah... "loo-tenant" is definitely American influence. The official Canadian way you are supposed to say it (same as British, Oz, NZ, etc.) is "lef-tenant".

Now... most Canadians probably say "loo" these days, unless they have a military background in their family.

Which is a lot of people (military families) but certainly not the majority.

Hence the dominance of "loo", and the penchant for others who "know better" to correct them.

kwoldtimer · #**1770** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

I'd assume that most of the times the average Anglo Canadian has heard the word Lieutenant pronounced it's been in a Hollywood war movie.

I've been an Army reserves officer for a few years in Quebec and we eventually got a colleague from BC who was studying at Bishop's who joined our unit, that's when I discovered that in Canadian English I was in fact a 2nd "Left" enant. (Still makes no sense to me that it's pronounced that way

)

I'd be amazed if you found anyone in the Canadian military who pronounced it "Loo-tenant" (a "loo" is a toilet!). Many English words derived from French are pronounced in ways that bear little or no relation to the way they are spelled in British English - an example I've always liked is the surname "Beauchamp" (BEE-chum).

kwoldtimer · #**1771** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:17 PM**

[QUOTE=Acajack;6973918]Yeah... "loo-tenant" is definitely American influence. The official Canadian way you are supposed to say it (same as British, Oz, NZ, etc.) is "lef-tenant".

Now... most Canadians probably say "loo" these days, unless they have a military background in their family.

Which is a lot of people (military families) but certainly not the majority.

Hence the dominance of "loo", and the penchant for others who "know better" to correct them.[/QUOTE]

Guilty as charged! Although I prefer to be passive-aggressive about it by repeating it correctly after them. They: "He's been promoted to Lootenant". Me: "Wonderful, I know he worked hard to become a Lefftenant."

Sarah89 · #**1772** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:17 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

K-W, but studied law in Toronto (so I should know from "bay-guells"

). Your pronunciation of "sorry" is indeed very common - I am not sure why the "o" in my "sorry" is slightly more clipped. I stubbornly cling to "Leff-tenant" and "zed", along with Canadian spellings.

It seems illogical to me to pronounce "sorry" any other way. When I hear that Ontario born Shawn Mendes kid and his "life of the party song" (we don't have to be SARI) I think what a sellout.

Acajack · #**1773** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:21 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

Guilty as charged! Although I prefer to be passive-aggressive about it by repeating it correctly after them. They: "He's been promoted to Lootenant". Me: "Wonderful, I know he worked hard to become a Lefftenant."

I do the exact same thing for certain words!

kwoldtimer · #**1774** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarah89

It seems illogical to me to pronounce "sorry" any other way. When I hear that Ontario born Shawn Mendes kid and his "life of the party song" (we don't have to be SARI) I think what a sellout.

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".

lio45 · #**1775** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:30 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I'd be amazed if you found anyone in the Canadian military who pronounced it "Loo-tenant".

100.000% of the Anglo Canadian military I've met have pronounced it Leftenant. I'm just saying it took a while before I met my first, and learned that fact. The Sherbrooke 53rd (nowadays SherH) is a mostly Francophone unit nowadays.

Acajack · #**1776** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:32 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".

To me:

American: saw-ry

Canadian: soar-y

lio45 · #**1777** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:32 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Xelebes

Learn your Old French, friend. Lieu (Lief in Old French) is related to the English word Leave.

Well, if they'd wanted to retain the old pronounciation, why the hell did they adopt the "new" spelling? Most Anglos on this planet pronounce it Lieutenant, not Leftenant. Francophones pronounce it Lieutenant, because lieu is pronounced lieu now.

Xelebes · #**1778** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

Well, if they'd wanted to retain the old pronounciation, why the hell did they adopt the "new" spelling? Most Anglos on this planet pronounce it Lieutenant, not Leftenant. Francophones pronounce it Lieutenant, because lieu is pronounced lieu now.

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

kwoldtimer · #**1779** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:36 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by lio45

Well, if they'd wanted to retain the old pronounciation, why the hell did they adopt the "new" spelling? Most Anglos on this planet pronounce it Lieutenant, not Leftenant. Francophones pronounce it Lieutenant, because lieu is pronounced lieu now.

But lio, proper English pronunciation is an art, not a science.

SignalHillHiker · #**1780** Posted **Apr 1, 2015, 7:37 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Acajack

To me:

American: saw-ry

Canadian: soar-y

You'll find both here. "Soar" is considered proper, though - so the more urban and upper class, even among people who turn lots of O-words into As, you'll find it more.

I saw "soar" if I'm reading. Not sure what I'd say naturally, probably the same. But if I'm saying it sarcastically with emphasis, it'd be "saw". "Well, saw-ry!" like "Well, excuse me!". But I'd never say that, so...