Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I can't even reply to a question anymore without thinking of Sean Majumder's comedy skit, "Very rarely, when you ask a Newfoundlander a question, very rarely do you just get an answer."

*****

That sounds much worse than I meant it to be, but yes.

I noticed in Manitoba that a lot of families had junk cars in the yard. Some even had de-facto scrapyards. I thought it was utterly bizarre.

Then, when I moved home, I noticed the EXACT same thing in Shea Heights and Goulds (a farming area of St. John's). I was fascinated. I couldn't figure out what it was about not relying on the sea that created that lifestyle, made that acceptable, necessary. WWWHHHYYY are they there? WWWHHHAAATTT are they for?

You don't see it, ever, at all, in outports. And, really, I want to just call it inland instead of mainland but it doesn't apply to other inland communities here. You won't find any junk cars in Grand Falls-Windsor, etc.

Where did you live in Manitoba?

[SignalHillHiker]

A few places - primarily in the Lord Roberts section of Fort Rouge, Winnipeg. That's not where you see this sort of thing, though. You have to go to the outskirts of the city and beyond.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

A few places - primarily in the Lord Roberts section of Fort Rouge, Winnipeg. That's not where you see this sort of thing, though. You have to go to the outskirts of the city and beyond.

If you are talking farmyards I may have to agree. Back in the day you could tinker with older cars, trucks and farm equipment and eventually they would be dragged behind the trees to rot away since it wasn't worth the money to take them off to a junk yard. That tradition has likely ended with how complex and expensive all vehicles are these days. Coupled with guys going out to many places to purchase scrap metal means the days of the car-part trees are slowly disappearing.

[SignalHillHiker]

I doubt modern cars are even very useful. I'm assuming they need the metal, etc.? But these ones are basically plastic.

I still, for the life of me, can't imagine what they need them for in Goulds. It's like Hoarders.

[VANRIDERFAN]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

I doubt modern cars are even very useful. I'm assuming they need the metal, etc.? But these ones are basically plastic.

I still, for the life of me, can't imagine what they need them for in Goulds. It's like Hoarders.

So you are saying that there are people with fairly new derilict cars sitting in their driveways and yards? That is a waste, are there no salvage yards in or near these areas? That is where I would send a vehicle once it became worthless.

[Nashe]

Originally Posted by VANRIDERFAN

So you are saying that there are people with fairly new derilict cars sitting in their driveways and yards? That is a waste, are there no salvage yards in or near these areas? That is where I would send a vehicle once it became worthless.

It happens in a lot of places... some common excuses are:
"I'm gonna fix that up and sell it." (never do)
"Bought that for my son and it's gonna be a project." (never is)
"It's for parts." (but you no longer have the car the parts will go to)

These cars aren't always up on cement blocks; they are often the ones partially occluded by snowdrifts and posessing perpetually flat tires and missing body panels. You see them less in the city proper, but some of the outlying areas.

[SignalHillHiker]

Oh, all kinds of cars.

Here's the worst one I ever saw in Manitoba. It's in a small town to the northeast, which is trying to force the guy to clean it up. If I understand correctly, the town can get the work done and charge it to his taxes, but they don't expect to be able to recover the money so they aren't doing it. I'm not sure if that's why it's allowed to stay, though.



And here's a local sample from Shea Heights:





Tires, plastics, cars... it's just... where does this lifestyle come from? That's not even a farm, or a business. It's a suburban home sandwiched in on all sides.

[MolsonExport]

I can see how that informs speech pattern variations.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

I can see how that informs speech pattern variations.

I understand now - these must be the people who say "chruck".

[Centropolis]

one thing i always notice in canadian/ ontario accents often the effort to pronounce all t sounds. many american accents bulldoze or wash out the t ("da bears " north," wuh you say? "south). obviously those are extreme american accents. its subtle but noticeable to my ears. maybe its just that "clipped" thing with some canadian dialects.

[SignalHillHiker]

The guy they interview has a sexy accent for my tastes.

And there's a little girl whose family moved to Hong Kong who has a really interesting accent.

http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada...ID/2436562671/

[Boris2k7]

Originally Posted by Centropolis

one thing i always notice in canadian/ ontario accents often the effort to pronounce all t sounds. many american accents bulldoze or wash out the t ("da bears " north," wuh you say? "south). obviously those are extreme american accents. its subtle but noticeable to my ears. maybe its just that "clipped" thing with some canadian dialects.

In some of the American webcasts I follow (many of which come out of L.A.) the anchors pronounce Toronto with the full To-Ron-To -- which gets me screaming (in the back of my head) "It's either Tranna or Tronno... pick one!"

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Boris2k7

In some of the American webcasts I follow (many of which come out of L.A.) the anchors pronounce Toronto with the full To-Ron-To -- which gets me screaming (in the back of my head) "It's either Tranna or Tronno... pick one!"

I have noticed that many American news and sports casters do this. It's as if they don't say the word that often so they are careful about pronouncing it with every syllable.

[Boris2k7]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I have noticed that many American news and sports casters do this. It's as if they don't say the word that often so they are careful about pronouncing it with every syllable.

Have you also noticed how they sometimes hang on that last "to" as if they are aware that they aren't saying the name right?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Boris2k7

Have you also noticed how they sometimes hang on that last "to" as if they are aware that they aren't saying the name right?

Yes, it always seems to come out of their mouths so awkwardly.

Which is absurd especially for sportscasters because any American who covers the NHL, NBA or the American league in baseball will be saying Toronto hundreds of times a year.

[go_leafs_go02]

Growing up in Southwestern Ontario and moving to BC (Lower Mainland), the only thing I noticed is how people here have a much more british sounding "A", like they say Caanaadaa and I would say Cainaida. I've been accused of sounding somewhat American, since my A's are more nasally. People I know from Thunder Bay also talk much more Western Canadian than people in Southern Ontario.

Other that that, I honestly haven't noticed much of a change in accents across Canada, minus Newfoundland, and the Maritime provinces are slightly difference.

[go_leafs_go02]

Originally Posted by MolsonExport

When I was living in Richmond, BC, I was astounded how different the accent was only 10 kilometers away in Bellingham, WA. I could see the USA very clearly from my apt window, and yet, accent-wise, it was a very American-sounding drawl.

There is a difference, but it is nothing like crossing into Michigan or New York State from Ontario. that is dramatic.

Washington does have a bit of an accent difference, but not nearly as dramatic from BC as other areas.

[middeljohn]

It's similar with the pronunciation of Atlanta. Locals don't pronounce the second "t", so it's Atlanna. People not familiar with it say At-lan-ta.

[Procrastinational]

Well when I was younger, I never realized that there was a Canadian accent, as Americans would describe, but after spending a few years in the Boston area, I definitely noticed it when I would visit Vancouver. As a whole I'd say Manitoba and west in Canada has a relatively neutral accent that is pretty similar to how western Americans speak.

Specific to the coast of BC I've noticed for example don't you and won't you end up being pronounced as don't chew and won't chew.

What most Americans describe as a stereotypical Canadian accent would probably be a southern Ontario accent (most likely due to that being the post populous region of Canada, and thus Americans are most exposed to that).

Even though I probably speak with an accent closest to that in the Okanagan videos, I find the midwestern accent of the States, around Omaha for example, to be the most "neutral" English accent. It makes sense, as it's a very desirable accent for television and radio from what I've read.

[kool maudit]

Originally Posted by go_leafs_go02

Growing up in Southwestern Ontario and moving to BC (Lower Mainland), the only thing I noticed is how people here have a much more british sounding "A", like they say Caanaadaa and I would say Cainaida. I've been accused of sounding somewhat American, since my A's are more nasally. People I know from Thunder Bay also talk much more Western Canadian than people in Southern Ontario.

Other that that, I honestly haven't noticed much of a change in accents across Canada, minus Newfoundland, and the Maritime provinces are slightly difference.

i have noticed the "cah-nah-dah" thing, although the two cases i have seen are a woman from halifax and a man from saint-catherine's who both lived abroad for a long time. i honestly just thought it was some sort of affectation until now.