Speech pattern and typographical variations across Canada

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Xelebes

Lio is poking fun at a now trashed thread.

Not really "poking fun", it just struck me how clearly it explained everything.

Back when the thread was still alive, I had kinda forgotten how incredibly often one would get called sweetie and honey by smiling girls in certain areas of the US. If they don't do that back where you're originally from, it doesn't take much imagination to think you're being hit on here.

[SignalHillHiker]

Aww... from Irish guy's insistence we could be the next San Fran of start-ups...

It’s the eastern most point of North America, jutting way out into the Atlantic ocean. In fact once you head out of St. John’s harbour and head East, like really far East, the next place you’ll land is the Blasket Islands off the coast of Kerry.

Because it’s so close, getting there is fast. The (direct!) flight to St. John’s from Dublin was a mere 4hr 15mins, and on the way back it was even shorter clocking in at 3hr 50mins. Westjet fly direct from Dublin to St. John’s so there’s no messing about with transfers (which are the worst). So in summary… you can get to Canada in 4 hours, not bad really.

...

I had heard through various chats that Newfoundland’s culture was heavily influenced by the influx of Irish migrants that moved there in search of a better life starting from as early as the 1600s.

My initial strolls around the city made it very apparent that the place was indeed very Irish.

On top of that the accent is at times nearly unbelievably Irish. I’ve described it to friends as sounding like an Irish person trying to put on a fake Canadian accent.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/heres...rancisco-power

[SignalHillHiker]

It still freaks me out how some people pick up accents and others don't.

Chatting with Ayreonaut tonight (he's back in Calgary), and was here for 5 years. He never picked up our accent but he did, although he denies it, form Newfoundland English sentences a few times.

But his friend Erin from Toronto came for a bit... only a few months total... and Newfoundlanders she meets in Toronto still ask her, "Where in Newfoundland are you from", she picked up that much.

[GlassCity]

Originally Posted by SignalHillHiker

It still freaks me out how some people pick up accents and others don't.

Chatting with Ayreonaut tonight (he's back in Calgary), and was here for 5 years. He never picked up our accent but he did, although he denies it, form Newfoundland English sentences a few times.

But his friend Erin from Toronto came for a bit... only a few months total... and Newfoundlanders she meets in Toronto still ask her, "Where in Newfoundland are you from", she picked up that much.

I went on a rugby tour to the UK and Ireland for only 2 weeks and towards the end I already had certain phrases and intonations starting to slip into my speech. On the other hand, I know a guy that moved to London for a year and still sounds as Canadian as ever. I wonder what it depends on.

[wg_flamip]

I'm not sure how long it's been going on, but I've noticed a lot of people using the word "wallahi" lately around town (see here, for example). It's a word of Arabic origin meaning "I swear to God," and seems to have entered Toronto's traditionally Caribbean-origin street slang from the Somali community. It's even become a bit of an inside joke, especially since Drake uses the word quite a bit. Apparently it's haraam to say it (like taking the Lord's name in vain) and some Muslims aren't too thrilled about this development.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by wg_flamip

I'm not sure how long it's been going on, but I've noticed a lot of people using the word "wallahi" lately around town (see here, for example). It's a word of Arabic origin meaning "I swear to God," and seems to have entered Toronto's traditionally Caribbean-origin street slang from the Somali community. It's even become a bit of an inside joke, especially since Drake uses the word quite a bit. Apparently it's haraam to say it (like taking the Lord's name in vain) and some Muslims aren't too thrilled about this development.

Oh? That's really cool. In a multi-faceted way, I mean. It's cool when different communities influence each other linguistically, but blasphemy especially warms my heart.

There's this general sense in the secular West that it's perfectly fine to blaspheme against Christianity, but that Islam either is too scary to rub the wrong way for fear of the invariable jihadist backlash, or needs to be treated with kid gloves because apologists tend to conflate the vigorous rubbishing of a rubbish religion with nativist xenophobia and/or racism.

So the fact that black dudes are now going around saying this, and that non-black dudes are picking it up in mimicry, and that some touchy Muslims don't like it, is totally, totally...Toronto.

Mark this down as: faith in humanity temporarily restored.

[kwoldtimer]

I was obliged to dine at a Boston Pizza this evening and I ordered penne arrabiata. When the waitress brought it, she announced my "pen-NAY'. Was that just her in her ignorance or is this actually something people say (perhaps the BAG-ul crowd)?

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I was obliged to dine at a Boston Pizza this evening and I ordered penne arrabiata. When the waitress brought it, she announced my "pen-NAY'. Was that just her in her ignorance or is this actually something people say (perhaps the BAG-ul crowd)?

How would you say penne?

[lio45]

Originally Posted by Acajack

How would you say penne?

If you have to put a tonic accent somewhere, it'd be pennay.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by lio45

If you have to put a tonic accent somewhere, it'd be pennay.

I agree. That is pretty close to what he posted. The classless way to say it IMO would be penny.

[wg_flamip]

Originally Posted by kwoldtimer

I was obliged to dine at a Boston Pizza this evening and I ordered penne arrabiata. When the waitress brought it, she announced my "pen-NAY'. Was that just her in her ignorance or is this actually something people say (perhaps the BAG-ul crowd)?

The way English-speakers say "penne" can sometimes sound like "pene", which means "penis" in many Romance languages (including Italian). Perhaps she was aware of this and was trying not to say "penis"? Even in English, my Italian uncle will pay attention to consonant length in this word (he won't do so for "pizza" or "spaghetti").

[esquire]

Originally Posted by Acajack

I agree. That is pretty close to what he posted. The classless way to say it IMO would be penny.

Would you really judge someone for that?

I sympathize with anyone trying to learn how to communicate in English... if you pronounce most place names the "right" way, more often than not you sound like a big pompous douche (Paris, Mexico, Cuba). But if you don't pronounce food items the "right" way you sound like an idiot (penne, bruschetta, edamame).

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by esquire

Would you really judge someone for that?
.

Not really. Just going along with the premise of KW's post. Though I don't like being corrected by waiters and others when I am actually pronouncing things the right way.

- I'll some broosh-ketta please.
- Oh, you mean brush-etta.
- No I mean broosh-ketta. Thanks.

On the other hand, there are some sounds that are just difficult to pronounce for speakers of other languages. Like the ''e'' sound in penne doesn't really exist in English. It's not exactly like ''ay'' I'd say... it's almost as if you were going to pronounce the ''ay'' and stop just before finishing the sound.

[kwoldtimer]

Originally Posted by esquire

Would you really judge someone for that?

I sympathize with anyone trying to learn how to communicate in English... if you pronounce most place names the "right" way, more often than not you sound like a big pompous douche (Paris, Mexico, Cuba). But if you don't pronounce food items the "right" way you sound like an idiot (penne, bruschetta, edamame).

I've pretty much given up on bruschetta. It is almost always mispronounced.

[Loco101]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Not really. Just going along with the premise of KW's post. Though I don't like being corrected by waiters and others when I am actually pronouncing things the right way.

- I'll some broosh-ketta please.
- Oh, you mean brush-etta.
- No I mean broosh-ketta. Thanks.

On the other hand, there are some sounds that are just difficult to pronounce for speakers of other languages. Like the ''e'' sound in penne doesn't really exist in English. It's not exactly like ''ay'' I'd say... it's almost as if you were going to pronounce the ''ay'' and stop just before finishing the sound.

One that drove me crazy being from Timmins was when I lived in London for a couple of years and would order poutine there.

I would pronounce it properly and the employee would correct me by saying "oh you mean pouteeen?" Non monsieur/madame, je voudrais une poutine! After hearing me speak French they quickly shut up!

I have francophone friends from Timmins who had the same thing happen to them. Too funny.

[Xelebes]

Cyro posted a beaver video in the entertainment thread. It linked to this video. I figure this fellow lives between Hay River and Fort Smith somewhere but this guy has a thick accent.

• Video Link

[Acajack]

I don't know where this fits so I will post it here...

Tonight I was watching the Latin American singing competition La Banda on Univision. Anyway, the three judges were Ricky Martin (from Puerto Rico), a guy from Spain and a lady from Italy but who's had a singing career in Spain.

Both my wife and I speak basic Spanish but it was interesting how the Italian lady's Spanish was by far the easiest for us to understand. It was slower and more clearly enunciated.

We were saying how it must be the same for anglophones trying to learn French: often non-native speakers are easier to understand.

[Architype]

^ A language being spoken by a native speaker is no guarantee that it is being spoken properly.

[rousseau]

Originally Posted by Architype

^ A language being spoken by a native speaker is no guarantee that it is being spoken properly.

It has nothing to do with how proper the non-native speaker is speaking. Rather, I think it's about tentativeness and cadence on the part of non-native speakers, who often hesitate and speak more slowly.

I always find Haitians in Montreal much easier to understand than native Quebeckers. Their pronunciations are just easier for me to understand. What's probably amusing to Quebeckers is as I come into more contact with Haitians (in taxis, etc.) I begin to unconsciously emulate the way they speak. I seem to fall into that naturally.

My Spanish is passably serviceable, but I can't understand Spaniards for the life of me. They speak crazy fast and lisp TH's into everything. I learned my Spanish in Mexico, which is legendary in the Spanish-speaking world for sounding like Speedy Gonzales.

Spaniards sound like this piss-take in the Catherine Tate Show:

• Video Link

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Architype

^ A language being spoken by a native speaker is no guarantee that it is being spoken properly.

Oh, I wasn't suggesting that at all. And I speak from lots of personal experience with that very issue in both official languages.

I was simply talking about ease of understanding. My Spanish isn't nearly good enough to pick out mistakes in other people's Spanish.