CANADIAN and AMERICAN accent, whats the difference?

I think we are all idiots to someone else-

I can usually tell the difference between a Canadian and American. The only time I cannot is because the accent is very subtle and almost non existant. In fact NATO uses Canadians to teach English because many of us have very little accent, unlike other countries. I suppose this subtle accent is what people mean when they say Cannucks sound like Yanks, because our subtle accent is usually emulated on mainstream TV. It would be hard to label it purely a Canadian accent though, since it is found in California too, but maybe they just sound like us ; )

The bulk of Ontario definitely has an accent, a lesser version of the Manitoban and Saskatchewan accent with some Irish mixed in. The Martines, PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Labrador and Newfoundland have an Irish-Scottish accent. The classic Canadian accent is a sort of closed mouth Irish accent. Of course we are a large country with a large population and just like the States our accents are PURELY regional. You will find many British sounding people all over Canada as well.

I would say America's dominate accent is the southern drawl. Canada's is very subtle (relatively compared to other countries).

People who say they do not use 'eh' much or say aboot....
I am glad you do not say eh often : ) It would be like saying huh and hey often : P That just wouldn't be right...as for aboot...well when you say it and hear it it sounds normal to you.


There are some very clear reasons why people dislike the US.

1-Their foreign policy and actions are directly and indirectly responsible for the deaths of millions. They support terrorism, massacres, genocide (e.g. khmere rouge) and have even commited some of it themselves.

2-Yet in lou of all of this, and the fact that their living standards are below average compared to other first world countries, their politics are terribly classist, they boast, in your face, about being a beacon of freedom, free trade and liberty. Nothing could be farther from the truth-

I, personally have never seen a country boast so much and wave so many flags. The American flag, no matter how you look at it, represents a lot of evil that has yet to be recognised in America. Just like the USSR flag, you should not expect a parade if you wave it, it is very disrespectful and distasteful considering how much blood is on it.

If Al Qeda is evil because it killed 3K Americans, then America is even more evil for killing millions of MORE innocent civilians. That number is too high for most Americans to belive. They rather not believe it and argue it than look it up. Keyword: Henry Kissinger

Most Americans are on the defence right away when you talk to them about politics. Very few, to none, know just how bad their media and body politic is nor do they care to. I have only ever been insulted and called a liar, by Americans, over history THEY do not know.

Canada and America are very different in many aspects, and it is an insult to Canada when the rest of the world thinks we are Americas dog. One thing we are is America's satellite state, but no more or less than any other nation.

I know many Americans are kind and smart people but still most are not. Many of them move to Canada. I am not nationalistic, most people here are not. We like to live as well as we can. If Canada became more like the US we would move. If the US invaded we would give our lives in defence of this land, which is a better country in many standards, and win (30 million educated and technologically advanced terrorists). Besides, Canadian troops have always been the best on ground from WW1 to the Afghanistan war.

I do feel some guilt talking about America as such, but you only get what you pay for. Nothing excuses what they have done or do. You have choices, make them, do not vote Democrate OR Republican. If you look at them, just a bit, you will realise they are very right wing and equally as bad. As an outsider America looks gloomy, relatively speaking. There is little hope and I would not waste my time talking about its policies or living there until it comes to the level of the rest of the free world.

A friend once said, with its boasting and shame, America would be laughable if it were not so powerful-

I would not live in the US, though I wish it would change so one day I could live there for some time, but it is simply too dangerous and unjoyful compared to Canada.

Further more, it is assumed we have good relations at the end of the day. That is just an echo from business and politicians because so much trade is done that either economy would collapse without the other.

The US has violated Canada many times, look them up. This is why we do not like the US and have anti American sites and discussions. There is an underlying logical reason. However on the flip side more American anti Canadian sites are in existance, and for no logical reason. We do not violate the US.

Some people think our history is similare. Wow. That is totally wrong lol
If our history were so parallel then we would be the same...
Our nature is totally different from theirs.

People often mistake modern first world culture for American culture. The way in which all first world nations share culture is the same way Canada and America do. For instance, you may say Canadian culture is American. Using the same standards then, British culture is American. Or, American culture is Canadian. Technically Canada came first.

lol also there are many inventions people mistakenly boast were made in the US but in fact were made in Canada (e.g. the light bulb, the computer, baseball).

The Canada-as-the-51st-state poll was done by a CANADIAN news agency. Look up the source before talking shit about the results. The question was abiguously worded as something like "Should Canada be the 51st state?" What is the point of a question like that unless you're looking to start trouble? If you say "no", it could sound like you wouldn't allow Canada to join (if for some reason they wanted to). If you say "yes", then it could sound like America should forcefully take over. Asking random people in a street on their way to work isn't exactly an exaustive study either. The poll was obviously set up so Canadians could do some backslapping and get a needed fix of "we are a better society/more educated" thinking.

For the record, I like Canada a lot, but this kind of bullshit annoys me. Why does Canadians always have to run the line that they're "Not American" and "Americans don't understand how the world works." Fuck that. Half of you idiots who travel with a maple leaf sewn on your backpack are laughed and seen as snobby pricks.

Oh.. and the post two back... "Americans are generally not intelligent and don't see the problems of the media/government"

fuck that too. How did you come to this conclusion? over-hyped nationalistic hysteria? A lot of American DO see what is going on. But remember, just as the whole world is threatened by this superpower, its own citizens are too. What exactly expect us to do? Election fraud, unconstiutional detainment and trail laws, etc etc... our whole government is funded by companies, run by right-wing extremists, and underwritten by FOX & CNN news. I voted for Nader, I worked on Wellstone's (if you know who that is) campaign team.. until he mysteriously died in a "plane crash." A lot of Americans know whats going on, and a lot of them have been brain-washed by the media. This is a situation frightenly similar to the USSR, North Korea. Would your analysis have been the same to reisdents of those countries? I don't know what else to type. I know Iraq is not a threat to the United States, I know Afghans were killed, I know Bosnians were killed before that under Clinton. And I know for having typed this, it might now be saved in a new government database that has just been created by Congress that tracks all Americans Internet usage, Store Purchases, Phone Calls, Credit Card transactions, Bank transactions, and I don't remember what else.

Well, I do not like what you had to say about the American flag having a lot of blood on it. Yes, you guessed it, I am American; but of a very proud English descent (and all of my family live in England by the way), and I am not that keen on being an American either. But to me, the American flag represents a nation of nations. There were millions of people who came to America from all over the world for various reasons, and it is for this reason that I do not hate America. America is a good country, but with A LOT of downfalls. When I look at the American flag, I do not think of "that is my country." When I look at the American flag, I think about the ancestors on my dad's side of my family who came to America from Ireland, France, Denmark and Germany. There are only two flags that I can look at and think, "That is my country," and those flags are the Cross of St.George (the flag of England) and the Union Jack of Britain. While I am not keen on even looking at the American flag, I still think about my ancestors who came to this country.

DOH!!!! Now I feel like a total bloody IDIOT! The last post was sent by me, CLARK! Not Robo Canuck. I meant for the message to go to Robo Canuck, and not to sign this persons name. I AM SO SORRY ABOUT THAT!

The post I accidently sent that was signed by "Robo Canuck," starts out by syaing, "Well, I do not like what you had to say about the American flag..."

Not all Americans are evil nor are they all ignorant. Not all Canadians are perfect. Though I can say this "Canadians make better beer."

Yes, "Talking To Americans" with Rick Mercer is very funny. It's worth watching if you have the chance, that is if you get the CBC. I saw the interview with George Bush Jr. it was incredible how ignorant it showed him to be. To be fair, though, the way Mercer does his interviews is deliberatly designed to trick people and they probably show only the stupidest Americans but this George Dubya is supposed to be the so-called "leader" of the so-called "free world" and he didn't even know who the Prime Minister of the country next door was.

The whole aboot thing is an illusion... Since we canadians do have an accent (although, like Robo Cannuck says, is very subtle and almost "not there") the way we pronounce about, out, without and so on may sound different to americans but normal to us. I was told once my words containing "OU" sounded more like : moantain, amoant or withoat ect. When I watch a canadian program, I do notice a difference in the talking compared to American programs, but it is very slight. And btw, the whole becoming part of the states is simply rediculous since some (only some !!) beleive we have NO ACCESS to the ocean and that we have the same currency as the US !! pllllleeeeaaaaasssse take a look at a map ! But that is only a certain amount of people !!!

Other than the "-out" thing..

pronunciations - Canadian / American

progress - PROH-gress / PRAH-gress
pasta - PAA-sta ("AA" as in "after") / PAH-sta
been - bee-n / beh-n

(based on a friend in Toronto)

Can't think of any others at the moment, but in general Canadians seem to follow a more British pronunciation. There are enough words like this, that I think most Americans can tell if someone's Canadian, and Canadians can tell if someone's American, even after a short conversation.

On a side note, I met some people from Vancouver recently and their speech sounded very "rounded" to me. I don't know if that is the common accent there or not, though.

"In fact NATO uses Canadians to teach English because many of us have very little accent, unlike other countries." What are you on about? Of course Canadians have an accent. It's not subtle, it's not almost nonexistant, it's a Canadian accent. Everyone in the world has an accent. You remind me of the Australian comic character, Norman Gunsten, who once said that Australians don't have an accent. To him the Australian accent sounded nonexistant, everyone else had an accent but not Aussies. But that was comedy. The Canadian accent, yes it exists, will sound just as strong to an Australian as the Australian accent sounds to a Canadian. There is no such thing as English without an accent, it's impossible.

About the 51th state thing, I'm sure that the majority of Canadians would be against joining the USA but if it happened why would the entire country be reduced to a single state? There are ten provinces and and three territories in Canada.* If Canada became part of the USA each province and each territory should become a state in it's own right so they'd be the 51th to the 63rd states. I'd rather see the American states become provinces of Canada. Anyway, neither of these things are going to happen but it would be nice if Alaska were given to Canada it would also be nice if Hawaii were given back to the Hawaiians. Dream, dream, dream, ... free Tibet.

Getting back to the subject, the Americans pronounce the word "roof" with a short vowel (as in "book"). The Canadians, on the other hand, along with every other English speaker, pronounce the word with a long vowel (as in "tool").

*I'm counting the Northwest Territories as one territory. It has one government and one capital (Yellowknife) but the name suggests the there are more than one territory. Can you fill me in on this one?

in Minnesota we say "roof" like "tool"

Maybe I was wrong with the "roof" thing or maybe I was generalising I think some Americans say it like "book".

Of course the Mexican accent is different to the Canadian one. They speak Spanish in Mexico. The accents of any two native speakers of English are going to sound alike compared to a Mexican accent. I don't believe that either of them want to join the USA.

Just discovered this site and forum tonight. Looks like quite a lot of fun. I'm not overly thin-skinned, so I'll let the criticisms of typical Americans roll off my back. (Besides, I have never been accused of being typical in any regard)

My own accent is more like the newscaster accent, although I have been asked several times by fellow Americans if I am Canadian. Usually I consider that a compliment, since I generally have a high opinion of the Candians I've met. I suppose I might pronounce my words a bit more clearly, thanks to my first grade teacher who was a fanatic about pronunciation. She had clever ways of helping us form sounds for words.

When I speak with another person, I can't help but notice their accent. Even here in the US, the accent changes quickly. Driving north or south of my location by a few hours will yield something slightly different. (I'm in the upper midwest, in the Great Lakes region). Friends in Ohio have this wonderful softness to their words that comes across as warmth. A client from NY has a hard edge. An associate in Virginia had a flavorful twang. Canadians I've spoken with are usually hard to pick out as Canadians immediately. If it is possible, it is usually some tiny telling slip of a word that tells me they were raised farther north of me. While I've heard the "about = aboat" sound, it isn't always there, and I've been accused of that pronunciation myself. On a whole, I've heard very clear pronunciation from the Canadians I've known, but still sometimes there is something tiny that might give them away, just as I suppose I might say something that gives away where I was raised. AS a side note, I adore the extra romantic sounding accent of the Montrealers. (Personal opinion there!)

As for comparing American to Canadian though, there are just too many of us, speaking too many different versions of our accents. My friend raised in Texas, who migrated to Alabama and consequently blended the accents, sounds nothing like me, nor does he sound anything like friends raised in southern California, or friends raised in Boston. The Toronto Canadians I've spoken with certainly sound different than the Montrealers, and different still from the people I met from Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. All are fascinating, but all so different, and impossible to lump together in terms of sound.

I tend to feel most of the British and Irish accents are so much more pleasant to listen to than my own, because they have such soft edges, if you know what I am trying to say. There is a certain inflexion that goes with the accent, a raising of the tone at the end of the sentence in some places, that is just a treat to listen to for me. I always feel like I must sound terribly clumsy when I speak to these people.

Looking forward to enjoying more discussions with the group!
-Lynn
PS: If anyone is trying to learn English and would like help, I'm glad to try. I don't teach English, but it is my native language.

People from the east of Canada sound funny to people in the west of Canada too.

ABOOT all that..
When I go to the states people have no idea I'm not american.
When it comes up they are usually surprised.