Do Americans really believe that Canadians pronounce "About" as "Aboot"? (1 Viewer)

[Patrick Sun]

How do y'all pronounce "Baltimore"? I've heard it pronounced 2 different ways:

Bal-tah-more
Ball-more

 

[CharlesD]

AT this time of year I am always amused by the number of Americans who seem to think that there is a 'p' and a 't' in "Wimbledon".

 

[Don_Houle]

How does the heck does "Worcester" MA become "Wooster", eh ?

Okay, I'm originally from the Worcester, MA area, so I feel qualified to answer this one.




I really have no idea.

I'll be driving my caaah up to Woosta this weekend to see my muthah. I'll ask her is she knows anything about it.

 

[Jefferson]

I finally got my dad to believe he had a southern accent by making him listen to his answering machine greeting.

He finally heard it, "my God, I sound like a hick".
(he isn't) but I said, "That's what I've been trying to tell you".

 

[PatrickM]

How do y'all pronounce "Baltimore"? I've heard it pronounced 2 different ways:

How about a third way Bal-ti-more?

Patrick

 

[Jeff Ulmer]

I guess there are more R's in U.S. ponunciation than British.

Looks like it, doesn't it. Vanna, get that man an R.

 

[Jefferson]

My grandmother and mother are natives of Baltimore and always called it "Bal-mer".

 

[TheoGB]

Looks like it, doesn't it. Vanna, get that man an R.

Bugger. I'd love to claim razor-sharp ironic wit on that one... Ho well. :frowning:

 

[Bill_D]

Just a couple.........
I have a associate in Canada, the Maritimes to be exact, that takes pride in keeping on "shed-yool." Schedule is important to me as well.
Our own President is always talking about Merkins in Merika.
signing out from Alanna, Jawja .....arm fixin' ta go bak ta werk.

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Well, Scottish may not sound like Canadian but I'd swear that last year when I was there the Scottish lady when saying "roundabout" actually said "roondaboot."

 

[Jeff Kleist]

The "Mawidge" speech impediment is more prevalent in England than anywhere else. It borders on common, which is why you see so many UK comedy shows using it

 

[Hugh Jackes]

Our own President is always talking about Merkins in Merika.

I also was a bit confused when, after 9-11, one of his first actions was to announce his intention to conduct a war on Scarlett O'Hara's plantation. You know, Tara?

I caught on, in short order however. His accent is really no stranger than JFK's was, though, now is it? (Bostonians and Texans need not answer that rhetorical question.)

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Jeff Kleist wrote:

What's "Mawidge"??? For "marriage"??? If so (and probably even if not) it's not a speech "impediment"! (dialect difference /= "speech impediment"!) British dialect r's, if that's what you're referring to, tend to be heavily "rounded" and more than a bit labialized (made with the lips), giving them that "Elmer Fudd"-effect.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Mark Zimmer wrote:

It would be a surprise if it did not, since Canada seems to have been settled by many British people of Scottish descent (who, naturally enough, brought their accents with them).

 

[Allan Sampson]

Well, I don't feel so bad about my roommates making fun of my Canadian accent now. Even Canadian otters aren't excluded from having their accents made fun of.
Otters Confused by Accent

 

[Scott Bourden]

Accents are as diverse in Canada as in the US. The rest of Canada can barely understand Newfoundlanders (Newfies).

Welcome to my world.... (though as usual, I will disreguard the stereotype that you can understand any of us)

None the less, growing up people regularly asked me if I was from "the mainland", because I had no accent. To this day it annoys me, but then again, at least they can understand me, where-as the "traditional" Newfoundlander can't be understood, even by their neighbors in many cases ( a very small portion actually have a thick accent, but it does stand out greatly, even to others from the province)...

And to further stereotypes, the people with the thick, non-sensical accents are usually from isolated outports :b

 

[Bob Sheen]

I have a associate in Canada, the Maritimes to be exact, that takes pride in keeping on "shed-yool." Schedule is important to me as well.

I wonder what "shool" that your associate attended ?

Bob

 

[TheoGB]

Really Bob? You drink Skwepps tonic water, do you?

 

[Bob Sheen]

Skwepps

hehehe......So that's how you pronounce that!

I'm still struggling with "spatula". For years i pronounced it "spatoola" and wondered why people were laughing ?
Bob

 

[Edan W]

a very small portion actually have a thick accent, but it does stand out greatly, even to others from the province

I'm not from NF (NB actually) but I spent alot of my summer months through junior high and high school at atlantic region summer camps with kids from PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland. We had a group leader one summer from St. John's and a fellow camper from Gander...it took us all a couple of days to get used to the speech from the guy from Gander, even our group leader. The problem was mostly how fast this guy spoke...and his heavy use of the word "buddy"