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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 18:47:35 GMT
I thought that this BBC article about Canadian English was quite interesting, but I am obviously not qualified to say whether it is accurate or not. For example, is the English in Newfoundland really so different? |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 20, 2015 20:41:19 GMT
It's somewhat accurate, although it's written by a Brit and some of the comparative pronunciations would make no sense to an American speaker. I know of no one who says "eh" in every sentence, that's real old-timer or redneck stuff. I have cousins in Ontario who speak like Bob and Doug Mackenzie, but that is dying out very quickly. And no, it's not "oot and aboot", but much more "oat and aboat" and even that is passing with the influence of television and media. As far as Newfoundland and the East go, here are some real old-time accents, but as I said, they're dying out everywhere. Here is a Codco sketch from the 70s and yes, it is a blend of Irish and Scottish. However, when traveling overseas I can pick out a conversation between Canadians instantaneously. It's not just the accents, but the volume, tone and even subject matter. |
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Post by bjd on Aug 21, 2015 7:06:00 GMT
My English sounds Canadian (so I'm told) and I don't say "eh" at the end of sentences. Of course, I left Canada years ago, so maybe the way I speak is rather old-fashioned, as I discovered this year on hearing May two-four. I had to ask what it meant.
That article is a typical British attitude: rather arrogant and uninformed. Only 20% of Canadian English-speakers are non-British!? Has this guy been to Toronto or Vancouver? And do Canadians really see themselves as "subjects of the Queen"? I would guess that most of them never think about her at all. Going to England is much more of a foreign vacation than going to the States.
As I have been visiting Canada over the years since my departure, I would say that Canadians sound and look more and more like Americans -- at least those with a sort of standard accent (like the west coast). And as Lizzie says, distinctive accents (I used to hear about the Ottawa valley accent when I was young) are on the way out as everything becomes more standardized.
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LouisXIV
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L'estat c'est moi.
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Post by LouisXIV on Aug 30, 2015 21:56:52 GMT
I can usually spot a Canadian in a few minutes, but I occasionally get fooled with some people from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
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Post by whatagain on Aug 30, 2015 22:47:39 GMT
Louis XIV gave me work, so I love him...
I cannot spot a Canadian english-speaking, but my question is : is a Canadian English speaking as easily spotted as a Canadian French speaking ?
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Post by Deleted on Aug 30, 2015 23:10:57 GMT
No, not really.  |
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LouisXIV
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Post by LouisXIV on Aug 31, 2015 14:02:56 GMT
The only thing I know about the French Canadians is that they are more French than the French.
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Post by lagatta on Aug 31, 2015 20:24:29 GMT
The Québécois accent is more distinct, even among highly-educated speakers who articulate very well and don't have the stereotyped "joual" accent. When I'm in France and there are reports from Radio-Canada journalists, I recognize it immediately, though they are speaking a French understandable by any speaker of the language.
Louis, I think what you are referring to, a sort of "vieille-France" mentality, is no longer so present among the Québécois and other francophones in Canada.
Many people in Québec find the term "French Canadian" slightly derogatory and certainly old-fashioned.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 1, 2015 6:24:38 GMT
That's why the term is used by people from outside Québec. It is easier to say than "French-speaking Canadian" and at least doesn't forget that there are places like parts of Nouveau-Brunswick where the people speak French.
I think Louis is referring to the fact that the language law is so strict in Québec and demands the translation of every single English word. Many foreign films in France are released with the original English language title. Not so in Québec.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 3, 2015 7:50:09 GMT
Those people in New Brunswick are Acadians, a distinct francophone people, with Southern cousins.
Here, I'd tend to use "francophone" or "francophone Canadians" if referring to any French-speaking people within Canada, as "French Canadian" has an unpleasant connotation for many here.
Obviously, French is under a lot more pressure here than it is in France; the situation is utterly different.
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Post by whatagain on Sept 3, 2015 20:13:53 GMT
Of course, francophone is what they are. I would be utterly dejectred to be called a 'Belgian French'.
Paradoxally, French is 'purer' in Quebec (not Montreal) than in Paris...
I posted (here?) that Canadians don't accept as many english words in their language and propose alternatives:
- courriel instead of 'email', I find this one beautiful
- clavardage instead of 'chat'
- aire de staionnement instead of 'parking'
etc - even to the absurdity of 'chien chaud' instead of 'hot dog'.
But it is not about Canadian English...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 3, 2015 20:42:35 GMT
There is little logic to the terms. In France, concerning the Swiss, most people say "Romand" for the francophones but "Suisse allemand" for the germanophones, who don't even speak proper German in the first place, but a dialect that is closer to Alsatian.
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