Question for farmerart

5 comments

• Club_Goer_Seattle

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  13 years ago

  Before Art has a chance to answer, I'll say yes to your question. Here in Seattle, as part of my cable package, we get one Canadian station, CBUT from Vancouver, BC (Sorry, Art. I know you don't like it when I use the provincial designation. But Seattle IS between the two Vancouvers, so there is the need to make that distinction.) About four nights a week I watch its network news from the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. (CBC), "The National," anchored by Peter Mansbridge. I also occasionally catch the Vancouver, BC (sorry, again Art. I slipped that time)local news--too many riots there, Art. From both newscasts, whenever people from Western Canada are interviewed, I would say that they sound like they could be from the U.S. There are also a variety of accents that Canadians have. Some are more British sounding.
• CTQWERTY

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  13 years ago

  My two cents: Comcast used to have their call center located in western Canada. Most likely to take advantage of the long-time exchange ratio ($1 Canadian = .80 U.S.) and yet still have folks helping who sounded like Americans (as opposed to the India call centers others were using). I got a lecture on Canadian-U.S. history from the help person that day, which divulged her locale...
• farmerart

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  13 years ago

  Well, I have always considered Ontarians and Albertans and British Columbians to speak with similar accents. But then, this is where I live and the speech I hear so I am probably not the person to ask about this. For me, Canada's distinctive accents come from our eastern maritime provinces.
  
  When I travel in the US I notice quite a variety of different accents. On a recent trip to California I noticed no difference in accent between me and the guys I was begging money from. Oilmen from Texas and I share the same vocabulary but have amazingly different accents. Girls in Detroit SCs often ask where I come from because they notice differences in my accent. The southern accent can often be impenetrable to me and the classic New York or New England accent is certainly different. The only general observation I have for you is that I think almost all American speech draws out the vowel sounds longer than does Canadian speech. We refer to this, rather dismissively, as the American 'drawl' or 'yang'.
  
  You are from Michigan. If you have ever met Detroit tuscl guy, vincemichaels, you can ask him if I have an accent. vince and I have met. I noticed no particular accent in vincemichaels' speech when we chatted in Bogarts. Mind you, the niceties of regional accents was not really where we were directing our concentration that day.
  
  An aside about Vancouver restaurants. That city is the most exciting city gastronomically in Canada. From high-end white linen dining to street food carts you would be astounded at the quality of your dining experiences in that city.
  
  SCs? Don't ask.
• shadowcat

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  13 years ago

  During my working years, my job required me to make frequent calls to many foreign countries. I am gonna guess at least 30. Our employee in those countries were required to speak English at least as a second language. For me the most difficult to understand were those in England.
• vincemichaels

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  13 years ago

  That fine afternoon at Bogarts, I noticed no particularly strong accent in farmerart's speech. Some Canadians do have a different speech pattern, I agree with Art's assessment that the Eastern provinces have noticeable accents.