LL-L: "Language varieties" LOWLANDS-L, 01.MAY.2000 (01) [E]

[Lowlands-L]

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 01.MAY.2000 (01) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Mike Adams [abrigon at yahoo.com]
Subject: Canadian English

I know from family history many Tories moved north to Canada, such as
some of my ancestors to Nova Scotia from Connneticut.

American Revoluition is not the Civil War. Atleast to people of the US.
I do know some people of Central/South American collectively called us
Norteamericans so ... Civil War, of 1620 or the American one in 1861.

Mike

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From: Thomas [t.mcrae at uq.net.au]
Subject: LL-L: "Language varieties" LOWLANDS-L, 30.APR.2000 (01) [E]

As a rank Outsider....Scot based in Australia..... I must disgree on this
statement. Canadian accents are, to me, subtly different from those of the
USA but valid enough for the speakers to be recognised as Canadians. I have

been able to make this distinction for many years during stays in several
countries world wide and I have many Canadian friends. To me there's a tiny

trace of Scots in the accent although Victorians do have quite a pronounced

English hint.
I agree that Newfies have a different accent but also found this in my
beloved Nova Scotia.
Re the pronounciation "Aboot" i must say I never heard any Canadian say
this
during my visit, only time I've heard it was in the movie "South Park'.
Regards
Tom
Tom Mc Rae
Brisbane Australia
"Oh wid some power the Giftie gie us
Tae see oorselves as ithers see us"
Robert Burns--

> From: Lowlands-L <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Reply-To: Discussion list for Germanic Lowlands languages and cultures
> <LOWLANDS-L at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG>
> Date: Sun, 30 Apr 2000 14:33:10 -0700
> To: LOWLANDS-L at LISTSERV.LINGUISTLIST.ORG
> Subject: LL-L: "Language varieties" LOWLANDS-L, 30.APR.2000 (01) [E]
>
>
> what is now known as Canada.  Following the American Revolution, some 30K

> refugees fled the American States, having had their homes and lands
seized
> by the Americans for having been on the wrong side of the civil war (and
> for which they were never compensated).  Since the majority of these
people
>
> were from New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and they completely overwhelmed in

> numbers any other English speaking groups in Canada at that time, their
> Mid-Atlantic speech and vocabulary (including the famous "eh", also used
in

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From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
Subject: Language varieties

Ed Alexander says (just slightly dogmatically):

>Canadians do not say "aboot" ("abuut").  I suspect what "Americans" hear
is
a consequence of the way they pronounce this diphthong - as "abowt".  Mid
Atlantic speech is characterized by a general shortening of mid vowels such

that "police officer" is pronounced "pleece ofsur".  Similarly, the "u u"
in "abowt" is shortened so that it sounds more like a "u".  When Americans
try to mimic this sound, they leave out the "o" sound, so it is no longer a

diphthong, and sounds more like how it might be pronounced in Scots.<

I have to say that I don't follow this (for instance, which of the possible

pronunciations of "abowt" is meant?) but I have to disagree because I have
previously said that I - born and bred in Britain - hear Canadians say
something like "aboot", possibly shading into "aboat". A Canadian friend of

mine agrees that he uses this pronunciation and regards it as typically
Canadian.

It may be that not all Canadians use this pronunciation, so that Ed may be
right in a limited sense, but as far as I know nobody but Canadians use it.

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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