What you were hearing were regional or local accents.
Surely all accents are regional?
Pretty much everywhere in the UK has its own regional accent. The only accent that is non-geographical is RP, which is contrived for use on television and radio to allow the best clarity for all listeners (though it's probably closest to a home-counties accent).
Surely all accents are regional?
Pretty much everywhere in the UK has its own regional accent. The only accent that is non-geographical is RP, which is contrived for use on television and radio to allow the best clarity for all listeners (though it's probably closest to a home-counties accent).
I can't speak for your country but when it comes to America and English Canada there is certainly such a thing as a general accent. For example, you could have someone from Texas and someone from New York City sounding essentially identical but that doesn't mean there are no locals in that locality that have local or regional accents. Think of it this way, the general American accent would be the one that wherever you are in America, is the one that essentially lacks the regional or local accent.
Okay, I'm a Canadian, in the Vanccouver area, and I have just read every post in this thread. It is downright hilarious how much nonsense is being thrown around, and attempts to correct the falsehoods are being rebuffed by people who are, frankly, not just clueless, but arrogant in their clueless-ness. PPhilster is correct. The "general" American and Canadian accents are the same, barring differences in the pronunciation of certain words (but really, far too few words to amount to different accents). Plus, there are regional differences, some of which transcend borders. Americans in New England and Canadians in Nova Scotia sound a lot more like each other than they do their fellow countrymen in other parts of their own countries. And Canadians do NOT say "aboot." Furthermore, I am amazed that most of the people here, who I am presuming to be English, don't seem to realize that it is people in SCOTLAND who say "aboot." I have no idea how the myth of Canadians saying aboot started, but I wouldn't be surprised if it started with Americans hearing Scot expats in Canada saying it, and once the South Park movie was made, the myth became a non-factual "fact."
Okay, I'm a Canadian, in the Vanccouver area, and I have just read every post in this thread. It is downright hilarious how much nonsense is being thrown around, and attempts to correct the falsehoods are being rebuffed by people who are, frankly, not just clueless, but arrogant in their clueless-ness. PPhilster is correct. The "general" American and Canadian accents are the same, barring differences in the pronunciation of certain words (but really, far too few words to amount to different accents). Plus, there are regional differences, some of which transcend borders. Americans in New England and Canadians in Nova Scotia sound a lot more like each other than they do their fellow countrymen in other parts of their own countries. And Canadians do NOT say "aboot." Furthermore, I am amazed that most of the people here, who I am presuming to be English, don't seem to realize that it is people in SCOTLAND who say "aboot." I have no idea how the myth of Canadians saying aboot started, but I wouldn't be surprised if it started with Americans hearing Scot expats in Canada saying it, and once the South Park movie was made, the myth became a non-factual "fact."
Like I said earlier, I've never heard a Canadian say "aboot" or end a sentence with "eh?". I think this is probably a myth which eminates from American popular media. I think even Kids in the Hall perpetuated it, if I remember?
Americans very much can tell the difference.
My mother is American but spent three years of her childhood living in Ottawa where she picked up the accent.
When her family moved back to the USA she was bullied by her fellow Americans for having a Canadian accent!!!
Americans very much can tell the difference.
My mother is American but spent three years of her childhood living in Ottawa where she picked up the accent.
When her family moved back to the USA she was bullied by her fellow Americans for having a Canadian accent!!!
Please understand, the vague reference to "the USA" makes that anecdote meaningless. Where in the USA did she move back to? New York? Texas? Yes, an "Ottawa" accent is going to sound very unusual to school kids in New York or Texas, but then kids in New York and Texas would themselves sound weird to kids virtually anywhere else in America.
Like I said earlier, I've never heard a Canadian say "aboot" or end a sentence with "eh?". I think this is probably a myth which eminates from American popular media. I think even Kids in the Hall perpetuated it, if I remember?
The thing with putting "eh" at the end of sentences is that it is not Canadian as such, but it is something one hears low class, poorly educated, and mostly rural Canadians say -- and those who say it say it a lot. I'm sure there is a British counterpart to this sort of thing -- like "dropping h's." It isn't "British" to pronounce words that begin with the letter h like the h isn't there, but a lot of lower class Brits seem to do that nevertheless (although maybe there is a regional dimension to that as well as the class one).
Please understand, the vague reference to "the USA" makes that anecdote meaningless. Where in the USA did she move back to? New York? Texas? Yes, an "Ottawa" accent is going to sound very unusual to school kids in New York or Texas, but then kids in New York and Texas would themselves sound weird to kids virtually anywhere else in America.
Well, there you go.:) Have you ever seen the American TV series Justified, which is set in Kentucky? (I believe the latest season starts on Channel 5 very soon.) A very deep Southern accent is the norm there, and it is probably even further from "general American" than the Texas accent. So a child who has learned to talk like kids in the Canadian city of Ottawa moves to Kentucky and the kids make fun of her for her "Canadian accent," but in truth the Kentucky children were making fun of her for speaking the way most Americans speak -- which is decidedly NOT the way people in Kentucky speak.
I have absolutely no idea when someone is Canadian unless they're dressed as a mounty and carry a hockey stick and a bottle of maple syrup with them. No really.
Well, there you go.:) Have you ever seen the American TV series Justified, which is set in Kentucky? (I believe the latest season starts on Channel 5 very soon.) A very deep Southern accent is the norm there, and it is probably even further from "general American" than the Texas accent. So a child who has learned to talk like kids in the Canadian city of Ottawa moves to Kentucky and the kids make fun of her for her "Canadian accent," but in truth the Kentucky children were making fun of her for speaking the way most Americans speak -- which is decidedly NOT the way people in Kentucky speak.
You'd probably get someone from California move to Kentucky and get made fun of, and vice versa lol. Even Americans on the west coast would think a Ketucky accent is 'unique'. BTW, singer Nicole Sherzinger was raised in Kentucky and although her accent has been diluted, you can definately still hear traces of it. AND the interesting thing about others hearing accents, is that last year when she was on X Factor UK, here on DS there were posters thinking her accent was very Brooklyn-ish.
I have absolutely no idea when someone is Canadian unless they're dressed as a mounty and carry a hockey stick and a bottle of maple syrup with them. No really.
The massive disjoint between the jawline and the rest of the head should give it away......plus the farting and queefing!
You'd probably get someone from California move to Kentucky and get made fun of, and vice versa lol. Even Americans on the west coast would think a Ketucky accent is 'unique'. BTW, singer Nicole Sherzinger was raised in Kentucky and although her accent has been diluted, you can definately still hear traces of it. AND the interesting thing about others hearing accents, is that last year when she was on X Factor UK, here on DS there were posters thinking her accent was very Brooklyn-ish.
It sounds like there are as many north American accents as there are in the British Isles (not quite as locally unique though - there are 14 different identifiable accents in the north west of England, for example, which covers only about 2500 square miles). Especially towards the coasts, the far north eastern states and the south, and cities like New York and Boston have their own identifiable accent. I'm wondering what this "generic" North American accent actually covers? Surely, the Mid-West has its own accent as well?
Interestingly, I was just at a new dentists, and the dentist sounded just like a friend of my sister-in-law, who is from Toronto. I enquired as to whether she was from Canada, and surprisingly enough, she was from Barrie, which is not far away. So maybe even Ontario has its own, subtle accent?
Okay, I'm a Canadian, in the Vanccouver area, and I have just read every post in this thread. It is downright hilarious how much nonsense is being thrown around, and attempts to correct the falsehoods are being rebuffed by people who are, frankly, not just clueless, but arrogant in their clueless-ness. PPhilster is correct. The "general" American and Canadian accents are the same, barring differences in the pronunciation of certain words (but really, far too few words to amount to different accents). Plus, there are regional differences, some of which transcend borders. Americans in New England and Canadians in Nova Scotia sound a lot more like each other than they do their fellow countrymen in other parts of their own countries. And Canadians do NOT say "aboot." Furthermore, I am amazed that most of the people here, who I am presuming to be English, don't seem to realize that it is people in SCOTLAND who say "aboot." I have no idea how the myth of Canadians saying aboot started, but I wouldn't be surprised if it started with Americans hearing Scot expats in Canada saying it, and once the South Park movie was made, the myth became a non-factual "fact."
Its good to hear a Canadian point of view but please remember as you aren't American your opinion supposedly isn't as valid.
Just to complicate things even further there are lot of us here in north east England that say aboot, its not just a Scottish thing
Just to complicate things even further there are lot of us here in north east England that say aboot, its not just a Scottish thing
But wouldn't that be from Scottish influence? I have seen a British TV series set in Northeast England called Vera, and I noticed some of the English characters in a few episodes saying "aye" instead of "yes," which I assumed to be because of historical Scottish influence on a region so close to the Scottish border.
Then again, saying British opinion is invalid on a subject is no worse than being told it's a British website and there are perfectly good American ones to disappear off to. I'm sure nobody would tell people from other countries to go disappear to websites from their own country.
Then again, saying British opinion is invalid on a subject is no worse than being told it's a British website and there are perfectly good American ones to disappear off to. I'm sure nobody would tell people from other countries to go disappear to websites from their own country.
This a local website, for local people! :mad:
(League of Gentleman reference, there. It's British and therefore a bit odd. Mind you, an American network has probably done a remake, as seems to be the fashion with British comedy these days).
I'm wondering what this "generic" North American accent actually covers? Surely, the Mid-West has its own accent as well?I
There is a Wikipedia entry on "General American." I advise people take a look at it. The entry notes that General American is an accent related to "generalized Midwestern." There is even a map that shows the regional "home" of General American. It is really a pretty small area. It is a lot like British "RP" -- it is an accent that is almost more of a cultural construct used by media and spread by people's exposure to media. I think the reason why General American and General Canadian are basically the same is because in Canada kids grow up, as I did, watching mostly the same movies, TV, and news that Americans watch.
(League of Gentleman reference, there. It's British and therefore a bit odd. Mind you, an American network has probably done a remake, as seems to be the fashion with British comedy these days).
There was no US remake of that. Probably because the format was alien to US TV at that time. It wasn't a sitcom, or a pure sketch show, but a combination of both.
Comments
Surely all accents are regional?
Pretty much everywhere in the UK has its own regional accent. The only accent that is non-geographical is RP, which is contrived for use on television and radio to allow the best clarity for all listeners (though it's probably closest to a home-counties accent).
Good morning my fellow insular American.
Are you getting that same deja vu feeling I am?
I can't speak for your country but when it comes to America and English Canada there is certainly such a thing as a general accent. For example, you could have someone from Texas and someone from New York City sounding essentially identical but that doesn't mean there are no locals in that locality that have local or regional accents. Think of it this way, the general American accent would be the one that wherever you are in America, is the one that essentially lacks the regional or local accent.
Good morning fellow "insular" Americans.
Like I said earlier, I've never heard a Canadian say "aboot" or end a sentence with "eh?". I think this is probably a myth which eminates from American popular media. I think even Kids in the Hall perpetuated it, if I remember?
My mother is American but spent three years of her childhood living in Ottawa where she picked up the accent.
When her family moved back to the USA she was bullied by her fellow Americans for having a Canadian accent!!!
Please understand, the vague reference to "the USA" makes that anecdote meaningless. Where in the USA did she move back to? New York? Texas? Yes, an "Ottawa" accent is going to sound very unusual to school kids in New York or Texas, but then kids in New York and Texas would themselves sound weird to kids virtually anywhere else in America.
The thing with putting "eh" at the end of sentences is that it is not Canadian as such, but it is something one hears low class, poorly educated, and mostly rural Canadians say -- and those who say it say it a lot. I'm sure there is a British counterpart to this sort of thing -- like "dropping h's." It isn't "British" to pronounce words that begin with the letter h like the h isn't there, but a lot of lower class Brits seem to do that nevertheless (although maybe there is a regional dimension to that as well as the class one).
Well, there you go.:) Have you ever seen the American TV series Justified, which is set in Kentucky? (I believe the latest season starts on Channel 5 very soon.) A very deep Southern accent is the norm there, and it is probably even further from "general American" than the Texas accent. So a child who has learned to talk like kids in the Canadian city of Ottawa moves to Kentucky and the kids make fun of her for her "Canadian accent," but in truth the Kentucky children were making fun of her for speaking the way most Americans speak -- which is decidedly NOT the way people in Kentucky speak.
way ahead of you, but dare not say on here.. just seeing where it plays out.
You'd probably get someone from California move to Kentucky and get made fun of, and vice versa lol. Even Americans on the west coast would think a Ketucky accent is 'unique'. BTW, singer Nicole Sherzinger was raised in Kentucky and although her accent has been diluted, you can definately still hear traces of it. AND the interesting thing about others hearing accents, is that last year when she was on X Factor UK, here on DS there were posters thinking her accent was very Brooklyn-ish.
The massive disjoint between the jawline and the rest of the head should give it away......plus the farting and queefing!
It sounds like there are as many north American accents as there are in the British Isles (not quite as locally unique though - there are 14 different identifiable accents in the north west of England, for example, which covers only about 2500 square miles). Especially towards the coasts, the far north eastern states and the south, and cities like New York and Boston have their own identifiable accent. I'm wondering what this "generic" North American accent actually covers? Surely, the Mid-West has its own accent as well?
Interestingly, I was just at a new dentists, and the dentist sounded just like a friend of my sister-in-law, who is from Toronto. I enquired as to whether she was from Canada, and surprisingly enough, she was from Barrie, which is not far away. So maybe even Ontario has its own, subtle accent?
Its good to hear a Canadian point of view but please remember as you aren't American your opinion supposedly isn't as valid.
Just to complicate things even further there are lot of us here in north east England that say aboot, its not just a Scottish thing
If the British POV isn't valid about US things why is there an incessant dribble of threads about the US started by British posters?:D
But wouldn't that be from Scottish influence? I have seen a British TV series set in Northeast England called Vera, and I noticed some of the English characters in a few episodes saying "aye" instead of "yes," which I assumed to be because of historical Scottish influence on a region so close to the Scottish border.
We like to spout invalid opinions!
May I congratulate you all for doing it so well.
Then again, saying British opinion is invalid on a subject is no worse than being told it's a British website and there are perfectly good American ones to disappear off to. I'm sure nobody would tell people from other countries to go disappear to websites from their own country.
This a local website, for local people! :mad:
(League of Gentleman reference, there. It's British and therefore a bit odd. Mind you, an American network has probably done a remake, as seems to be the fashion with British comedy these days).
There is a Wikipedia entry on "General American." I advise people take a look at it. The entry notes that General American is an accent related to "generalized Midwestern." There is even a map that shows the regional "home" of General American. It is really a pretty small area. It is a lot like British "RP" -- it is an accent that is almost more of a cultural construct used by media and spread by people's exposure to media. I think the reason why General American and General Canadian are basically the same is because in Canada kids grow up, as I did, watching mostly the same movies, TV, and news that Americans watch.
There was no US remake of that. Probably because the format was alien to US TV at that time. It wasn't a sitcom, or a pure sketch show, but a combination of both.
Yes it sound like it has some sort of Icelandic/Nordic/Swedish influence on certain words.