How do you distinguish American accent from Canadian one?

[Ralf]

[IsadorCJ]

well~ yea I'm now in a canadian university~

some of our prof's who are from "old school" (around 45-year-old) used "a boat" quite often~ i mean, they pronounce it like that~

but for some other younger prof's(around 35-year-old), they just talk like the guys on TV show, and for sure the TV shows i'm talkin' about are all of Americans~ ....

that's what I have found so far~

quite interesting~

[Prezbucky]

Has anyone mentioned the Californian A-to-ah change?

Had = Hahd
Bad = Bahd
Lad = Lahd

etc.
_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Matwiz]

with the rise of internet communication and american and canadian exchange of people by work, school, immigration and emigration, the accents are now almost identical, especially between ontario and upper new york state, of course the usual "eh" and the infamous "out" and "about" as you have seen in the post.

southern accents are a dead give away which even distinguishes them in the US south from their own citizens in the US north.

An article writes:

"Generally, Standard Canadian pronunciation is very similar to Standard American pronunciation, especially in Ontario. As time goes by, and Canadians watch more American TV and movies, Canadians everywhere are beginning to sound more like Americans (Chambers, 1998, Clarke, 1993, Cornerstone, 1999, Lilles, 2000, Woods, 1993)."

[Jamie (K)]

The Canadian and American accents have not become any closer during my lifetime, and it's still easy for an American to hear if someone is from Canada.

[Canadian_Eh]

Sorry, I stumbled across this thread while searching for something totally unrelated. I found it very amusing and thought I would throw my two cents in.

All the rules that have been applied throughout this thread are all fine and good, but the reality of it is that Canadians, similar to Americans, sounds very different from one another as you travel across the country.

I have spent time/lived in areas of Canada from the Maritimes to the West Coast. I grew up in Ontario and get mistaken for an American in most other parts of Canada due to the proximity to our neighbours to the south and cross boarder migration in both directions.

If I talk to someone who is a 'Newphie" they may have a subtle elongation of vowels to the extreme of a drawl and unique dialect that most other Canadians can not understand.

Through Quebec you can encounter french speaking residents that do not speak english, through to those with thick accents applying french grammar to english sentences, and individuals with no decernable accent.

As we move through to the west again we see changes in vowel length and slang. Also with the oil industry we have a lot of American influence in some cities.

The stereotype of Canadians saying "Eh" applies to part of the country only. In the west "Eh" becomes "Hey" you know what I mean - eh? vs. you know what I mean - hey?

I agree with the statement earlier that the internet, tv, and travel has caused our subtle differences to become even more subtle. It is easier to look for specific word choices and references rather than pronounciation. Pop vs. Soda. Canadians specify Iced Tea where Americans specify Hot Tea. Washroom vs. Bathroom (On a side note the comment about a urinal being called a Washroom - every country has idiots - I have even been embarassed by people in Canada out of their home province referencing where they come from because it gave my home province a bad name just being associated with them). I am sure if I thought about it I can find examples of when I have been in the states where Americans have said things all of you would think was stupid.

That is my two cents. you can all go back to disecting Canadians, but I have to say I have never been centered out as a Canadian when I have been in the states based on pronounciation, it is only noticed based on word choice - eh!