The Toronto Accent(s)

[Lenser]

Gotta say I agree. It maybe addresses a tiny subset of Toronto youth, at best. It's about as representative of Toronto as mountains and the sea air.

 

[King of Kensington]

Incidentally many Montreal Jews and Italians have distinctive "ethnic" accents, as is the case in NYC. Doesn't seem quite as evident in Toronto, but there are some differences.

 

[King of Kensington]

Interesting piece about a "Bathurst St." accent among Toronto Jews. The problem though is the focus on "bean" and "agayn" is wrong. Most Torontonians especially under 60 don't say "bean" or "agayn."

http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-lif...il&utm_term=0_c308bf8edb-6454f44312-206530793

Among Toronto Jews, there's an old Yiddish-influenced urban accent (Mel Lastman, probably Ed Mirvish). But for younger generations, it's more pretty neutral upper middle class Canadian in Forest Hill, North Toronto, York Mills, etc. There's also a suburban North York accent that developed and later spread to Thornhill, and is particularly common among the day schoolers that's sort of Jewish + "Valley girl."

The "Valley-type" accent also impacts a lot of well-off Asians in North York and York Region but obviously with less Jewish influence.

Italian Toronto accent - George Mammoliti. Pretty similar running from St. Clair West to Vaughan/Woodbridge.

Hard to say what a Toronto accent is. There's definitely a working class "north of Highway 7" Ontario accent that's thought of the stereotypical "hoser" accent, while closer to the border it sounds more "generic American" (though nothing like the Buffalo accent). Compare Kate Beirness and the with the interviewer from Wallaceburg:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG-Foj4hAOc#t=40

Among Torontonians, there's a bit of an upper class private schooled accen (i.e. Bob Rae, Stephen Lewis, Conrad Black) - but less distinctive among younger generations. There's also an old working class anglo accent that's pretty rare because there aren't that many working class WASPs/Irish in Toronto anymore. The Fords seem to have the "north of 7" accent - their dad grew up on the Danforth when it was almost all working class anglo Canadian - but maybe that's the old Toronto accent.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

This video is an excellent but subtle example of the accent a lot of young people in Toronto use (under 30). You can hear it at 0:39. When Drake released this video back in February, his followers were surprised at the strong accents he used. It was typically described as a forced Jamaican patois accent mixed with Canadian.

I'm so used to the accent that I had to watch this video a few times over to hear what these people were talking about. I hear it a lot among Toronto youth, across all races/ethnicities (especially non-white); it's not just black Torontonians using it. Go on a high school or university campus in the city and I guarantee you'll hear it.

Here's something different. This video sounds ridiculous, but the creator obviously exaggerated the accent for emphasis. Nevertheless, this really is how a lot of young people in Toronto sound, especially when they're worked up about something. These sound like the stereotypical Canadian accent mixed in with various ethnic accents. Perhaps Toronto's version of Multicultural London English.

I've never heard "flip" used. I assume he's substituting it for "f*ck". And he really should be saying "bro" rather than "guy". The overuse of "yo" is spot on.

And some of the slang I hear young Torontonians use. Some of these are unique to Toronto. Most of these originate in the Caribbean, but I've seen most of them used regularly across all ethnicities, especially by non-whites. This is by no means an exhaustive list:

Ahlie – Right? or Is it true?

Cheesed - Pissed off/upset

Cut - Leave

Deke - To trick someone

Reach – Coming, going

Live – Exciting, memorable

Styll (Still) - Though

From time – Awhile, long time ago or way back

Link up – To get together

True say – I agree or agreement with what you’re saying

Fam – A word to describe people you’re close with

Wallahi - Swear to allah. Primarily used by Muslim Toronto youth.

Cyattie - Refers to women in general

Tings - Things or girls

Yo - "Hello" or to express surprise. Depends on the context.

Sauga - Mississauga

Scarbz - Scarborough

Browntown - Brampton

The six - Toronto (this has superseded "416")

Soft - easy

Word - "For real?" or "okay". Depends on context.

Finally, listen to the interviews in this 1989 video. It really shows how our accent has changed in the past 20 years:

 

[Adjei]

Yup that is the Toronto accent used by the youth in Toronto and the whole GTA at least the ones from the ethnic communities. It's now getting more prominence because of Drake.

 

[Adjei]

Another good example of this accent is here:

 

[Adjei]

Cyattie doesn't refer to women in general, lol. It's more like ratchet types who are loud, always causing a scene and fighting. If you're a woman, you definitely don't want to be called a cyattie.

 

[TheTigerMaster]

Here's an article from April about the spread of Jamaican Patois among Toronto's youth:

TORONTO SLANG IS FAR FROM “BASIC”

 

[Armour]

Here's an article from April about the spread of Jamaican Patois among Toronto's youth:

TORONTO SLANG IS FAR FROM “BASIC”

What imbeciles. Is there something wrong with speaking proper English and not feigning verbal inflections? It sure must be fun to put a conscious effort into changing the natural sound of one's voice and pretend to be something that one isn't.

 

[smably]

 

[wild goose chase]

This video is an excellent but subtle example of the accent a lot of young people in Toronto use (under 30). You can hear it at 0:39. When Drake released this video back in February, his followers were surprised at the strong accents he used. It was typically described as a forced Jamaican patois accent mixed with Canadian.

I'm so used to the accent that I had to watch this video a few times over to hear what these people were talking about. I hear it a lot among Toronto youth, across all races/ethnicities (especially non-white); it's not just black Torontonians using it. Go on a high school or university campus in the city and I guarantee you'll hear it.

Here's something different. This video sounds ridiculous, but the creator obviously exaggerated the accent for emphasis. Nevertheless, this really is how a lot of young people in Toronto sound, especially when they're worked up about something. These sound like the stereotypical Canadian accent mixed in with various ethnic accents. Perhaps Toronto's version of Multicultural London English.

Is there some influence of black American culture in the speech of Toronto's youth too? I mean, Drake's accent has obviously been influenced by it, and obviously American media shapes Canadian media more broadly, but I do know many black Canadians trace their heritage to the Caribbean (probably more than to the US?), so sometimes it's hard for me to tell which parts come from which influence.

If Toronto doesn't have something like a "dialect" analogous to Multicultural London English quite yet, perhaps it's in the process of forming one, as generations come of age?

 

[King of Kensington]

Most Black Canadians are of Caribbean origin (as half live in the GTA alone). The main African American-descended Black communities are those of Nova Scotia (descended from Black Loyalists) and the Windsor/Chatham area (terminus of the Underground Railroad). Some people from SW Ontario and Nova Scotia have moved to Toronto, but the vast majority of Toronto's Black community is made up of those of Caribbean descent, with a significant minority of African immigrants as well. I'd be surprised if more than 5% of Black Torontonians are of AA origin.

 

[torontologist]

Finally, listen to the interviews in this 1989 video. It really shows how our accent has changed in the past 20 years:

I think the shift from regionalized accents to a general North American English is happening across the continent. I have relatives in the Southern US, and the older generations have very strong Tidewater South accents, but my younger cousins have a barely noticeable twang. When I meet the parents of my Canadian friends (who speak English the same way I do, a generalized North American sort of way), I'm always shocked by how thick of a "Canadian accent" they have. Usage of things like "agayn" for again, "bean" for been, and "aboat" for about, seems to be a lot more common with older and rural people.

 

[wild goose chase]

I think the shift from regionalized accents to a general North American English is happening across the continent. I have relatives in the Southern US, and the older generations have very strong Tidewater South accents, but my younger cousins have a barely noticeable twang. When I meet the parents of my Canadian friends (who speak English the same way I do, a generalized North American sort of way), I'm always shocked by how thick of a "Canadian accent" they have. Usage of things like "agayn" for again, "bean" for been, and "aboat" for about, seems to be a lot more common with older and rural people.

I'm in my late 20s and I pronounced the words again and been exactly as you mentioned, and didn't really notice it until I moved to the US a few years back. Now that I notice, I'm not really sure how I pronounce them -- I think I might subconsciously use both now.

 

[Transportfan]

Another expat on UT. Recent too. It sucks losing so many Canadians to the US. Don't any real Americans show any interest in Toronto?