American Accents of Toronto

[Urban Shocker]

I already did. See my previous posts.

 

[adma]

Yeah, but as Brits go, you're a fraud. You should be habitually referring to people as "Guv'nor"

 

[Urban Shocker]

I was born in London but didn't live there - saying "Guv'nor" and doffing my cloth cap to toffs isn't part of my repertoire. But Danny La Rue was a seminal influence in my youth, so I'm perfectly authentic in my artifice.

http://www.dannylarue.com/

 

[Hydrogen]

Apparently I'm a Yankee - from the the north east.

*belly laugh*

Seems you took a wrong exit off the New Jersey turnpike.

 

[vicente]

As Canadian Raising is gaining traction in the Southern Us, according to linguists, it's going extinct in Toronto -- although not in the area's outside Toronto. Younger Torontonians no longer distinguish between rider and writer

Huh? Not distinguishing "rider" and "writer" is Canadian Raising.

ah-i vs. uh-i (i the vowel in "bit")

Urban Shocker, the elite along the coast of the Northeast continued to have contact with Britain after the Revolution, so their speech contains British innovations to sounds that have been preserved in close to their original form in other North American accents. Most famously, the loss of the final "r" (or "rhoticity") in England affected Northeastern speech. Almost all other North American accents keep the final "r".

 

[somody]

Western

 

[Long Island Mike]

We can not forget this two-letter word...EH?

Everyone: When I and many others think of Canadian English we just can NOT forget the most widely used two-letter word: EH?

I found on my trips-especially on my long September 1985 trip-that I would just start saying "Eh?" in reply just naturally-I even noticed and said to people I was visiting "That word EH is contagious-now you got ME saying it too!" alongside my then-strong Long Island accent.

I seem to have noticed that the use of the word "EH" pretty much disappears after you enter WNY or other US areas-is that absolutely true?
The American equivalent word or words is "Huh?" or "Uh?" which I was used to hearing myself-although until my trips to Canada beginning in 1979 I never really noticed it.

Yes-there are parts of the English language that Canada is famous for-and that little two letter word-EH-tops this list.

Observations and insight from Long Island Mike

P.S. Speaking of the Chicagoland Dialect-does anyone remember the NBC Saturday Night Live skit back in the 90s about fanatic Chicago Bears NFL football fans? I got a kick out of "Da Bears" - and I recall the late Chris Farley was one of them.
I am going to insert this example with a previous post I made on this topic.

 

[Hydrogen]

You're right, Long Island Mike, it is catchy, eh?

What I've noticed on my trips to the Eastern U.S. is the variation - sometimes subtle, sometimes not - in accents. Even the difference between people of upstate New York and around NYC is very evident and easy to distinguish.

In terms of things like "eh" and "uh" I've always found it interesting that once you hit Virginia and the vicinity, it's very common for people to answer "uh-huh" after you thank them. I remember it taking a little while to get used to that.

 

[CDL.TO]

In terms of things like "eh" and "uh" I've always found it interesting that once you hit Virginia and the vicinity, it's very common for people to answer "uh-huh" after you thank them. I remember it taking a little while to get used to that.

That is a tough one to adjust to. Another one that's thrown me a curve was Americans who answer "thank you" to a yes/no question, such as:
- "Would you like a bag for your purchase?"
- "Thank you"

While the cashier stands there confused, wondering if that means yes or no.

 

[somody]

That is a tough one to adjust to. Another one that's thrown me a curve was Americans who answer "thank you" to a yes/no question, such as:
- "Would you like a bag for your purchase?"
- "Thank you"

While the cashier stands there confused, wondering if that means yes or no.

This is especially confusing to those of European heritage, where you can answer "thank you" to mean "no" (as in "no thank you") and "please" to mean "yes" (as in "yes please").