a look at English accents from around the world.
TRACK 16
ACCENT ALERT Audio Script
ACCENT ALERT
There are many interesting another example is the
features of the Canadian word “creek” instead of the
accent. For example, the really American “Crik”.
interesting thing is that our
accent hardly changes right Now, I’m going to tell you
across the country, whereas a little anecdote, a short
in the UK for example it can story that- something that
change every 50 kilometres. happened to me when I
Depending on the region of was about 14 years old. I
The Canadian
Canada where you live, and went canoe-camping out in
the immigrant population the wilderness to a park in
that settled there, there are northern Quebec called “La
some small variations, but
Accent
Verendrye.” Now this park is
mostly with the vocabulary, huge. It’s about 15,000 sq.
rather than with the accent kms and has more than 800
itself. For example, people kms of waterways. We were
from Alberta talk about sleeping four girls in a two-
“Chinooks” (which are warm man tent because the zipper
OUR MONTHLY LOOK AT ENGLISH winds that can raise the on the other girls’ tent had
ACCENTS FROM AROUND THE WORLD temperature in winter by
about 15 degrees. This word
broken and there was no way
IN BOTH ENGLISH-SPEAKING AND NON- comes from an Indian word
they could have slept in that
tent without a closed zipper,
ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES. THIS from that region. I would say
also Newfoundlanders (or ‘cause there were so many
MONTH: THE CANADIAN ENGLISH ACCENT. Newfies as we affectionately mosquitoes around and
call them) have probably they would have been eaten
Canada (population Keanu Reeves, Jim Carrey the biggest variation in alive! Instead of sleeping
accent [from] the rest of the with our feet towards the
approximately 34 and James Cameron, among door, we actually had to sleep
English-speaking Canadians,
million) is in the many others. but considering that they [the horizontally so that the four
most northern island] joined Canada [as a of us could fit in this two-man
province] in 1949, I’m really tent. I was, of course, the
part of the In Canada, many last person, and had to get
not surprised.
continent of people speak up in the middle of the night
North America, English and Now, one of the biggest to go to the outhouse. So I
just above the French, as well particularities about climbed over the other three
the Canadian accent is girls and realized, of course,
United States. It’s as their native something called “Canadian when I got to the door, that I
a bilingual and multicultural language (if they’re Raising”. The most common had forgotten my flashlight.
country, with both English and recent immigrants). People example of Canadian Raising So I grabbed the first girl’s
is that the word “out” can be flashlight, but the batteries
French as official languages. who speak English predominantly sometimes pronounced as were so low I could barely
are known as Anglophones, “oat”. Now, this means that see, like, a few feet ahead of
The capital of Canada those who use French are the vowels in the phrase “out me. I was walking towards
and about in a boat" all have the outhouse when I literally
is Ottawa (population Francophones, and those whose the same sound. But I must almost bumped into this
approximately first language is neither English admit that not all Canadians big black bear. He was just
800,000). It isn’t the nor French are Allophones. do this, for example, I don’t, standing right there in front
but I know that there are of me and I just stopped
most spectacular English is the dominant language Americans who do it- who live dead in my tracks and calmly
city in the country, in most places in Canada except close to the Canadian border, said,“a bear”. I repeated it
especially when the province of Quebec (principal so it’s not a steadfast rule. several more times, and just
Some people though, they do
compared to places cities: Quebec City and Montreal), say “aboot” and they don’t
stood there with my mouth
gaping open. And I really
such as Vancouver (on the Pacific where 80% of the population are pronounce it the usual British didn’t know what to do, but I
coast), which often appears on Francophone. way with the “ow” sound, as knew that running away was
in “about”.
the top of lists of the best cities in not an option, so I turned
the world. The Canadian English accent off the flashlight, backed up
Another special feature of
very slowly and walked all
has many similarities with the Canadian English is the
the way around the campsite
use of “eh?”, at the end
Canada is famous for many American English accent, of a sentence, as a sort of to the outhouse. Just then
things, including the Royal (which is why many question tag to verify if the a girl was coming out and
she saw me, you know, I was
Canadian Mounted Police Canadians travel with a person you’re speaking to
as white as white as a ghost
has understood you or just
(the Mounties), maple syrup Canadian flag on their basically to verify information. and she asked me what was
(the maple leaf features luggage so that people People make a lot of jokes wrong, and I just repeated
the only two words that
on the Canadian flag), don’t confuse them with about that, with Canadians.
seemed to come out of my
For example, we’ll say, “You
and winter sports (in Americans when they’re haven’t finished the report, mouth: “a bear” and pointed
particular, ice hockey). abroad). However, there eh?” instead of the usual to the direction I had seen
I sing in are a few differences, question tag, “have you?” Or him [in]. Now, she had one
Canadian of those high power-beam
“It’s cold, eh?” which… you
Famous people from too! which you can hear know, instead of “isn’t it?” flashlights and sure enough,
Canada include Joni about on the CD. she shone it right on the bear
Mitchell, Neil Young, Canadians sometimes side and started shouting and
with [the] British on the screaming. Everyone woke up
Bryan Adams, Alanis Now sit back, relax and pronunciation of certain and started making noise and
Morissette, Celine Dion, listen to Joyce telling us words such as: “roof” instead the bear just quietly walked
Nelly Furtado, Avril all about the Canadian of the American “ruf”. And away into the woods.
Lavigne, Shania Twain, English accent.
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