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Post by Randy on Aug 6, 2011 14:37:56 GMT -5
My great grandfather moved to the US from Canada in the 1920s. When I first went to school back in the late '50s, I was put into speech class because of my accent. This kind of made my mother angry, because I talked just like she did. I've always gotten this, "you're not from around here, are you?" since I can remember. Potatoes have always been P'datoes, and out has always been oote to me. Recently, when talking on the phone, the person on the other end asked me about my accent. "What accent?" was my reply, "I've lived in NW Pennsylvania and NE Ohio all of my life". You would think with my '60th birthday approaching, I'd belong somewhere.....
Today I was looking at a large plastic container my wife has. I asked, "I wonder if this Tucker Tote is any relation to Preston Tucker?", and my wife said, "What Tugger Toood are you talking about?"........ I just can't win. ;D
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PeterW
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Post by PeterW on Aug 6, 2011 16:03:53 GMT -5
Randy,
It's amazing how long the remnants of our original accent stay with us.
I thought that after 70 years I'd completely lost my original South London accent and spoke what is generally called "Standard Southern English"
But about a year ago I was at a camera fair and got talking with another collector who was born and bred in North London. I had no trouble placing his accent fairly closely.
After a while he said "You're originally from over the other side, aren't you?"
"Over the other side" is the general North London term for south of the River Thames.
I said I was, many years ago, and asked what gave it away.
"Can't really place it," he said. "Just odd touches here and there. I was right, though!"
PeterW
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Aug 6, 2011 17:11:26 GMT -5
Randy,
Did you mean Canadien Or Canadian, eh?
Mickey
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Post by Randy on Aug 6, 2011 22:18:04 GMT -5
Randy, Did you mean Canadien Or Canadian, eh? Mickey That's another thing that got me in trouble. My grandmother told me that was the correct spelling.... Colour is another one. When I used to get into my grandfathers business, he used to say, "take off, eh?". |
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Aug 6, 2011 23:43:56 GMT -5
Randy,
Your grand mother must have been Pure Laine.
Québécois and their hockey team are Canadiens.
All the rest of us are merely Canadians.
Comprenez-vous, eh?
Mickey
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Post by Randy on Aug 7, 2011 11:07:24 GMT -5
She was a grand old dame.
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Aug 7, 2011 12:28:42 GMT -5
A Grand grand-mere.
Mickey
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photax
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Post by photax on Aug 7, 2011 16:13:55 GMT -5
We have also many different dialects here, although Austria is a very small country. You can accurately find out the region where people are located by hearing them talk. I think a dialect gives identity and authenticity to the people.
MIK
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Post by nikonbob on Aug 7, 2011 18:00:55 GMT -5
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Post by Randy on Aug 7, 2011 20:16:59 GMT -5
One think that cracks me up is western NY State. You can go 100 miles and run into many different accents. Did you ever watch American Chopper? They all say....ah....ah....ah... every other word. I've run into that before.
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mickeyobe
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Post by mickeyobe on Aug 8, 2011 23:14:46 GMT -5
"Canadian English (CanE, CanEng) Newfoundland English Maritimer English Cape Breton accent Lunenburg English West/Central Canadian English Northern Ontario English Quebec English Ottawa Valley Twang Pacific Northwest English" No Toronto. This proves my contention that everyone has an accent except me. Mickey  |
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Post by Th1nk3r on Aug 8, 2011 23:27:34 GMT -5
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daveh
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Post by daveh on Aug 9, 2011 2:25:18 GMT -5
Of the English language dialects, England itself probably has the most variation. In the Wiki entry there is mention of 'Scouse'. The accent has changed quite considerably over the years. If you hear someone (not many, if any around now) like Arthur Askey or Ted Ray (mid 1900s comedians, born say 1910) the accent was mild but had that sound which is more more accentuated today. Those born in, say, the 1940s had a harder accent, while those born another thirty years on have a much harder and harsher sound. I would also note that certain words and phrases have gone out of use. It was common to hear someone being called 'wack' (friend, pal, mate) in the 1960. I do think I have heard it in years. Then it changed to 'Jim'. I'm not sure there is a single modern word to cover it.
Although Birkenhead and Wirral has much of the sounds in common with Scouse, the accent is different. Indeed Wirral has several accents. Some have retained more of the old Cheshire sounds and phrases than others.
Merseyside, one of the 1970s Metropolitan 'counties', has several accents in its boundaries. Southport and St. Helens are more typical Lancashire accents, though different to each other and neither is anything like those that have the scouse sound. The Cheshire accent is different again.
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Post by camerastoomany on Aug 9, 2011 9:30:33 GMT -5
When I was a very young lad, my family moved from Australia to England (mother was a pom). My first couple of years at school saw me in many playground fights because my accent gave me away as a "bloody colonial".
Some years later we returned to Oz and on my first day at school I wa forced into a fight with a lad who couldn't stand the way "pommie bastards" talked.
Sometimes ya just can't win!
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Post by Randy on Aug 9, 2011 11:31:24 GMT -5
"Canadian English (CanE, CanEng) Newfoundland English Maritimer English Cape Breton accent Lunenburg English West/Central Canadian English Northern Ontario English Quebec English Ottawa Valley Twang Pacific Northwest English" No Toronto. This proves my contention that everyone has an accent except me. Mickey I'm pretty sure mine is 50% Newfoundland, 20% Central. Someone else was telling me that as generations go, the accents go also. My son & daughters don't have my accent. |
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