# Do us Canadians really have an accent to you Americans? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 13, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837 "2016-07-13T19:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Hoserted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@Hoserted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoserted)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/1 "2016-07-13T19:26:52Z")
Despite my screen name, I like to think I don’t sound that much like a Hoser and more like a sophisticated American news caster. But Americans seem to go on and on about Canadians having THIS accent and say “aboot”.What do you guys think? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/2 "2016-07-13T19:31:17Z")
I think you aboot nailed it in that second sentence. ---
**Author:** ![Hoserted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@Hoserted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoserted)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/3 "2016-07-13T19:37:36Z")
> [@Hoserted](#): > > Despite my screen name, I like to think I don’t sound that much like a Hoser and more like a sophisticated American news caster. But Americans seem to go on and on about Canadians having THIS accent and say “aboot”.What do you guys think? > [@John\_Mace](#): > > I think you aboot nailed it in that second sentence. Oh come on, we don’t all say it. I promise I say it normal. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/4 "2016-07-13T19:43:05Z")
Some do, some don’t, depends on what part of Canada they are from. It’s a big country, and like the US, there are a lot of different accents. ---
**Author:** ![Hoserted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@Hoserted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoserted)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/5 "2016-07-13T19:45:41Z")
[![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPNblzPLRpo) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/6 "2016-07-13T19:51:36Z")
The link doesn’t work for me. ---
**Author:** ![Hoserted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@Hoserted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoserted)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/7 "2016-07-13T19:55:24Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > The link doesn’t work for me. NOOOO! I’ll try again [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/resJumuwHpQ/maxresdefault.jpg "Canadian guy is sick of the BS") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=resJumuwHpQ) ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/8 "2016-07-13T19:56:52Z")
> [@](#): > > **Do us Canadians really have an accent to you Americans?** Is substituting “us” for “we” a Canadian thing? ---
**Author:** ![TheChileanBlob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thechileanblob/32/435_2.png) [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/9 "2016-07-13T19:57:32Z")
Y’all say sorry like sore-y too. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/10 "2016-07-13T20:00:12Z")
> [@Hoserted](#): > > NOOOO! I’ll try again > > [https://youtu.be/resJumuwHpQ](https://youtu.be/resJumuwHpQ) Am I supposed to feel anything but disdain for a person who throws around the word “retard” like Anne Coulter? ---
**Author:** ![Hoserted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@Hoserted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoserted)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/11 "2016-07-13T20:03:50Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#): > > Y’all say sorry like sore-y too. SArry ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/12 "2016-07-13T20:09:00Z")
To be fair, that “Canadian” accent doesn’t necessarily start at the Canadian border. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/13 "2016-07-13T20:25:13Z")
It’s subtle, but there. It’s not “aboot” it’s a dipthong, distinctly different than the US pronunciation. There are other minor differences as well. In the US, the words “pasta” and “Mazda” have an “ah” sound; in Canada, it’s a short “a”, like in “hat”. A year or so ago, my daughter, who has lived in Canada for ten years (and just married a Canadian last month!), used the Canadian pronunciation of “pasta”, and I called her on it. Her reply was, “Oh, just go ahead and give me my Canadian citizenship, already!” ---
**Author:** ![Hoserted](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8c91f0/32.png) [@Hoserted](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hoserted)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/14 "2016-07-13T20:30:59Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > It’s subtle, but there. It’s not “aboot” it’s a dipthong, distinctly different than the US pronunciation. There are other minor differences as well. In the US, the words “pasta” and “Mazda” have an “ah” sound; in Canada, it’s a short “a”, like in “hat”. > > A year or so ago, my daughter, who has lived in Canada for ten years (and just married a Canadian last month!), used the Canadian pronunciation of “pasta”, and I called her on it. Her reply was, “Oh, just go ahead and give me my Canadian citizenship, already!” Yes but… Canadian Raising (that diphthong) has mostly died off in younger people around Toronto. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/15 "2016-07-13T20:36:39Z")
Usually I don’t pick anything up until they say ‘aboot’ or use some other Canadian words, but there’s some accent there, fairly subtle, and I can’t say it’s uniquely Canadian either. ---
**Author:** ![davida03801](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5e925/32.png) [@davida03801](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davida03801)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/16 "2016-07-13T20:37:00Z")
Eh ? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/17 "2016-07-13T20:38:04Z")
Of course. New Yorkers, Michiganders, Californians, Ohioans, Bostonians, and Kentuckians all have accents to my Tennessee ear. Why wouldn’t Canadians? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/18 "2016-07-13T20:42:38Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Of course. New Yorkers, Michiganders, Californians, Ohioans, Bostonians, and Kentuckians all have accents to my Tennessee ear. Why wouldn’t Canadians? Do you hear a different accent from Californians than from Ohioans? ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/19 "2016-07-13T20:43:53Z")
I started watching the “new” episodes of \*Intervention \*on A&E and thought that there was something vaguely off about them – then I realized that they had repackaged episodes of Canadian _Intervention_. Now I can tell within the first few minutes of an episode whether it’s Canadian or not just by the accents. It’s subtle, but there’s definitely a distinct accent. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2016, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837/20 "2016-07-13T20:57:13Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Do you hear a different accent from Californians than from Ohioans? Si. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-us-canadians-really-have-an-accent-to-you-americans/759837.md?page=2)