I “pass as Canadian” all the time right here in the US.
Some bozo next to me in line at the bank or store will say something xenophobic, such as “It’s a real shame so few products say Made in USA any more!” And I’ll say “It never bothers me, as I’m Canadian and we have always enjoyed imported products.”
slight hijack, but i live in ny (state not city)and ive seen a tim hortons here, just never bothered to go inside… its on the wrong side of the road. whats actually in there?
What on Earth?!
And the answer is, good doughnuts and excellent coffee. (I’m assuming the American ones aren’t carrying the Remembrance Day poppy quarters.)
No, you’re a freakin hero for pretending to be from Canada. Feeling “shame” or disagreeing with national policy is not the same thing as hiding behind someone elses flag like a little bitch.
Pussies like you without any backbone or national pride are the reason so many people are afraid to vote for liberals like Kerry. Sorry, but I guess I was raised not to hide who I am. I guess I’m just not that worried about offending bigots and xenophobes, even ones who aren’t from this country.
I seem to have a natural gift for passing for Canadian, as I do it all the time without even trying. When outside the US people always mistake me for a Canadian, and I have to correct them. Other Canadians even think I’m Canadian! One told me she had me pegged as a Nova Scotian.
In reality, I’ve never been to Canada and am ignorant enough that I’m not sure whether I should be pleased or insulted that someone thought I was from Nova Scotia. I did, however, once mightily impress a couple of bona fide Canadians at a youth hostel in London by almost knowing how many provinces there are. (There were only twelve when I was in school!)
Actually there are only ten provinces. Plus three territories (was two until recently).
There are Tim Horton’s in Michigan too. We used to have timbits at the office when sometimes when I lived there. Don’t listen to what the Canadians tell you, they’re just doughnut holes.
Don’t get me wrong, they’re tasty as heck - I mean, they’re doughnut holes! Yum! But they’re no better than any other doughnut hole.
Sorry, guys.
I find it hard to distinguish between Canadians and Americans (unless they have flags or other obvious symbols displayed). There may be differences in the accents, but my ears can’t pick them. And I’d always assumed that the ubiquitous Canadian “eh” was a joke - Australians say the same thing about New Zealanders. I just avoid all offence by asking people “what part of *North * America do you come from”?
See, this part probably wouldn’t work for me. I have been living in the US for close to four decades and I still have no idea what I’m “supposed” to be wearing (no fashion sense).
If you wish to post in this thread again, I strongly suggest you start with an apology for forgetting that you are not in The BBQ Pit. I don’t know where you got the idea that childish name calling and bad manners are “patriotic”, but I, for one, am not impressed by such boorishness.
It’s this kind of boorishness that gets attached to the U.S. flag all the time. It makes those of us who have pride in our country but don’t share these sentiments afraid to be seen with the flag, since it seems to be the mating signal of the “My country right or wrong” crowd. And being told “suck it up or get out” doesn’t exactly solve the trouble.
I’ve seen this from other non-North Americans on the SDMB, so to clarify, the accent differences are often so small that we cannot tell them either. There is more than one Canadian accent and more than one American accent and especially on the border, there isn’t any real noticeable difference. It would not be a weird experience to strike up a conversation with someone at a bar or cafe in the US and only learn that they’re Canadian when they tell you. OTOH, with some people (Gingy, I’m looking at you!) it’s very obvious.
Nevertheless, I think would be extremely unreasonable to expect a non-North American to be able to tell by accent whether someone is an American or Canadian.
BTW, b]Cunctator**, I once got (lightheartedly) schooled by an Australian and New Zealander in a hostel in Dublin when I admitted I couldn’t tell the difference between their accents. I totally believe that there is a difference, but I’ll be darned if I can figure out exactly what it is. I’ve heard plenty of both accents, but they just sound indistinguishable to me.
I suppose it’s just a matter of attuning one’s ears Kyla. Australians and New Zealanders can tell each other’s accents apart instantly. And there is quite a physical separation between the two countries (over 2200 km), so there’s more scope for differences in both pronunciation and usage. But I know that most others can’t hear the difference.
Northern anglophone North America (Canada and the north-central and northwestern US) certainly have the least dialectal variation for that geographical in the world. It’s not surprising the dialectal variations are subtle. In the UK, they can peg you by village, and it’s not surprising considering they’ve had a dozen or so centuries for the language to dialectize in.
Which category does Nova Scotia fall into? I feel I should know this, since I’m apparently from those parts.
It’s a real live province. My late Grandma was from there (Cape Breton).
I must say I get confused sometimes, too. There’s that new Indian country that’s a province, I think, or maybe it’s still just a territory, and then are Newfoundland and Labrador two different places?
Nova Scotia’s a province, one of the Maritimes, on the Atlantic seaboard. Interestingly (if you’re me), one of my great-grandmothers was born there, two weeks off the boat from Ireland.
The ten provinces are: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Québec and Saskatchewan. The three territories are the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon Territories (link).
Aha! I always forget New Brunswick. And Nunavat’s the new one. Thanks!
<off to a bar to make and win bets>