I have lived in Canada for six months and I was told by an American friend that there is a risk if learn to speak the way Canadians do. He said I will eventually realize that the Canadian accent sounds funny to Americans and other people like the British.
should I learn Canadian English
I grew up in Michigan and people say I have a "Canadian" accent.If people find it funny screw them.Not all Americans are KKKNaziButtheads
Your friend was full of it, Stan. Most American and Canadian accents are so close that very few people will actually notice the difference. And there's certainly nothing "wrong" with sounding Canadian.
"Your friend was full of it, Stan. Most American and Canadian accents are so close that very few people will actually notice the difference. And there's certainly nothing "wrong" with sounding Canadian."
...and if you sound obviously Canadian, what is the big deal? The main thing is that when you communicate with others in English, you should be understandable.
...and if you sound obviously Canadian, what is the big deal? The main thing is that when you communicate with others in English, you should be understandable.
Stan,
I totally agree with Uriel as well as red and mjd. In fact, if everyone likes Reba MacIntyre with her Oklahoman drawl, they certainly won't like you less for sounding like a Canadian.
I totally agree with Uriel as well as red and mjd. In fact, if everyone likes Reba MacIntyre with her Oklahoman drawl, they certainly won't like you less for sounding like a Canadian.
I reckon the vast majority of British people cannot tell the difference between Canadian or American accents. It seems that a lot of Canadians over here are automatically assumed to be Americans as soon as they talk and by all accounts the quickest way to irritate a Canadian is to ask them where in America they come from. That's why so many of them wear red maple leaf badges and/or sport the maple leaf flag on their backpacks.
There is a Canadian guy working as a barman in a pub I know in central Edinburgh and he wears a small maple leaf badge.
Eventually you can detect subtle differences between Can and Am especially with the well known Can "out" sound. I think that's the main giveaway.
Why on earth should you use the word "risk"? What is the risk anyway? I don't know about America, but there is deffo no "risk" to anyone with a Canadian accent in Britain. As I say, most of us would assume it's American and leave it at that. If told it's Canadian we still would not burst out laughing or beat you up. Not normally anyway. Maybe Glasgow on a Saturday night.... :-)
There is a Canadian guy working as a barman in a pub I know in central Edinburgh and he wears a small maple leaf badge.
Eventually you can detect subtle differences between Can and Am especially with the well known Can "out" sound. I think that's the main giveaway.
Why on earth should you use the word "risk"? What is the risk anyway? I don't know about America, but there is deffo no "risk" to anyone with a Canadian accent in Britain. As I say, most of us would assume it's American and leave it at that. If told it's Canadian we still would not burst out laughing or beat you up. Not normally anyway. Maybe Glasgow on a Saturday night.... :-)
Stan,
I had a linguistics professor who thought that Canadian English was the BEST English to acquire--somewhere between American and British. I think he overstated the case a little--as the other entries noted, it is very close to General American--but it shows that it is considered an acceptable standard. And if you live in Canada, why speak any other way?
I had a linguistics professor who thought that Canadian English was the BEST English to acquire--somewhere between American and British. I think he overstated the case a little--as the other entries noted, it is very close to General American--but it shows that it is considered an acceptable standard. And if you live in Canada, why speak any other way?
The only problem I have with Canadian English is that it "sounds" substandard, at least this is how it would be perceived outside of Canada.
<<The only problem I have with Canadian English is that it "sounds" substandard, at least this is how it would be perceived outside of Canada. >>
Perceived by whom??? As other people here have commented, few people could tell the difference between Canadian and US accents anyway. What a load of stupid nonsense - part of the 'my variety of English is *the* standard and everyone else's is substandard.' I don't know where you come from, Brian, but who are you to decide what 'substandard' English is?
Perceived by whom??? As other people here have commented, few people could tell the difference between Canadian and US accents anyway. What a load of stupid nonsense - part of the 'my variety of English is *the* standard and everyone else's is substandard.' I don't know where you come from, Brian, but who are you to decide what 'substandard' English is?
"or sport the maple leaf flag on their backpacks."........and watches, teashirts, socks, underpants and caps.
"Maybe Glasgow on a Saturday night.... :-)" .....the accent would probably the least of his worries, smiling or breathing is probably enough to spark some battles!
"Maybe Glasgow on a Saturday night.... :-)" .....the accent would probably the least of his worries, smiling or breathing is probably enough to spark some battles!
Nobody is going to consider Canadian substandard.
(And how considerate of them to mark their skivvies as well -- you never know if they're really serious about their nationality until you get 'em down to their skin...)
(And how considerate of them to mark their skivvies as well -- you never know if they're really serious about their nationality until you get 'em down to their skin...)
Unless you can speak English perfectly, I hardly think it would matter whether you try to pick up American, Canadian, or British English. When non-native speakers speak English, the vowels are usually very different from a native speaker--so it doesn't really matter whether they try to pronounce 'out' as ah-oot or uh-oot--they will still have a foreign accent that sounds neither American or Canadian, or British. Aside from r-pronounciation, and idioms, I find it impossible to tell what dialect of English, a foreigner is trying to speak.
<<The only problem I have with Canadian English is that it "sounds" substandard, at least this is how it would be perceived outside of Canada.>>
I don't think I know of anyone who's ever perceived Canadian English as "substandard." First of all, there is no such thing as "substandard" and Canadian English is also not a homogenous entity spoken exactly the same thruout the county. North American English is made up of many dialect continua, and they don't always obey invisible political boundaries.
I don't think I know of anyone who's ever perceived Canadian English as "substandard." First of all, there is no such thing as "substandard" and Canadian English is also not a homogenous entity spoken exactly the same thruout the county. North American English is made up of many dialect continua, and they don't always obey invisible political boundaries.
........eh, I guess you should just limit the number of "eh"s in a conversation eh- especially when you're oad and aboad!