Canadian English Eh!

[Mr. L]

I don't think I speak like a stereotypical Canadian, eh! I am educated and love to throw out giant words now and then. Those of you who don't know that most Canadians actually speak just like Americans with a few more ehs now and then, now you know. We usually don't sound like truckers but once in a while we will say things differently. Anyone out there love the Canadian accent? I think its hilarious and I especially love the Newfie accent. I could talk to them for hours. They are such funny, kind-hearted people. Thoughts?

[sidney]

I've always thought that Americans and Canadians sound the same, after all, Justin Bieber and Avril Lavigne are Canadians, and I never noticed any difference in their accent when they speak, they actually sound like Americans if you ask me.

[Hardison]

I do think that Canadians sound like Americans from the Western part of the United States except for a few words.  I watch a lot of TV shows that are filmed in Canada especially Vancouver. Many of the actors and actresses are Canadians playing Americans.

Most of the time they cover up the Canadian accent well. Every once in awhile, a word will sneak through. The giveaway words are "out", "about" and "organization". I find it amusing because it's not caught by the TV crews.

The "eh" thing comes from a very old comedy TV show called Second City. I loved that show when I was a kid.

[Lodismel]

I actually know quite a few people from Canada so it's interesting to hear when the two diverge. For the west coast Canadians there really isn't that much difference. You can definitely notice the difference between East Coasters though.

[Baburra]

LOL I chuckled heartily at the title!  I am very much amused (with all due respect) by Canadian speech, definitely - especially the "eh" bit. Although, to be honest, I've never really spoken with a Canadian in person, so I just know what I know from online videos and depictions in cartoons and TV shows - specifically South Park and Craig Ferguson who frequently and adoringly talks about Canadians and your naturally calm demeanor and politeness, which he usually then follows by half-jokingly stating that those  totally go away once a Canadian holds a hockey stick.

Anyway, my personal favorite speech habits of Canadians, from what I understand, is the use of the terms friend, buddy, and guy when pertaining to others. I find that very quaint and adorable and I wish more people from other countries used it as well. 

[Hedonologist]

It seems that Canadian English indeed is closer to American English than to British English. The accent is often indecipherable.

I think that Australia and NZ have kept very close to British English while Canadian seems to have diverged quite a bit.

[thekernel]

Anyone from different regions will sound different. Think of how a Texan will speak compared to a Massachusettsan or a Californian. It's not that much different when you go to Canada; people from Vancouver sound like people from Seattle. Quebec is the lone exception because it is the biggest French niche in North America, but even then Louisiana houses a Cajun dialect that is remarkably similar.

Now, if you zoom out of the regions you will find bigger differences, like has been mentioned earlier with British English and Australian English. However, in those areas there are also regional dialects and accents from within (Cockney and Received Pronunciation in Britain). In this vein, you can put USA and Canada under the same continental umbrella of accents while looking at specific regions for differences.

[sillylucy]

I think Canadians sounds like middle Americans. It really depends on how far deep into the woods you are. The same is true for Americans. The further you are away from a major city or a large body of water, the thicker your accent is.  :grin:

[Rosa]

I have always thought that Canadians and Americans sounded alike. I could never distinctively say whether one person is American or Canadian. This has come as news to me, learning that they both have a different accent. Next time i'll pay closer attention to both when they speak.

[diprod]

I love Canadians. They are funny and I find their English cool. They are good people too.

[Emmanuel]

There are noticeable accents in western Canada, but for the most part there's no discernible accent. I've met people that sound like the guys in Fubar in Alberta. Don't forget the french-Canadian accents either! Those definitely count.

[Litnax]

Other than the 'eh' and the way they say 'out' or 'about' I can't really tell any other differences between a Canadian accent and American accent.