Burning Down

I can tell the difference and the distinction is really easy. Especially between Scottish, English, and Irish accents. Welsh is a little harder to pick out, but then again I don't really know what the accent sounds like.

Can you distinguish between Americans and Canadians, or is everyone just "American"? I think the difference is pretty obvious.

Janszoon

I think it's actually easier to tell the difference between a northern American accent and a southern American accent than it is to tell the difference between a northern American accent and a Canadian accent.

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Paul Smeenus

Do you say "oot and aboot"?

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Burning Down

Oh yeah, I agree. I think almost 90% of Canadians live within 100 miles of the border, so there are definitely going to be similarities in the accent, all along the border. Same with slang and colloquial language. When I did that "American Dialect Map" quiz thing, the hottest matches for me were Buffalo and Rochester, and most of New York. It makes complete sense.

I have a friend who has visited a number of countries and has been mistaken for an American every time until she showed her passport, and people were saying she sounds American. I always thought that was interesting. My boyfriend once told me that he could never tell the difference, especially back home and would always assume somebody was American at first.

I find that people from Alberta and BC have that kind of accent. It's not as exaggerated as Americans make it out to be, but it's there.

Janszoon

People used to always ask me if I was Canadian!

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Paul Smeenus

Oh yes it is, to my ears (and most Americans I think).


I find it fascinating that I can drive a measly 2 hours north and the dialect totally changes. And I don't just mean the "oot and aboot" thing, the entire cadence and dynamic change quite dramatically.

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Ninetales

Its sad that I cant really tell the difference between east/west Canadian accents but my non Albertan friends say I sound redneck as hell. Ill always have this curse.

Cuthbert

Some Welsh people could pass for English, you have to really be listening to be able to pick it out. Others are obvious like Charlotte Church. Think it might be south Wales.

And na, I can't tell at all between Canadian and American. They all just sound 'American' to me. I could tell a Texas accent from other places like Janszoon says but otherwise no, would just think the Canadian was American. Is there anything I should be looking for?

Janszoon

One Canadian accent that usually stands out for me is the Nova Scotia accent, which almost sounds more Scottish than American. Not surprising considering the name of the province I guess.

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butthead aka 216

im no good with where stuff is on a map. i also just group together all ppl from iraq, iran, lebanon, syria, etc