For the first time after 21 years of watching American tv shows, I'm just starting to be able to pick up the difference between the American and Canadian accents.
So I was curious as to whether people outside of Australia and New Zealand can tell the difference between our accents? To us, it's about as obvious as you can get but I know how hard it can be when you're not used to hearing even one of the accents.
Yeah, really obvious.. I think.
See, I had a professor from NZ and he sounded proper British to me, and aussies have slang terms and everything else.. but he was schooled in England so he could have picked it up there. He did start college when he was 14 and get out at 22, so it would be easy for that to happen.
I've never really heard a New Zealand accent, so I wouldn't know the difference. And yes, Americans and Canadians do have a slight difference in accent, so for you to notice it means you're very observant. :)
I've never heard a NZ accents (to my knowledge), but I know the stereotypical NZer has a different sounding accent from an Aussie. So assuming NZers sound like the stereotypes, then I think I could tell the difference :P
The key difference between an American and Canadian accent would be a mild french addition or an abundance of "eh" added after sentences. There are a ton of different American accents, however. It's a big country..
Not being a native speaker myself, I think that it's hard to differ such close accents, although I don't really remember hearing NZ accent. The aussie one rocks though. As if someone is constantly angry at you.
Six sound's like sex. it sounds like et. that sounds like thaet.
Basic vowel pronounciation is different. Thats about it.
If you watched the last Oscars, you'll know what a New Zealand accent sounds like.
QuoteIf you watched the last Oscars, you'll know what a New Zealand accent sounds like.
Yeah, I know it ever since the two extended DVD editions.
And since watching Heavenly Creatures. "I think your drawing's fen
testic." ;D
Fush and Chups.
Need te geet thee fush und chups at the fush und chups shup... und pet thum in thee frudge...
Fucking New Zealanders... learn how to speak english! :P
(note :: I can't really spell it the way they say it... its too odd...)
I work with a person who came to the US from New Zealand, and he sounds more british than anything, but he's been here since 1987, so he's starting to sound more american. But he definetly has an accent.
Quote from: shbazjinkens on Mon 26/04/2004 17:33:58
The key difference between an American and Canadian accent would be a mild french addition or an abundance of "eh" added after sentences. There are a ton of different American accents, however. It's a big country..
Psh... We Canadians don't say "eh" that much. In fact, I know no one who does.
But you're right about that French addition.
I bet no one has heard of me! lol The stero typical Maina
Quote from: Tim Sample on Tue 27/04/2004 02:54:46
I bet no one has heard of me! lol The stero typical Maina
And I hope we never hear of you...
Well... I'm australian, so I suppose I'm not really eligible to answer the question, but i LOVE the new zealand accent. It's not actually as bad as a lot of people make out. It's not so much "fush and chups" as it is "fsh 'nd chps". But not that retarded...
I love the aussie accent more, though. It just rolls of the tongue!
I quite like it too, the NZ accent I mean. It used to sound completely weird to me but I'm getting used to it now. It's definitely not as bad as a lot of aussies make it out to be but... it IS very different to the Australian accent. As to it sounding more Brittish, I'd never picked up on that before.
I never thought Canadians said 'eh' much at all, but Americans seem to -always- say that about them. Kind of like how Americans think Australians finish everything off with "mate". ^_^
Blech, Heavenly Creatures... that movie freaked me out.
I have a related question.
Anyone in the USA:
Do Californians really have an accent?
My cousins from Delaware came by a week ago, and I heard them commenting on our "Strange Accent"
It's really wierd if you think about it :P
Laike, furr sure... :-[
How can someone not have an accent?
Although I assume you mean "an accent distinguishable from other American accents", and that is true. It's sorta fun to go up to a foreign student in a pub and point at them and say "Cal!" and they go "How did you know?"
Australia lacks to variety of regional accents that America, Britain [especially] and other countries have. There are some differences, like the tendency of South and Western Australians to be closer to what's considered a pommy accent, since the former was always a free colony, and thus wasn't influenced by the Cockneys and Irish nearly as much [the two accents that form the broadest base of the Australian accent], and the latter has always been the closest linked to Britain. I think too that the traditional predominance of Northern English workers in Wollongong and Newcastle has had some effect, and the fact that the vast wave of post war, and highly diverse immigration has been somewhat concentrated in Melbourne, Sydney and their close neighbours has had some effect as well.
But more important here is that Kiwis speak funny.
I jist wuetched the Awl Blicks in the teist mietch on Tuy Vuy.
hehehe
Quote from: Os à šltimo Quão Queijo ^_^ on Tue 27/04/2004 02:06:41
Need te geet thee fush und chups at the fush und chups shup... und pet thum in thee frudge...
Fucking New Zealanders... learn how to speak english! :P
I'm Finnish, but for a reason or the other I spent a year in NZ couple of years back. For the first few days I was like what the &¤#@6"!? but rather soon I realised how
beautiful the NZ accent is. It's almost like the upperclass British accent, but a bit more relaxed. After the year I spent there all the American movies etc. sounded unbelievably stupid.
Last year my little sister spent a year in Tasmania, Australia. When she came back it was really horrifying to hear her wide, lazy Australian accent. Now THAT's something awful.
Quote from: releasethefrogs on Tue 27/04/2004 05:44:38
I have a related question.
Anyone in the USA:
Do Californians really have an accent?
We do, but it's more a lack of peculiar inflection. If you ignore the stereotypical Cali accent (the valley-girl, surfer-dude or making every sentence sound like a question accents)... a Cali accent is more the phonetic pronunciation of each word. It's also very monotonous with a steady delivery. If anything, I would have to say that the largest distinguishing feature is the cadence of it. You can tell an Oregon accent from a Californian one if you just listen to the rhythm and inflections.
I've been told by people in North Carolina, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, New Orleans, Texas and Wyoming that I've got an accent. Strange they should say that considering most radio DJ's and newscasters speak the same way (traditionally, most professional broadcasters in the US undergo vocal training to speak the null-accent California-style if they already don't). I have blathered way too much about a simple subject.. sorry.
I'll add to that, to say that the Cali accent seems a bit like the American equivalent of RE [received enunciation], or "BBC English" except that in this case it occurs naturally, whereas the latter was always taught.
I also heard that accents differ in each Australian state, also similar to the US.
For example, Queenslanders are supposed to have an inclination on the last sylable of their sentences, or say 'ay' at the end (similar to Canada's 'eh').
Half of NSW is in Queensland then.
There are obviously differences, but they don't compare in anyway to the bounty and variety found elsewhere though, and it's doubtful whether most Australians could tell the difference between states, let alone foreigners, whereas the difference between Boston, Southern, Brooklyn and Cali accents, or between Cockney, Somerset, Cornwall, Geordie, Welsh, Scots etc etc etc. is easy to tell.
You're probably right, ay.
Quote from: DGMacphee at Uni on Tue 27/04/2004 08:24:23
For example, Queenslanders are supposed to have an inclination on the last sylable of their sentences, or say 'ay' at the end (similar to Canada's 'eh').
I've never heard that one before! I can't think of anyone I know, or ever met that finished off with 'ay' on a regular basis, apart from those wannabe thugs that wear two-tonne necklaces.
At the risk of sounding almost sort of racist against accents, I must say the american one really irritates me. I (seriously) get a headache from listening to George Bush, and Bill Clinton did much the same. When I watched the 9/11 reports on TV, the thing that stuck out most to me was how stupid those people sounded. I know it's all about what you get used to etc, but I didn't think an accent would grate that much with me...
There's sort of a country aus accent that's different to the city, but I have them both depending on who I'm talking to. The country ones a bit more layed back and contains more non offensive swearing like ending something with fuckya or cunt. none of this 'eh' shit, fuckya
Tasmanian accents can be very different all over, but the fuckdest one was that stupid chick that won the last 'big brother', that was so irratating, the type of voice that would make you want to destroy their vocal cords.
There was a NZ chick in my year at school, I loved the way she called me 'Tm'. It is similar to the aus accent but to us it's very different cause we don't hear the bits that sound the same, and the differences stand out.
most bouncers in sydney are either Maori, Tongan, Samoan, or other South Pacific Islander, they're all friggin huge, but their accents are probably even stronger sometimes, but I like it.
I can only tell different accents in English though, I'm sure there's all sorts of accents in Japanese, Cantonese, Mandarin, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Finish, Swedish, Swahili etc, but I couldn't pick it up.
But trying to understand a strong Indian accent (an English one) can sometimes be really difficult, and they speak english. Much stronger than Apu style.
Accents can be really interesting.
Just on another note, Accents are continually evolving, I don't know if it's the same everywhere but looking at old footage of tv or movies, the accents are different from today.
I notice this with old Australian footage, it sounds closer to an English accent, same with old American footage.
I guess with more communication with the rest of the world eventually the accents will get closer. It happens so slowly you don't notice it, although I guess in some isolated parts it still will still be different.
I can't tell the difference between any Australian accents at all! I'm constantly asking foreigners if they can tell the difference between any different states' accents. I haven't really met anyone that can apart from one Korean guy. He couldn't tell me what the difference -was- though.
I used to know a guy from Queensland, and I do remember that he said 'ay' alot. This was a few years back, but yeah, I even picked up on it for a while and used to say it a bit... and I'm from Wollongong, which is nowhere near queensland, so it was a bit weird... I think thats why I stopped.
And as you sat Timosity, understanding foreign english accents are really hard sometimes. Half my lecturerers at uni are asian, and it is really hard to understand them. I'm getting used to it now, but at first it was very hard.
And I'm not being racist... I know that it must be hard for migrants coming from overseas having to learn english.
Quote from: Peter Thomas on Tue 27/04/2004 09:12:43
At the risk of sounding almost sort of racist against accents, I must say the american one really irritates me. I (seriously) get a headache from listening to George Bush, and Bill Clinton did much the same. When I watched the 9/11 reports on TV, the thing that stuck out most to me was how stupid those people sounded. I know it's all about what you get used to etc, but I didn't think an accent would grate that much with me...
I'm with you on that one. Honestly, I started to get defensive and wanted to rant about how those aren't the only American accent. A second later, adjusted perspective kicked in. Keep in mind that Clinton & Bush have southern accents (Not that you wouldn't find mine equally annoying). Clinton's got the Arkansas thing going whereas Bush's is an amalgamation of Texan and Paleolithic.
DG: The Canadaian "Eh" sound is usually pronounced "ay." So that's a much more apt comparison than you might have thought.
Going back to the very first post- Kinoko, I'm impressed! I've been exposed to Canadian and American accents my whole life, and I STILL can't always tell them appart- at least the east coast US and Ontario/BC accents. Southern US and East Coast Canadian are so different from just about every thing they're easy to tell apart.
Ah, the difference in the Australian accents.
Melbournians speak alot more uppity and try to be posh with they way they speak. Dumb gits.
Bogans, everything ends with azza, like Gazza, Shazza, Dazza, or o, like Robbo, Stearlo. ANd they swear with every fucking second fucking word.
Most other people speak in a midway between this, with some variences.
You would not believe how they talk out here just past the blue mountains... it seriously reminds me of watching some hillbilly movie of something, it pisses me off. And they seriously go off with fucken, not so much fuckya... but fucken and they also use cunt alot...
The Victorian accent is annoying as well, it reminds me of just a more refined version of the New Zealand accent.... seriously, just watch those stupid Victorian shows like Kath and Kim, or Con the Fruiterer... I hate them all... they should burn to death by ways of acid. >:(
Um...the accents in both those shows are put on....
Quote from: DragonRose on Tue 27/04/2004 16:36:46
DG: The Canadaian "Eh" sound is usually pronounced "ay." So that's a much more apt comparison than you might have thought.
There's a difference, though. The Canadian one is longer, like an "Ayyy". Whereas the Queensland on is supposed to be short and sharp, like "Ay!"
While we're on accents, on a slightly related topic, there are many languages that are based from Latin, eg. English, French, Italian etc and they are all very different, if you know one it doesn't mean you can understand the other.
What I was wondering was how different are languages like, Spanish, Mexican & Portuguese?
or Swedish, Finnish & Norwegian?
are they completely different, or can you understand certain things without having to learn a whole new language?
I should mention that English isn't based on Latin, like the Romantic languages [French, Spanish, Italian, Catalan, Portugese and Romanian], although obviously many words are sourced there. It is in fact a Germanic language. Which means that it's generally easier to learn German than a Romantic language if you're from an English speaking background.
That's interesting, I was sure I remembered something from school about English being about 70 odd% from Latin. I could be wrong, or maybe the others are just a higher percentage?
Many words in English are from Latin, but the actual language itself is Germanic.
Especially since when we invent words we tend to create them out of latin and greek words.
But the most widely used words, are all Anglo Saxon [the Angles and Saxons being Germanic tribes].
And most importantly the syntax of the language is derived from Germanic sources. The most easily recognisable example being the fact that where the Romantic Languages go noun-agective [Rosa blanca, moulin rouge etc.] We go agective-noun, [white rose, red windmill].
On a slightly derivative note it's interesting to see the way English speakers call animals, and the meat from said animals. Although we get Chicken from Chickens, we get beef from cows, pork, bacon and ham from pigs, mutton from sheep, veal from deer etc.
The reason being that after the Norman conquest the anglo saxon peasants would see, say, the sheep whilst it was alive, since they brought it up. But the Norman lord, who spoke a mongrel French, would call it Mouton, which still meant sheep, but would transform into the word Mutton, which is now the word for sheep meat.
It's just a little snapshot into the relation between the Anglo Saxon and Romantic portions of the language.
Quote from: Las Naranjas on Wed 28/04/2004 12:59:22
veal from deer
Ignoramus! Venison is from deer. Veal is from tortured, anaemic calves.
I hear that Shrek the sheep gets sheared today. What an exciting life those New Zealanders live, when this is their first international news story since the RotK premiere.
Yep, that was a mix up because I wasn't thinking properly.
Now watch me corageously not edit that mistake out.
Quote from: Timosity on Wed 28/04/2004 11:49:54
What I was wondering was how different are languages like, Spanish, Mexican & Portuguese?
or Swedish, Finnish & Norwegian?
are they completely different, or can you understand certain things without having to learn a whole new language?
Norwegian, Swedish and Danish could be thought of as three separate dialects, and some linguists actually do. We all spoke the same language a thousand years ago or so anyway. Besides the few hundred or thousand words that are different we can understand each other without much trouble, and since our countries are so small and we're exposed to the other languages almost daily even those words don't pose a problem. The only real problem between all of us understanding each other is the bizarre Danish pronounciation.
Finnish however, which is a subfamily of the Uralic languages, has nothing in common with the Scandinavian languages.
*ahem* Back to the Australian accent.
*gives the evil eye to every one who spoke of any other accents*
I think there are varying levels of the australian accent. In levels of 1.Country 2.Urban 3.City.
I have urban which is a mic of slang and proper like speaky blah. :-\
Countryt has more slang and sounds like the poeple who ham up the accent. City is uptight wankers who speak proper and make love to their Mercs.
It must be the Aussie accent poking through because I didn't understand what the bloody hell half that meant.
Im not to sure either! :-\
Okay try again.
In movies where actors who are not australian do a fake over the top accent, thats what people living in the bush(not a single one) sound like, and they use slang frequently. Urban is half country half city, their accent is less audible than country, but it surfaces sometimes. City speaks with no accent at all as they practice sound less blokey because all the men are tossers... who make love to their Mercedes Benz. Better? ???
Ever so much better. I can claim to have understood at least half of it this time. Really, I got what you were saying from the first post - it was just muddled enough to hurt me badly somewhere in my brain.