Canadian/Irish Accent?

[Don Phillipson]

<ma...@my-deja.com> wrote in message
news:4ecb09b0.01092...@posting.google.com...

> I would like to know what is the similarity between an Irish and a
> Canadian accent? Do people from different parts of the world hear
> 'accents' differently?

Crystal's Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language
may help, e.g. showing how (as in the USA and UK) there
Canadian accents are multiple (i.e. there are several speech
styles and none dominates). Ireland might be different, but
even so there are audible differences between, say, Belfast,
Dublin and Galway.

Within Canada, the distinct Ottawa Valley accent (rural,
west of the city) is agreed to be more Irish than anything
else. But there were more Irish settlers elsewhere (e.g.
Montreal and rural Middlesex, Ontario) who seemed to
leave no permanent traces in the local accent.
--
Donald Phillipson
dphil...@trytel.com
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)
613 822 0734

[Peter Duncanson]

On 29 Sep 2001 05:18:02 -0700, ma...@my-deja.com
(ma...@my-deja.com) wrote:

>Forgive me if this is the wrong forum however I have a question that
>nobody seems to be able to answer.

>
>I would like to know what is the similarity between an Irish and a
>Canadian accent? Do people from different parts of the world hear
>'accents' differently?
>

>I was born in Britain but moved to Canada as a child and recently
>returned for an extended working visit to the UK after 27 years away.
>My Canadian friends tell me that I didn't have a British accent when I
>left Canada, and when I talk to them on the phone I still sound
>Canadian although I do use English words such as 'petrol'
>'supermarket' etc.
>
>In the UK I am often asked if I am Irish.... and I'm curious why that
>is? I can understand being mistaken for American (as I frequently
>am)... but personally I can't hear any similarity between a Canadian
>and Irish accent.. I'd assumed that it was due to my personal
>history; however I've spoken to other Canadians here who report the
>same phenomenon.
>Is it because we are speaking with a non-British accent, but using
>English expressions? or is there really a striking similarity between
>the two accents that I'm unable to detect?

I have heard of the reverse of this.
Until Northern Ireland hit the national and international news,
a few decades ago, Northern Irish people in Britain would be
mistaken for Canadians because of their accents.
>
>I live just outside Birmingham where there are two very strong and
>very distinctive regional accents spoken so could this be more of a
>regional phenomenon?
>
>I'm also curious whether others have had similar experiences?

--
Peter D.
just outside Belfast, NI.

[Harvey V]

On 29 Sep 2001, I take it that ma...@my-deja.com (ma...@my-deja.com)
said:

-snip-

> I'd assumed that it was due to my personal history; however I've
> spoken to other Canadians here who report the same phenomenon.
>

-snip-

>
> I'm also curious whether others have had similar experiences?

You can add me to the list of Canadians reporting the same phenomenon.

I was born in Winnipeg, raised in Ottawa and lived in Toronto and
Edmonton during the first 30 years of my life; I then moved to England
(in 1982). I don't hear any accent change (of course), and I'm told by
my family and friends here and in Canada that my accent has changed
very little.

But I often get asked if I'm Irish: indeed, I've sometimes had to
clarify things during pub conversations when I've found the talk
sliding into UK/Irish politics with someone who assumes I'm Irish.

I'd never considered that it might be the combination of a North
American rhotic accent with UK words and phrases, but it sounds a
reasonable theory to me since I don't think a standard Canadian accent
is particularly lilting or otherwise Irish. (Apart, that is, from the
quite-Irish Newfoundland accent and the somewhat-Irish upper Ottawa
Valley one, both of which are distinctive regional accents rather than
the Canadian equivalent of RP, and neither of which I have.)

Cheers,
Harvey

[meirm...@erols.com]

In alt.english.usage on Sat, 29 Sep 2001 17:53:15 GMT "Harvey V"
<whhvs@*removethis*operamail.com> posted:

>> I'm also curious whether others have had similar experiences?
>
>You can add me to the list of Canadians reporting the same phenomenon.
>
>I was born in Winnipeg, raised in Ottawa and lived in Toronto and
>Edmonton during the first 30 years of my life; I then moved to England
>(in 1982). I don't hear any accent change (of course), and I'm told by
>my family and friends here and in Canada that my accent has changed
>very little.
>
>But I often get asked if I'm Irish: indeed, I've sometimes had to
>clarify things during pub conversations when I've found the talk
>sliding into UK/Irish politics with someone who assumes I'm Irish.

Maybe people are on edge and if they can't identify it, they suspect
what's on their mind, want to determine up front what bias you're
likely to have. I know the famous accents around the US and around
the world, but after that I wouldn't be able to tell which one is
which.
>
>Cheers,
>Harvey

Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 17 years