American Accents of Toronto

[Mystic Point]

A friend from Montreal moved to downtown Toronto last month. He can't get over how American sounding our accent dialect is.

Then I found this. A test to determine what sort of American or Canadian accent you have.

go

http://www.youthink.com/quiz.cfm?action=go_detail&sub_action=take&obj_id=9827

It's interesting.

 

[Hydrogen]

Is this a little case of some Montreal snobbery happening - as in Toronto is just like any other American city?

 

[Mystic Point]

i don't think it is. i did the test and came out as Neutral. Other Torontonians have done the test and score Northern, Western and Canadian.

 

[theman23]

"Canadian
People from outside North America probably think you`re from the States, but over here we wouldn`t make such a mistake. "
Makes sense.

 

[detroitbootybass]

My fiancee in Toronto has the exact same accent as I do, with the notable exception of the words 'process' and 'dollar'. She has had many people from western Canada tell her she sounds like "an American".


Thanks for the test... a fun diversion.

My results:

" Northern

You have a Northern accent. That could either be the Chicago/Detroit/Cleveland/Buffalo accent (easily recognizable) or the Western New England accent that news networks go for."


I guess I should be a tv meteorologist or something...

 

[gabe]

Maybe your friend is just used to hearing broken English?

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

Western

Western is kind of neutral, but not quite since it`s still possible to tell where you`re from. So you might not actually be from the West (but you probably are). If you really want to sound "neutral," learn how to say "stock" and "stalk" differently.

damn you hollywood!!!

 

[scarberiankhatru]

North Central - What people call the "Minnesota accent." Sounds almost Canadian. You may have even been asked if you were from Canada before.

Tan Ciera! Tan Ciera! Go Bears!

 

[adma]

A friend from Montreal moved to downtown Toronto last month. He can't get over how American sounding our accent dialect is.

I don't know what y'all talking about

 

[Filip]

Neutral.. How very Canadian of me...

 

[Chuck]

The whole thing is kind of hoaky. I can't decide whether or not I say right and price the same as ride and prize. As subtle as that difference may be, it makes my accent either Canadian or Western depending on whether I say yes or no. However, if I was to indicate that I say "I" the same as "ah" (nothing is more American than that!), I would still have a Canadian accent.

 

[PukeGreen]

Hmmm... I get " North Central - What people call the Minnesota accent. Sounds almost Canadian. You may have even been asked if you were from Canada before."

But when I watch the movie Fargo I find the accents fairly ridiculous and hilarious, and quite different from how I speak. Maybe they over-exaggerated them for the movie?

 

[theowne]

My result was Canadian, but like Chuck, this decision seems to hinge on how I say "ride" (like price?). If I change that one answer then suddenly I have a Western accent.

 

[adma]

Some people say I sound American. I just offer that it was probably the childhood Mel Blanc influence

 

[BuildTO]

I can't decide whether or not I say right and price the same as ride and prize. As subtle as that difference may be, it makes my accent either Canadian or Western depending on whether I say yes or no.

This illustrates the problem with the test. It relies on you to be able to detect the differences between your vowels. It can take a trained ear a long time to be able to distinguish the sounds and know what the actual vowel qualities are. I'm guessing some of you are getting the wrong diagnosis as a result of not hearing some of your own vowel distinctions.

The "right/ride" distinction demonstrates a concept called "Canadian Raising". The difference between the vowels is quite distinct and is one of the hallmarks of our dialect. If you were born and raised here (as I was), then it is definitely in your dialect.