Canadian/U.S words & pronounciations

[Stuart and Thea 95]

Youtube has a regional dialect meme that is really interesting when it comes to pronouncing a lot of these words. It's not limited to just the US, and in fact, there's people from all over the world participating. You just repeat a bunch of words and answer a few questions. I'd link you but there's so many different ones that you can just google regional dialect meme and you get pages of results. This is the list of words and questions that people are posting themselves with:

Say These Words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting Image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

Now answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

By the way, I say aboat, but I hear abowt, I think I'm saying about, and even when I say it abowwt on purpose, it still comes out sounding like aboat apparently. (southern Ontario girl here)

It may interest you to know that TVOntario has their own abc song, that has ZED in it, so you can choose to teach your children with a song that ryhmes in Canadian! Mind you, when your kid goes to school and can't sing along to the "real" alphabet song you have some explaining to do, as I found out the hard way! It's from Gisele's Big Backyard and I think it's called Polkaroo's Awesome ABCs! (do they have polkaroo in the US? And do they say poke a roo like we do?)

[Krikit 1,165]

Say These Words:

Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting Image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

Now answer these questions:

My husband pronounces the L in salmon. lol

My answers to those questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

- Ummm.... throwing toilet paper on a house. What the heck? lol

What is the bug that when you touch it, curls into a ball?

- potato bug

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

- pop

What do you call gym shoes?

- runners

What do you say to address a group of people?

- Ladies and gentlemen. Actually, mesdames et messieurs came to mind first. lol

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

- daddy long legs

What do you call your grandparents?

- My one set of grandparents were called Nanny and Pop. The other set were called Nanny and Granddad.

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

- buggy or cart

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

- sun shower

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

- "The Power" lol

I think it's called Polkaroo's Awesome ABCs! (do they have polkaroo in the US? And do they say poke a roo like we do?)

My cousin had a boyfriend who never showed up to anything they were invited to. She'd always say he's coming but he never did, so no one ever met him. I started calling him Polkaroo.

[warlord 73]

Ok here's mine

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

- Tping a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, curls into a ball?

- Rolly Polly Bug

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

- soft drink, soda

What do you call gym shoes?

- Running shoes

What do you say to address a group of people?

- Hey everyone

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

- Daddy long legs

What do you call your grandparents?

- Grandma and Grandpa

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

- Shopping cart

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

- Sun shower

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

- The Remote

Ok so is there a site that shows where each term comes from?

Edited July 1, 2011 by warlord

[warlord 73]

Just did the search for the Regional Dialect Meme on youtube and listened to a bunch of them from all over (fun way to spend the last day of the July 4th weekend yay). Apparently I'm closest to the Colorado one for pretty much everything but the "running shoes thing".

These are fun to listen to though, thanks for posting it...

[S and P 9]

I looked at a few of the videos on Youtube (I am also being very productive at work today ) This is a lot of fun! Thanks for posting that!

My canadian love always gives me grief that I say bolth and soulth and acrosst I think it's a midwestern thing.

[HisGirl 0]

I know here in the Philly area everyone says 'Wudder' for 'Water' and instead of saying 'Creek' they pronounce it 'Crik'

[Shawna and James 4]

My husband doesn't say this, but my mother also married an American when I was a young teen, so I spent my summers visiting her in VA. One thing that always got pointed out.... actually two:

when you didn't catch something that was said:

Canadian: Pardon?

American: Do What?

and

Canadian: Toilet

American: Commode

The first time my step dad's mom told me I might have to jiggle the handle on the commode, I looked at my mom with this bewildered look on my face lol.

[Udella&Wiz 325]

I looked at a few of the videos on Youtube (I am also being very productive at work today ) This is a lot of fun! Thanks for posting that!

My canadian love always gives me grief that I say bolth and soulth and acrosst I think it's a midwestern thing.

My hubster says acrosst as well - he's from PA, glad he's not the only one, I was worried about him

[catheaven 3]

Canadians: You're welcome.

Americans: Uh huh.

this is possibly my biggest source of irritation here in the states.

[HisGirl 0]

this is possibly my biggest source of irritation here in the states.

I totally agree. "uh huh" to thank you is just rude beyond words.

[hikergirl 277]

Finding this has made my morning

I always thought my sweetie had one of those in home trash compactors when he was talking about his garbage disposal. Who knew he was talking about a garburator.

I'm converting him though - he says toque instead of knit cap now.

[sheeshkabelle 153]

Canadian's put the accent on the wrong syllable..

Like:

the city Regina. American's would say Regeena

a decal we say Decal, not Deck-all...

All the kids in our families love to get together and they will repeat words that sound funny to them, it's always followed up with "You talk funny!"

I joke all the time I have the only kids on the block that say 'y'all and eh' in the same sentence. (especially the littlest one, since his step father has been around since he was six months old)

Ok here's mine

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

- Me: TPing

- him: huh?

What is the bug that when you touch it, curls into a ball?

- Me: potato bug

- him: Rolly Polly Bug

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

- me: soda

- him: pop or coke pepsi RC PC (president's choice LOL)

What do you call gym shoes?

- me: Tennis shoes

- him: runners

What do you say to address a group of people? we chose to be informal

- me: Hey y'all!

- him: Hi

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

- me: daddy long legs

- him: grand daddy long legs and dead

What do you call your grandparents?

- me: Grandma and Grandpap

- Him: Baba and Gido for the Ukrainian grandparents and Grandma and Grandpa for his Canadian ones.

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

- me: buggy

- Him: Shopping cart

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

- me: rain

- Him: warm rain?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

- me: the clicker

-him: the remote (that's caused some arguments lol)

Edited November 14, 2011 by sheeshkabelle

[pocheros 101]

My husband "corrects" how I pronounce things at least once a day. I didn't know there were so many things I said "wrong" especially since in Las Vgeas there's really no discernible accent for me. o_O Yesterday I was talking to a service rep on the phone and she asked me to spell my name which has a z in it. I kept spelling it out for her but she had NO IDEA what I was saying... until I remembered that Americans say zee, not zed. Is zed such a foreign pronunciation that people just completely blank when you say it?

Edited November 14, 2011 by pocheros

[CanuckGurl 3]

Diction:

<b>US / Canadian</b>

Semi / Transport Truck

Line / Line-up

zee / zed

toque / beanie

Actually Canadian is toque - American (in Ohio) is toboggan. To me a toboggan is what you ride down the snow hill.

There are alot of little nuances on pronunciations of words that my husband is always giving me a friendly jab about pretty much daily.

[dukeandduchess 141]

My fiance gives me grief for the following:

-saying sorry ALL of the time (and I mean ALL of the time)

- booger (lol)

I'm sure there are more but as soon as I wrote this my mind went blank...? Time for bed!