Of Canucks and kiwi's...

[lars573]

So, I've got two simple questions for you all:

What should I listen for when trying to make out a Canadian or a New Zealand accent?

Most of the tells are tonal. Google a video or audio track of Steve Irwin (an Auzzie) and Peter Jackson (a Kiwi) speaking. You'll have to really listen to pick-up the differences. But they are there. For Canadian/Yank use the speech of George Strombolopolus and compare it to Carson Daily.

Secondly, apart from language, what are tell tale signs of Canucks and kiwi's in other respects?

If you want to tell a Yank from a Canuk get them to say Newfoundland. A Canuk will say New-fun-land, a Yank will say New-Fin-lind. You can pick out the difference between Auzzie and Kiwi with the way they say black and back.


So Louis could you pick out someone who speaks Canadian French? Myself and my siblings are fairly fluent in Acadian (yes there are multiple dialects of Canadian French too). But when my brother was in France he was picked out as French Canadian by a Parisian (Ironically were Anglos).

[Louis VI the Fat]

So Louis could you pick out someone who speaks Canadian French?

Are you kidding? T'es un beau twit! It only takes a second to know they are foreign. Then it takes about an hour more to realize they're speaking a language formally known as French. Tabernak, that joual of theirs gets subtitled on French tv.

The difference between the three main branches of North American French - Québécois, Acadian and Cajun - is easy to hear. (Cajun is Louisiana French, from French Cadien, 'Acadian'. The Acadians settled Louisiana)

[Louis VI the Fat]

Australian sentences will also have a higher tendancy to sound like questions or surprise. The pitch rises towards the end of the sentence.

Ah, the dreaded question mark pronounciation. It never ceases to confuse me.

'I'm from Canberra? I'm backpacking Europe? I work as a bartender?'




What? Are you trying to tell me or ask me something? Are you confused, don't remember who you are? Been enjoying that European beer too much?

[R'as al Ghul]

Ah, the dreaded question mark pronounciation. It never ceases to confuse me.

'I'm from Canberra? I'm backpacking Europe? I work as a bartender?'




What? Are you trying to tell me or ask me something? Are you confused, don't remember who you are? Been enjoying that European beer too much?

Exactly. It's driving me mad, too.
Don't the US Americans do it also to a certain degree?
Maybe according to their place of origin?

[Mouzafphaerre]

.
Brits do that too. I remember a listening class from forgotten times...
.

[Justiciar]

Brits do that too.

Ayup. Tends to be middle-class teenage lasses that use it though.. not many other people do.

[Duke Malcolm]

.
Brits do that too. I remember a listening class from forgotten times...
.

Not many do it hear, though it is quite a habit over in Glasgow...

[doc_bean]

Ah, the dreaded question mark pronounciation. It never ceases to confuse me.

'I'm from Canberra? I'm backpacking Europe? I work as a bartender?'




What? Are you trying to tell me or ask me something? Are you confused, don't remember who you are? Been enjoying that European beer too much?

What ? You don't do like all other frenchies and just pretend you don't understand anything of this 'english' 'language' ?

Can you pick out Belgian accents too ? Besides the numbers thing.

[Louis VI the Fat]

What ? You don't do like all other frenchies and just pretend you don't understand anything of this 'english' 'language' ?

I get away with it by pretending my interest in the Anglosaxon races is strictly anthropological.

Can you pick out Belgian accents too ?

Yes and no.

The political and linguistic borders do not coincide. Several regional French dialects simply extend into Belgium. I can distuingish a Picardian accent, but I can not tell the difference between Picardian French from France or Belgium.

There are some peculiarities that all Belgian variants share though, like septante and nonante, and all those German or Dutch constructions and words.

Then there is Walloon itself, not to be confused with Belgian (variants of) French. It is radically different from standard French and unique to Belgium and Luxembourg. It is mainly spoken in the Ardennes and near the German border. The adjective is often placed before the noun, as in German. Most bizarre. It is totally unintelligable.

[lars573]

Are you kidding? T'es un beau twit! It only takes a second to know they are foreign. Then it takes about an hour more to realize they're speaking a language formally known as French. Tabernak, that joual of theirs gets subtitled on French tv.

I figured but I wanted to hear it from a French (from France) speaker. Quebequois is just unintelligible. Acadian however is easy to understand. Grammer differences aside I can understand the conversations on TV5 (the French-channel-from-France we get on cable here) for the most part.

The difference between the three main branches of North American French - Québécois, Acadian and Cajun - is easy to hear. (Cajun is Louisiana French, from French Cadien, 'Acadian'. The Acadians settled Louisiana)

They were forcibly resettled in Louisiana you mean. Cajun after is a bastardization of Acadien.