Any Aussies feel like they should have been born in another country? (homes, living)

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by Vichel

Love that KIA ad! Thanks for that.

We don't get too many good, creative ads here.

De accent of dat guy in de Kia, eh, sound much like da Quebecois! Same for the music - French-Canadian folk music, to me, has a lot of similarity to Zydeco and Cajun music. Lots of fiddle playing and accordians.

Those Kia adds are some of my most favorite car commercials.
Youtube only has that one with the crazy Cajun,
but there were a few others that were ALWAYS playing for several years in a row, early 2000's I reckon.

He is also missing his famous introductory catch-phrase:
"...WAIL-comm TUE de SWAMP! AAaaa-EEEeee!!!..."
In one add he picks of a baby gator and says "...Taste like chicken!..."

I really don't know if that's how they sound, or that was a Canadian interpretation of a Cajun accent.
The landscape looks legit though; resembles a swampier version of South Carolina, as one would expect of Louisiana.

[Vichel]

Well if I had to pick a country to be born in, if I wasn't born here, I'd pick the U.S. Every time I go there, I really enjoy myself and love talking to and being with Americans. This last trip was especially a good time. I'd pick Colorado, up around Boulder or somewhere around the mountains, to be specific.

After living in flatness surrounded by bleakness & dryness, I'm very appreciative of exuberant landscapes that feature massive mountains, greenery, lots of water (the rushing kind), even snow.

It's always different living in a place, versus travelling there as a happy, carefree tourist, of course, but somehow I think I'd have a not too hard a time fitting in, even culturally.

[jacq63]

V, if ever you're East, we gotta meet up for a few Manhattans, Hurricanes..things of that nature!

[Vichel]

Originally Posted by jacq63

V, if ever you're East, we gotta meet up for a few Manhattans, Hurricanes..things of that nature!

Definitely!

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

Interesting that you're so fascinated with New Orleans then, as they have probably one of the mildest Southern accents around (resembling New Yorkers? ) Then outside the city there are some crazy Cajun accents, like this:

AAAaaa-EEEEeee!!!!

but just a short drive out of New Orleans and you'll probably be surrounded by accents "...thicker than MO-lasses.." Have you ever heard of "Soulja Boy"? He's next door, from Mississippi. Though his rapping style is a little slurred, it's actually believable for someone from the Deep South; easily 5+% of the residents are that relaxed with their speech, male and female alike.
English with English sub-titles anyone?
All residents from "North Louisiana" (where ever that starts, could be north of Lake Ponchartrain...) are known to have a very typically "Southern" accent. Tim McGraw I hear is a Louisiana native.

*Imho, they all have accents equally as thick as Steve Irwin.

You know who else is a Louisiana native? Listen to her say "lying".


YouTube - Britney Spears High as a Kite

Originally Posted by jacq63

Thanks Moon and CC! Moon: what do we care how 'dorky' it is, if it's how we feel??

CC: Sorry, I'm not expressing myself to well. I don't mind thick accents, just not...Australian ones. The NOLA one is pretty distinctive, and not anywhere like your "Why howdy ma'm, whyn't y'all jiss think about all that tomorra?" drawl. (That was a highly obtuse Gone With the Wind reference). It's sorta like Brooklyn mixed with maybe a touch of ....Texas? Not that twangy though. In reference to the OP, that's another reason I prolly shouldn't have been born in Aust..hate the accent!

So crazy, I know I love it! But what can I say, I wasn't born in Aus... I'll trade ya! You can come over here and I'll go over there. Oregon's a lot closer to NOLA than NSW is, and NSW is a lot closer to Melb than Oregon is...

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by backdrifter

You know who else is a Louisiana native? Listen to her say "lying".

She's probably originally from "North Louisiana".
Though I think I've heard that accent from people from Baton Rouge area...
I know, she says "lah'n" for "lying", but that is just common/proper Southern speech.
She did have some non-Southern words like "thing" not pronounced "thang."
(which also should be "dipthongised" too, but "ang" is the closest sound to it)

So crazy, I know I love it! But what can I say, I wasn't born in Aus... I'll trade ya! You can come over here and I'll go over there. Oregon's a lot closer to NOLA than NSW is, and NSW is a lot closer to Melb than Oregon is...

Have you ever been to Australia?
What makes you want to be Aussie instead of American?
I'm thinking I might like Australia as much as the U.S.A.,
for slightly different reasons of course.

*I actually LOVE regional accents;
gives people an excuse/reason to sound different than other English-speakers
and also conveys a stronger "sense of place" to me.

**Jacq63; FYI, Louisiana is pronounced "Lewz-ee-anna" or "Lewz-ee-anne" by almost everyone
(LA native's and probably every neighbouring Southerner)

[ColdCanadian]

One of the best zydeco or zydeco-inspired songs:


YouTube - down at the twist and shout,mary chapin carpenter

[jacq63]

Thanks CC, I have heard that song before somewhere..I think it was actually in New Orleans. It's funny how it mentions a 'cajun beat'..Cajun songs normally get percussion from the triangle, rather than drums, and they feature fiddle much more strongly than zydeco. But it's a great song!

[ColdCanadian]

Originally Posted by jacq63

Thanks CC, I have heard that song before somewhere..I think it was actually in New Orleans. It's funny how it mentions a 'cajun beat'..Cajun songs normally get percussion from the triangle, rather than drums, and they feature fiddle much more strongly than zydeco. But it's a great song!

Thought you'd like it.
It's definitely a cheerful song.
I guess that would count as zydeco-inspired, Nashville-style country music?

Not too surprised though, as Nashville's country music is often fairly experimental with other musical influences.
Dunno why, but I seem to like a lot of Nashville's country music more than other kinds of "country."
Maybe it's because they often use a lot more instruments? It's hard to put my finger on it.

Then again I've heard of other "Louisana music" with fiddles...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yljf4Lpj7CI

[backdrifter]

Originally Posted by ColdCanadian

She's probably originally from "North Louisiana".
Though I think I've heard that accent from people from Baton Rouge area...
I know, she says "lah'n" for "lying", but that is just common/proper Southern speech.
She did have some non-Southern words like "thing" not pronounced "thang."
(which also should be "dipthongised" too, but "ang" is the closest sound to it)

Have you ever been to Australia?
What makes you want to be Aussie instead of American?
I'm thinking I might like Australia as much as the U.S.A.,
for slightly different reasons of course.

*I actually LOVE regional accents;
gives people an excuse/reason to sound different than other English-speakers
and also conveys a stronger "sense of place" to me.

**Jacq63; FYI, Louisiana is pronounced "Lewz-ee-anna" or "Lewz-ee-anne" by almost everyone
(LA native's and probably every neighbouring Southerner)

She is from Northern La. actually. Good ear! I can't tell apart all the different Southern accents--only been to the South once kind of, but I can tell apart West Coast accents pretty darn well. I love all the different accents also! They're fascinating and they do lend to a sense of place. I guess that's one good thing to come out of the British colonizing half the world.

And no, I haven't been to Aus, but in just over a month I'll be able to say I have been! I'll be landing in Melbourne and I'll there for a couple months! So very excited.

I guess it's just that the several Aussies I've ever met personally, and all the others I encounter, just seem to be so... sunny. Hard to say what really draws me there though... Maybe it just seems like a big adventure. It's like the last outpost in the whole world. That's the inner Pioneer in me I guess, being at the end of the Oregon Trail and all. But I would love to live there for at least a while. Might do a working holiday after uni, who knows what could happen.

I love where I live now, but realistically will probably end up running away to British Columbia someday just to get out of the damn US, but that's another story. Can't say I wouldn't love living in Toronto (or Montreal) either! I think I could even put up with the snow and cold for that experience... Definitely more so than living somewhere in the US with all that snow and cold.