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you are right, but your phonetics arent right. the pah indicates an unrounded pronounciation, the paw indicates a rounded pronounciation, in essence the americans would pronounce it pah-sta (same vowel sound as father) the canadians would pronounce it pass-ta (same vowel sound as apple)
Thanks for clarifying. I am probably mixing stuff up with French phonetics or something!
Is it true that Vancouver doesn't have an authentic Canadian culture/accent?
I've heard that the culture in Vancouver, and in BC in general, isn't really a true Canadian culture, like one finds in Ontario and the Prairies. Like I've heard people say they're essentially Americans who live under the flag of Canada, and that the "real Canada" is to the east. I've also heard they talk just like Americans/Californians and practice little of the Canadian raising or the Canada-specific phrases such as "eh" and "ya know".
However visiting there Vancouver seems Canadian through and through. Maple leafs everywhere, people with strong accents, hockey is religion, and yes, I even heard "eh". Do you think those were native BC people though or Ontario/Prairie transplants? I also heard a lot of Valley-girl type accents, but it was mixed with Canadianisms. Still, I wonder if Vancouver seems like "Canada-lite" compared to say northern Ontario.
I guess Vancouver/the lower Mainland is so isolated from any other large Canadian population, aside from Vancouver Island of course, that they might feel in some ways closer to their nearby American cousins in Seattle and Portland (and even the Bay Area) than they do to their compatriots in Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto?
As a Vancouverite, do you feel like a Canadian? Or more like a Pacific Northwesterner who just happens to live on Canadian territory?
I think the Canadian and American accents are pretty damn different actually. The tone is quite obvious imo, also I think most Americans have a twang that Canadians lack, even urban Californians.
I hear my accent the more I've traveled in the English speaking world. We most definitely have an accent distinct from the US, but how distinct depends on the area. In California only about a third picked up that I wasn't local, but my accent stood out drastically in the American South.
By the way, why do you think that Ontario and the Prairies have the "true" Canadian culture? What is so "true" in Ontario and the Prairies?
And how about Quebec, Newfoundland, Maritime provinces, and the Territories, of course? Are they "true" Canadian or not? Because if only Ontario and the Prairies offer true Canadian culture, I'd be very sad.
I've heard that the culture in Vancouver, and in BC in general, isn't really a true Canadian culture, like one finds in Ontario and the Prairies. Like I've heard people say they're essentially Americans who live under the flag of Canada, and that the "real Canada" is to the east. I've also heard they talk just like Americans/Californians and practice little of the Canadian raising or the Canada-specific phrases such as "eh" and "ya know"......
Oh my gosh, that's funny. I'd sure like to know WHO you heard those things from because you sure wouldn't have heard it from resident British Columbians and I doubt many people from the other provinces would suggest such things.
Anyway, in the hopes of clarifying a few things for you .... British Columbia is actually the most multicultural province in Canada with Quebec and Ontario both coming in a close 2nd to BC. Nobody in British Columbia identifies with America and they don't feel "closer" to other cities and residents in the western States, they all identify strictly with Canada, Canadian people and Canadian spirit. All of British Columbia is authentic Canadian, which is to say it is proudly multiculturally Canadian, definitely not a melting-pot as America is, and B.C. really promotes the multiculturalism thing in a BIG way in all parts of the province.
British Columbians self-identify by their ethnicity and nationality on the Canadian census and in their personal life. For example there are self-identified Irish-Canadians, Russian-Canadians, Chinese-Canadians, Iranian-Canadians (only here the Iranians calls themselves Persians, not Iranians), Spanish-Canadians, English-Canadians, etc., etc. - there are even Canadian-Canadians. Of the over 4.2 million resident population in BC, (a little less than half of the B.C. population are in the lower mainland) only around 70 thousand British Columbians self-identify as immigrant American-Canadians.
B.C. has over 100 distinct cultures and over 40 languages as 2nd languages (plus dozens of dialects) spoken in B.C. with the English language being the most predominant public language spoken throughout the entire province. Needless to say because of all that there are many, many accents that you will hear in the English language spoken in B.C.
In California only about a third picked up that I wasn't local, but my accent stood out drastically in the American South.
thats to be expected, the accent most similar to General Canadian is Western US (California included) the accent in the south is totally different, its totally different to any north US accents as well
That accent map is great ( especially if one follows it over to its home site ). My accent exactly matches the Sechelt guy who studied in Victoria, which makes sense, given I was born in Vancouver and spent half my life in Vic.
thats to be expected, the accent most similar to General Canadian is Western US (California included) the accent in the south is totally different, its totally different to any north US accents as well
I disagree i lived in California alooooong time. Theres no way The Canadian accent is most similar to Western U.S.
the only American accent that is similar to Canadian is what you hear in (some parts) of northern New England or the northern Midwest.
Americans can usually hear the differences quite easily, Any Canadian that spends a significant amount of time and comes back to Canada can usually hear it too...But for some reason Canadians generally have a hard time hearing how different our accent really sounds.
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Is it true that Vancouver doesn't have an authentic Canadian culture/accent?
I'd sure like to know WHO you heard those things from because you sure wouldn't have heard it from resident British Columbians and I doubt many people from the other provinces would suggest such things.
Of the over 4.2 million resident population in BC, (a little less than half of the B.C. population are in the lower mainland) only around 70 thousand British Columbians self-identify as immigrant American-Canadians.
