Do Canadians hate and get annoyed, when automatically get mistaken for Americans in the world, outside of North America? (accent, culture)

[GM10]

Originally Posted by BIMBAM

There's nothing wrong with having an accent. There are of course distinct Canadian accents that are unique to areas within the country and that Americans would recognize as from outside of their own country. It's okay to admit that, there's nothing to be ashamed of, no accent is inherently superior to any other.

Everyone has an accent. Unless no sound comes out of your mouth when you speak.

[newdixiegirl]

Originally Posted by hobbesdj

I lived there and have been in contact with literally countless English Canadians, they say a variation of aboot and aboat. What is more interesting is how defensive and gear-grinded some Canadians become over such a trivial issue.

Exactly. It's so silly.

Yes, many Canadians DO say "aboot." My former in-laws in Manitoba do. Boy are THEIR accents thick. Plenty of other Canadians, though, say "abowt," like most of my relatives.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by newdixiegirl

Exactly. It's so silly.

Yes, many Canadians DO say aboot. My former in-laws in Manitoba do. Boy are THEIR accents thick. Plenty of other Canadians, though, say "abowt," like most of my relatives.

And the way most Americans say it sounds like "abahht" to me.

[newdixiegirl]

Originally Posted by GM10

Honestly I am very much for being separate from Americans and being Canadian but there is very little difference between Canadian and American accents. If there were any differences it would be regional but the accents are overall the same. I don't notice any difference when an American speaks and when a Canadian speaks. But the spelling is different for some words. The only time I heard someone say we speak differently is when I was watching the U.S. presidential election and Obama was saying his speech and someone who was not from North America said they prefer how Americans speak and it sounds more proper and proffesional than when Canadians speak. May be true but apart from that I've rarely ever heard anyone say Americans and Canadians have very different accents apart from this forum.

Well, if this is true, then I must be gifted with an incredible talent to be able to identify a Canadian within one minute of speaking to him/her. Almost without fail. Sometimes, they need only speak a few words, and I know.

[newdixiegirl]

Originally Posted by Acajack

And the way most Americans say it sounds like "abahht" to me.

Yes, you're right. And that's the way most Brits and Australians pronounce it, too (the Scots excepted).

[Nefertitii]

I wouldn't say I "hate" it, it could be annoying depending on what is said next after you tell them that you are, in fact, Canadian. I find that when people say there is no difference, it's a big indicator that they know very little of what they are talking about and have only superficially looked at the question. All one has to do is venture into some subjects that concern core beliefs and philosophies/attitudes to find out that there are some very big differences between Americans and Canadians... ex. gun control, healthcare, etc. etc.