Canadian actors playing US parts I

[Wordgeek]

Years ago, during the Vietnam War, border guards used a shibboleth test to identify Americans who were going north to escape the draft.  Some of the sentences were these:
I have taken the wrong route.
I am neither juvenile nor hostile.
My house needs a new roof.

There were a bunch more. 

I read about this in a book called Canadian Raising, which is a great read if you're interested in this stuff.

Another difference is /or/ words like sorry, tomorrow, borrow, and the like.  Canadians tend to pronounce these as a pure oh sounds whereas Americans make a ah sound.  "Sorry" in American sounds like something an Indian lady would wear. ;-)

[sparksals]

I think that television and, before it, radio have done a lot to standardize North American English.  News personalities almost all speak in a manner that minimizes regional accents.

When Peter Jennings was ABC News anchor, they had to spell some words American pronunciation phonetically.  For instance , Canadians pronounce Lieutenant as leff-tennant.   They would spell it Loo- Tennant for him since it was an American broadcast. 

[Outdoor Girl]

I find that watching American TV has had an influence on Canadian speech, too.  I say Loo-tennant, not Leff-tennant.  And they portray it that way on a lot of Canadian made TV shows (that are obviously set in Canada) like 'Flashpoint'.

And there's another Canadian on an American program:  Emelio Coleaco (sp?) is the Russian bad guy on 'Person of Interest'.

[Two Ravens]

I find that watching American TV has had an influence on Canadian speech, too.  I say Loo-tennant, not Leff-tennant.  And they portray it that way on a lot of Canadian made TV shows (that are obviously set in Canada) like 'Flashpoint'.

And there's another Canadian on an American program:  Emelio Coleaco (sp?) is the Russian bad guy on 'Person of Interest'.

Enrico Colantoni.  http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0170186/?ref_=nv_sr_1

[Outdoor Girl]

Thank you!  I knew I didn't have it right and I was too lazy to look it up.   

[Danika]

I think that television and, before it, radio have done a lot to standardize North American English.  News personalities almost all speak in a manner that minimizes regional accents.

I remember when I lived in Boston, you'd often hear the Boston accent when you were among people, but most of the TV commercials, even for local businesses, had typical Midwestern US accents, not Bostonian ones. Same with the TV news anchors. I was told that to be a news anchor, you had to be coached to speak the typical Midwestern American accent and not show your Bostonian accent.

Now that I live far from Boston, I watch online episodes of This Old House because I miss the accent.

[camlan]

I've met people from states which border Canada in the mid-west who sound more "Canadian" than "American." It's a regional accent that crosses the border--the stereotypical "aboot" for "about."

More and more, I'm seeing Canadian actors guest-starring on US produced shows. Several of the actors from Stargate SG-1 have been on shows produced in the US.

Other Canadian actors on US shows: William Shatner and James Doohan on Star Trek. Pamela Anderson. Will Arnett. Nathan Fillion on Firefly.

[katycoo]

I think that television and, before it, radio have done a lot to standardize North American English.  News personalities almost all speak in a manner that minimizes regional accents.

When Peter Jennings was ABC News anchor, they had to spell some words American pronunciation phonetically.  For instance , Canadians pronounce Lieutenant as leff-tennant.   They would spell it Loo- Tennant for him since it was an American broadcast.

Doesn't everyone except Americans say Leff-tenant? 

I do enjoy the accent of Phil Keoghan on The Amazing Race.  He's Kiwi-born but his accent is all over the shop!

[kareng57]

I've met people from states which border Canada in the mid-west who sound more "Canadian" than "American." It's a regional accent that crosses the border--the stereotypical "aboot" for "about."

More and more, I'm seeing Canadian actors guest-starring on US produced shows. Several of the actors from Stargate SG-1 have been on shows produced in the US.

Other Canadian actors on US shows: William Shatner and James Doohan on Star Trek. Pamela Anderson. Will Arnett. Nathan Fillion on Firefly.

That's very true - I'm in Western Canada, and notice the American inflection within miles of the border.  However, it's definitely regional.  For awhile I did phone-work for a company that had a lot of American customers, and I noticed that customers in some north-midwestern states such as Minnesota or Wisconsin really sounded Canadian.

The actor Patrick MacGoohan spent about half of his childhood in Ireland and half in Canada, and somehow, even though he really didn't "switch" accents, it could sound either British or North American.

[kareng57]

Small town vs big city raised makes a difference, too.  I'm a small town girl and a bit of a hick.  Plus, my parents were raised in the Ottawa Valley, which also tends to have its own unique accent.  My Dad was raised in the city so it was quite mild.  My mother, raised in a small town about an hour outside Ottawa?  Not so mild.  Her sister's accent was even more pronounced.  When I visited a friend in California, the mother of one of their friends was just tickled with my 'accent'.  I thought she had an accent!

East coasters tend to have quite a lilt to their speaking, especially Cape Bretoners.  And Newfoundlanders are something else again.  Sometimes, when they get going, I start wondering if we are speaking the same language.   

Very true about Newfoundland.  We loved it there - the hospitality was the best that Dh and I had ever experienced.

At the same time, the accent could be a definite challenge.  We stayed at one B&B in Rocky Harbour.  The wife was a cheerful, fairly understandable woman who spent most of her time in the kitchen.  Her husband - he was a war veteran, (great, of course) and we picked that up from all the certificates around the dining room.  But he talked to us for about 40 minutes while breakfast was being served.  We were pretty sure it was about the war and kept nodding and smiling but he could have been speaking Icelandic, to be honest.

[sparksals]

I think that television and, before it, radio have done a lot to standardize North American English.  News personalities almost all speak in a manner that minimizes regional accents.

When Peter Jennings was ABC News anchor, they had to spell some words American pronunciation phonetically.  For instance , Canadians pronounce Lieutenant as leff-tennant.   They would spell it Loo- Tennant for him since it was an American broadcast.

Doesn't everyone except Americans say Leff-tenant? 

I do enjoy the accent of Phil Keoghan on The Amazing Race.  He's Kiwi-born but his accent is all over the shop!

I think Commonwealth countries do.  Don't know about the others. 

[Thipu1]

I think that television and, before it, radio have done a lot to standardize North American English.  News personalities almost all speak in a manner that minimizes regional accents.

When Peter Jennings was ABC News anchor, they had to spell some words American pronunciation phonetically.  For instance , Canadians pronounce Lieutenant as leff-tennant.   They would spell it Loo- Tennant for him since it was an American broadcast.

Doesn't everyone except Americans say Leff-tenant? 

I do enjoy the accent of Phil Keoghan on The Amazing Race.  He's Kiwi-born but his accent is all over the shop!

Just out of curiosity.  Why does everyone but Americans say 'Leff-tenant'?   I think we all say 'in lieu of something'.  What makes Lieutenant different?

[Danika]

I think that television and, before it, radio have done a lot to standardize North American English.  News personalities almost all speak in a manner that minimizes regional accents.

When Peter Jennings was ABC News anchor, they had to spell some words American pronunciation phonetically.  For instance , Canadians pronounce Lieutenant as leff-tennant.   They would spell it Loo- Tennant for him since it was an American broadcast.

Doesn't everyone except Americans say Leff-tenant? 

I do enjoy the accent of Phil Keoghan on The Amazing Race.  He's Kiwi-born but his accent is all over the shop!

Just out of curiosity.  Why does everyone but Americans say 'Leff-tenant'?   I think we all say 'in lieu of something'.  What makes Lieutenant different?

Probably to compensate for the fact that Americans pronounce Colonel KUR null instead of CO lo nel like the rest of the English speaking world. Am I right about the pronunciation of Colonel outside of the US?

[Thipu1]

Sounds fair to me, Danika. 

[GreenEyedHawk]

Mostly, it's shot in Vancouver so it doesn't make a difference. Between Canadian English and American English, there's really very little difference. The stereotypical "Canadian" accent is really only on the East coast, Labrador and Newfoundland, if I'm remembering correctly. I mean, they do have a few words they pronounce slightly differently (sorry being one I can think of that's standard across the country), but for the most part it's the same.

Plus with the number of accents that exist across the United States itself, it's really easy to pass off as American on TV. Most people go for the accent of the midwest, it seems to be the most universally understood and the least accented, if that makes sense.

That is not true about the Canadian accent.  Go to almost every province and you will hear different forms of the accent.  Go to almost any State in the USA and you will get a different accent.  Both countries are very regional with accents. 

The reason why There are so many Canadians in US shows filmed in Canada is Canada laws are very strict   .  If filming in Canada, Canadians must be employed in all facets of the production.  I can't remember the percentage but I believe the vast majority must be Canadian.

Ooooh no, the "typical" Canadian accent isn't just on the East Coast.  Maritimers...particularly Newfoundlanders, have a VERY distinct way of speaking that isn't really found anywhere else.  My dad, who his from Ontario, does not have a *noticeable* accent but he does say some things differently, like "tagger" (tiger).  I am Alberta born and raised and I don't think I have an accent but there is a difference between the way I speak and the way Americans speak.  It's subtle, but it's there.  I know when I speak to North Americans overseas whether they are Canadian or American.