I've been fortunate to have lived in seven of our ten provinces and I can't relate to the stereotypically Canadian pronunciation of "about". Does "aboot" stem from a cult-classic film or is it some newfie patois? Can anyone link to an audio/video clip of it being used in casual conversation?

I have no idea what people are talking about. I have only ever heard that pronunciation on television--American television.

My background includes university level linguistics, and while I haven't travelled as much as the OP, I have spoken with Canadians from all over. I've never heard anyone pronounce the word that way, not remotely.

I have a friend from Wisconsin who is a speech-language pathologist and is very interested in accents and pronounciation.

She has a really strong mid-west accent herself... whenever I say "about", it sounds like "aboot" to her. But it sounds just like "about" to me. But then, when she says "about", the 'ow' sound that the 'ou' part makes sounds a lot stronger and very nasal to me.

I can't relate to the whole "aboot" thing either, but it seems like they hear it in the midwestern US.

I live in Alberta; definitely detect "aboot" when listening to people from Ontario. When I was a kid, I found the most brazen offenders to be the actors on Degrassi (actually, the show is probably what introduced to different Canadian pronunciations). Found it really jarring. Still do. I suspect the accent stems from a past, heavy Scots presence in the region.

I have a friend from Wisconsin who is a speech-language pathologist and is very interested in accents and pronounciation.

She has a really strong mid-west accent herself... whenever I say "about", it sounds like "aboot" to her. But it sounds just like "about" to me. But then, when she says "about", the 'ow' sound that the 'ou' part makes sounds a lot stronger and very nasal to me.

I can't relate to the whole "aboot" thing either, but it seems like they hear it in the midwestern US.

I agree, I think a lot of it has to do with the contrast between Canadian and US pronunciations (especially Southern - abowwwt), rather than either one being really all that strange on its own. I've also noticed that US pronunciation generally tends to include every letter, compared to UK-style pronunciation where a lot of letters are silent, e.g. pat-turn vs. patt'n. Or to be even more extreme, places like Gloucester - I've heard "glue-chest-her" before.

I suspect the accent stems from a past, heavy Scots presence in the region.

I've heard some people with a straight-off-the-boat-style Scottish accent saying something a bit like "I donna know what yer talking abooot."

Personally I have never heard any Canadian say "aboot" while naturally speaking -- as a joke perhaps, but not as a regular pronunciation. Certainly not to the degree that is depicted on television mostly in Saturday Night Live-style comedy skits.



I still get a kick out of a lot of American pronouncing "roof" as "ruff". And the word "idea" often coming out as "ideeer". And they say we sound funny?


Buuullllshhhh*t! <--- Sounding much like a donkey.

Buuullllshhhh*t! <--- Sounding much like a donkey.

:lmao::lmao::lmao:

How about 'route'.... around here it's pronounced 'root'

When my American friends tease me about "about", I get them to say "orange"... it always makes me laugh.... sound's like "Arrnge" :lmao:

Accents and local idioms are part of what makes it fun to travel and live in other places.

Cheers

I live in Alberta; definitely detect "aboot" when listening to people from Ontario.

Many eastern Canadians sound to me as if they're saying "aboat", not "aboot" as compared to the way most Americans say "about" (abowt). And if I happen to hear myself speaking (say on a phone message), I'll detect that same "aboat", though it'll be less striking than on, say, Trailer Park Boys.

And yet, I've never heard anyone from anywhere whose "boot" sounded like "boat" or vice versa.

What I'm getting at is: shouldn't you and many Americans be detecting "oat and aboat" rather than "oot and aboot"? That's what I don't get about the whole "aboot" thing.

Is it that the "oo" in "aboot" is the "oo" from "roof" or "room", which many Americans turn into "ruff" and "rum"?

To my (English, then American) ears, I hear it most often as "aboat," contrasted to the American "abowt".

It's certainly less different than the American media (particularly South Park) make out. :)

I get a much bigger kick out of Peter Mansbridge's pronunciation of "DAHLler" versus the US "dollar" (the latter having no syllabic emphasis).

While spending 6 years in Houston I was frequently flagged as a Canuck because of the way I pronounced "out, about and project" ....it didn't sound like oot and aboot to me, but it did to them...and FWIW, I pronounce it 'pra-ject"....

I also find it amusing that England is home to populations that use both the most 'correct' (if there can be such a thing) pronunciations of English words, and populations who's pronunciations are so derived as to be completely unintelligible by anyone who isn't a local.

There are more accents on that little island than the rest of the English-speaking world put together.

Cheers

The doctor may want to weigh in on this one as he lives in the province (Newfoundland) where you may hear this type of pronunciation. I lived in BC most of my life and never heard it and while I do hear an accent here in Nova Scotia, it's not that pronounced.

On a somewhat related note, however, the French I hear spoken here is a little different than the French I learned in School. I am told that the Acadian French is more related to 17th Century France than Quebecois.

I've lived in NS all my life and I think I pronounce "out and about" as "oat and aboat" but my in-laws from BC claim I say "oot and aboot". Go figger!

It's known as 'Canadian raising', where diphthongs are pronounced differently.

Reference link. (http://www.umanitoba.ca/faculties/arts/linguistics/russell/phonetics/narrower/canadian-raising.html)

(All that money I've paid for my daughter's BA in Linguistics is finally paying off, I guess.)

I've been fortunate to have lived in seven of our ten provinces and I can't relate to the stereotypically Canadian pronunciation of "about". Does "aboot" stem from a cult-classic film or is it some newfie patois? Can anyone link to an audio/video clip of it being used in casual conversation?

People in Newfoundland and Labrador don't use that pronuciation of the word "about". Not sure what you meant by a "newfie patois", but I have travelled around this province for 32 years and have never heard this sort of pronunciation of "about" in any widespread manner.

Americans stick an 'a' sound in everything, that's why 'about' sounds like 'aboot' to them. They say 'abayout', not about, and 'hayouse' not house.
Americans flatten their tongue which gives an 'o' an 'a' sound. Try it. Much more pronounced in W. NY, as anyone who watches Buffalo TV will know, where the 'o' sound has practically vanished.

Americans stick an 'a' sound in everything, that's why 'about' sounds like 'aboot' to them. They say 'abayout', not about, and 'hayouse' not house.
Americans flatten their tongue which gives an 'o' an 'a' sound. Try it. Much more pronounced in W. NY, as anyone who watches Buffalo TV will know, where the 'o' sound has practically vanished.

I went to university around Rochester for three years and the western New York State accent was distinct from my New York City accent.

Still, after 32 years here in NL, I still sound as if I just left NYC, according to my wife. I have heard myself interviewed on radio and I disagree with this opinion.

On a somewhat related note, however, the French I hear spoken here is a little different than the French I learned in School. I am told that the Acadian French is more related to 17th Century France than Quebecois.

This makes sense, as we have our own parallel. English as spoken in America would sound much more familiar to the medieval English ear than would present British English. In terms of a language's evolution, new settlements are much more conservative than the mother country.

Americans stick an 'a' sound in everything, that's why 'about' sounds like 'aboot' to them. They say 'abayout', not about, and 'hayouse' not house.
Americans flatten their tongue which gives an 'o' an 'a' sound. Try it. Much more pronounced in W. NY, as anyone who watches Buffalo TV will know, where the 'o' sound has practically vanished.

Do you think they teach them that in cAllege? :lmao:

I've never heard any Canadian say aboot. It's the snuffleupagus of accents.

Now that oat and a boat have been kicked around how about we discuss the Canadian pronunciation of your parent’s sister.

I say Awnt Greta when I address my father’s sister.

Other Canadians have a pronunciation similar to a six legged arthropod insect that lives in colonies beneath the surface of the ground or in rotting logs.

How do you pronounce Aunt?

Their are no Aunts (Ants) in our family. They're all Aunties, pronouced "anties".

I say it more like "Ahnt".

I say aunt which rhymes with ant and pant.

'Ant' over here.

I'm from Ontario and moved here in my late twenties.

I say 'ant' but the Bluenosers pronounce it 'Awnt'.

Peter Jennings used to say "aboot" and "moosecow" instead of Moscow on American TV, and Americans found it endearing (this one did).

Peter Jennings used to say "aboot" and "moosecow" instead of Moscow on American TV, and Americans found it endearing (this one did).I believe Jennings didn't say aBowT or Mosscow

I remember when Gwen Stefani was at Much Music being upset over the pronunciation of her band No Doubt.

I should think she would have been thankful she didn't front Zed Zed Top.