NationStates Jolt Archive

First of all, I'd like to state for the record that, as a Canadian, I don't subscribe to the general dislike of Americans that seems prevalent up here sometimes. On my many frequent trips to the States, I have come to the conclusion that Americans and Canadians are generally the same people.

But the little differences are aggravating.

Even though I don't travel to the US much anymore, to this day, if I hear someone from Michigan speaking (just south of us here in Ontario), I can pick it out right away. I'll say to that person "You're from Michigan, aren't you?" and then they'll respond with a stunned look and reply "How did you know?"
My standard reply; "By your accent", which is almost universally followed by "But I'm American, I don't have an accent."

Okay... Americans have an accent. Michigan in particular, has a tendency to make all of their o's sound like a's. For example, many people in Detroit are big 'hackey' fans, instead of 'hockey' fans. When you finish a meal in Point Blank, they ask you if you want the rest in a 'bax', instead of a 'box'. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the Canadian pronounciation of words, but American's have their own strangeness.

While we're at it, I'd like Americans to redress the following errors;

1) I want to be able to ask for vinegar for my fries without having to settle for wine vinegar. It's 'white' vinegar people, and malt vinegar is a poor substitute.

2) What the hell is 'soda'? It's called 'pop', (and not 'pap'). I don't think they've used soda in soft drinks for quite some time.

3) Get some Ketchup flavoured potato chips. Join the civilized world already.

4) What the hell is 'sweet tea'? I don't want corn syrup in my tea, I want good old fashioned sugary 'Ice Tea'. Must be a southern thing.

5) I'd like to see hockey not relegated to the forgotten corners of your sports sections. You're winning more Stanley Cups than we are after all.

In exchange for redressing these issues, I promise to do my best to get more Bob Evans' and I.H.O.P's up here. If there's one thing you're doing right down there, it's breakfast.

Roof, not Ruf.

I hereby promise, to the best of my ability, to do all of the above... if - and only if - you can convince Canadians to say "about" and not "a boot" or "a boat". ;)

Ketchup flavored potato chips O_o WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!

The American accent is awful, when an american is on tv i usualy put the sound of as it really gets on my nerves.
RULE BRITANIA!

Hey hey hey....lets clear this sweet tea thing up right now. Good ol' southern sweet tea is made with pure,white, granulated cane sugar. I dont know where youve been getting your sweet tea with corn syrup in it but point them out to me and I'll slap them around.

Ketchup flavored potato chips O_o WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE!

Erm..its called variety.

oh and I forgot...

6) What the hell is 'American' cheese? It's called cheddar folks!

(And while you're at it, add salt + vinegar flavoured chips to the list.)

Indeed, why on earth would anyone want tomato flavoured potato chips, surely you could just dip plain ones in tomato ketchup? And while we're moaning about national idiosyncrasies, call them crisps, not potato chips.

Cheezies would help too.

oh and I forgot...

6) What the hell is 'American' cheese? It's called cheddar folks!

(And while you're at it, add salt + vinegar flavoured chips to the list.)
American cheese is not cheddar. Cheddar actually has some flavor to it. American cheese is just a way to add fat to sandwiches.

First of all, I'd like to state for the record that, as a Canadian, I don't subscribe to the general dislike of Americans that seems prevalent up here sometimes. On my many frequent trips to the States, I have come to the conclusion that Americans and Canadians are generally the same people.

But the little differences are aggravating.

Even though I don't travel to the US much anymore, to this day, if I hear someone from Michigan speaking (just south of us here in Ontario), I can pick it out right away. I'll say to that person "You're from Michigan, aren't you?" and then they'll respond with a stunned look and reply "How did you know?"
My standard reply; "By your accent", which is almost universally followed by "But I'm American, I don't have an accent."

Okay... Americans have an accent. Michigan in particular, has a tendency to make all of their o's sound like a's. For example, many people in Detroit are big 'hackey' fans, instead of 'hockey' fans. When you finish a meal in Point Blank, they ask you if you want the rest in a 'bax', instead of a 'box'. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the Canadian pronounciation of words, but American's have their own strangeness.
That's the midwestern accent. Southerners, Westerners, and East Coasters all have different ones.

While we're at it, I'd like Americans to redress the following errors;
While you're at it, stop being so arrogant as to think everything here should be the same as it is back home! That's supposedly OUR job!

1) I want to be able to ask for vinegar for my fries without having to settle for wine vinegar. It's 'white' vinegar people, and malt vinegar is a poor substitute.
Bring it from home if it's so important. We don't expect you guys to have real NY pizza up there in Canada.

2) What the hell is 'soda'? It's called 'pop', (and not 'pap'). I don't think they've used soda in soft drinks for quite some time.

People look at you strangely if you ask for pop on the East Coast, or think you're asking for their father.

8 entries found for soda.
soft drink
n. In both senses also called soda pop, also called regionally cold drink, drink, pop1, soda, soda water, tonic.

1. A nonalcoholic, flavored, carbonated beverage, usually commercially prepared and sold in bottles or cans.
2. A serving of this beverage. See Regional Note at tonic.


Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

so·da
n.

2.
1. See carbonated water.
2. Chiefly Northeastern U.S., Eastern Missouri, & Southwestern Illinois. See soft drink. See Regional Note at tonic.
3. A refreshment made from carbonated water, ice cream, and usually a flavoring.

[Middle English sode, soda, saltwort, soda, from Old Italian soda, perhaps from Arabic suwayd, soda, soda-plant, or suwayda, type of saltwort; see wd in Semitic Roots.]

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

soda

n 1: a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper [syn: sodium carbonate, washing soda, sal soda, soda ash] 2: a sweet drink containing carbonated water and flavoring; "in New England they call sodas tonics" [syn: pop, soda pop, soda water, tonic]

Source: WordNet ® 2.0, © 2003 Princeton University

3) Get some Ketchup flavoured potato chips. Join the civilized world already.
We have them. Just because you haven't found them in your VAST experiences in the states don't mean it doesn't exist.

4) What the hell is 'sweet tea'? I don't want corn syrup in my tea, I want good old fashioned sugary 'Ice Tea'. Must be a southern thing.
No idea what you're talking about here.

5) I'd like to see hockey not relegated to the forgotten corners of your sports sections. You're winning more Stanley Cups than we are after all.
Jealous? :D

In exchange for redressing these issues, I promise to do my best to get more Bob Evans' and I.H.O.P's up here. If there's one thing you're doing right down there, it's breakfast.
While you're at it -- that Canadian bacon stuff ain't bacon so much as it is a slice of fried ham.

First of all, I'd like to state for the record that, as a Canadian, I don't subscribe to the general dislike of Americans that seems prevalent up here sometimes. On my many frequent trips to the States, I have come to the conclusion that Americans and Canadians are generally the same people.

But the little differences are aggravating.

Even though I don't travel to the US much anymore, to this day, if I hear someone from Michigan speaking (just south of us here in Ontario), I can pick it out right away. I'll say to that person "You're from Michigan, aren't you?" and then they'll respond with a stunned look and reply "How did you know?"
My standard reply; "By your accent", which is almost universally followed by "But I'm American, I don't have an accent."

Okay... Americans have an accent. Michigan in particular, has a tendency to make all of their o's sound like a's. For example, many people in Detroit are big 'hackey' fans, instead of 'hockey' fans. When you finish a meal in Point Blank, they ask you if you want the rest in a 'bax', instead of a 'box'. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the Canadian pronounciation of words, but American's have their own strangeness.

While we're at it, I'd like Americans to redress the following errors;

1) I want to be able to ask for vinegar for my fries without having to settle for wine vinegar. It's 'white' vinegar people, and malt vinegar is a poor substitute.

2) What the hell is 'soda'? It's called 'pop', (and not 'pap'). I don't think they've used soda in soft drinks for quite some time.

3) Get some Ketchup flavoured potato chips. Join the civilized world already.

4) What the hell is 'sweet tea'? I don't want corn syrup in my tea, I want good old fashioned sugary 'Ice Tea'. Must be a southern thing.

5) I'd like to see hockey not relegated to the forgotten corners of your sports sections. You're winning more Stanley Cups than we are after all.

In exchange for redressing these issues, I promise to do my best to get more Bob Evans' and I.H.O.P's up here. If there's one thing you're doing right down there, it's breakfast.

I despise your linguistic preferences!

I prefer hard/straight (not rounded!) vowels like they're spoken in my home state of Wisconsin:

O is O... not ehoo (imagine a valley girl saying it, that's what i mean by "ehoo")

A is A, not I (South)

E is E, not uhee (South)

Rs are there to be pronounced.... Father should sound like it's spelled, not "fathah"

hehe
--------------

another thing:

Coca Cola is a form of soda, not pop!

The American accent is awful, when an american is on tv i usualy put the sound of as it really gets on my nerves.
RULE BRITANIA!

I disagree. One thing the American accent is very good for is making believable TV. Imagine someone saying "The terrorist have bombs stationed all around the stadium. I need air strikes NOW goddamn it" in say, a Indian, German or Irish accent. It just doesn't work.

oh and I forgot...

6) What the hell is 'American' cheese? It's called cheddar folks!

(And while you're at it, add salt + vinegar flavoured chips to the list.)

First, American cheese and cheddar cheese are two entirely different cheeses. Second, you can get salt & vinegar chips in nearly any store.

"But I'm American, I don't have an accent."

i have never understood people who say this. it's like the most ignorant, stereotypically american thing to say. the only way they could think that is if they rarely leave their home state, and even then they'd have to have stuck close to their little region of the state.

sorry, I'll never be able to make myself call it "pop"

That's crazy talk, maybe it's just because I live in Michigan, but I definently pronounce my o's and a's properly. But it is screwed up in Michigan since I used to live in Arizona. Everyone says Pop. DAMNIT IT'S SODA. S O D A.

oh and I forgot...

6) What the hell is 'American' cheese? It's called cheddar folks!

(And while you're at it, add salt + vinegar flavoured chips to the list.)

salt and vinegar chips rule and are available in any store you step foot in.

American cheese and cheddar cheese are totally different. American is processed and sliced and very mild whereas cheddar comes in block form and is substantially more firm. American cheese is about 98% vegetable oil I think. I think they mix in orange food coloring before they press it out.

sorry, I'll never be able to make myself call it "pop"

LOL! Where I grew up, all soda is called coke. If someone asks you if you want a coke, the appropriate response is, "What kinds do you have?"

First, American cheese and cheddar cheese are two entirely different cheeses. Second, you can get salt & vinegar chips in nearly any store.

American cheese is a processed cheese. Kraft Singles brand is an example of American cheese.

America's favorite cheese has got to be cheddar. And the best cheddar i've ever tasted you can find (and purchase from...) here:

http://carrvalleycheese.com/


i see a couple of polls in the near future...

oh and I forgot...

6) What the hell is 'American' cheese? It's called cheddar folks!

(And while you're at it, add salt + vinegar flavoured chips to the list.)

American cheese is milder than cheddar, thanks. And we HAVE salt + vinegar chips -- or is that crisps -- thank you very much.

http://www.wisesnacks.com/products_potato_traditional_all.html
http://www.wisesnacks.com/products_potato_ridgies_all.html
http://www.wisesnacks.com/products_potato_ny_deli_all.html
http://www.wisesnacks.com/products_potato_wavy_all.html
http://www.taquitos.net/snacks.php?snack_code=263

Looks like we covered the cheese thing pretty well......

First, American cheese and cheddar cheese are two entirely different cheeses. Second, you can get salt & vinegar chips in nearly any store.
True. I've got a half of a bag of salt and vinegar chips stashed next to my desk.

While were on about food,do you get cadbury's chocolate in the US?

I toured a cheese factory in Orgen. Tillamook I think. Really good ice cream.

LOL! Where I grew up, all soda is called coke. If someone asks you if you want a coke, the appropriate response is, "What kinds do you have?"

lol, no kidding, same down here.

The woman says she wants a Coke, when I know she means "Diet Coke".

If I get her an actual Coke, she gets pissed.

While were on about food,do you get cadbury's chocolate in the US?

Yes and its so gooood!

...my home state of Wisconsin...

another thing:

Coca Cola is a form of soda, not pop!

fucking east coast wisconsinites. obey your cultural masters in chicago. it's pop, damnit. and you'll all say it too, once we buy up your few remaining scraps of land and force you all to hold jobs entirely based around our amusement.

That's the midwestern accent. Southerners, Westerners, and East Coasters all have different ones.

*snip*


Wow.

I wasn't expecting the American dictionary to be used against me. Foul Play!

And yes, I'm jealous. And I wasn't quite sure about the Salt'n'Vinegar chips, I just assumed that since I couldn't get vinegar for my fries, the same fascist thinking would prevent me from my beloved salt'n'vinegar potato chips.

And even though I've caught myself saying 'aboot', it's far more prevalent in the maritimes.

While were on about food,do you get cadbury's chocolate in the US?

Cadbury Eggs are huge during Easter.

Chips too.

While were on about food,do you get cadbury's chocolate in the US?

Yep.

I disagree. One thing the American accent is very good for is making believable TV. Imagine someone saying "The terrorist have bombs stationed all around the stadium. I need air strikes NOW goddamn it" in say, a Indian, German or Irish accent. It just doesn't work.
True, the above phrase does not work in non-American accents. However, this is not because the US accent is 'best suited' to tv but rather because the TONE of the above phrase is itself American - an English or Irish person would convey the above meaning in a different way, such as

"Terrorists have bypassed stadium security and have planted a high number of explosives throughout the complex. Get our aircraft in the air and prepare them for aerial bombardment."

1) I want to be able to ask for vinegar for my fries without having to settle for wine vinegar. It's 'white' vinegar people, and malt vinegar is a poor substitute.

ketchup is for french fries. vinegar is for glass cleaner and science fair volcano models.

2) What the hell is 'soda'? It's called 'pop', (and not 'pap'). I don't think they've used soda in soft drinks for quite some time.

what the hell is pop, and when was it ever used in soft drinks? the one that kills me is when people use Coke to refer to any soda, regardless of brand.

3) Get some Ketchup flavoured potato chips. Join the civilized world already.

we have these; however, i won't be eating them. ever. same goes for pickle chips. what a revolting concept.

4) What the hell is 'sweet tea'? I don't want corn syrup in my tea, I want good old fashioned sugary 'Ice Tea'. Must be a southern thing.

it's a southern thing, but i was always under the impression it was just brewed w/ lots of sugar, sort of like good old-fashioned sugary iced tea. who the hell puts corn syrup in it?

ah. Despite this witticism, it should be noted that the most discriminating connoisseurs of this beverage use only cane sugar, and never corn syrup. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweet_tea)

5) I'd like to see hockey not relegated to the forgotten corners of your sports sections. You're winning more Stanley Cups than we are after all.

that won't happen around here until hockey has more fans in the region than high school football. kind of sad.

While were on about food,do you get cadbury's chocolate in the US?

It's around, but the only time you see/hear much about it is at Easter, when they sell those evil little Cadbury eggs.

Edit: Frangland and Katganistan beat me to it!

It's around, but the only time you see/hear much about it is at Easter, when they sell those evil little Cadbury eggs.

Edit: Frangland and Katganistan beat me to it!

And the lovely peeches beat you all.

I grew up in Nothern Indiana, and we all said "Pop" there...however, when I moved to St. Louis and started asking people where I could get a Pop, people looked at me like I was mentally retarded....its quite sad.

Americans most certainly have accents. Many of them! Unfortunately the only ones most hear are either of a Northeastern variety New York / Boston/ New Jersey or a West Coast/ California variety. Generally speaking though, the difference is basically the farther north one goes, the faster people tend to speak which I believe accounts for a great deal of difference.

While were on about food,do you get cadbury's chocolate in the US?

Yes, and the stuff is fuckin GOOD

I grew up in Nothern Indiana, and we all said "Pop" there...however, when I moved to St. Louis and started asking people where I could get a Pop, people looked at me like I was mentally retarded....its quite sad.

Yeah, well that's because they were wondering why you wanted them to hit you, and where the best place to give you one was. ;)

FOkay... Americans have an accent.
Not entirely true. We have accent(s). Michiganers (or Midwesterners) have as distinctive an accent as New Englanders, as New Yorkers, and as Southerners. There is an Emerging General American, but there are also regional accents.

2) What the hell is 'soda'? It's called 'pop', (and not 'pap'). I don't think they've used soda in soft drinks for quite some time.
That's a regionalism. Some parts of the country call it "pop." Some call it
"soda." Other parts call it "cola." They're all wrong. It's "Coke." :p

3) Get some Ketchup flavoured potato chips. Join the civilized world already.
If you're going to use "flavoured," shouldn't you also use "civilised"? And I didn't think it was so hard to pour ketchup on potato chips. ;)

5) I'd like to see hockey not relegated to the forgotten corners of your sports sections. You're winning more Stanley Cups than we are after all.
Hockey stopped being relevant when they locked themselves out of 2005. Alexander Ovechkin notwithstanding.

In exchange for redressing these issues, I promise to do my best to get more Bob Evans' and I.H.O.P's up here. If there's one thing you're doing right down there, it's breakfast.
If there's one thing you guys get right up there, it's Taco Bell. Ours are death incarnate!

Yeah, well that's because they were wondering why you wanted them to hit you, and where the best place to give you one was. ;)

True...I got a job at a local grocery store, and I once asked a customer if they wanted their pop in a bag (it was a 6-pack) and they looked at me as if I had turned into the Devil himself...I have since converted to saying Soda, just so people dont look at me like I have 4 arms...

ketchup crisps? theyre F***ing gross!!!! (and i have tried them)
wot is this 'soda' vs 'pop' thing? i dont get it - never heard anyone use those frases before, and ive lived in 4 different countries, and holidayed around the globe

If you don't like the Michigan accent, then you really don't want to hear me talk.

I talk like Foghorn Leghorn. I also refuse to pronounce the R unless it comes at the beginning of the word. So there.

Also, in Texas, putting any form of sweetener in iced tea is a sin.

Snip

Hockey stopped being relevant when they locked themselves out of 2005. Alexander Ovechkin notwithstanding.

Snip


C - A - P - S CAPS CAPS CAPS!!

Canadians talk a lot like americans, but once every about 50 syllables a Canadian will say something a little differently. When i went to the maritimes, everybody was saying "dote" when they were depressed and "oat" as opposed to in.

I like British accents. Very cool. Scottish accents are quite different Here in america there's a scottish guy on late night TV (not very funny, for the record) and he sounds cool, if a bit rough.

ketchup crisps? theyre F***ing gross!!!! (and i have tried them)
wot is this 'soda' vs 'pop' thing? i dont get it - never heard anyone use those frases before, and ive lived in 4 different countries, and holidayed around the globe

Have you never had a Coke or Pepsi?

I think it's pretty clear that Americans do have an accent. We speak English, which originated in England. Living on an entirely different continent kinda does that, ya know? And anyways, most foreigners are accuainted with the Midwestern accent, the one most people on the flashing box in your house speak in. This is a near flawless way to speak the language, aside from saying "pop". Anything other than pop is a perfectly acceptable way to ask for soda, in my opinion. Even asking for a coke is better than saying pop. Is it so hard to comprehend... Woah... Yeah, I'm done ranting now.

ketchup crisps? theyre F***ing gross!!!! (and i have tried them)
wot is this 'soda' vs 'pop' thing? i dont get it - never heard anyone use those frases before, and ive lived in 4 different countries, and holidayed around the globe

For that matter, what the hell is "holidayed around the world"

We say vacationed, or travelled... i couldnt holiday anywhere without taking time off work...

scottish accents are the best accents are the best from around the world
im ashamed of my own countries accents, thankfully i havnt picked it up

I grew up in Nothern Indiana, and we all said "Pop" there...however, when I moved to St. Louis and started asking people where I could get a Pop, people looked at me like I was mentally retarded....its quite sad.
It was kinda weird when I was in St. Louis and store clerks asked me if I wanted a "sack" for my merchandise instead of a bag. I pictured walking out of the convenience store with a big burlap potato sack containing a couple of SODAS and some aspirin.

American cheese is a processed cheese. Kraft Singles brand is an example of American cheese.

Actually it's not. Kraft, the one where the singles are wrapped, is called processed cheese food. It's not the same as American cheese. Real American cheese has no carbs in it like cheese food does and it costs more. Kraft does make a real American cheese but it's overshadowed by it's processed cousin.[quote]

SODAS

You rebel, you. ;)

Novice']This is a near flawless way to speak the language

flawless? implying that there exist flawed ways to speak a language?

First of all, I'd like to state for the record that, as a Canadian, I don't subscribe to the general dislike of Americans that seems prevalent up here sometimes. On my many frequent trips to the States, I have come to the conclusion that Americans and Canadians are generally the same people.

But the little differences are aggravating.

Even though I don't travel to the US much anymore, to this day, if I hear someone from Michigan speaking (just south of us here in Ontario), I can pick it out right away. I'll say to that person "You're from Michigan, aren't you?" and then they'll respond with a stunned look and reply "How did you know?"
My standard reply; "By your accent", which is almost universally followed by "But I'm American, I don't have an accent."

Okay... Americans have an accent. Michigan in particular, has a tendency to make all of their o's sound like a's. For example, many people in Detroit are big 'hackey' fans, instead of 'hockey' fans. When you finish a meal in Point Blank, they ask you if you want the rest in a 'bax', instead of a 'box'. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the Canadian pronounciation of words, but American's have their own strangeness.

While we're at it, I'd like Americans to redress the following errors;

1) I want to be able to ask for vinegar for my fries without having to settle for wine vinegar. It's 'white' vinegar people, and malt vinegar is a poor substitute.

2) What the hell is 'soda'? It's called 'pop', (and not 'pap'). I don't think they've used soda in soft drinks for quite some time.

3) Get some Ketchup flavoured potato chips. Join the civilized world already.

4) What the hell is 'sweet tea'? I don't want corn syrup in my tea, I want good old fashioned sugary 'Ice Tea'. Must be a southern thing.

5) I'd like to see hockey not relegated to the forgotten corners of your sports sections. You're winning more Stanley Cups than we are after all.

In exchange for redressing these issues, I promise to do my best to get more Bob Evans' and I.H.O.P's up here. If there's one thing you're doing right down there, it's breakfast.

First Americans absolutely have accents.
A wide variety, Like Canada, or England or any other nation.
The only time a person doesnt have an accent is when they are in their own region of the world.

As far as the "a" thing in Hockey.
I am from Detroit.
I have never heard anyone pronounce the way you say--unless they from WI, or IL.
Hockey is pronounced with an "a" sound in that it sound like an "a" as in 'Father', not as in 'bake'.

The accents you describe are most definately not South Eastern Michigan.
NorthWestern sure.

I havnt been to any region that doesnt have some type of accent, I dont understand why people get so pissed about being told they have an accent.

Malt Vinegar is better on fries, they think so in Londan and Dublin so that is good enough for me.


It is Pop in Michigan, not Soda, it is Soda in Indiana and many other states both West and South.

Sweet Tea doesnt have corn syrup in it it has sugar, and it is a Southern Thing. The only "sweet tea" that has corn syrup in is Arizona Ice Tea Sweet Tea--all processed crap has high fructose corn syrup in it--read a label.

Ketchup flavored potato chips suck. Salt and Vinegar by BatterMaid rule.

Hockey is not regulated to back pages and is the fastest growing sport in the nation(we gave TN a team for goodness sakes!! if that isnt progress I dont know what is).
And if you combine all the American Stanley cups it doesnt equal what the Maple Leafs alone have won.

Originally Posted by Saige Dragon
Quote:
Originally Posted by Australian Settlements
ketchup crisps? theyre F***ing gross!!!! (and i have tried them)
wot is this 'soda' vs 'pop' thing? i dont get it - never heard anyone use those frases before, and ive lived in 4 different countries, and holidayed around the globe

Have you never had a Coke or Pepsi?

yes, but when u want a coke, u ask for a coke, when u want a pepsi, u ask for a pepsi. coke, pepsi, fanta, sprite, 7up are all soft drinks - is soft drink the equivalent to soda or pop?

It was kinda weird when I was in St. Louis and store clerks asked me if I wanted a "sack" for my merchandise instead of a bag. I pictured walking out of the convenience store with a big burlap potato sack containing a couple of SODAS and some aspirin.

That happened to me in Washington. I just stood there and stared at the clerk guy like he was crazy.

yes, but when u want a coke, u ask for a coke, when u want a pepsi, u ask for a pepsi. coke, pepsi, fanta, sprite, 7up are all soft drinks - is soft drink the equivalent to soda or pop?

Yea, it is. But pop is so much shorter than soft drink.

nice map on this one (http://www.popvssoda.com/)

Not entirely true. We have accent(s). Michiganers (or Midwesterners) have as distinctive an accent as New Englanders, as New Yorkers, and as Southerners. There is an Emerging General American, but there are also regional accents.

I know, I'm referring to the idea that some people think that they don't have an accent, as if their pronunciation of words is the default version.

If you're going to use "flavoured," shouldn't you also use "civilised"? And I didn't think it was so hard to pour ketchup on potato chips. ;)

It's not fair! I'm being Americanized! We're caught in this strange limbo between metric and imperial, monarchy and democracy, and drive-throughs are being called drive-thru's! You'll get your comeuppance! Tim Hortons are already making their way into the heartland of America!!

Hockey stopped being relevant when they locked themselves out of 2005. Alexander Ovechkin notwithstanding.

Oh... OH... YOU JUST TAKE THAT BACK!!! (Just kidding... sort of) My travels to the states were prior to the lockout, and trying to find playoff info in Connecticut was difficult to say the least.

If there's one thing you guys get right up there, it's Taco Bell. Ours are death incarnate!

It's death incarnate up here too. But I prefer your KFC's. We don't get biscuits, corn on the cob, green beans or black eyed peas up here.

Originally Posted by Saige Dragon

...pop is so much shorter than soft drink.

thx, i think i understand now. i dont actually like soft drink - doesnt make any sense, pop is just stupid and soda is something completely different

The American accent is awful, when an american is on tv i usualy put the sound of as it really gets on my nerves.
RULE BRITANIA!
Here here, whilst America culture dominates the world is screwed. Long Live the EU and the Commonwealth!!!
Down with the class divided US.:mp5:
More Gun shops than petrol (not gas, gas is a state of matter) stations, and if they consume that much oil and hate to think what their gun crime is like.

nice map on this one (http://www.popvssoda.com/)

ROTFL! Wonderful!

Originally Posted by Mikesburg
We're caught in this strange limbo between metric and imperial

i just cant get the idea of imperial - measuring in feet? metric is just so much better, 100 cm to the m, 1000m to the km etc.

Here here, whilst America culture dominates the world is screwed. Long Live the EU and the Commonwealth!!!
Down with the class divided US.:mp5:
More Gun shops than petrol (not gas, gas is a state of matter) stations, and if they consume that much oil and hate to think what their gun crime is like.

i suppose we do have a lot of gun crime... and use a lot of GAS.. which is short for GASOLINE, which we put in our cars

i just cant get the idea of imperial - measuring in feet? metric is just so much better, 100 cm to the m, 1000m to the km etc.

I'll agree with you on that one...

Even though I don't travel to the US much anymore, to this day, if I hear someone from Michigan speaking (just south of us here in Ontario), I can pick it out right away. I'll say to that person "You're from Michigan, aren't you?" and then they'll respond with a stunned look and reply "How did you know?"
My standard reply; "By your accent", which is almost universally followed by "But I'm American, I don't have an accent."

Okay... Americans have an accent. Michigan in particular, has a tendency to make all of their o's sound like a's. For example, many people in Detroit are big 'hackey' fans, instead of 'hockey' fans. When you finish a meal in Point Blank, they ask you if you want the rest in a 'bax', instead of a 'box'. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the Canadian pronounciation of words, but American's have their own strangeness.

I don't know what part of Michigan you're refering to, but I live right outside of Detroit (maybe you're thinking of the black accent?) in Grosse Pointe, and I don't know anyone who messes up the o pronunciation. I know one person who used to live in Washington state who pronounces bagles like bag-les instead of bay-gles, but that's it. Not having an accent would be pronouncing words the way they're supposed to be in the dictionary, and that's the way we pronounce them in Michigan. Hence, not having an accent. Sure, we may have a dialect where word choice may seem different to some people, but pronunciation makes the accent. If you want an accent, Go down south (y'all), Boston (Bwahstahn ya?), New York I suppose, and Washington state.

And you canadians have no right to complain about accents until you start saying about correctly, and you stop saying "eh?" after everything.

Ever heard this joke before?
How did Canada get its name? They put all the letters of the alphabet in a bag, and pull three out at random. The guy pulls the first letter out of the bag and says C eh? next letter, N eh? third letter D eh?

i suppose we do have a lot of gun crime... and use a lot of GAS.. which is short for GASOLINE, which we put in our cars

Yes..but it's not called gasoline either, it's PETROLEUM.:D

Americans most certainly have accents. Many of them! Unfortunately the only ones most hear are either of a Northeastern variety New York / Boston/ New Jersey or a West Coast/ California variety. Generally speaking though, the difference is basically the farther north one goes, the faster people tend to speak which I believe accounts for a great deal of difference.

yeah, when i go up north i get ripped on for having a "southern" accent (I most certainly don't)


Down here, i'm a yankee.

poor me!

hehe

i'd categorize american accents thusly:

- California/West Coast accent: rounded vowels

- Basic Midwest accent: characterized by hard/nasal vowels -- like Scandinavia and Germany... more pronounced in the northern midwest. Most pronounced in the UP of Michigan. "Say 'yah' to da UP, eh!")

- Southern accent: rounded vowels, though different from california: I is ah, A is I, E is uh'ee, O is ehoo, and U is yeew.
Southern Os and Us sound a lot like Os and Us in California.... just a bit more drawl. hehe

Northeast accent: think New Yawk, New Joysey and Bastin. Hard vowels mostly, with the omission of the letter "r" ... a bit like French in that sense.

Metric is better but- here there are so many people who refuse to change there 'american ways' (even though its really english :P) or they're just to lazy to learn.

Oh and this


My standard reply; "By your accent", which is almost universally followed by "But I'm American, I don't have an accent."


ITS SO TRUE AND I HATE THAT WHEN PEOPLE HERE ARE LIKE 'uhhhhh whatever I dont have an accent' GRRRRRR!!! And we are the most educated and global soceity...yeaaaaaaaah.

FYI- we are getting a lot of Tim Hortons here....so I hope you guys get IHOP

LOL! Where I grew up, all soda is called coke. If someone asks you if you want a coke, the appropriate response is, "What kinds do you have?"
^^ Must be Southern....

Anyways, I live in Michigan and I have no idea where you get this O to A stuff. No one I've spoken to in all of Michigan has ever done that. We definitely all have Midwestern accents, but that does not seem to be part of the accent as far as I know. I believe that little problem comes from Boston accents, but I'm not entirely sure.

We say "Pop" most of the time here in the Midwest, soda is prevelent basically everywhere else, except places near Georgia which for some reason like to call everything "Coke" (I believe the commonly accepted reason is Coca Cola was first made in Atlanta or something). Apparentally they haven't heard of the wonderous advances in technology, but there are other types of soft drinks now :rolleyes: Anyways, the soft drinks we are referring to were originally called "soda pop". But we Americans, always the lazy ones in speech and writing, decided to shorten that up. Unfortunately for travellers, not everybody shortened it the same way, which creates the troubles of "pop vs soda". And again, Georgia areas have their little "coke" fetish so they think all soft drinks are made by the same company and call all soft drinks "coke".

"Sweet tea" is a southern thing, in which about 20 times the normal amount of sugar is placed in the iced tea, creating a drink that is very sweet and yet strangely not called "coke" :p They have also decree that "sweet tea" is equivalent to all tea and so when you ask for "tea" you get "sweet tea". I am fairly certain it is considered an oxymoron in the South to say "unsweetened tea", and so Northerns like my mom get pissed when Southerns look at you weird when you ask for that.
In the North we add much less sugar to sweetened tea and also have "unsweetened tea" which is iced tea without sugar.

Hockey is drifting to the bottom of our sports world because it is boring and few people actually care who wins the Stanley Cup. Here in Michigan you will find a much larger amount of hockey fans however, because the Red Wings have owned the NHL for a long time and we need at least one good team to cheer for (up until just a few years ago, all we had was the Red Wings, the rest of our sports teams sucked most of the time). Now that the Red Wings don't OMFG OWN3D JOO! as often since the basic fantasy draft that occurred in the NHL at the same time that the Pistons have gone to the NBA Finals twice in a row and won once, and this season have [I think] the best record in the NBA many Michiganders are moving away from the hockey scene and cheering on the Pistons instead. In any case, hockey is boring, deal with it. We don't complain that you don't watch the CFL as much as we watch the NFL, so just bugger off about the NHL.

And you canadians have no right to complain about accents until you start saying about correctly, and you stop saying "eh?" after everything.

That would be the Newfie's, not Canadians.

petrol is wot u put in cars, gas is wot u get if u boil a liquid

That would be the Newfie's, not Canadians.


Who or what are "Newfie's"?

i just cant get the idea of imperial - measuring in feet? metric is just so much better, 100 cm to the m, 1000m to the km etc.

Canadian schools teach in the metric system, yet people refer to how tall they are in the imperial system.

My business, since it is so intertwined with the american system, measures weight in pounds, and pays employees by 'the mile' instead of by 'the kilometer'.

You're right, Metric is better. But Canada can't make up it's mind which to use.

Yes..but it's not called gasoline either, it's PETROLEUM.:D

pe·tro·le·um ( P ) Pronunciation Key (p-trl-m)
n.
A thick, flammable, yellow-to-black mixture of gaseous, liquid, and solid hydrocarbons that occurs naturally beneath the earth's surface, can be separated into fractions including natural gas, gasoline, naphtha, kerosene, fuel and lubricating oils, paraffin wax, and asphalt and is used as raw material for a wide variety of derivative products.

gas·o·line ( P ) Pronunciation Key (gs-ln, gs-ln)
n.
A volatile mixture of flammable liquid hydrocarbons derived chiefly from crude petroleum and used principally as a fuel for internal-combustion engines.


But, I promise, if I'm ever over there I will try my best to call it petrol :P

Yes..but it's not called gasoline either, it's PETROLEUM.:D
It's GASOLINE, damn it, or we'll bomb your ass like the imperialistic swine Jim-ness says we are :D

While we're at it, I'd like Americans to redress the following errors;

1) I want to be able to ask for vinegar for my fries without having to settle for wine vinegar. It's 'white' vinegar people, and malt vinegar is a poor substitute.

2) What the hell is 'soda'? It's called 'pop', (and not 'pap'). I don't think they've used soda in soft drinks for quite some time.

3) Get some Ketchup flavoured potato chips. Join the civilized world already.

4) What the hell is 'sweet tea'? I don't want corn syrup in my tea, I want good old fashioned sugary 'Ice Tea'. Must be a southern thing.

5) I'd like to see hockey not relegated to the forgotten corners of your sports sections. You're winning more Stanley Cups than we are after all.

In exchange for redressing these issues, I promise to do my best to get more Bob Evans' and I.H.O.P's up here. If there's one thing you're doing right down there, it's breakfast.
1. I love vinegar but they all generally taste the same, so maybe you have issues. ;)
2. It's called soda in some areas, pop in others, soda pop in yet others. If you say soda is incorrect because there is no soda in it, then pop is also wrong because it doesnt pop. The correct word...phrase is carbonated soft drink.
3. Who cares?
4. Can't answer that one
5. It's all football and baseball here, with some basket ball thrown in.

Americans do have accents. But, so do Canadians. You tend to have a singy-voice...the best way I can describe it. It's like Scots to Brits and Dutch to Flemish. Americans are the latter, Canadians the former.

Who or what are "Newfie's"?

http://www.andrewcurrie.ca/images/mt/archives/2003/08/newfie.jpg

And I have to agree with my American friends here; it is gas/gasoline. Saying petroleum sounds like your gonna try something new with a cucumber....:eek:

http://www.andrewcurrie.ca/images/mt/archives/2003/08/newfie.jpg

And I have to agree with my American friends here; it is gas/gasoline. Saying petroleum sounds like your gonna try something new with a cucumber....:eek:

Ahh, so that's a "Newfie".

And we dont go round saying petroleum, just petrol....and were right.:D

More Gun shops than petrol (not gas, gas is a state of matter) stations, and if they consume that much oil and hate to think what their gun crime is like.

Really? I see a lot more gas stations than gun shops. In fact, there are only 3 gun shops in town, and probably 15 or 20 gas stations. And I live in Michigan, which is a very gun-friendly state.

Tim Hortons are already making their way into the heartland of America!!

I love Tim Hortons. I get coffee there every now and then, and sometimes a small box of Timbits.

Oh... OH... YOU JUST TAKE THAT BACK!!! (Just kidding... sort of) My travels to the states were prior to the lockout, and trying to find playoff info in Connecticut was difficult to say the least.


Well, hockey is a greatly appreciated sport here in Michigan. This statement is kinda like going to Michigan and complaining about the lack of rodeos.

I used to live in Sault Sainte Marie, Michigan and most of my friends lived on the other side of the river in Sault Sainte Marie, Ontario. Yes, Michiganders have accents. As do Canadians, Texans, Scotsmen, etc. However, if you don't travel around much you don't notice that you have an accent. To think that you don't have an accent is absurd.

Anyway, it seems that you've attracted every Michigander on NS to this thread.

http://www.andrewcurrie.ca/images/mt/archives/2003/08/newfie.jpg

And I have to agree with my American friends here; it is gas/gasoline. Saying petroleum sounds like your gonna try something new with a cucumber....:eek:

yeah, that picture looks like a guy in a raincoat, so... what's a newfie?

http://www.ling.upenn.edu/phono_atlas/NationalMap/NatMap1.html

though i think they don't have a lot of data to map the south and west as well as they probably could. i know i've seen huge differences in southern accents even in my limited travels there...

i suppose we do have a lot of gun crime... and use a lot of GAS.. which is short for GASOLINE, which we put in our cars

Your car would break if you put gasoline in it, seriously

I don't know what part of Michigan you're refering to, but I live right outside of Detroit (maybe you're thinking of the black accent?) in Grosse Pointe, and I don't know anyone who messes up the o pronunciation. I know one person who used to live in Washington state who pronounces bagles like bag-les instead of bay-gles, but that's it. Not having an accent would be pronouncing words the way they're supposed to be in the dictionary, and that's the way we pronounce them in Michigan. Hence, not having an accent. Sure, we may have a dialect where word choice may seem different to some people, but pronunciation makes the accent. If you want an accent, Go down south (y'all), Boston (Bwahstahn ya?), New York I suppose, and Washington state.

And you canadians have no right to complain about accents until you start saying about correctly, and you stop saying "eh?" after everything.

Ever heard this joke before?
How did Canada get its name? They put all the letters of the alphabet in a bag, and pull three out at random. The guy pulls the first letter out of the bag and says C eh? next letter, N eh? third letter D eh?

It's been a while since I've been there, but I tended to be in the area near Lake Orion (And they pronounce it lake Oh-ree-on, instead of Oh-Rye-on... weird) quite a bit. Trust me, if I'm able to pick out the accent by hearing it, it's not because of my magical powers. The accent is there.

I'm also not complaining about the accent, I'm complaining about the perception that 'there is no accent'.

Incidentally, the following restaurants in that area all RULE: Big Buck Brewery, Logan's Roadhouse and the Redwood Lodge. Nothing up here compares to those places.

http://science.howstuffworks.com/gasoline2.htm

It's gasoline.

Your car would break if you put gasoline in it, seriously

It depends on what type of gasoline you put in your car, but gasoline is just one of the many things you get from refining crude oil, and is the thing that engines burn to move things. If you put anything other than gas, short for gasoline, in your car...bad things would happen.


It's been a while since I've been there, but I tended to be in the area near Lake Orion (And they pronounce it lake Oh-ree-on, instead of Oh-Rye-on... weird) quite a bit. Trust me, if I'm able to pick out the accent by hearing it, it's not because of my magical powers. The accent is there.

Well those people are weird and no one I know pronounces Orion like that. If I have an accent it would be that I pronounce things correctly and enunciate. Which would be the definition of not having an accent in the first place...

oh and they should get some smarties up there i mean seriously there little chocolate things with color

i forgot something a toque is a thing u were on ur head in the winter to keep it warm

Did everyone just sort of miss my little post with the definitions of petroleum and gasoline on it?

http://science.howstuffworks.com/gasoline2.htm

It's gasoline.

No no no,crude oil is extracted and is then labaled oil once in the refining process.Once refined one of the products produced is PETROLEUM.

All of you forgot about Florida. Once you get past the panhandle you have to go north to get South. Seriously, besides the spine and the panhandle of Florida, there is very little Southern accent found, and so therefore, we are the only place without a regional accent(We do have accents, it's just not the same for everyone). Oh, and I'm ignoring Miami by the way, that's an exception to the rule. From my point of view, nearly everyone has an accent wherever I go. Although, there is one general neutural accent that is roughly the same for some Southern Floridans. Oh, and Coca-Cola type drinks are referred to as either Coke or Soda, not "pop".

Also, nobody calls it petrol besides the Brits or their counterparts(former colonies, America's too old to be considered a former colony by the way). Seriously, even those furriners that speak in those devilish furrin tounges of theirs at least call it gasolina or something similar. Same with the roads. Who drives on the wro- left sides of the roads? No one. Atleast, none of the cool countries anyways.;)

And gasoline comes from petroleum. Putting pure petrolem into your car would shorten its life span considerably (like immedietly).

oh and they should get some smarties up there i mean seriously there little chocolate things with color

you mean sprinkles? or do you mean jimmies? :D


edit: never mind. you're talking about the candy, not the ice cream topping...

It's like Scots to Brits ...

just for info, Scots ARE Brits, what with being from Britain, and all...

but I agree with the idea, although, like Americans and Canadians, Scots don't all have the same accent... people from Aberdeen sound bloody weird, while Glaswegians sound normal (at least that's my [possibly heavily biased] way for seeing it). There's one Scottish poetess, called Jackie Kay, who has the dullest most soul destroying accent in the world. She manages just with her voice to symbolise everything I hate about my country.

To weigh in on the pop/soda/coke debate - in my family (mum from Edinburgh, dad from Glasgow) we say 'ginger', 'juice', 'fizz', and occasionally 'pop' for all kinds of fizzy soft drinks. My English friends don't seem to understand 'ginger' and 'juice' in these contexts.

Ginger is a plant and a spice...not a drink...

snip. Same with the roads. Who drives on the wro- left sides of the roads? No one. Atleast, none of the cool countries anyways.;)

But they drive on the left in the USVI... and I would consider them cool

Yes thats right, people who are US citizens drive on teh left side of the road NORMALLY

just for info, Scots ARE Brits, what with being from Britain, and all...

but I agree with the idea, although, like Americans and Canadians, Scots don't all have the same accent... people from Aberdeen sound bloody weird, while Glaswegians sound normal (at least that's my [possibly heavily biased] way for seeing it). There's one Scottish poetess, called Jackie Kay, who has the dullest most soul destroying accent in the world. She manages just with her voice to symbolise everything I hate about my country.

To weigh in on the pop/soda/coke debate - in my family (mum from Edinburgh, dad from Glasgow) we say 'ginger', 'juice', 'fizz', and occasionally 'pop' for all kinds of fizzy soft drinks. My English friends don't seem to understand 'ginger' and 'juice' in these contexts.

Yeah, im half Scottish and not many people outside Scotland understand 'juice'

Yes..but it's not called gasoline either, it's PETROLEUM.:D
No, petrolium is the raw material you get out of the ground. It contains all kinds of hydrocarbons dissolved together and is useless for automobiles until it's refined into GASOLINE.

All of you forgot about Florida. Once you get past the panhandle you have to go north to get South. Seriously, besides the spine and the panhandle of Florida, there is very little Southern accent found, and so therefore, we are the only place without a regional accent(We do have accents, it's just not the same for everyone). Oh, and I'm ignoring Miami by the way, that's an exception to the rule. From my point of view, nearly everyone has an accent wherever I go. Although, there is one general neutural accent that is roughly the same for some Southern Floridans. Oh, and Coca-Cola type drinks are referred to as either Coke or Soda, not "pop".

Also, nobody calls it petrol besides the Brits or their counterparts(former colonies, America's too old to be considered a former colony by the way). Seriously, even those furriners that speak in those devilish furrin tounges of theirs at least call it gasolina or something similar. Same with the roads. Who drives on the wro- left sides of the roads? No one. Atleast, none of the cool countries anyways.;)

Youre right...

The only southern thing about Florida is its position is regards to the rest of the states. Its because over the years, everyone from everywhere has moved there to retire! You cant walk the beach without seeing an older gentleman with plaid shorts, socks up to his chin and sandals on.

Who or what are "Newfie's"?
newfies are people from newfoundland

newfies are people from newfoundland

THANK YOU... finally... I would have gone through life thinking a newfie was a person in a yellow rain jacket...

you mean sprinkles? or do you mean jimmies? :D
no smarties come in a box and u cant get them in the us

No, petrolium is the raw material you get out of the ground. It contains all kinds of hydrocarbons dissolved together and is useless for automobiles until it's refined into GASOLINE.

but it isnt pure gasoline, its a mixture of fractions and various things to sort out the octane rating

No, petrolium is the raw material you get out of the ground. It contains all kinds of hydrocarbons dissolved together and is useless for automobiles until it's refined into GASOLINE.


Meh,Americans say Gas and us Brits say Petrol,lets leave it at that.:)

Oh and why do Americans treat diesel engines in cars like the plague?

THANK YOU... finally... I would have gone through life thinking a newfie was a person in a yellow rain jacket...
ok thats just scary im really glad i told u

no smarties come in a box and u cant get them in the us

I've never seen a Smartie in a box. Only plastic wrappers twisted at both ends and then packaged in a big plastic bag.

no smarties come in a box and u cant get them in the us

http://www.nestle.com/Our_Brands/Chocolate_Confectionery/Smarties/

thats what they're talking about, not the pill-like powdery crap you get at halloween

I had them once in Morocco... good stuff

no smarties come in a box and u cant get them in the us

i know, i edited my post. but didn't they come in a tube or something, too? it's been a while.

and you can get them in the us, but smarties here are sweet/tart candies. those were more like m&ms as i recall.

I've never seen a Smartie in a box. Only plastic wrappers twisted at both ends and then packaged in a big plastic bag.
wow scary i love smarties there like one of my favorite candies

Ginger is a plant and a spice...not a drink...

quite right....'pop' is a noise, while soda is...

"An alkaline substance obtained originally from the ashes of certain marine or other salt-impregnated plants, esp. species of Salsola, and now manufactured artificially from common salt, or occurring in a mineral state as a deposit, esp. in certain lakes, or in solution in the water of such lakes (natron); used largely in commerce, esp. in the manufacture of glass and soap; soda-ash; sodium carbonate (Na2CO3). (Oxford English Dictionary)"

those were more like m&ms as i recall.
yes

Meh,Americans say Gas and us Brits say Petrol,lets leave it at that.:)

Oh and why do Americans treat diesel engines in cars like the plague?

Diesel engines! But they belch black smoke... I don't want to see whats killing me!

*puts on gas mask*

http://www.nestle.com/Our_Brands/Chocolate_Confectionery/Smarties/

thats what they're talking about, not the pill-like powdery crap you get at halloween

I had them once in Morocco... good stuff

ah..i thought the pill-ish ones were what he was talking about. thanks for the link

smarties are basically m&ms without the peanut

ah..i thought the pill-ish ones were what he was talking about. thanks for the link
if u were talking about me well im a girl

Youre right...

The only southern thing about Florida is its position is regards to the rest of the states. Its because over the years, everyone from everywhere has moved there to retire! You cant walk the beach without seeing an older gentleman with plaid shorts, socks up to his chin and sandals on.

Ya know, I wish it were true about the shorts thing. Unfortunately, it tends to be old guys wearing thongs and running gently along the beach with their 90 year old wives wearing bikinis. Oh, but you are right about our accent evolution, who wouldn't want to live in Florida? It has "perfect" weather, the houses are realllly expensive, and oh ya, we have hurricanes! In fact, you should all move here and buy our outrageously high priced houses and drive around in our gigantic SUV's and Hummers alone.

smarties are basically m&ms without the peanut

of course, here, not all m&ms have peanuts.

"But I'm American, I don't have an accent."



Ha. That is the most rediculous thing I have read in awhile. If any speaking the English language doesnt have an accent, its the English. It is our language after all.

When it comes to American accents, mine is just messed up!

Between the ages of 2 (or whenever I started talking) to 5: British (more or less) despite living in Boston, Mass. Blame my parents.

5 to 8: B'ah'-ston Accent Blame Public School Education :D

8-12: Not really sure, as Maryland doesn't seem to have a 'regional' accent as such, especially close to DC. Its not New England, its not Southern. Possibly what most people abroad would consider 'Generic American'. But willing to debate that. :)

12-Present(22) Progressively more 'mid-Atlantic' (through living in the UK) to the point where to the Brits I sound 'odd', not quite one of them. Unless I try and then I tend to get away with it. Haven't adopted the regional (Norfolk) accent, thank God!

To the Americans I'm 'weird', definately not American, but most would guess Irish... I have no idea why. Though apparently, the more I drink, the thicker my American accent. I'm sure people will have plenty of witty reasons for that! :p

But one thing I find really strange is that, in the US most accents appear fairly spread out, generally state wide/regional (although certain cities are exceptions. New York, Boston fairly obvious examples).

But I would argue that the UK has almost as many accents/dialects as the US (if not more) and it's tiny in comparison! It's like practically every village in my area pronounces things differently, and definately every city in the country does. It is really confusing!

And if that wasn't enough, there is an accent that doesn't actually originate from anywhere! (Or everywhere, depending how you look at it) Its called The Queen's (or BBC) English, and its the type of accent traditionally associated with: The Queen (obviously, one speaks properly to one's subjects), the old BBC broadcasters (What jolly fun on the radio!), retired Wing Commanders (Airforce wallahs, wot wot), Private Schools (Called public for some reason, miserable little oiks!) and Colin Firth (Him out of Pride and Prejudice, the good one) ;)

Often called the 'home counties' accent, but thats like calling it 'Southern', and since this sort of includes includes London (cheeky Cockney chappies anyone? How about nahf london mate?), and Brighton (also different), it really doesn't fit, plus I know I've heard it spoken in the Midlands and dare I say it, Newcastle (thats North for those who don't know), by locals!

As I said, strange!

smarties are basically m&ms without the peanut

ah, but there are mnm's without peanuts

with peanut butter, and 'crispy' mnms

We refer to the mnm's w/o peanuts or other add ons as just mnm's

if u were talking about me well im a girl


my apologies ma'am. :)


Ya know, I wish it were true about the shorts thing. Unfortunately, it tends to be old guys wearing thongs and running gently along the beach with their 90 year old wives wearing bikinis. Oh, but you are right about our accent evolution, who wouldn't want to live in Florida? It has "perfect" weather, the houses are realllly expensive, and oh ya, we have hurricanes! In fact, you should all move here and buy our outrageously high priced houses and drive around in our gigantic SUV's and Hummers alone.


ugh...thongs....

and youd think the points you mentioned would deter so many from moving there ay? My neighbors just moved there last week.

First, American cheese and cheddar cheese are two entirely different cheeses. Second, you can get salt & vinegar chips in nearly any store.

You can get salt and vinegar chips here in the states, but they don't have much vinegar taste on them. If you want good ones, you have to find a shop that imports the Walkers brand from the UK.


and what the hell are Ketchup flavored chips?

yeah I don't know how my accent fits in their either- I'd fall under 'generic american'... suburban NoVA (Northern Virginia) is def. not southern...

Thanks to everybody for helping those last two hours of work fly by... I'll be back later... after I go put some ga... er... petrol in my car on the way home

I'm from Southern California, so I guess my accent is pretty obvious.

oh and I forgot...

6) What the hell is 'American' cheese? It's called cheddar folks!

American cheese is highly processed cheese, similar in many ways to Velveeta, it certainly is not cheddar.

And if that wasn't enough, there is an accent that doesn't actually originate from anywhere! (Or everywhere, depending how you look at it) Its called The Queen's (or BBC) English, and its the type of accent traditionally associated with: The Queen (obviously, one speaks properly to one's subjects), the old BBC broadcasters (What jolly fun on the radio!), retired Wing Commanders (Airforce wallahs, wot wot), Private Schools (Called public for some reason, miserable little oiks!) and Colin Firth (Him out of Pride and Prejudice, the good one) ;)As I said, strange!


It is strange, but I'm afraid it's not quite as you say...if you listen to the Queen, (and arguably most of the royals) you'll notice they've got a funny accent all to themselves. People often talk of 'the King's/Queen's English', but it's an iffy term.

On the BBC (at least, traditionally - nowadays there's more and more regional accents) , you'll hear RP 'recieved pronunciation', which although very clear, and often called 'accentless', it's simply a development of the accent that geographically speaking comes from the South East of England (somewhere in Kent, I think). I haven't heard him for a while, but I think Colin Firth speaks RP.

Retired airforce commanders, and public schoolboys (not all, but many) speak in another variation again. I'd describe it as posh. There's a clear difference in the accent (particularly in vowel sounds, and general clarity) between these people, and RP.

Some of my English friends harp on no end about how they have no accent. This is nonsense. They have RP accents, or posh South East of England accents.

I'm reminded of that song out of 'My fair lady' ..."why can't the English speak English?..."


(sorry...I've just realised I'm right off topic, but i've typed this now, so I'll bloody well post it!)

American cheese is highly processed cheese, similar in many ways to Velveeta, it certainly is not cheddar.

If I can add to the cheese debate, most cheeses, like wines are named for the region/town they are from. Hence Chedder was originally from Chedder, UK, Brie (France), Edam (somewhere in Holland I think), Swiss Cheese (which i'm pretty sure is actually called something else, but it is from Siwitzerland) and American [Insert suitable joke about how apt a plastic-like food stuff is at representing American Culture] :D

(And before I get flamed for that comment, I AM American!)

I actually speak with a slight British accent; and I live in Kansas. My English teacher marked me down for using 'practise' on a paper. (The correct verb form)

I toured a cheese factory in Orgen. Tillamook I think. Really good ice cream.

Tillamook's the best shit ever.

Just replying on this one. Yes, Americans have a lot of different accents including brooklyn, southern, ghetto and immigrant languages. You name it we probably have it. All in all though it isn't anything to make fun of. When you say we have an accent to us you have one too. Don't think that your not the only ones who think Americans sound funny with our accents. I think the kewlest out of of all continents is the European Accents. I think they are swell. Well hope I didn't make anyone mad, but keep in mind: if someone thinks that another person sounds funny, that person is probably thinking the same thing. Please be kind to other people with funny accents.

there is very little Southern accent found, and so therefore, we are the only place without a regional accent(We do have accents, it's just not the same for everyone)

Same goes for Corpus Christi, Texas (along with Port Aransas, just East of the city). There's always been a lot of Midwesterners and New Englanders living in the area, and when I lived there, hearing a Texas (or any Southern) accent was pretty rare. I lived there long enough to develop a bastardised Midwestern-New England accent. People on Half-Life think I'm from the North whenever I use a microphone.

Which is nice, really, because I'd hate myself if I had a Southern accent.

When it comes to American accents, mine is just messed up!

Between the ages of 2 (or whenever I started talking) to 5: British (more or less) despite living in Boston, Mass. Blame my parents.

5 to 8: B'ah'-ston Accent Blame Public School Education :D

8-12: Not really sure, as Maryland doesn't seem to have a 'regional' accent as such, especially close to DC. Its not New England, its not Southern. Possibly what most people abroad would consider 'Generic American'. But willing to debate that. :)

12-Present(22) Progressively more 'mid-Atlantic' (through living in the UK) to the point where to the Brits I sound 'odd', not quite one of them. Unless I try and then I tend to get away with it. Haven't adopted the regional (Norfolk) accent, thank God!

To the Americans I'm 'weird', definately not American, but most would guess Irish... I have no idea why. Though apparently, the more I drink, the thicker my American accent. I'm sure people will have plenty of witty reasons for that! :p

But one thing I find really strange is that, in the US most accents appear fairly spread out, generally state wide/regional (although certain cities are exceptions. New York, Boston fairly obvious examples).

But I would argue that the UK has almost as many accents/dialects as the US (if not more) and it's tiny in comparison! It's like practically every village in my area pronounces things differently, and definately every city in the country does. It is really confusing!

And if that wasn't enough, there is an accent that doesn't actually originate from anywhere! (Or everywhere, depending how you look at it) Its called The Queen's (or BBC) English, and its the type of accent traditionally associated with: The Queen (obviously, one speaks properly to one's subjects), the old BBC broadcasters (What jolly fun on the radio!), retired Wing Commanders (Airforce wallahs, wot wot), Private Schools (Called public for some reason, miserable little oiks!) and Colin Firth (Him out of Pride and Prejudice, the good one) ;)

Often called the 'home counties' accent, but thats like calling it 'Southern', and since this sort of includes includes London (cheeky Cockney chappies anyone? How about nahf london mate?), and Brighton (also different), it really doesn't fit, plus I know I've heard it spoken in the Midlands and dare I say it, Newcastle (thats North for those who don't know), by locals!

As I said, strange!

how widespread is the th --> f phenomenon in Britain... is it just a London thing?

you know...

think = fink

north = norf


etc.

how widespread is the th --> f phenomenon in Britain... is it just a London thing?

you know...

think = fink

north = norf


etc.

I've only heard Cockney Londoners talk like that.

First of all, I'd like to state for the record that, as a Canadian, I don't subscribe to the general dislike of Americans that seems prevalent up here sometimes. On my many frequent trips to the States, I have come to the conclusion that Americans and Canadians are generally the same people.

But the little differences are aggravating.

Even though I don't travel to the US much anymore, to this day, if I hear someone from Michigan speaking (just south of us here in Ontario), I can pick it out right away. I'll say to that person "You're from Michigan, aren't you?" and then they'll respond with a stunned look and reply "How did you know?"
My standard reply; "By your accent", which is almost universally followed by "But I'm American, I don't have an accent."

Okay... Americans have an accent. Michigan in particular, has a tendency to make all of their o's sound like a's. For example, many people in Detroit are big 'hackey' fans, instead of 'hockey' fans. When you finish a meal in Point Blank, they ask you if you want the rest in a 'bax', instead of a 'box'. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the Canadian pronounciation of words, but American's have their own strangeness.
According to a buddy of mine who (for reasons I will never understand) is studying American dialects for a living, there ARE certain regions of the United States that have "no accent."

The "null form" of American English is most commonly found in individuals from urban areas in the Midwest (oddly enough, the Twin Cities of Minnesota are supposedly a very good example), even though rural Midwestern areas tend to have some of the most distinctive accents...everybody remember the movie Fargo?

The east coast also has a high proportion of "non-accented" American English speakers, though the urban-versus-rural divide tends to be reversed. For instance, individuals from non-Boston areas of Massachusetts tend to have less of an accent than Bostonians, and the New York City accents are infamous while the New York State accent is far more subtle.

What is interesting is that studies show that newscasters and media personalities tend to be selected for having either 1) no accent or 2) a very distinctive accent. News anchors, regardless of location within the US, are generally selected for having little to no regional accent, while pundits are much more likely to have distinctive regional accents.

These are the fun things you can learn from having some deeply nerdy friends.

On the BBC (at least, traditionally - nowadays there's more and more regional accents) , you'll hear RP 'recieved pronunciation', which although very clear, and often called 'accentless', it's simply a development of the accent that geographically speaking comes from the South East of England (somewhere in Kent, I think). I haven't heard him for a while, but I think Colin Firth speaks RP.



You're right about RP, but I was trying not to confuse the issue even more, especially as most Americans/Canadians would not be able to tell the difference. (No offence ment guys!)

That's also what I ment by 'Home counties' as that includes any counties bordering London (Kent, Surry, Berkshire, Hertfordshire and Essex)

Of course if you know the Essex accent, I'd say thats pretty far removed from RP! ;)


Retired airforce commanders, and public schoolboys (not all, but many) speak in another variation again. I'd describe it as posh. There's a clear difference in the accent (particularly in vowel sounds, and general clarity) between these people, and RP.
Some of my English friends harp on no end about how they have no accent. This is nonsense. They have RP accents, or posh South East of England accents.


I agree with the fact that 'posh English' is still an accent, and does differ slightly from RP, but as this thread seemed to have turned into a discussion on regional accents (and cheese!) I thought it would be interesting to point out that the 'posh' accent doesn't really have a region as it is spoken across the country (Well, within England anyway, but lets not start the England, Britain, UK debate all over again).


I'm reminded of that song out of 'My fair lady' ..."why can't the English speak English?..."


I know exactly what you mean! :D

And on a musical note:
I'm tempted to say "pot-ay-to, pot-ah-to... Lets call the whole thing off! (Apologies to Gershwin and Gershwin) :p

According to a buddy of mine who (for reasons I will never understand) is studying American dialects for a living, there ARE certain regions of the United States that have "no accent."

The "null form" of American English is most commonly found in individuals from urban areas in the Midwest (oddly enough, the Twin Cities of Minnesota are supposedly a very good example), even though rural Midwestern areas tend to have some of the most distinctive accents...everybody remember the movie Fargo?

The east coast also has a high proportion of "non-accented" American English speakers, though the urban-versus-rural divide tends to be reversed. For instance, individuals from non-Boston areas of Massachusetts tend to have less of an accent than Bostonians, and the New York City accents are infamous while the New York State accent is far more subtle.

What is interesting is that studies show that newscasters and media personalities tend to be selected for having either 1) no accent or 2) a very distinctive accent. News anchors, regardless of location within the US, are generally selected for having little to no regional accent, while pundits are much more likely to have distinctive regional accents.

These are the fun things you can learn from having some deeply nerdy friends.

That's just ridiculous. No matter how you speak, you have an accent. An accent is the way you speak, plain and simple. And this "null form" of English is hardly null at all. I can tell if somebody's from Minneapolis with ease (it's the way they form their O's, and they tend to be a bit nasal).

Yeah, Americans from different parts of the country have a nice array of accents.

And a Canadian friend of mine got me some ketchup flavored potato chips and they're actually pretty good.

That's just ridiculous. No matter how you speak, you have an accent. An accent is the way you speak, plain and simple. And this "null form" of English is hardly null at all. I can tell if somebody's from Minneapolis with ease (it's the way they form their O's, and they tend to be a bit nasal).
The way they label accents and languages is according to some system I will never bother to learn. You are, obviously, right that everybody has "an accent," but I think they are trying to use the idea of "no accent" more as a tracker...they look at regional changes that have been made to language, etc.

The way they label accents and languages is according to some system I will never bother to learn. You are, obviously, right that everybody has "an accent," but I think they are trying to use the idea of "no accent" more as a tracker...they look at regional changes that have been made to language, etc.

Possibly, but if they're trying to make it official in a passive way, they're idiots.

Also, in Texas, putting any form of sweetener in iced tea is a sin.No, it's not. I put pure cane sugar in my iced tea. :p

'pop' and 'soda' < Coke. Coke is a general term for any soft drink, and you know it. :D

I'm sure I have an accent as I've been told I do, but not much of one apparently. I've always lived in or near reasonably large cities and my language is fairly homogenized. I do say "Ya'll", but that's actually a useful term. :p

I don't think it's all that surprising that Americans have regional accents either. The continental US is a very big place, nearly as big as the entirety of Western Europe. It'd be more reasonable to think we'd have more accents than we do, in fact.

No, it's not. I put pure cane sugar in my iced tea. :p

'pop' and 'soda' < Coke. Coke is a general term for any soft drink, and you know it. :D

I'm sure I have an accent as I've been told I do, but not much of one apparently. I've always lived in or near reasonably large cities and my language is fairly homogenized. I do say "Ya'll", but that's actually a useful term. :p

I don't think it's all that surprising that Americans have regional accents either. The continental US is a very big place, nearly as big as the entirety of Western Europe. It'd be more reasonable to think we'd have more accents than we do, in fact.

1: I put pure cain sugar, and occasionally, lemon, in my iced tea. I've never used honey or lard.

2: I used 'Pop' once before when I was younger. 'Soda' is my de facto word for... Sodas. I only use 'Coke' for Coca Cola, of course.

3: I've never used "y'all" or "you all". It's always been "you guys".

4: I'm sure we do. There are many hundreds (if not thousands) of variations, especially in small towns.

I agree with the fact that 'posh English' is still an accent, and does differ slightly from RP, but as this thread seemed to have turned into a discussion on regional accents (and cheese!) I thought it would be interesting to point out that the 'posh' accent doesn't really have a region as it is spoken across the country (Well, within England anyway, but lets not start the England, Britain, UK debate all over again).

Quite right, 'posh' doesn't really have a region of its own, an upper class speaker from York would sound the same as an upper class speaker from London. It is indeed spoken across Britain (all of it - there are 'posh' speakers across my native Scotland aswell, although in Scotland we also have 'SSE' [Standard Scottish English] which I speak (after private education, and middle class Central Belt[glasgow and edinburgh] parents) which is often thought of as posh-Scottish). Anyway... -I get carried away too easily- ... I think the whole idea of there being a 'posh' accent is rooted firmly in the British class system. What's the situation in other countries? I know that in Syria, your accent in Arabic gives indication of where you're from geographically (and in some cases your religion), but not much clue as to your social class. What's it like in the USA and Canada? Would an upper class speaker from California sound the same as an upperclass New Yorker?

how widespread is the th --> f phenomenon in Britain... is it just a London thing?

you know...

think = fink

north = norf


etc.
I think it's anyone from South of Watford who will use the f instead of th
or as I might say it...us suverners'll say sarf and norf....
As long as you're north of Dartford that is...:confused:

What's it like in the USA and Canada? Would an upper class speaker from California sound the same as an upperclass New Yorker?

Nope. An upper class speaker from California still has a bit of that "yeeeeeeeeeeah maaaaaaaaaaaaan" drawl, while the upper class speaker from Manhattan has almost no drawl whatsoever.

First of all, I'd like to state for the record that, as a Canadian, I don't subscribe to the general dislike of Americans that seems prevalent up here sometimes. On my many frequent trips to the States, I have come to the conclusion that Americans and Canadians are generally the same people.

But the little differences are aggravating.

Even though I don't travel to the US much anymore, to this day, if I hear someone from Michigan speaking (just south of us here in Ontario), I can pick it out right away. I'll say to that person "You're from Michigan, aren't you?" and then they'll respond with a stunned look and reply "How did you know?"
My standard reply; "By your accent", which is almost universally followed by "But I'm American, I don't have an accent."

Okay... Americans have an accent. Michigan in particular, has a tendency to make all of their o's sound like a's. For example, many people in Detroit are big 'hackey' fans, instead of 'hockey' fans. When you finish a meal in Point Blank, they ask you if you want the rest in a 'bax', instead of a 'box'. Don't get me wrong, I'm well aware of the Canadian pronounciation of words, but American's have their own strangeness.

Yea, we definitely do.

While we're at it, I'd like Americans to redress the following errors;

1) I want to be able to ask for vinegar for my fries without having to settle for wine vinegar. It's 'white' vinegar people, and malt vinegar is a poor substitute.

Very true, and very fair. Accursed American narrow minded-ness.

2) What the hell is 'soda'? It's called 'pop', (and not 'pap'). I don't think they've used soda in soft drinks for quite some time.

Now this is unfair. The term 'soda' is used in many nations worldwide. You have to accept that words can aquire new meanings.

3) Get some Ketchup flavoured potato chips. Join the civilized world already.

Oops, thought we had those. Our bad, I guess.

4) What the hell is 'sweet tea'? I don't want corn syrup in my tea, I want good old fashioned sugary 'Ice Tea'. Must be a southern thing.

REAL sweet tea is perfectly fine. But you'll find corn sugar 'enhanced' products everywhere. Don't go after all of us just 'cause our corporations are profit-minded.

5) I'd like to see hockey not relegated to the forgotten corners of your sports sections. You're winning more Stanley Cups than we are after all.

Well now you're fighting personal preference. That's not fair. Hockey just doesn't have the history that Baseball or (American) Football have. BTW: I'll concede that Football is a cruel and confusing theft of an existing term.

In exchange for redressing these issues, I promise to do my best to get more Bob Evans' and I.H.O.P's up here. If there's one thing you're doing right down there, it's breakfast.

So the American 'melting pot' HAS suceeded in achieving SOMETHING...? Who'd have thought it?

I'll happily address the outstanding issues providing you tell my Canadian friend to stop insisting that Canada's better because its less industrialized. Can we accept that Canada's merits are on a totally different value set from America's value set? We have a juggernaught economy (despite its many recent failings) and you've got some lovely moose, beavers and woods.

...and you've got some lovely moose, beavers and woods.

And Rush. Don't forget about Rush.

According to a buddy of mine who (for reasons I will never understand) is studying American dialects for a living, there ARE certain regions of the United States that have "no accent."

The "null form" of American English is most commonly found in individuals from urban areas in the Midwest (oddly enough, the Twin Cities of Minnesota are supposedly a very good example), even though rural Midwestern areas tend to have some of the most distinctive accents...everybody remember the movie Fargo?

The east coast also has a high proportion of "non-accented" American English speakers, though the urban-versus-rural divide tends to be reversed. For instance, individuals from non-Boston areas of Massachusetts tend to have less of an accent than Bostonians, and the New York City accents are infamous while the New York State accent is far more subtle.

What is interesting is that studies show that newscasters and media personalities tend to be selected for having either 1) no accent or 2) a very distinctive accent. News anchors, regardless of location within the US, are generally selected for having little to no regional accent, while pundits are much more likely to have distinctive regional accents.

These are the fun things you can learn from having some deeply nerdy friends.

The accent in Fargo is overdone... if such a severe accent exists, it'd have to be found in the UP of Michigan. My tennis doubles partner and i nearly doubled over with laughter every time one of our opponents from Wakefield or Ironwood (both in Michigan's Upper Peninsula) shouted their dusgust.

"Jesus" sounded like "Jeeezaahhhhhs" .... almost like a donkey's bray.

Meh,Americans say Gas and us Brits say Petrol,lets leave it at that.:)

Oh and why do Americans treat diesel engines in cars like the plague?

probably because in years past,they were very loud,dirty,stinky and belched out black smoke!
and you had to drive past 5 petrol/gas stations to find diesel.
and that was,at least in my neck of the woods, back then,they did not have many 24 hour stations,so if you needed fuel at night in the pines and were lucky enough to find somewhere open...you had a slim chance of them even having a diesel pump.

now just about every contractor i know,and thats quite a few,all drive diesel trucks.
they still are loud and noisy as all get out..but at least they dont belch out a trail of black soot where ever they go.(they are alot quiter then they used to be..but are still louder then a regular car/truck)

another pet peeve of most,well at least me...and i may be wrong,but the price is the same or higher for diesel,and it pisses me off because my understanding is there is alot less refining(cheaper to produce)to making diesel then there is for gasoline
price high because of??? anyone know???

at least every station seems to have diesel now

There are too many accents in America to say that there's a general American Accent. For instance there are morons who actually think 'soda' is called 'pop'. wtf is that? :p

1. I love vinegar but they all generally taste the same, so maybe you have issues. ;)
Oh no no, balsamic vinegar tastes NOTHING like apple cider vinegar, which tastes nothing like white vinegar, which tastes nothing like red wine vinegar, which tastes nothing like malt vinegar, which tastes nothing like rice vinegar... and that's not even getting into the flavored vinegars like hot pepper or raspberry...

But we still like you, even if you can't distinguish between 'em.

There are too many accents in America to say that there's a general American Accent. For instance there are morons who actually think 'soda' is called 'pop'. wtf is that? :p

i trust you've been to the soda/pop thread...?

i trust you've been to the soda/pop thread...?

I missed that!?

*draws sword* Where are those pop advocates?

probably because in years past,they were very loud,dirty,stinky and belched out black smoke!
and you had to drive past 5 petrol/gas stations to find diesel.
and that was,at least in my neck of the woods, back then,they did not have many 24 hour stations,so if you needed fuel at night in the pines and were lucky enough to find somewhere open...you had a slim chance of them even having a diesel pump.

now just about every contractor i know,and thats quite a few,all drive diesel trucks.
they still are loud and noisy as all get out..but at least they dont belch out a trail of black soot where ever they go.(they are alot quiter then they used to be..but are still louder then a regular car/truck)

another pet peeve of most,well at least me...and i may be wrong,but the price is the same or higher for diesel,and it pisses me off because my understanding is there is alot less refining(cheaper to produce)to making diesel then there is for gasoline
price high because of??? anyone know???

at least every station seems to have diesel now

Not really,diesel engines in Europe and Japan are practically as quiet and refined as petrol engines,and in some cases are faster than the petrol versions of cars.

So the American 'melting pot' HAS suceeded in achieving SOMETHING...? Who'd have thought it?

I'll happily address the outstanding issues providing you tell my Canadian friend to stop insisting that Canada's better because its less industrialized. Can we accept that Canada's merits are on a totally different value set from America's value set? We have a juggernaught economy (despite its many recent failings) and you've got some lovely moose, beavers and woods.

I have great respect for America, and things American. I just figured I'd start a thread poking fun at Americans (and thusly Canadians as well) that had nothing to do with politics.

The 'melting pot' has many merits over the 'cultural mosaic' that Canada purports to be. For one thing, Americans don't have any problem with national identity. They know who they are, and what it means to be American. Many Canadians seem to think we're 'a kindler, gentler, America', as if comparing yourself to another country is how you define yours. Makes me sad.

Your Canadian friend thinks less Industrialization is better? They're welcome to go back to their Mennonite village and churn some butter.

And yes, we do have some lovely Canadian beavers.

Ha. That is the most rediculous thing I have read in awhile. If any speaking the English language doesnt have an accent, its the English. It is our language after all.

Oh PLEASE, you're actually about to tell me a Liverpudlian speaks the same as a Yorkshireman?

Fun topic....I'm Canadian, and have travelled extensively throughout North America, and both Canada and the US have a wide variety of accents and English usage. I now live in the UK on a small island, and the accents vary from one side of the island to another. How cool is that? When I first got to the UK, I had trouble understanding everyone, especially if they spoke quickly. Now, I have no trouble at all, and can hear the differences. Don't ask me the origin of that accent though. I haven't a clue. My own accent, (I don't have an accent!) and usage have been a source of amusement for my neighbours and co-workers. I was asked to repeat certain words merely for the fun factor. I'm told that I'm losing my accent. I hope that never happens.

It only illustrates the elasticity of English, and shows why it's the pre-eminent language on the planet. It's also the language of commerce, diplomacy, and technology. We just need to figure out that soda, pop, and fizzy drink are the same thing.

Ketchup chips are gross, and unfit for human consumption. Fries (chips!) should be served with malt vinegar only.

Free Farmers likes boring sports. Hockey rules. Ask any Red Wing fan.
(a Leafs fan who actually will admit that he admires the Red Wing organization)