Americans Shared Words That Make It Obvious Someone's Canadian & It's All In The Accent
The debate started because of Justin Bieber and Drake.
The Canada flag. Right: A woman talking across a table.
A German Redditor started a thread asking Americans if they could spot a Canadian based on their speech. U.S. residents pointed out different words that are telltale signs someone is not from the States, and some seem to stick out way more than others.
"I'm from Germany and when I hear for example Drake, Justin Bieber or this Canadian tech guy on YouTube called 'Linus Tech Tips' talking, it sounds exactly the same to me as the typical U.S. American accent sounds," the Redditor wrote in the "Ask An American" channel.
However, if you're from the U.S., according to these social media users, you can definitely tell a difference, and it's all in the accent.
Some words American Reddit users feel Canadians say differently include: about, dollar, and sorry.
"They do tend to have several differences, which if you listen to long enough, can become noticeable (such as the cliché 'about' pronounced like 'aboot'). Linus gives it away occasionally, but it's not as distinctive as some I've met from B.C.," a Washingtonian with over 270 upvotes replied.
One person from Minnesota — a state that's also known to have an accent — posted that Canadians have different varieties of articulation:
"I used to work with a handful of Canadians, and the guys from Saskatoon sounded vastly different than those from Windsor or Sault Saint Marie. The Saskatoon guys definitely had the Minnesota 'O.'"
A Canadian entered the chat and revealed their experience living in the U.S. The user wrote that they really aren't that different than Americans, as many just think the Redditor is from another state.
"Most Canadians speak pretty similar to how Midwesterners and Westerners speak, we just tend to raise different vowels at different times. For example, 'pro-gress' vs. 'praw-gress.' Very few Americans pronounce it like the former, almost all Canadians do," the reply read.
Another account chimed in and responded that some words are "a dead giveaway," but the real kicker is when they start talking about bags of milk. So, it's a bit more complex than just the accent for some.
A Redditor from Canada agreed with the notion that it's more than just word pronunciations. The user wrote that some phrases are different, too, which are even as specific to certain provinces.
"Saskatchewan people call hoodies 'bunny hugs' - that's how you can always tell someone from SK."
And whether the accent is different or not, it's something Canadians are known for, as it ranked as one of the sexiest in the world back in December.