Top 5 Differences

Canadian English Between American and

People often talk about having a "Canadian accent." Have you ever wondered what
that means? People may have talked about all this in shows and movies such as South
Park, but you might not have known what was real and what wasn't. As somebody
who has lived both in the US and Canada, as well as being a citizen of both countries,
as well as a self-proclaimed linguistics nerd, we can tell you about certain differences
between how Americans and Canadians talk.

You've reached the right place if you've moved to Canada and want to learn more
about the culture and language or if you are like us, you might like to guess people's
nationalities based on their accents. A tutor can help you learn English online. This
article compares American and Canadian English. AmazingTalker has the best online
English Courses and language instructors. This platform connects language learners
with native mentors and provides a safe space to do so. Every lesson on our platform
is student-centered. We will tell you five differences between American and Canadian
English. Check them out!

1. OOT and ABOOT

Let's start with the most renowned Canadian pronunciation difference: "oot and
aboot." As an American and a Canadian, I feel comfortable expressing this: Canadians
don't say "oot and aboot" Canadians say these words strangely, so you may wonder
how. ___ say Canadians. Do you hear CAN and AM? What's unique?

It's called "Canadian rearing." The Canadian vowel is marginally greater in the tongue
than the American vowel. Americans start with /a/ and go to /. The Canadian
pronunciation starts with a higher jaw. Watch the video to see how vowel height
affects pronunciation.

2. Words That Starts with Pro

It is common practice to alter the pronunciation of certain words that begin with the
prefix pro- and emphasize the first syllable of those terms. Words like "process,"
"project," and "progress" are typically spoken by Canadians with an "o" sound (think
of how you would pronounce the letter "o"), but the majority of Americans say these
words with an "ahh" sound (think of the vowel "). It's not true that every single
Canadian does something like this, but if you manage to hear someone doing it, the
odds are rather good that they're from Canada rather than the United States.

3. “O” Before “R”

Throughout many American accents, sayings with the letter "o" don't always sound
like they are spelled. Words that end in "-or-" are not an exception. Instead, they are
often pronounced with a "sound. This is clear in words like "sorry," "borrow," and
"tomorrow."
In Canadian accents, such sounds tend to sound more like //, with a more authentic
"oh" sound and more lips rounding. Interestingly, the words "sorry" and "sari" (an
Indian woman's dress) are said differently in Canadian accents (/sri/ vs. /sri/). Still,
they are both told in American accents (/sri/). It's interesting, don't you think?

4. PASTA, SALSA
When you hear these two words, you know you're talking to a Canadian. Did you
know that many Americans and Canadians say "pasta" and "salsa" differently?
Americans say it out loud with a / vowel, which is the same vowel as in "call" and
"father." Canadians, on the other hand, say these words more like "cat" and "sad,"
with a /ae/ vowel.

So, what Americans call "psta" becomes "psta," and what they call "slsa" becomes
"slsa." This usually happens with words that English took from other languages, like
pasta and salsa, which came from Italian and Spanish, respectively. Who knew there
were so many little ways to say things?

5. STUDENT or STYUDENT
Last but not least, one that is more frequent in previous people but nonetheless
Canadian and American interpretation you often will hear in the media and one that I
get concerns about from my students who migrate to Canada is how to pronounce
phrases like "news," "student," and "Tuesday."

These terms were traditionally stated differently in America and Canada. Americans
utter these terms with a /u/ (think "ooh") sound, but Canadians use a /ju/ (think "you")
sound. For example, Americans might say news student Tuesday with an "oo" sound,
whereas Canadians would say nyews student Tyuesday/. Because Canadian English
kept some British English pronunciation, most newer Canadians say words like
Americans. Be prepared to hear these pronunciations from elderly Canadians.

Conclusion
The distinctions between American and Canadian accents are attributable to the
influence of other languages on English. North America is one region largely made up
of Canada and the US. Mexico is also the only country of size further south.
Canada and the US share a lengthy boundary across eastwards of the country and
speak English. People living near the border speak the same English with no accent.
As one proceeds from the border northward, especially in Quebec Province of
Canada, the variation in accent gets exacerbated due to French influence and French
becoming the main language in the province. Intonations from some other language
and other distinctions make Americans keep making fun of Canadian English.