Canadian Accents: Ottawa

[MysteryStewpot]

I've lived in Ottawa my whole life and the only people I've herd saying "aboot" was Americans...

[29nesnes]

I'm from canada, and we don't talk like that. hahaha fail

[CaptureDaImage]

@trollmaniaa he is probably british columbian. I'm from Toronto as well but I live in Vancouver now and alot of people sound like him.

[trollmaniaa]

Im from toronto area and the accent here is quite americanized. Ive never heard anyone talk like you.

[LoveIsUniquex3]

Me&my sister LOVE canadian accents^.^

[FizzGraal]

Yeah im canadian i think its funny cuz every word u say sounds normal to me

[TwistedMetal2011]

If you watch Trailer Park boys, you'll notice that Ricky says oot and aboot sometimes if he's talking fast, but mostly he does say aboat.

[fsgtjohnson]

OTTAWA!!!!!!!! :D :D

[iamfearless09]

i live in ottawa, and the only people i hear say "aboot" is my grandma.. because shes scottish! no canadian says aboot.

[beauchamp19]

Man. Your not even close.Im from the ottawa valley and we are the ones with the accent. Its more so expressions than words. look for "weh" like "holy weh". "hoser" "chum" "cooking with gas"....this is a hack video man. Sorry to say so.

[200meredith]

only people from newfoundland talk like that!

[DarrSid1]

im canadian and "aboot" is from newfoundland

[warmflash]

You sound like you're saying A BOOT when you say About.

[johndetwitt]

UPLANDS

[persephoneo]

I'm from Ottawa! I sound like this! ;)

[RyCha99]

I am a born and bread Canadian from the Ottawa Valley. I moved to the US a couple months ago. I never thought we said aboot, or eh that much. Guess what? I was dead wrong. Our about sounds a lot more like aboot than the way americans say it and I saw eh all the damn time! And you know what??? I am proud of it!!!

[magnustonsberg]

Nice touch with the maple leafs!

Btw I thought you said 'start' like they do in Ireland. Don't think you commented on that.

[Ghost1043]

This is a great example of the Canadian Shift, which is a linguistic term for the ae, and au vowel merger. Check it out! And we also have vowel raising in diphthongs. :)

I am also from Ottawa, good to see someone on here!

[karenbeach1992]

A boot is more in newfoundland!

[ghostasesjumponit]

aboot sounds kinda like my russian friend. my newfie friend's mom says it too

[57world57]

This really helped :D

[Jotto999]

Frankly I've never heard a Canadian say "aboot" in my life, I have heard "a boat" though, I think that's the actual Canadian accented version.

[bow2thyAws0meness]

I only use eh for when I tell Americans that I don't say eh. Or a boat. That's just weird

[TrollTroll111]

I've never heard "aboot" from someone unless they are a newfy. BUT I totally say "eh"

[bawbomb]

WOW I never noticed how different the accent actually is here in Toronto.

[MisterScottishPerson]

Yep, I'm Scottish and I thought we were the only people that say "Ay" after every sentence and "Aboot"

[grantourismo0109]

@MisterScottishPerson new zealanders say alot of ay

[MiFFiL]

I've been told I talk to fast.. And I'm from Ottawa, but now in Montreal.

[KayyKayy9513]

I honestly don't think I have an accent and I'm from Ontario...

[sweiland75]

@KayyKayy9513 Everybody has an accent.

[AlannahClaire]

When we say about, it sounds more like "aboat" rather than "aboot"

[pelvicthrusta]

a boot is newfei...i think!

[ROTTIMAN31]

@pelvicthrusta I'm pretty sure it is, I've never heard anyone ever say aboot here on the prairies in my entire life.

[gimkilo57]

I'm canadian. I noticed older Canadians say ''Eh'' but yougner canadians use ''huh'' instead.

[manamewuzstoled]

@gimkilo57 BLASPHEMY! i kid i kid, i don't think i ever say huh. XD it's eh or nothing for me.

[mandaromi]

i say eh...a fair bit..and yes i am canadian :)

[ultradumbass]

which part of ottawa do you reside in? because i live there too.

[lemonlog]

North Gloucester! but I'm living in New Zealand at the moment :-)

[jsollows2]

I live in Vancouver and I personally have never used "eh" unless it was referencing people making fun of it. I've only heard it said a handful of times so I guess it must be an eastern Canada thing :S

[TabbyR22]

Heya! I'm from the region and I found this when looking for videos of our accent. The old farmers in Leeds, Lanark, etc, have a very different accent from this!! My family all have it. I dunno how to describe it. Irish influence prolly.

Perhaps you know what I mean -- "G'day!" instead of good day. The "wee lady" or the "young lad" and "I 'spect so" instead of "expect"... and "vench-tables" instead of vegetables. And "chimley" instead of "chimney"... It's a very unique and interesting accent!

[HockeyHitman71]

nobody says a boot, tht just coms from people drastically exaggerating the canadian accent

[elcinoib24]

im from ontario and everyone that lives around me has the same accent as the americans in new york state

[ilikepie2teehee]

Canadians have a funny way of saying About eh..maybe you Americans have a funny way of saying it! Jesus Murphy.

[chstreehugger]

Yeah Yeeeeah! Ottawa FTW! I'm more an Orleansian but still! You know whatI 'm talking aboot, eh? :P

[SilkeyLeaves]

I notice Canadians aren't as loud as Americans, lol.

When making youtube videos Canadians have a softer voice!

[MattyFromCanada]

You don't sound Canadian

[akaboo69]

im from the south of the u.s so i say abowt lol and owt

[4Dada]

My accent is heavily shaped by living in the OV in my early years. A few non-Canadians have mistaken me for a Newfoundlander. Probably, this is due to a flat "a" sound.

[eirin799]

teehee! nice video-- i'm ottawan but currently reside in california, and "route" has been drilled into my canadian brain, so i keep saying it, and everyone looks at me in a strange manner from then on. :o

--silly eastern canadians, always talking 'bout boats in the maritimes. XD

oh, and i am amused by how "vorlage" is ottawan slang. :p

[bwemama]

same eh uses we use in toronto!

[MissCarrieCake]

i think aboot was a way for americans attempt at being funny! i havent heard aboot, ever!

[CobraMarty]

@MissCarrieCake Exactly.. Aboot is just to overexagerate and get the point out there that canadians have a funny way of saying about. It doesn't litterally sound like we say a boot. :P

[rypat34]

@MissCarrieCake Every Canadian pronounces "about" as "aboot". It's common knowledge.

[ROTTIMAN31]

@rypat34 yeah every Canadian says aboot. lol if every Canadian was a Newfie maybe.

[YouMakeMeBeautiful15]

@MissCarrieCake actually EVERY single person i know, including myself, say "eh" ALL the time....we dont even realize it...its in our vocabulary....

[mottledbrain]

@YouMakeMeBeautiful15 Eh?

We had a visiting priest from Nebraska recently.

He told us that he was amazed that in the first hour or two of arriving in Ottawa and being driven south was the number of times he actually heard "eh?".

I guess a lot of us DO say it, eh?

[soiunholograma]

i love canadianssssssss!!!!!!!! i think it is one of the best countries... really like this video!

[propaghandi2]

You well explained our accents :o)

[BubbleParadox]

I say "Eh" but other than that I'm pretty well american accented because I'm about an hour from america :P

[petie71]

There's also 'abewt', which is what others hear as 'aboot'. I say 'abewt'. Something similar to it, anyway.

I also say 'taalkin' instead of 'talking' sometimes. 'Whataya taalkin' abewt?'

I am a proud 'eh' sayer. It IS part of Canuck English. Get over it. It's the same as saying 'huh' or (the very annoying) 'right'. 'I know, right?', 'I know, eh?'. 'It's cold out, huh?', 'It's cold out, eh?'

[thedragongirl8]

lmaao!!

it totally IS about chip and dale!! XP ahah

[KidOmniMan]

I was told when I was travelling that I say aboot, it isn't how I actually say it I say it the harder about, that is what people are referring to they are just over-exaggerating the way many Canadians say it. Everyone exaggerates for comedy, eh?

[phoenixsprite]

I'm from Ottawa and bilingual, so I tend to mix and match both languages (french and english). So, no, I can't agree with you.

[briannamaner]

@phoenixsprite true even the bilingual ppl dont say "aboot" but "about"

i should know i'm french ^^

[racingisfun]

i think a-boot is a frenchie thing...

[elementadio88]

am french i say about... and all my french friends do 2 don't blame it on us....

[racingisfun]

ive never heard anyone in my life say aboot until the southpark movie... since then i allways thought it as some made up diss against canadians or something...

[XsNdOs]

same, and nor do i. this guy's DEFINITLY from the east. i love novascotians though. they're great. i don't say a-boat. but i sure as hell say 'eh' and i'm from ottawa. lmfao.

[cowontheloose]

I'm from Ottawa and I don't talk like that...eh?

[uhgsoisd2]

If you've been surfin around different Canadian accent blogs, does anyone else notice that no Canadians seem to know which of us actually says aboot? No doot aboot it. None of us seem to know where it comes from. I think this was 100% american made. Maaaayyybbe its somewhat of a newfie thing. Newfoundlanders, do you say aboot?

[freeandeasyforyou]

i think it could be newfie. i have heard them talk before and they have a pretty stong accent ( they say something more like a-boat), but as he said it sounds alot more like a scotish accent.

[YumPurple]

All depends on what kind of Newfie you find on how strong their accent is, people who are growing up in St. Johns don't have a strong accent.

[FernyBass007]

i say aboout!!! check the newfie news cast in youtube!!!

[ragamuffinpie]

Lmfao I didnt know Canadians had an accent and I live here. I love the leaves falling down. Very Canadian Eh?! :P

[ajaaronjoe]

is accent really important?

[DireReeds]

Nope, as long as you can be understood I'd say.

[kuddlezworth2]

I'll give it to you.We do say "Eh" a lot. But the whole scottish-ish accent thing, we only do that in the East coast. otherwise, we pretty much talk exactly like you.

[0ladystardust]

in vancouver, they really don't say 'eh' at all....

[keswin3350]

no way!, im from salmon arm and my dad says 'eh' all the time....but i dont really say it that often :D

[lucasaschermann]

said the american

[RoadBlockDriver]

"eh" isn't just a 'way of life' in ottawa, WE USE IT EVERYWHERE...

[crazyray64]

not true

wut aboot agaiinst

[naniie974]

aah ben je comprends mieux! xD

[TammiJo321]

I am from Michigan...but I have friends from Nova Scotia who say a-boot. They all turn their "ou"s into "oo". We say eh in Michigan alot too...but that could be because we are so close....I dont know

[Robopencil]

Yeah, that's because they're Nova Scotians! They all sound ridiculous.

[hilby]

You've obviously not met very many Nova Scotians. A lot of them have less obvious accents than Ontarians.

[freeandeasyforyou]

you must be mixed up with newfies because im nova scotian and i and everyone i know talks the same as the guy in the video

[alleycat1396]

I'm from northern Nova Scotia and we definitely have a distinct accent but I find those that are south of us on the mainland don't tend to have one. I've recently moved to Ottawa and everyone I meet can tell I'm from the maritimes as soon as I speak. I have a friend here from Halifax though and no one really notices his. It just depends on what part you're from I suppose.

[zackBUPT]

pretty good one! Thanks.

I shall get prepared some ...to ...cover my chinese accent when I drive to Canada next time...

[unclelance]

i've met many canadians (in spain) and i never heard them say eh once. i've heard scottish and spanish people say eh more than any canadian i've ever met. lol

[angrywhitewomen]

do americans not say eh? when i say it its more of asking for a response, i think. i never really thought of it before but ill say "its good food eh?" but its not emphasized or anything

[kelsoh7]

now i know the truth behind a boot! a boat, eh?

[zunathanzu]

that conversation thing at the end, didn't sound canadian, sounded Irish

[canuckman87]

No Canadian says ''aboot''. And not many of them say ''eh'' all the time either.

[MissBatkave]

everyone i know says eh lol and he is right about aboot its a scottish thing, and used often around the east coast.

[mochopz]

@canuckman87 you'd be suprised about the eh part. Most of us dont even realize we say eh as often as we do. I never thought i said it until i started paying more attention to how i speak, and fuck yea i say eh way to often. + i first noticed it when i went down to new york in 12th grade with my school and so many people in our group got called out for having "canadian accents"

[emoanna3]

@canuckman87 I say eh like, Every sentance I finish in :P Or I say man LMFAO!

[Huzzawful]

@canuckman87 i say eh but its like if I see someone doing something that looks stupid or w/e and I dont know if theyre doing it on purpose or not "Your foots on fire eh"

[JooSimAn]

@canuckman87 thats right we dont say aboot

and yes many people say eh'' i say eh and it's cute ! and i never hide it i say it and proud

[Counterbrilliance]

@canuckman87 Ohhh Yes we do! I'm an Ontarion born and raised and let me tell you for certain our accent is just as stereotypical as ever. There's definite Scotish undertones in our dialect... but they're subtle. I accept that our accent is hysterical.

[alecp66]

@canuckman87 :37 he says aboot /argument

[campbellsoup93]

@canuckman87 Lots of Nova Scotians say aboot. And in alberta, i hear lots of people saying eh all the time.I think we just dont realize we say it so much. Me and my friends recorded us talking for the entire day. and we said eh over 200 times each. it was messed.

[kylem1112]

@canuckman87 of course it doesn't sound like "aboot" to you, because you're canadian. I guarentee that if you ask most Americans, It sounds like you're saying "aboot" to us. when you're saying "about". I personally think it sounds more like "AH-BEAU-t" than "AH-boot". I'm american, and i say " AH-BOWT"

[06cHa06]

ahh! i see the difference....sort of... I still have trouble telling the difference from an american accent but in fairness im from ireland and have never been to canada! thanks! this clarifies the difference a bit

[RedHead531]

yup eh and ey is used a lot her in toronto too ey !

[ntse91]

i was in toronto and i never heard it except once by the aquarium. and i think they were out of towners.

[theislandgirls]

i must say, you are really cute.

[wrappindude]

Aw c'mon eh,what da frig you talkin' aboot dere,holy frig eh!!

[theeponym]

ha ha ha ha

[JeremiahTheYear2009]

It's American ignorance. Since South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, stereotypes have been our worst enemy. It's aboat or about. A boot is an ugly shoe you wear out in the snow.

[lemonlog]

Won't dispute but as to your initial comment there: remember that the city is also in the valley :P

[jimmyphack]

another big thing in the valley is the word 'wee' like 'Just do it a wee bit'

[jimmyphack]

i dont use EH alot but I notiace if someone was saying something and I cannot understand or didnt hear it I say 'EH?'

[jimmyphack]

the valley is extremely irish.

[oliverburke]

Nice portrayal, man!

[truefreek21]

I think the most distinguishable accent in Canada is the newfoundland one, they mostly drop the "h" from the begining of words. My father is a newfie so I know firsthand what it sounds like (I kind of have the slightist bit of an accent but only when i say certain words, like "hair" sounds more like "air" at times.)

[TheBeatles193]

I think the reason Americans think we say about as 'aboot', is because most americans say the word route 'Rowt' where as we say 'Root' and both words have 'out' in them. Whatever. I like our accents. Thanks for doing this video :)

[wexlovedxbarney]

it seems that canadians actually sound a little bit irish. That plus I've noticed that they tend to say words ending with 'ing' like 'een' aka 'we went swimeen' or we're goeen to the store' Maybe I'm wrong, anyway, canadians are cool!

[TheLatigoKid]

"A BOOT!" Americans = Retarded

[EricaBedwell]

I'm American and I'm not retarded, TheLatigoKid.:P

So bite me. Anyway, great video lemonlog, your accent is quite cool, to be honest. I've lived in Minnesota and a lot of people said about the same way as well. :]

[TaskiyahEmaani]

even when you reach 60 you're face will forever be cute.

[prittybawy]

hey can you evaluate my canadian accent?

[cinedreams]

That's how they talk in Bristol and Somerset, UK lol

[fearlesssockpuppet]

I'm from Ottawa too! I speak the City accent, not the Valley accent, which I gather is somewhat like how Bob'n'Doug Mackenzie would speak. I gotta go out the Valley oftener to hear the "Valley Twang".

Good of you to try to capture the local colour. Not enough people know about (and I say "aBOUT", not "aBOAT") Ottawa! Peace out.

[dukebielak]

the "don't you think" use of EH is the most popular. Its used everywhere in Canada. I use it and I live in toronto (very close to the US border).

[amandax113]

mmkk.

so I live in West Virginia and I was just wondering what kind of accents people from other places think that people from WV have.?

[94hockeykid]

@amandax113 i also live in Ottawa and have lots of family out your way... and when i ws younger remembering going out and talking to "ya'll" and remeber you guys saying "ya'll ALL the time, i also remeber everyone having a bit of a twang, but i may be generalizing due to my age

[lifeofsims]

I'm from canada and im french(^_0)

[milky15]

There be leaves in your room eh?

[landth78]

im from ottawa too!

[lemonlog]

Cheers - east ender here

[COLONDsuperb]

;___; I wish I could live in Ottawa. I live in Sudbury :(

[aqwati15]

Only Irish Canadians say aboot.

[Brianswers]

I'm in Ottawa too.. not sure I hear too mzany people saying 'eh' though :)

[jjazman1234]

It's interesting, but I'm picking up on a subtle Irish sounding accent when you talk. It sounds sort of like a mild Irish accent combined with a midwestern American accent. Is that typical of people from Ottawa?

[theeponym]

Hmmm, I'm not sure. Newfie IS basically Irish. But I'm not sure how much the maritimes influenced this area. There's a lot of French here, which does have an impact.

[jjazman1234]

Here is the interesting thing to me: most Americans think that the way we say about is correct and that Canadians say it "funny". But to me it sounds like Canadians are saying "a-bo-uht" only speeded up, and Americans are saying "a-bowt" (not like "bow and arrow" but like "take a bow" or the "bow of a boat"). I actually think the Canadian way is more phonetic, and I'm American by the way.

[chaylebelle209]

I had no idea that "eh" was so versatile! Maybe I'll put it into my vocabulary.

... although, being in South Carolina, I may get a few strange looks. =P

Still, I love your accent! It's a big difference from the typical "southern drawl" we have here. =)

[Azriah13]

Hahaha I hate the South Carolina Redneck speak

Im from the charleston area, so Its an every day thing for us like "ay bo" and stuff like that

Hate it hate it,

[chaylebelle209]

haha, charleston is supposed to be the most "refined" part of south carolina.

I definitely took a trip to Spartanburg the other weekend and the accents there were so bad I couldn't understand what they were saying AT ALL... so I'm thinking the upstate wins on the worst redneck accents.

[Azriah13]

lol I couldnt tell you why myself....I just laugh at it, I would blame it on the schools but the teachers are worse at it

[jahaja666]

My fellow Canadians! We do have an accent... it is just so slight that we do not notice it. We say "about" differently than Americans do. They say "about" like "aloud"... but we say it more like "a-boat" (but not quite). The difference is very slight and imperceptible to Canadian ears. A-boot however, is a comical exaggeration!

[exodusiceland]

I prefer to think of pronouncing it about (not a boat) as a Westernized version as opposed to Americanized. While us West Coasters don't talk like the Easterners, we still have a different way of talking that is not American. But you're cute so I'll let it go this time.

[lemonlog]

Much obliged :-)

[andsusul]

A boot also can be southern Ireland (County Cork), some parts of northern Australia and in Alaska.

:D

[ErinMerk13]

yay ottawa area!!!

i must say, eh is most definitly a huge part of my vocabulary

[rhebadnil]

I'm Canadian and I say about like an American. No one here in Toronto says "a boat".

[Dublian]

That's because from Toronto are queer!

[todesesser]

I'm from Toronto too and I think our way of saying 'about' is kind of like how Midwest Americans say it, but not other Americans, who say it more drawlled. And when said fast, I have heard people say it to sound like 'a boat'.

[ajkm4]

hi.. just letting you know.. im a canadian.. and i live in one of the most easterly places in canada and i have never herd anyone say " A boat" .. okie.. thats worst than aboot. i think prety most all canadians say about the normal way..

[lemonlog]

sorry - aboat is normal for me and quite a few people I know.

[ajkm4]

lol.. thats okie.. im not takeing offence or anything .. just litting you know.. i took it more as a newfie joke.. a boat.. and the eastern part.. but ehh. were all canadian here :P

[snowbug500]

I agree. It seems to me, around here anyway, that "aboat" is used when speaking in a hurry... a somewhat clipped version of about. For reference I'm from Northern Ontario on the east shoreline of Lake Superior.

[swylde]

if i remember correctly the whole a-boot thing was a joke on a television show and it just became "a fact" haha because really no canadian says a-boot

[FACOSAAT]

hahaa what's with the random leaves? lol THANKS! u helped a lot. i'm an actress and i'm trying to nail a canadian accent -danielle

[wilbur111]

This was bizarrely good and you seem like a nice chap. Thanks.

[hyperkid86]

"it's about chip n' dale"

[IrishEyes1989]

"Aboot..I don't know where that comes from"

That makes two of us! LOL

I don't know where most Americans get this idea that we pronounce about "aBOOT"! LMFAO! I think it is "aBOAT" for the most part. Its somewhere in between BOUT and BOOT lol.

Anyway, you're entertaining! Thanks for this! :P

[bkbrawla666]

Canadians in Ottawa (Where I live) DO NOT say "Aboot" The irish sometimes say Aboot (from ireland, and a stereotypical irish accent). People from New found land also say aboot, but Ottawa...NO..

[lemonlog]

Yeah...I've never heard anyone say "Aboot" though I've tried listening for it. Maybe it's a different pronunciation of the "ooo" sound? I've heard the number "four" as "foo-ohr" and "sure" as "shoo-er" but not "aboot."

[aftselakhis]

Aww, you're so cute! Good video. I think you've got it about right. I mean a boat right.

[iCanuckian]

You have the typical Canadian accent (Ottawa to Newfoundland and Northern Canada.

[kadman123]

I would guess that Newfies would say "aboot", they have really strange accents, similar to Irish/Scottish.

[haelstorm5]

Never fail to make an awful video? haha, sry but that makes laugh

awesome video btw

[Minstrey]

that's really funny, Canadian sir :) Accents are very funny, i don''t know why americans are so irritated with them.. :)

[TRASHidols]

no, no. i'm very much fond of them.

I fancy them.

It's so sick. :D

[Sezzera]

Woahhhh, Lemonlog, very well done, Sir! You never fail to make an awful video.. All of those special effects crammed in made it EVEN better!

Seriously, I really enjoyed it! :)

I'll have to reply back today and figure the accent out. :)

[lemonlog]

Never fail to make an awful video?!

Kidding, glad you enjoyed :)