h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Aren't *some* extended vowels typically Scottish? I seem to remember hearing a north-of-the border song regarding a small rodent with words along the lines of "There's a moose loose aboot this hoose".

quite true, and there are plenty of Scots in Canada, my own clan included if you go back about 150 years on my mom's side.

'Oh come on Anhaga, we do too say "eh"'

Right. And the English say "Thank you, Govner."

One of my points (not very well made) was that we've got all sorts of regional accents (people in North Edmonton speak differently from those in South Edmonton). The biggest point I was trying to make was that we don't say "aboot".

They are too shy, I think.

I've never heard a Canadian say "aboot" (except when one says "We don't say aboot!"), but I have heard many say "eh?." Though, I have not traveled through much of Canada.

"quite true, and there are plenty of Scots in Canada, my own clan included if you go back about 150 years on my mom's side. "

same here, on my mUm's side.

The scoots are everywhere. Forget to lock and there's another one.

I can say that 'coose of my part scootishnoose.

I've only ever been to Niagara and Toronto but I can safely report that _some_ Canadians do say 'aboot' - something I so wanted not to be true after the abuse it gets in South Park!!!

The first instance, as it came from the waiter who was taking my order for breakfast atop the Minolta Tower, I thought ing in mirth wouldn't have been a good idea as he might have done something nasty to my fry-up

Sorry to interrupt folks. May I ask what you thought of the TV serial DUE SOUTH which was screened in the UK a few years ago.
We enjoyed it.
regards Oetz

This is true - we did indeed (in fact I think the last series was only made at the insistance of the UK fanbase)

And yes, we are aware that most genuinely funny American comedians/comedy actors are, in fact, Canadian

Acknowledged!

While not born and raised in Canada, I have lived and worked in Canada longer than anyone under 52 years of age.

British -- but not altogether happily--when I came here, Canada, over the years, has become, less happily, American, in so many respects, in language (spelling and pronunciation, grammar and syntax), in fear and hope, in, above all, the meaning of morality.

Thinking about it, Canada, over the years, has given the world a few of the best medical scientists, news media barons (not to say lords), poets, fiction writers, opera singers and actors, industrialists, and statesmen that the world has ever known. And no greater a hunanitarian can there be found, today, than Canada's Stephen Lewis.

But Canada, as a nation, remains confused. In the words of its national anthem, it "stands on guard," not quite knowing what it is guarding against.

Canada has the potential to be -- indeed, one day may well be -- instrumental in uniting the continents, as we know them, in some sort of harmony.

On behalf of all of us here, thank you, Trowellian.

Just one final note aboot pronunciation: How come Americans aren't stereotyped for calling the underground part of a plant a "rut"? I mean, they talk about getting to the "rut of the problem", about "having grey (gray) ruts", and about "rutting a-oot those tourist folks" but we don't have people going to the US asking the locals to "say r-o-o-t" and then giggling.

Or *ruff* for the thing on top of the house. Or any number of annoying things like poor grammer and *orientated*. It drives me mad! Not to mention that children seem to be adopting it along with the Afro-pickyournation *street* culture words.



I feel like a stranger in a strange land, once again...

I really had trouble figuring out what kind of racist comment you were making with "Afro picky our nation" . . .. . . yo.

Or how about "Warshington" for that state to the south of you, Zoomer?

I was born in Winnipeg and almost all of my family (as most people from there) say 'eh' constantly. I heard less 'ehs' when I lived in Toronto. But during more than 30 years of living in Canada I never once heard a Canadian say 'aboot'.

az

whoops, just realized this conversation about 'eh' was had on the first page - was curious to see it still going on here. disregard my last posting as it has already been said before.



az

It (unfortuantely) kind of started up again.

I guess it just depends on the particular Canadians you interact with whilst you're their - Britain's the place to be for varieties of things like 'roof', 'root', 'book' (Memories of Phil Cool's comment about Southerner's going to bed with a good male rabbit where he and his fellow Yorkshiremen prefer to read a booooooooooooooooooooooooook)

Anhaga- no slight or racist comment meant. I was just talking about non-blacks talking *tough* black talk and adopting their culture to the detriment of the language. Although I read a piece once about how *like* was a perfectly reasonable modifier so I suppose like, everything is alright eventually....

As for Warshington, I had forgotten that one- now I'm all *riled up* again.