Should I take this as a compliment?

[coolcuziknit]

Before I moved into the department I'm in now at work, I used to work in the call center where we would call people and conduct surveys. Not only did we call Canadians, but we also call Americans. I was on an American Study that day when I got this man. Now we're not supposed to tell them what country we're from or chat with the people we call because it could bias their opinions and all sort of other things, but sometimes people figure it out, especially when I have to repeat letters of the alphabet back. Here's the conversation

Me: hi!
Man

Man: So where are you calling from?
Me: I'm in Canada
Man: Oh yeah, where abouts in Canada (went on some spiel about how he comes to Canada)
Me: (Tells him the province)
Man: Oh, really? Well you speak really good English for a Canadian
Me: WTF??? (K, I speak both my country's official languages fluently, but English is my first language, and I don't have an accent) Thanks? What do you mean I speak good English?
Man: Well I have this friend from Canada and I can hardly understand him when he speaks
Me: Well, maybe he's from Newfoundland, they can be a little hard to understand sometimes (Thinking WTF? Americans have some pretty tough accents too...and I thought I sounded just like this man did)
After that we chatted about the weather as he thought it was snowing when it was summer out and I thanked him for his time and to have a nice weekend and he went on his merry way.

In no way was he rude, I just thought it was such a weird comment to make on how well I speak English....maybe I do have an accent that I don't know about. I know that I do say 'aboot' instead of 'about' a lot...

[PepperElf]

.... which is ironic since only the English really speak English.
us americans speak bastardized english

[bigjimaz]

It's stereotyping, pure and simple. When us Americans think of Canada, we think of "The Great White North" where it snows 27/7/365, people finish every sentence with eh?and/or have a French accent, wear plaid shirts with suspenders and drink beer all day. It's not until you get around in life that you realize that Canadians are practically the same as Americans as far as dialects, weather, (at least in the southern provinces) language (except maybe Montreal) and everything else (except that you have national health care).

[coolcuziknit]

Oh I know. I'll let you off the hook with the 'eh' though...I say it a lot for some reason, but not everyone does....we have stronger beer too.

[Saydrah]

Definitely a wtf? moment.

[Kaylyn]

Heh, I remember the first time I ever went to Canada...probably made a fool out of myself as the border guard said, "First time to Canada, eh?" and I cracked up. "OMG you guys really talk like that!"

Since then I've been in several times and to be honest, I love it up there. The people are so much nicer than Americans. Wouldn't mind moving there one of these days...

[rerant]

Well we hardly get out of our igloos long enough to take the dogsled to Lumber Jack University to learn proper English.
It takes time out of our syrup drinking, beer bong tournaments and hockey fights.

[Rine]

You know, I've never met a Canadian I couldn't understand. The few accents I have problems with are Chinese and Indian (as in the country), and other south Asian countries; I guess it's because I don't hear them so often. I feel so awful when I have to ask people to repeat themselves and I hope I've never offended anyone.

However, I once had to call some place in Europe to get a traveler's cheque approved and I got a Brit on the phone and we have such a hard time understanding one another. I couldn't understand his accent and he couldn't understand mine. It was strange.

Incidently, I've always said "eh" frequently (I swear I can't help it)--ever since I was a child--and people are always asking me if I'm Canadian.

[lightmylamb]

wear plaid shirts with suspenders and drink beer all day.

I come from a town where that is the norm. Some actually aspire to it.

Some people really say 'aboot'? The only differences in pronunciation I've noticed are the double os, like roof and the like.

[Boozy]

I think Canadians prefer the hard 'k' sound in 'schedule', the same as we would when pronouncing 'school'. Whereas I've noticed American news broadcasters usually use the soft 'sh' sound when saying 'schedule.' And it might not be an American thing - could just be news broadcasters.

That's the only thing I've noticed as far as differences go.

[coolcuziknit]

Well we hardly get out of our igloos long enough to take the dogsled to Lumber Jack University

You went to Lumber Jack University too, eh???

Some people really say 'aboot'?

Yeah some people really do say 'aboot'. I do, I also say 'doon't' instead of 'don't' apparently. Sometimes I can hear it when I do it, but my boyfriend makes fun of my 'accent' (it's in his head, I don't sound any different than he does)

I was on the phone once and I had to say the letter 'Z' well, Americans say Zee, we say Zed...I made a habit of saying Zee but one time I forgot and the person actually got mad at me and couldn't figure out what I was saying and corrected me!

[Brightglaive]

Well we hardly get out of our igloos long enough to take the dogsled to Lumber Jack University to learn proper English.

Oh I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay........

Yeah some people really do say 'aboot'. I do, I also say 'doon't' instead of 'don't' apparently.

It honestly makes me wonder..... if you have a moose in the hoose....how big of an animal are we talking about ....errr..... aboot?


You know I was thinking of naming one of my children Zed. Short for Zedekiah, of course.

[princess4life]

Americans say Zee, we say Zed...

i have talked to some people from Canada that the only reason I could tell they where from Canada (other then location saying Canada in there profile) was the fact they said Zed instead of Zee

[coolcuziknit]

You know I was thinking of naming one of my children Zed. Short for Zedekiah, of course.

'Zed's dead baby'...reminds me of Pulp Fiction

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Oh I'm a lumberjack and I'm okay........

*sniffle sniffle!

And I thought you were so butch!