I was over at Angela's @ Tracing Rainbows and she was talking about the word "riddle" the other day.
Not only does the word riddle mean solving a puzzle, but it can also mean to sieve something where we come from in Cumberland/Westmorland, which is now the county of Cumbria in the UK. My Pop used a "riddle" in the garden to sieve the soil when planting his garden.
That got me to thinking about dialect. Although we have lived in Canada since 1989, both hubby and I still talk with a British accent. My dad lives over here as well and he too still talks with a British accent. When we go back to the UK, people notice a difference with the way we talk, as we say garbage instead of rubbish, and many other Canadian words. They also think we now have an "American/Canadian" "twang" to the way we talk.
By the way most people who don't live in Canada or the States, think we sound alike or pretty similar. Just like South African's and Australian's and New Zealander's sound similar to me.
Now back to the dialect subject. When I am talking to my dad we automatically drop back to using words that are used on a regular basis back in Cumbria. The same way I do when talking to my mam or brother's who live in the UK. Although I don't consciously do this, I do, do it. My mam will call me out for using a broad Cumbrian word, like "nowt," instead of nothing. As in, "there's nowt that I can do about it." Instead of "there's nothing that I can do about it."
I know I have said this "many a time," but I totally forget I have an accent, and am puzzled if someone doesn't understand me here in Canada. In the States, I am more aware of having an accent, as everyone comments on it there. I am a talker which doesn't help, so will talk to anyone and everyone when out and about.
One of our grandkids will call me out when I use a Cumbrian word instead of a regular Canadian word, or pronounce it differently. Instead of saying the word "Garage," I will occasionally pronounce it "Garidge." He will tell me that's not the way you say it!!
8 comments:
The soil is beautifully black like the soil in Illinois where I grew up. Here in Tennessee the soul has a lot of red clay instead of the good black dirt. My accent is still mostly midwestern and not the southern drawl most locals here have.
I'm learning lots about Canadian language through reading the Three Pines detective books. Things are significantly different from US. It's fascinating! Nowt wrong with dialect words!
what's funny Angela, is they speak a lot different in Quebec where the Three Pines books are set, than they do in the rest of Canada, plus a lot of people speak French in the province of Quebec
Yes it is very red, as is the soil in Prince Edward Island.
Coming from The Blackcountry our accent is very pronounced and we have a lot of words that are only used by people from the Blackcountry, they wouldn't make much sense to anyone else, lol. We do say garidge though, if you called it a garaazh you would be considered 'posh' here 🤣
One of my favourite sayings is that each of us is the average of the five people we spend most of our time with (choose wisely), and I think that would be reflected in regional dialects as well.
It is funny in that you say people think a Canadian accent and an American accent are similar or very close. My sister in law is from just across the border and even after 35 years here I can still pick up on her American accent as can others.
God bless.
I find it interesting to note that there are definite variances between the English spoken here in Canada - there's a marked difference between, say, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Ontario. I've noted the same with the varying 'accents' in Britain as well.
Post a Comment