This document summarizes differences in accents between various regions in America and Canada. In the US, Boston has a non-rhotic accent where R sounds are dropped, while Seattle has a more neutral accent. Vancouver accents feature pronunciations like "aboot" and use of "eh", while Toronto accents include pronouncing "probably" as "probly". Differences between accents help distinguish locals from foreigners and are influenced by factors like location and culture.

1. •Why do people from America and Canada have
different accents? And why do people talk
differently within each nation?
Research Project
By Lindsay Williams

2. Area of knowledge
 Linguistics: The modern scientific study of all
aspects of language.
 Phonetics: The systematic identification and
description of distinctive speech sounds in a
language.
 Phonology: The study of language sounds.
 Phonemes: The smallest units of sound that
make a difference in meaning in a language.

3. Fieldwork

4. Boston, MA
• Non-Rhoticity (drop the phoneme R)
• A common Shibboleth (a phrase used to distinguish
foreigners) Park the car in Harvard Yard Pak-the-
ca-in-haved-yad.
• Broad A/Long A (tap-bath split or vowel split ex.
laugh, grass, bath)
• Linking R (ex. Tuner amp- Tuna-amp)
• Intrusive R (ex. Drawing- Drawring)
• O pronunciations ex. Octopus to Awctapus
• A pronunciations- instead of “A” say “Ah” (ex. Aunt-
Ahunt)
• Meanings
 Bubbling drink- Soda
 Shoes you run in- Sneakers or “Sneakas”
 TV Controller- “Clicka” is common or Remote
 Place to drink water- Bubbler or “Bubbla”

5. Seattle, WA
• Neutral and subtle accents, some locals say “we
have none”
• Bag pronounced as Beg, Egg pronounced as Agg
(Long A)
• Low back vowel merger ex. Don vs. Dawn and Cot
vs. Caught
• Lack of accent could qualify as an accent
• Subtle pronunciations that isn’t noticeable to locals
but is to Canadians, Bostonians, Minnesotans or
Texans
• Meanings
 Bubbling drink- Pop
 Shoes you run in- Tennis Shoes
 TV Controller- Remote (I personally call them “Buttons”)

6. Vancouver, British Columbia
• Largest Metropolitan in Western Canada and the most
ethnic and linguistically diverse in the country
• Canadian Rising: Sound changes of “ai” and “au”
• “A” or “eh” term used on a daily basis
• “Oo” pronunciation (ex. Aboot or Aboat)
• British spellings (ex. Colour, centre)
• Letter Z- “Zed”
• Progress and process pronounced as “Pro”
• Semi- sem”ee”
• Meanings
 Bubbling drink- Soda
 Shoes you run in- Runners
 TV Controller- Remote
 Place to drink water- Water fountain

7. Toronto, Ontario
• Largest city in Canada and provincial capital of
Ontario
• “Toronno” rather than Toronto
• Use the term “right?” more than “eh”
• Pronounce probably as “probly”
• Meanings
 Bubbling drink- Soda pop
 Shoes you run in- Running shoes
 TV controller- remote control
 Place to drink water- Drinking fountain

8. Comparison between Boston &
Washington
 Each State has significantly different accents
even though they are in the same nation
 Citizens from Washington State are Rhotic (does
not drop the phoneme R)
 Bostonians are Non-Rhotic (drops the phoneme
R)
 Therefore, citizens in Washington do not claim to
have an accent at all while on the other side of
the state Boston has one of the most
distinguishable accents in the country

9. Comparison between Vancouver &
Toronto
 It may not be apparent to people from the U.S. but
people who live in Canada can distinguish the subtle
differences in each others accent
 Toronto largest city in Canada mostly English
speakers
 Vancouver B.C most ethnically/linguistically diverse in
country
 Toronto is closer on Eastern American border
 Vancouver B.C. is on the Northwest American border
near Washington State
 Most Torontonians don’t say “eh” like people from
Vancouver B.C, but instead they say “right?”
 Canadian rising “aboot” is said more near Eastern
Canada while “aboat” is said more near Western
Canada

10. Comparison between the U.S and
Canada
 Due to the different accents in each culture it is easy
to distinguish between locals and foreigners.
 Stereotypes are also helpful in distinguishing between
accents and where someone comes from. For
example, the Canadian stereotype of “eh” and “aboot”
is a well known stereotype.
 Based on the information from fieldwork and research
the difference between US and Canadian accents
have a lot to do with where you come from and what
culture you were raised in.

11. Work Cited
 “Boston Accent.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 31 May 2013. Web. 20
May 2013.<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_accent>.
 “Canadian English.” Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 31 May 2013. Web. 20
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadian_English>
 Fryer, John. “Is there a Seattle accent.” King5.com. 2 Apr. 2012.
<http://www.king5.com/news/local/Is-there-a-Seattle-
accent-145861045.html>
 Haviland, William , Harlad Prins, Dana Walrath, and Bunny
McBride. The Essence of Anthropology. 2nd ed. Belmont,
CA, USA : Wadsworth, Cengage Learning , 2010, 2007.
166. Print.
 Risling , Randy . "Like Whatever eh? Born in Toronto? You
have an accent- and it’s strong." theSpec.com .
Metroland, 07 March 2013. Web. 31 May 2013.
<http://www.thespec.com/news-story/2524569-
like-whatever-eh-born-in-toronto-you-have-an-accent-and-it-s-stro/>.