What's the fly in your ointment today?

[orthodoc]

You'll definitely have to become fluent in Canadian. Be sure to say 'oot and aboot' a lot and do all your swearing in French.

eta - I forgot the most important thing, eh?

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by orthodoc

You'll definitely have to become fluent in Canadian. Be sure to say 'oot and aboot' a lot and do all your swearing in French.

eta - I forgot the most important thing, eh?

Pootine?

[orthodoc]

Non, non, il faut dire 'poutine, eh?'

The 'eh' is critical. If you forget it you'll blow your cover.

Eta poutine is disgusting. You have to order it but at a propitious moment you can surreptitiously dispose of it in the nearest potted plant. There are unfortunately no handy spittoons in Canadian bars.

[footfootfoot]

Ahh poutine. Looked great up until the curd cheese which I mistakenly correctly read as crud cheese.

I think the oot and aboot sound is an approximation of a more glottal pronunciation of the ow sound. When I say out my throat is relaxed and the sound comes from the front of my mouth. When I imitate that girl I have to make the sound from the back of my throat, almost glottal. If I try to make that sound in the front of my mouth it sounds like oot.

I'm sure a speech therapist has got proper terms for all that, eh?

[orthodoc]

You're getting it! And the 'oot' thing is exactly as you say. A shorter, glottal-stop vowel combination that truly doesn't sound like 'oo'.

I never said 'eh' (never!) but after living here awhile, I realized that all my relatives do! And my bff from Ottawa! And they all have accents!

Of course they interrupt my snickering by laughing at my Pennsylvania accent.