Help with Canadian accent?

[luzula]

There's a podfic in which I'm supposed to do an overdone version of a Canadian saying "Sorry!" (actually, it's an American imitating a Canadian accent). Is there anyone who could record an exaggerated version of a Canadian-accented "sorry" for me, so I can hear what it sounds like? I usually don't try to imitate accents, but in this case it's necessary for the story...

It's weird, because this is Ray Vecchio imitating Fraser's accent, and I don't even think of Fraser as having a distinctive accent. Maybe I'm just no good at distinguishing different North American accents.

Comments

[sage]

I don't have any kind of recording software, but if you think of Ellen's "Sorry! Sorry!" in Slings & Arrows, with the long O in "sorry", then you could put it in a kind of nasally Vecchio voice and really exaggerate the long vowel.

The typical US "sorry" has a short O, so that "sorry" rhymes with "sari" (the Indian dress), "(mata) hari", or "quarry". Canadian "sorry" reads a bit like "sore-y", and used to always make me think of being covered in sores. Fraser definitely uses a long O "sorry", but it tends to be so clipped that it's less noticeable than Ellen's in S&A.

Parts of Canada-adjacent Minnesota/Wisconsin also use the long O "sorry" and say "aboot" for "about", but it's pretty rare overall among US speakers, hence Vecchio's mockery.

[haruka]

I'm Canadian myself, have visited all but two provinces, and have never in 49 years ever heard anyone say 'aboot.' Just sayin'.

[sage]

Oh heavens, both my study abroad terms in Latin America, ALL the kids from Minnesota did. It was hilarious to the rest of us (it was a multi-university program), which only made them band together and overemphasize it (and go on at length about Minnesota football teams). I also remember a girl when I was in grad school who was determinedly training herself out of it, mainly because this was Texas and she was self-conscious of people noticing. It was kind of adorable.

[haruka]

I confess I haven't been to Newfoundland or PEI, so it's possible they say it that way there ....

[sage]

Ack, you answered as I was editing. Here's my add:

Oops, I meant to say also that it went along with Bob & Doug Mackenzie jokes, but it fell out of my brain before I hit post. Oops? :P

It could also be a generational thing. This was in the early-mid 90s among people in their mid-20s to 40s. Language drift could be a factor.

[helens78]

*g* It sounds like "aboat" to me, as opposed to we Yanks who usually say it with so much "ow" in it that we practically sound like we're meowing. It seems pretty strong in my friends from Toronto and Vancouver Island (although those are wildly different accents) but is stronger from my friend from Alberta and strongest from my friend who hails from Manitoba. :D

[haruka]

It must be particular to individuals, then. I'm from Quebec, but am not French, and have lived in Nova Scotia for 20 years. My sister lives in BC, my brother in Toronto, and I have friends in BC and Alberta. I've only ever heard the 'ow' sound from anyone. I'm trying to say 'aboot' and 'aboat' as I sit here, and it sounds really awkward and weird to me.

[luzula]

Thank you, that is helpful! I will go check out the S&A eps. : )

[helens78]

Will do as soon as husband and cat are awake. *g* In terms of mouth shape, Vecchio's usual "Sorry" is a open, wide thing with a nasal flat vowel sound for the "o" (more like ahhhh, Sahh-ry), and the way he'd exaggerate Fraser would have a rounded, pushed-forward vowel sound, like "Sore-ry". It's a bigger difference due to how flat and nasal a typical American accent is. ^_^

"Sorry" is one of those words I usually do try to give the Canadian pronunciation to when reading Fraser, even though I have to stop and think about it. :D If I were reading a story that had Fraser saying "X follows Y follows Z," I'd pronounce "Z" as "zed", too. :D

[luzula]

Thanks, that would be awesome! Although you don't have to record if you're busy--I think I'm getting the idea from people's comments. : )

I do read Fraser differently from, say, Kowalski or Frannie or Vecchio, but I don't think of that in terms of accent, though obviously they do have different accents. It's more about trying to give their voices something of their personality or attitude, you know? Which is sometimes easy and sometimes hard.

[helens78]

Recorded a wee bit on Soundcloud, complete with babbling, here! http://soundcloud.com/helens78/sorry :)

[luzula]

Hey, I like listening to you ramble. : )

I can't seem to play it, though! I don't know what is up with that--I can't play my own tracks on SoundCloud right now either. Hmm. If you could make it downloadable, that would be great, because downloading seems to work.

[helens78]

Doh! I always set things to downloadable and forgot that I needed to do that manually. :D Done now!

[luzula]

It worked now! Thanks for demonstrating. : )

[andeincascade.livejournal.com]

Luz, if you want to hear a good version of the Canadian "sorry" check out Martha Burns in Slings and Arrows. (She does a lot of apologizing in Season 1) Hers is very pronounced. The Canadian "sorry" has a lot of "o" in it.

[luzula]

Sage said the same thing about Ellen's "sorry's" in the DW comments, actually! : )

[andeincascade.livejournal.com]

I love all the comments to this question. I have to admit, too, that this is one verbal tic I have picked up from hanging around Canada fandom. Probably living in Minnesota doesn't help; we seem to share these things.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

My thoughts exactly.

"Sorry! Sorry, everyone! Sorry for caring!"

HEE! :-D

[andeincascade.livejournal.com]

Hee! Great minds. And, oh, how I love Ellen.

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Since it's Vecchio, I could see him doing the American (exaggerated) version of the Canadian accent, in which case I should think it would work nicely to have him say "SORE-ree" instead of the usual "SORR-ree." If that makes sense.

[luzula]

You mean with a longer vowel, right? Helens78 did a little recording to demonstrate for me, and between her and all the comments, I think I'm getting it now. : )

[malnpudl.livejournal.com]

Yes, just like that. I listened to her recording after I left this comment, and what she gave you (which was brilliant; god, I love fandom) was exactly what I hear in my head.