Quote:
Originally Posted by syee
(Post 8724088)
Hah, these guys are your redneck Aussies. They're the Texans of Australia. The city folk sound more like the TV show hosts. Can't say I've heard a native Aussie talk with the Brit English accent though...unless they're from the UK. I was born and raised in Australia and even I've never used the word plugger before. |
Actually, I've heard that the Adelaide/SA accent is very "posh" and has similarities to Received Pronunciation. Also, Aussies can do amazing American accents, but U.S. actors suck at them, I think because in the American accent, you enunciate vowels and tighten your mouth muscles. America is a melting pot, so accents assimilate. That means it's easier for non-Americans to emulate American accents (barring niche ones, e.g. Tidewater, Baltimore accents--though Dominic West does a good job in The Wire).
Also, while American accents assimilate, in the UK and in Anglophone countries with closer ties to the UK, accents can change every hundred metres or so. Despite this, American actors pigeonhole their British accents into RP or Cockney (Dick Van Dyke-esque). There are exceptions; Meryl Streep and a few of the actors from the Whedonverse are more versatile with accents from the British Isles.
A lot of the vowels in AuE are also in BrE. And the two countries share vocabulary (e.g. glandular fever, paramol, aubergine), whereas Canada is more likely to share vocab with America.
In fact, Canada has shaken off many of the ties to Britain that still endure in Commonwealth realms or even in ex-colonies like Hong Kong and Singapore. Our school system is based on the U.S. K-12 system, for instance, not the British-style O-level/A-level system.
Also, our judges don't wear wigs, and the role of solicitor and barrister is fused like it is in the U.S. Schoolchildren don't wear uniforms, just like in France and Germany. Canadians don't play cricket (except for Afghan, Indian, Pak, Bengali and Tamil immigrants), but the NFL is very popular in Canada. Shit, even NCAA college football is relatively popular in this country.
And we don't drive on the left, or have afternoon tea with scones with jam and clotted cream. (Unless you're at the Empress Hotel in Victoria.)
If you ask me, I think there are a few reasons for this:
- Canada and the U.S. were colonized relatively early (17th-18th century), whereas other Commonwealth realms were colonized in large numbers only by the mid-late 19th century. So accents and culture had longer to diverge.
- We're right next to the U.S., and are each others' largest trading partner. (3/4 of Canada's exports go to the U.S. and 2/3 of our imports come from there.)
- The U.S. literally fought a war with the UK for its independence, so they had a poor relationship for a few hundred years. That relationship influenced Canada as well.
- After the Second World War, the UK was broke, so it had to relinquish its Empire and focus on relations within Europe. It decided to let the U.S. protect Canada, and sustain its close ties with Aus, NZ, Seffrica, etc. Starting from the 50s and 60s, cultural ties between Canada and the U.S. deepened substantially.
The close ties between Canada and the U.S. cannot be underestimated. Just look at the Peace Arch in White Rock for an example of how close our relationship is. Moreover, if you watch combat footage videos on Youtube, check out FUNKER350's channel. His video intros show a U.S. and Canadian flag side by side. That's another example.
I don't know why I wrote all of this, but I hope you found it informative. :)