The sixth episode of The History of English focuses on the use of English in America versus its use in Canada. There was one small comment that caught my entire attention: “Over here, that is a hOuse, over there, in the United States, it’s a house.” (7:50). The spread of the English language and the creation of pronunciations has been a constant topic in the documentary, yet it is amazing how a boarder dividing two different countries, divides dialects as well.
When you compare an Australian, a British and an American pronunciation, the differences can be easily justified by their distant locations. Being on three, very different parts of the world, the influences that have reached every country have varied, and can therefore explain the several differences from one another.
On the other hand, how can you explain the differences between the American and the Canadian accents? It is understandable, that when the Civil War ended, the Loyalists settled in Canada, along with French and other European influences. America did also have European influences, but those in Canada were much stronger.
However, as time went by, why did American and Canadian differences in language grow? Why is it that we pronounce “about” differently as we cross a border? Is it the same reason as to why, when you fly from LA to Louisiana, people seem to be speaking different languages?
What confuses me the most is how close to each other both of the countries are. It’s like, I step into Canada and the accent is completely different from the American one, even though the US is only two steps behind me. Shouldn’t the change be more subtle? Maybe I misinterpreted what the documentary said, maybe the change is subtle and not what I’m imagining. But thinking of language that way... it really blew my mind.
The Story of English (Episode 6):
Armstrong, Edward. "The Story of English episode 6 - An English Speaking World - Part 1/7." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 27, Aug. 2009. Web. 19. Jan. 2013.
Armstrong, Edward. "The Story of English episode 6 - An English Speaking World - Part 2/7." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 27, Aug. 2009. Web. 19. Jan. 2013.
Armstrong, Edward. "The Story of English episode 6 - An English Speaking World - Part 3/7." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 27, Aug. 2009. Web. 19. Jan. 2013.
Armstrong, Edward. "The Story of English episode 6 - An English Speaking World - Part 4/7." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 27, Aug. 2009. Web. 19. Jan. 2013.
Armstrong, Edward. "The Story of English episode 6 - An English Speaking World - Part 5/7." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 27, Aug. 2009. Web. 19. Jan. 2013.
Armstrong, Edward. "The Story of English episode 6 - An English Speaking World - Part 6/7." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 27, Aug. 2009. Web. 19. Jan. 2013.
Armstrong, Edward. "The Story of English episode 5 - An English Speaking World - Part 7/7." Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 27, Aug. 2009. Web. 19. Jan. 2013.
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