Y'all from Flori-Bama?After all I do speak a southern dialect of American English which I found in the past was not always clearly understood in some places like Boston or NYC.
Dumb and dummer trying to win Darwin award.
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Y'all shouldn't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things. Sumthin I lurned in Texas.
I always get amused / annoyed by the perception that we must all speak french since we're from Canada. It's equivalent to me assuming that y'all speak like Sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane since y'all south of the border....Well I try to not sweat the small stuff which is one reason I didn't actually go online and complain about a specific post's grammar. I do notice but hope I've reached the point that it passes on by.
Must be a lot of Chinese in Toronto since I have two French Canadian friends that live or have lived there. But as I mentioned, both probably speak better English than I do. After all I do speak a southern dialect of American English which I found in the past was not always clearly understood in some places like Boston or NYC.
Toronto is now a mash up of every culture you could imagine, but very far from French. You can walk down most any street and witness every nationality from around the world. French is probably the smallest percentage, but then again so are WASP.
I try not to be amused or annoyed when people misunderstand what I post on the internet and I do think you very much misunderstand me.I always get amused / annoyed by the perception that we must all speak french since we're from Canada. It's equivalent to me assuming that y'all speak like Sheriff Roscoe P Coltrane since y'all south of the border....
Toronto is now a mash up of every culture you could imagine, but very far from French. You can walk down most any street and witness every nationality from around the world. French is probably the smallest percentage, but then again so are WASP.
I have friends in Mississauga, Toronto, Quebec, Sarnia and maybe some other spots. I am not ignorant of Canadian geography, culture or language. Only a few of my friends speak French, all speak Engish, one speaks Hindi and Farsee. I do NOT expect them all to speak French. In fact I would be very surprised if they did.
Only point I was trying (not very well it seems) to make, is people in most countries are very mobile and just because someone currently lives in Toronto doesn't mean might not have originally come from Quebec which you confirm in your post.
I have a house in MA but come originally from GA so I definitely don't have the same accent as most of my neighbors. So what does that mean? Only that one cannot make assumptions about ones origins, language or culture based on their current place of abode.
You can certainly tell I'm a Southern boy by my drawl. Where'd you live in SC? We might have gotten thrown out of a bar together years ago. (Don't tell @Meriachee, though. He might get all testy that he wasn't invited.)
I grew up just outside of Toronto ( Brampton), but back then it was 99.9% wasp. More often than not I would encounter people from south of the border not understanding Canada and assumed we all spoke french as a first language, hence my assumptions above. A friend of mine is a teacher in that area and I recently saw a class picture where it was a rainbow of cultures from all around the world. ( which is a great thing) So your comment about someone from Toronto not having English as a first language is most likely correct.
Since past research shown that a significant percentage of US residents can't name their own vice president, can't find places like France or China on a map or don't know that Europe is a continent, not a country I wouldn't be surprised if a number of Americans (meaning of course USAians since Canadians do happen to be "Americans" as well) thought Canadians spoke Portuguese or Dutch. At least you guys speak English better than the Brits.I grew up just outside of Toronto ( Brampton), but back then it was 99.9% wasp. More often than not I would encounter people from south of the border not understanding Canada and assumed we all spoke french as a first language, hence my assumptions above. A friend of mine is a teacher in that area and I recently saw a class picture where it was a rainbow of cultures from all around the world. ( which is a great thing) So your comment about someone from Toronto not having English as a first language is most likely correct.
"Past research"? "Significant percentage"?Since past research shown that a significant percentage of US residents can't name their own vice president, can't find places like France or China on a map or don't know that Europe is a continent, not a country I wouldn't be surprised if a number of Americans (meaning of course USAians since Canadians do happen to be "Americans" as well) thought Canadians spoke Portuguese or Dutch. At least you guys speak English better than the Brits.
Maybe if the "research" subjects were Left Coast college students. :-D
I'm always highly suspicious of such statements. They're usually developed by agenda-based groups. AKA fake news.
I'm sure if I conducted some "research" in Canada, I'd be able to sift out a "significant percentage" that don't know crap, ay.
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When I lived in SC if I had been thrown out of a bar it would have been for being underage.
Live in N Augusta in 1950, Greenville 51-53. I think I was four when we left for Louisiana.
When I was in Scouts, many moons ago, (70's) we did an exchange trip to Pennsylvania. Many of the host parents were wondering if we spoke any English, ( not french ) , if we knew how to use a telephone, and even if we lived in igloos....
Do not remember all the articles I've read in the past but will google a few for you. I am a very skeptical person by nature, an engineer by training and am not easily convinced by any old post on the internet. I generally consider my sources pretty carefully. Won't say I can't be fooled or have never been fooled but I sure didn't fall off the watermelon truck yesterday.
Here's a few relevant links that in my opinion have a pretty reputable background. How's the National Geographic? Don't think they come to the table with any kind of agenda.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2002/11/1120_021120_GeoRoperSurvey.html
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...ns-do-slightly-better/?utm_term=.d41b8f3de699
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/40-percent-americans-vp-candidates/storyid=42497013
And just to hear from the other side of the fence.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/11/11/many-americans-cant-name-vice-president.html
Attended elementary school in Mississippi. My second grade teacher just moved there from New York when her husband was transferred. She later confessed that she was surprised to see the streets were paved and the kids actually wore shoes.
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