[zeynepevecen]

Because they only know English. Let me explain a bit. I’m a bilingual person, since I’m not living in a English speaking country and I’m 21. They’re saying that switching accents are their defend mechanism or coping mechanism with serious situations. Well, when I say this i think I’m talking for most of the bilingual people, our defend mechanism or us “being playful” is adding some English words into the sentence or switching to English. So it is not something to be shocked

[xxs]

>Because they only know English.

We don't know that (and the article is quite low on the quality scale expected from Guardian).

I speak three languages, and I don't see a reason to mix. Of course, you might be right, but also that's a one trick point. You will be called for being pretentious or just obnoxious.

[eequah9L]

I don't think it's anything "reasonable". Like, OK, there might be objective reasons why you need to clarify which technical term you mean by a word that has multiple meanings in your native language, and use (typically) English to clear it up.

But I think most of the time it's just seen as hip, interesting, an extra flavor (flavour?). I do this occasionally -- sprinkle a foreign phrase here and there in my native Czech when I see that it fits and the other party might get it. More if I'm drunk. Some of my friends do it as well, in some social settings a number of jokes could be foreign language references. On the other hand, some people find it infuriating, as you note.

[denton-scratch]

> the quality scale expected from Guardian

It's taken a tabloid turn (not just in terms of the page format). It's got noticeably worse, even in the last 6 months. It's packed with "listicle" articles ("10 reasons..."), and it's moving rapidly to the right, politically.

[trasz4]

Sometimes there is a reason to mix, when the word in one language doesn't quite match the meaning you want, but in another it does. Like, for example, in Polish "security" and "safety" are the same word ("bezpieczeństwo"), so it would become weird when you're talking about the difference between them.

But I feel like this article is about something else. We don't think in terms of words, we think in terms of phrases, and when we remember those phrases it's not just their literal meaning, but also the context, and this can include the accent they were heard in.

In the ideal world we'd just play the sample that we have in the head, but we don't have that yet.

[looping8]

But how exactly do they choose British accent instead of a Canadian one or an Australian one or whatever?

[rippercushions]

It's recognizable and easy enough to fake, at least to the degree that another American would recognize it as British English. Most people would not recognize a (say) New Zealand or South African accent, much less be able to replicate it.

It's also interesting that it's always a "posh" British accent: nobody ever fakes Cockney or Scouse or something.

[denton-scratch]

> nobody ever fakes Cockney or Scouse or something

The article specifically refers to faking an "Essex" accent. The Essex accent they're referring to is basically a cockney accent, softened a bit. When East London was gentrified, from roughly the 70s, many East Londoners moved out into Essex.

[ndsipa_pomu]

> It's also interesting that it's always a "posh" British accent: nobody ever fakes Cockney or Scouse or something.

*Dick Van Dyke has entered the chat*

[mach1ne]

Not only are Cockney & Scouse less prevalent in entertainment, their standing is almost always represented as lower.

[nobodyandproud]

In a heartbeat, I would if I could.

There’s something endearing to me about working class and regional accents.

[AdmiralAsshat]

The average American would likely fail to identify all but the most exaggerated Canadian accent (adding "eh?" to the end of every sentence). That's why we're constantly shocked when Hollywood blockbuster actors are Canadian.

[NikolaNovak]

Canada is also Huuuge!

My limited experience is that differences inside these two countries (e.g. New Foundland accent to Winnipeg accent, or Texas to Boston) are way bigger than averaged difference between countries (i.e. Manitoba to Minnesota). Most "Canadian" English is broadly similar to most "American" English, especially the standardized TV / Movie kind.

[Humdeee]

Yes. Central Canada is where 'eh' is said the most; I say and hear it a lot. Atlantic Canada certainly has the most distinctive dialect, and you can immediately hear it's gaelic roots. When a Canadian accent is being poked fun at, it's usually an extreme version of how the prairie provinces speak.

Then splash in some Quebecoise and that will really diversify things. Much of rural Quebec may not even speak English altogether. But you can tell the difference between Quebec French and France French pretty easily, with the latter sounding smoother. I've never been out west but I assume that BC and Alberta is the most 'normal' of the Canadian differing accents.

[ChoGGi]

I got quite a few comments when I moved out to Alberta from Ontario. Not as much now, perhaps my accent has mellowed.

[morkalork]

Even Ontario has regional accents, Toronto/Southern vs Eastern/Ottawa valley vs northern/western. I can't describe the differences but if you blindfolded me and had three different people speak, I'm pretty sure I could pick who is from where.

[yurishimo]

> I've never been out west but I assume that BC and Alberta is the most 'normal' of the Canadian differing accents

If Linus Tech Tips is anything to go by, this tracks. All of their hosts have very "generic American" sounding accents. They are very very close to Washington state which doesn't have a strong accent in my experience. Contrast this with Minnesota or northern Michigan and how "similar" they sound to the stereotypical Canadian accent.

Linus has a bit of a Valley Girl sometimes and wholly acknowledges it.

[Maultasche]

I once stopped in a small town in New Brunswick a couple hours drive south of the Quebec border. To my surprise, not only did they all speak French there, but the people we were trying to order lunch from didn't speak a word of English. I never realized that there were French-speaking places that far into New Brunswick.

I had an easier time communicating even in smaller towns in Quebec, where it seemed that most people were capable of speaking a little English, even if they spoke French all the time.

[hydrok9]

I've been shocked at the McKenzie brothers-esque quality of some of the rural accents outside WPG.

[CoastalCoder]

Is "Emglish" a special term or just a typo?

[NikolaNovak]

LoL, typo, corrected thanks :-)

[bee_rider]

Midwestern accents seem to have a lot of Canadian influence and vice-verse. Of course, we’re nearby friendly countries, it would be weird if we didn’t share some accents.

[naravara]

A lot of British television is popular on streaming here, and there is very little Australian television.

Canadian accents are largely indistinguishable from the generic American "TV accent" aside from a few specific sounds and vocabulary choices. If you go into the Boonies of Canada you hear more distinctive ones, but those are more like regionalisms, you don't hear them as much in the media.

[eternalban]

Because Hollywood has been promoting* that accent.

* Review films made in the past 2 decades (that’s roughly when I began noticing the trend). Invariably, an English accent is used to imply authority or superiority (of some kind). Why this is happening in American movie industry is unknown to me but that it has been going on is clear for me.

[pjc50]

There used to be a trend to star Brits as villains in movies, of which Alan Rickman in Die Hard (doing a variety of accents) may be the peak example.

[bee_rider]

Some British accents have implied a sort of eliteness in the US for much more than a couple decades. See the transatlantic accent. By the late 19’th century it a widespread enough sentiment that we made up an accent to copy it.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mid-Atlantic_accent

[eternalban]

Americans used to have an inferiority complex vis-a-vis Europe (in general) and English. WWII put an end to that. People the world over started aping Americans, including the English. It is (strangely) after US decides to officially be ‘an empire’ that our propaganda organs started speaking posh language. (No one :) affects a cockney accent, ey?)

[unethical_ban]

Canada doesn't have an accept other than saying "out and about" like "oat in a boat"

Source: Texan who has been close to Canada once by visiting New York City. I know a Canadian and wouldn't have known it if he didn't tell me.

Serious answer, we hear a lot more British in pop culture than we hear Australian or NZ.

[Izkata]

Personally, I have no idea what makes a Canadian accent, and the only Australian one I can think of is over-exaggerated Steve Irwin. British accents on the other hand are pretty common in TV/movies.

[denton-scratch]

My solitary marker for a Canadian accent: "out" sounds like "boat". B ut I believe even that marker is restricted to central and western Canada.

/me a Brit; used to have a Canadian boss (from Ontario).

[ndsipa_pomu]

Me: I watched Titanic the other night.

Canadian: What's that about?

Me: Yes, a big one and it sank.

[mbg721]

When Canada was founded, it was intended to be "Cnd", but the guy dictating the charter said "It's spelled C, eh? N, eh? D, eh?"

[xwdv]

Because stereotypically British aren’t seen as very threatening people, they sound quite docile really. There’s also a lot of exposure to British accents in popular media compared to the others.

[fifticon]

this is a recent thing, the 1700s would like to have a word :-)

[TulliusCicero]

I've known a bunch of Canadians, and the ones who aren't French Canadians sound mostly identical to Americans. There's a few different words and pronunciations, but unless you stumble into those during a conversation, it's very hard to tell.

[happymellon]

And why do they never choose to copy Brian Blessed or Matt Berry?

[ndsipa_pomu]

"Fire the nucular weapons"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8xliaDUPwg

[UncleSlacky]

I raise you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfq3B9JvIcQ

[mbg721]

Thanks to Paul Hollywood, I mentally hear baking terms in Liverpudlian, and I can't be the only one. ("It's oonderPROOVED!")

[twirlip]

Or Stephen Fry.