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  • CANADIAN ENGLISH
    • How to Improve Listening Skills
      • Canadian Pronunciation
      • Exercise to Improve your Listening
      • Conversation Management Strategies
      • How to Listen and Understand
    • How to Speak in Canada
      • How to Improve your Speaking
      • What Canadians Talk about
      • Body Language in Canada
      • Are you Polite enough?
      • How to Improve Pronunciation
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      • How to Improve your Reading
      • How to Read Faster
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      • How to Write Emails
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      • Canadian Communication Style
      • How to Proofread English
    • Grammar in Canada
      • Most Important Grammar in Canada
      • Phrasal Verbs and Idioms in Canada
      • Pronunciation of Grammar
      • How to Learn Fast like Children
    • Teach English to a Family Member
  • FIND A JOB & KEEP YOUR JOB
    • How to Find a Job
      • Do you have Canadian Experience?
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      • Canadian Work Values
      • Job Interview in Canada
      • Important Work Skills in Canada
      • Networking Rules for Immigrants
    • How to Keep your Job
      • Talking to your Manager and Co-workers
      • Speaking to Customers and Clients
      • How to Get a Promotion
      • Showing Respect at Work
      • Giving Gifts at Work
      • Role of a Manager in Canada
    • Powerful Work Phrases
    • Start your Own Business
    • How to Choose a Career
    • Canadian Workplace Behaviour
    • Financial Literacy
  • YOUR HEALTH IN CANADA
    • 5 Stages of Culture Shock
    • Winter Blues
      • Dressing in Layers
      • Cold and Flu Season
      • Vitamin D Deficiency
    • How to Protect your Children
      • Your Parenting Style in Canada
      • 13 Mistakes Immigrants Make
      • Psychological Challenges of Immigration
    • Diabetes in Canada
    • Cancer in Canada
    • Heart Disease, Arthritis, Gallbladder and Kidney Stones
    • Talking to your Doctor
      • Immigrants and Depression
      • Sick? Know your Options
      • Autism and Vaccines
  • CITIZENSHIP & IMMIGRATION
    • How to Immigrate to Canada
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    • First Days in Canada
    • Prepare for Citizenship Test
      • Aboriginal peoples
      • British and French Colonists
      • Confederation
      • Modern Canada
      • Government and Federal Elections
      • Economy
      • The 5 Regions of Canada
      • Canadian Symbols
      • The Justice System
      • Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship
    • Citizenship Test Memory Tricks
    • Canadian Systems
      • Is Canada really Multicultural?
      • How Canadians Celebrate Holidays
      • Protect yourself from Scams
      • School, College, University
      • How to Use Healthcare System
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      • How to Deal with Police
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Canadian Pronunciationadmin2019-04-04T20:40:52+00:00

CANADIAN PRONUNCIATION MADE EASY

canadian pronunciation

Canadian pronunciation is different from British pronunciation. Canadian and American (USA) people speak with North American accent.

Canada is a big country. But it’s also a young country so most Canadians speak with the same accent – there are no dialects or big regional differences. Only people in Newfoundland have their own special way of speaking. In other parts of the country – whether you go to Vancouver or Toronto – people speak almost the same.

Canadians speak very much like Americans.

Canadian pronunciation is more nasal than British (Canadians speak ‘through their noses’).

If you are used to British pronunciation (or Australian, or Indian, or of another English-speaking country), it will be difficult for you to understand Canadian English for the first couple of months. It’s a good idea to get used to it by listening to TV/radio a lot.

North American sounds

1. Sound ‘r’

Canadians pronounce ‘r’ sound in all the words where it is written, including ‘r’ at the end of the words. For example:

car // for  //  where  //  four  //  your  //  work  //  ever  //  party  //  smart  //  after  // forever  //  prefer

2. Sound ‘t’

Canadians don’t seem to like the sound ‘t’. (There’s a joke about it: “Canadians don’t like ‘t’ – they like coffee.)

a) ‘t’ changes to ‘d’

In the middle of the word:

better –> bedder

water –> wader

thirty –> thridy

party –> pardy

computer –> compuder

city –> cidy

b) ‘t’ disappears

twenty –> twenny

center –> cenner

Toronto –> Toronno

most –> mos

just –> jus

must –> mus

might –> migh (sounds like ‘my’)

interesting –> ineresting

internet –> inernet

Atlantic –> Atlanic

integration –> inegration

c) ‘t’ changes to ‘ch’ (especially when followed by ‘r’)

trip –> chrip

travel –> chravel

try –> chry

attract –> achract

3. Sound ‘a’

In many words ‘a’ sounds like ‘e’ (long and loud, open mouth). For example:

master //  staff  //  fan  //  stand  //  answer  //  ask  //  spam  //  fast

4. Sound ‘o’

Short sound ‘o’ is often changed to sound more like a short ‘a’. For example:

hot  //  got  //  dot  //  a lot  //  not //  top  //  nod

5. Sound ‘g’

In spoken language, ‘g’ often disappears at the end of the words like:

getting –> gettin

kidding –> kiddin

cutting –> cuttin

Contractions

Contractions are two words spoken together, for example:

Formal contractions (used in speaking and writing):

they’re

isn’t

you’ll

Informal contractions (don’t use them in business writing)

gonna

wanna

how’s

could’ev

The word ‘You’ changes the sound of the word before it (because it joins it):

do you –> dju

did you –> didju

could you –> coudju

but you –> bu tchu

put you –> pu tchu

For many more examples of contractions and to listen, click “Reduced Forms”.

Words that sound the same in Canadian English

In Canadian English, many words sound the same. That’s why you always have to listen to the sentence. For example:

Mary – merry – marry   (three words sound the same)

horse – hoarse,  four – for,  morning – mourning, war – wore  (pairs of words sound the same)

wine – whine, where – wear ( pairs of words sound the same)

cot – caught (sound the same)

ladder – latter (pairs sound the same because ‘t’ changes to ‘d’)

Individual words to pay attention to:

were   –  sounds like ‘Sir’

where  – no ‘h’, sounds like ‘wear’

of   – ev

good  – gud or ged

her  – ‘er

them –  ’em

says  – sez

said  – sad

written  – riten (no w, no i)

could  – kud

the  –   tha

can  – kn

can’t  – ken

and  – an

_______________________

Read next:

Improve your Listening

Conversation Management Strategies

How to Listen and Understand

Speaking Skills

Reading Skills

Writing Skills

  • How to Improve Listening Skills
    • Canadian Pronunciation
    • Exercise to Improve your Listening
    • Conversation Management Strategies
    • How to Listen and Understand
  • How to Speak in Canada
    • How to Improve your Speaking
    • What Canadians Talk about
    • Body Language in Canada
    • Are you Polite enough?
    • How to Improve Pronunciation
  • Reading Problems?
    • How to Improve your Reading
    • How to Read Faster
    • When Reading is Dangerous
    • Reading Food Labels – your Health
  • Improve your Writing Skills
    • How to Write Emails
    • How to Write Essays
    • Canadian Communication Style
    • How to Proofread English
  • Grammar in Canada
    • Most Important Grammar in Canada
    • Phrasal Verbs and Idioms in Canada
    • Pronunciation of Grammar
    • How to Learn Fast like Children
  • Teach English to a Family Member
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