Exactly
Which is why at [link|http://z.iwethey.org/forums/render/content/show?contentid=155707|http://z.iwethey.org...?contentid=155707] I said, ..to American ears.
Canadian ears can tell the difference between a Canadian saying "aboot" and "about". They don't sound at all the same. American ears hear them as being the same. I've been immersed enough in both places to understand how both groups hear the same thing differently.
Related to this is the way that Canadians sometimes wind up being pushed into "translating" between, say, Americans and Australians. The Canadian understands both, and both understand the Canadian. The two can literally not understand each other. Oh, written down they would know what the other one is saying. But they interpret what they hear sufficiently differently to create a significant comprehension barrier.
And yes, Scott, that means that you're wrong in addition to being right. Even though what you hear a Canadian say is "aboot", I guarantee you that it isn't really "aboot" - you just can't tell the difference.
Cheers,
Ben
