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Yes, actually, I am from Ontario

Despite all the martimization that's happened in the past year, indications still pop up that I'm a CFA (Come-From-Away).

When we were travelling through Cape Breton recently, we passed signs indicating a town called Wycocomagh. We amused ourself by saying it out loud. "Why-CO-co-maw."

Then, yesterday morning, I hit a story cold:

A GAS STATION OWNER WHO SUPPORTED GAS PRICE REGULATION IS SELLING HIS BUSINESS. DENNY EHLER HAS RUN DENNY'S ULTRAMAR IN WHYCOCOMAGH SINCE 1980...BUT HE TELLS THE CHRONICLE HERALD HE CAN'T MAKE A LIVING UNDER THE NEW REGULATIONS.


My co-anchor was impressed that I just breezed right through the word. "Why-CO-co-maw."

Then, Amanda and I were watching the teevee news, and the anchor said it differently ... "wy-COG-uh-muh." What? "wy-CAW-guh-muh" maybe. Jee-zus. Oh well. I felt right dumb. What a sin.

I made up for my Ontarification of the news later in the morning by deliberately pronouncing tourist as the regional "toar-ist" or "tor-ist" instead of the traditional "toor-ist". Yes, b'y.
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  1. little sisterAugust 18, 2006 at 2:53 PM

    I don't know why, but whenever I want to picture(?) how a word would sound with an Eastacotian accent, I immediately think of either Wendy from Taking It Off, or Ricky from TPB. But in the toar-ist example, Wendy came to mind first.

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  2. KevAugust 19, 2006 at 11:09 AM

    Don't do it man! Do not "mispronounce" words just to sound like the locals! Yes, pronounce towns and cities like the locals, but don't say "toar-ihst"...it's just wrong.
    This from a guy who, based on his geographical pedigree, should pronounce milk as "melk" and tomorrow as "tuh-mar'oh"!

    ReplyDelete
  3. BigAssSuperstarAugust 23, 2006 at 1:48 PM

    Melk, eh? I decided to switch up the "tourist" for that one story after the GM used it as an example of talking-like-the-people during the Peter Whitmore coverage.. I was saying pedophile as "pee-do-file", like the professionals do .. like pediatrician or pediatric ... and pointed out that I don't say "kil-AH-mit-er" for kilometre, 'cuz the word is "KILL-oh-mee-ter" or if you wanna get fancy, "KEE-lo-mee-ter" ... so he brought up the tohr-ist thing ... Next day, I was back to too-rist.

    Melk?

    ReplyDelete
  4. BigAssSuperstarAugust 23, 2006 at 1:50 PM

    Lilsis: yes, Wildcat Wendy is definitely a role model for regional speaking. I'm so digging those Season 4 reruns. I actually saw Wendy coming out of the building next door the first day I was home-shopping 'round here. Maybe she works at the call centre or somethin'.

    ReplyDelete
  5. little sisterAugust 25, 2006 at 10:10 AM

    She's a call centre supervisor, so that would make sense for you to see here there.

    I've heard "melk" around here, too. Heard it from people from both Mississauga and Beaverton ON, so a possible urban vs. rural explanation goes out the window.

    How do they say "eggs" out there? Out here I hear "aygs".

    ReplyDelete
  6. kevAugust 27, 2006 at 4:11 PM

    Yup, "melk"...poured it on my "porridge" before planting my butt on the "chesterfield" to watch tv. When I was growing up, we also didn't have french fries...oh no! They were called "chips".
    My Dad insisted on calling cantaloupe, "musk melon" too...not sure what that was about.

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