Americans passing off as Canadians

[Andem]

So I meet this American guy and his Russian husband in a bar and they start chatting.. not knowing exactly where I'm from (I've a mixed accent, I suppose) and it turns out this American guy telling me he tells about 3/4 of the people in Europe he meets that he's Canadian.

I guess I wasn't part of that group because I'm an English speaker, but my first question to him was whether he knew who the Prime Minister or head of state of Canada was and the dumb look on his face was priceless.

I mean I can understand hiding your nationality if there is a negative reputation about your country's government, but atleast you can research it a little bit before going all out!

A word of advice to any Americans posing as Canadian abroad: It's pronounced ,Toronno' or ,Tronno'. A native would not refer to Toronto with the last 't' pronounced.

I don't blame anybody for wanting to hide the fact they're US-American.. there's nothing worse than being forced into a political conversation when you're just out to have a good time.

Bonus tip! Londonites and some other Brits are very good at pinpointing accents within their own language. It's not advisable to cover up as an American if you're in the UK.. that and the fact most Brits have more knowledge of Canada than US-American do.

 

[karrie]

It's so unfortunate they need to do that at all. But I can totally see what you're saying about not wanting to get drawn into political discussions when you're just away on vacation.

 

[Niflmir]

I remember reading a while back about a pack you could order in the US to help pretend to be Canadian. It included a maple leaf you could stitch on your back and a booklet with some typical Canadian trivia. I always thought it was a bit of a joke.

 

[thomaska]

Be a lot easier to ignore the would-be political conversationalist, or just tell them to shove off...or maybe he should have had his "hubby" do it.

 

[Hazmart]

I personally say Tronno!
I met simular people when I was traveling around New Zealand and Australia.
It is quite funny when they do not realize that there is a 'real' Canadian there!

 

[triedit]

Ive lived in Toronto for 7 years and I couldnt pull something like that off. While I do know who the PM is and some basic Canadian history, I still say the T *grin*

 

[Andem]

Be a lot easier to ignore the would-be political conversationalist, or just tell them to shove off...or maybe he should have had his "hubby" do it.

It's not really would-be political conversationalists, but people get curious and ask a lot of questions which no doubt have a lot of do with US foreign policy and US politics.

You don't have to put hubby in quotes, it's legal in Germany.

 

[Kreskin]

I pronounce it Torontatoto.

 

[darkbeaver]

Someday soon pretending to be Canadian will be counterproductive.

 

[Toro]

So I meet this American guy and his Russian husband in a bar and they start chatting.. not knowing exactly where I'm from (I've a mixed accent, I suppose) and it turns out this American guy telling me he tells about 3/4 of the people in Europe he meets that he's Canadian.

I guess I wasn't part of that group because I'm an English speaker, but my first question to him was whether he knew who the Prime Minister or head of state of Canada was and the dumb look on his face was priceless.

I mean I can understand hiding your nationality if there is a negative reputation about your country's government, but atleast you can research it a little bit before going all out!

A word of advice to any Americans posing as Canadian abroad: It's pronounced ,Toronno' or ,Tronno'. A native would not refer to Toronto with the last 't' pronounced.

I don't blame anybody for wanting to hide the fact they're US-American.. there's nothing worse than being forced into a political conversation when you're just out to have a good time.

Bonus tip! Londonites and some other Brits are very good at pinpointing accents within their own language. It's not advisable to cover up as an American if you're in the UK.. that and the fact most Brits have more knowledge of Canada than US-American do.

When I lived in the UK, everyone thought I was Irish.

When I was backpacking in Turkey, I gave an American a Canadian flag to sew onto his backpack. He was going into the eastern part of the country and wanted to hide his nationality. That was in the early 1990s.

But my Canadian pin didn't help me in Paris.

 

[warrior_won]

While I do know who the PM is and some basic Canadian history, I still say the T *grin*

I'm a natural born Canadian as well. Lived in Toronto for a spell. Lived on the East coast for a bit, and spent the majority of my life in Southern Ontario. I have always pronounced the second 't' in the word Toronto. Aside from one uncle, everyone I know pronounces the second 't'.

From watching a fair bit of Canadian television, and noting that Toronto, Canada's largest city, gets just as much media coverage as, if not more than, Ottawa, I'm of the opinion that pronunciation of the second 't' is de facto among Canadians.

 

[Unforgiven]

Not as ignorant about their foreign policy as one might think. :roll:

 

[Nuggler]

Tore-on-TOE.........yep, the last t gets the emphasis. '

As in:

No gawdam way am I from Tor-on-TOE, eh!!8O

Some say Torrawnna.

:read2:

 

[Sal]

A word of advice to any Americans posing as Canadian abroad: It's pronounced ,Toronno' or ,Tronno'. A native would not refer to Toronto with the last 't' pronounced.

Haaa yeah. Tronno for me. But if I say it enough I get dizzy.

 

[Andem]

Haaa yeah. Tronno for me. But if I say it enough I get dizzy.

Most people who say they don't say it, who are infact from Toronto, say it. Just listen very closely Toronno.. sometimes there's a very very slight "T" sound, but it's closer to Toronno.

 

[DurkaDurka]

Most people who say they don't say it, who are infact from Toronto, say it. Just listen very closely Toronno.. sometimes there's a very very slight "T" sound, but it's closer to Toronno.

If I try to pronounce the "T" in the end of Toronto it feels forced, Toranna it is.

 

[earth_as_one]

The trouble with non-Canadians posing as Canadians is that it makes travel riskier for Canadians.

 

[gopher]

``I don't blame anybody for wanting to hide the fact they're US-American.. there's nothing worse than being forced into a political conversation when you're just out to have a good time.``


I suppose the right wingers here will want to chalk that up to Clinton once again.


:lol:

 

[hermite]

I was in France back in the 80's. Doing an internship so everyone knew I was from a US university. But on the streets, asking for directions, or in a bar or restaurant, I said I was Canadian. And I was always treated better for saying that.

 

[earth_as_one]

The trouble with non-Canadians posing as Canadians is that it makes travel riskier for Canadians.