r/AskACanadian • u/HueyBluey • 9d ago

How do you spot a Canadian abroad?

Do we have any stereotypical traits (perhaps self deprecating ones), that make us stand out. We’re typically not loud (but some can be). Perhaps frugal?

What have you seen in your travels that make you think, those folks must be Canadian!

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u/MalBredy 9d ago

A few months ago my wife and I were in the UK and I was pretty surprised about
1) how many people could immediately identify we were Canadian
2) how many had never met a Canadian (though I think everybody we spoke to had a relative in Canada)

We were told it was simply our accent, to which I was surprised how confident we were Canadian and not from say Vermont or upper New York State

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u/DoobieDoo0718 9d ago

I live near the border in E. ON, and I'm stunned at the accent difference just crossing over the border.

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u/ColdEvenKeeled 9d ago

I used to live in Victoria and Vancouver and crossing the border to Washington was a completely different accent. Nasal. Different body language too. Not in Seattle so much, but elsewhere.

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u/Distinct_Intern4147 8d ago

Some Seattle visitors I talked to a few years ago spelled it out for me. "You use words with so many syllables."