[quote=“JutT”]
your newfie??[/quote]
barn n’ rais’d
Which brings me back to my point – most Newfies (the ones in St. John’s, for example), speak much more with a Newfie accent rather than the Newfie dialect.
Just listening to CBC radio, and the commander of the Canadian Forces there was talking about the situation. He was using textbook English. But man, there was definitely a Newfie accent in there somewhere. I’ll bet he’s a Newfie. Or perhaps from Cape Breton.
Where?
Really? These Newfie’s don’t use any regional words or idioms that are understood only between each other? Naturally they would want someone on the radio who would be understood by the majority of listeners. To get to be the top brass in the Canadian Military one had better sound like the majority of Canadians, or at least how the media perceives Canadians’ sound. Furthermore, I don’t really see how the context of the radio show would warrent the use of regional words. If he had of used regional words, his meaning would have escaped most listeners. I, for one, wouldn’t understand a Newfie idiom or slang word.
Point being that he was using a Newfie accent, not a Newfie dialect 
He was speaking Canadian English with a Newfie accent.
Great site, Bigthumb.
The newfie accent and the newfie dialect are two completely seperate things, though they generally go hand-in-hand. Webster’s defines “dialect” as:
a regional variety of language distinguished by features of vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation from other regional varieties and constituting together with them a single language
It says nothing about accent. You can use the newfie dialect without the accent (aka The Shipping News), or vice-versa (aka the military-radio guy). Despite what you may believe, pronounciation and accent are not the same. Anybody can say, “How’s she cuttin’, b’y?” but it sounds right different comin’ out the mout’ o’ some baywop. As you can see, I can easily simulate traditional newfie pronounciation, but not accent.
hoshq: Please ignore my arguement, as it may or may not be valid, depending on your definition of the words I used.
Dave, in 1986, I went to Newfoundland with very limited experience in spoken English and had difficulties understanding some people. About two years later, with more practice in spoken English in Moncton, I went back and I remember only two people out of maybe 40 that I couldn’t understand fully. All of them were fishermen in small communities on the West Coast. And the two that I had trouble understanding were also asked to repeat things by their friends. So I don’t think you would have much trouble to understand them.
Remember that words and slang are used in context with people gesturing and so on. Also, people are aware that you are a CFA and make necessary adjustment in their speech. Worry only if they laugh and you missed the joke!-)
Where I come from, accents vary from one village to the next. Out of a population of about 60 000 people in the region, I can easily identify from which of the three major areas a person comes from by just hearing one or two sentences. In our smaller area, an island the size of Kaien, I could identify from which village my middle school peers would come from. However, it seems that this effect is fading away. It was a result of isolated villages that aren’t anymore.
When I meet CFAs, I tend to embelish my accent, because they find it amusing.
Hey Wondermike, Da Shed looks like a cool place! Where is the Black Horse beer and the Black Horse runs by here poster?
Labatt’s Blue???
Speaking of not understanding what others say, what’s a CFA?
come from aways
throw the horse over the fence some hay by jaysuz
trow da harse o’er the fence s’me hay b’jaysuz
sarry bye, i’m a wetcoaster. just had a newfie roomate
he said da second coming won’t be in NFLD cuz dey’d never find a virgin let alone tree wise men!
[quote=“BigThumb”]Hey Wondermike, Da Shed looks like a cool place! Where is the Black Horse beer and the Black Horse runs by here poster?
Labatt’s Blue???[/quote]
I guess we just have no pride. And, as far as I know, Black Horse isn’t any good.