About, pasta, drama: Canuck actors on the words that bring out their accent
TORONTO — When Howie Mandel played a Boston doctor on the 1980s medical drama “St. Elsewhere” it wasn’t the medical jargon he struggled with — it was his Canadian accent.
“I can’t tell you how many times they stopped filming on ‘St. Elsewhere’ because I said ‘intes-tyne’ instead of ‘intest-tin,’ or I said ‘dra-ma’ instead of ‘draw-ma,’” says the Toronto-born “America’s Got Talent” judge.
“They just kicked the Canada out of me.”
Over Canada’s 150-year history, the Canuck English accent has varied in sound and strength, depending on the region. And it comes through more in certain words — like about, mouth, pasta, lava and avocado.