Ontario 11

Listen to Ontario 11, a 19-year-old woman from Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Click or tap the triangle-shaped play button to hear the subject.

Both as a courtesy and to comply with copyright law, please remember to credit IDEA for direct or indirect use of samples. IDEA is a free resource; please consider supporting us. And for a greater understanding of the International Phonetic Alphabet, which is used extensively on this site, please consult this free resource.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

AGE: 19

DATE OF BIRTH (DD/MM/YYYY): 1989

PLACE OF BIRTH: Fergus, Ontario, Canada

GENDER: female

ETHNICITY: Caucasian

OCCUPATION: student and teacher (working in theatre and with people with disabilities)

EDUCATION: university

AREA(S) OF RESIDENCE OUTSIDE REPRESENTATIVE REGION FOR LONGER THAN SIX MONTHS:

She was raised in Guelph, Ontario, and had lived in Toronto for three years at the time of this recording.

OTHER INFLUENCES ON SPEECH: N/A

The text used in our recordings of scripted speech can be found by clicking here.

RECORDED BY: John Fleming

DATE OF RECORDING (DD/MM/YYYY): 24/10/2008

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF SCRIPTED SPEECH:

wʌɫ hɪə˞z ə ˈstoɚ.ɨ fə˞ jɪu ˈsɛə˞.ɹə ˈpɛə˞.ɹi wʌz ə ˈvɛ.də˞ˌnɛə˞.ɹi
Well, here’s a story for you: Sarah Perry was a veterinary

nɜ˞s hu hæz bin ˈwɜ˞.kɪŋ ɪn ðə dɪˈzɜ˞dɪd ˈdɪs.tɹ̬əkt ʌv ðə
nurse who had been working in the deserted district of the

ˈtɛə˞.ɹəˌtɔə˞.ɹ fə˞ ə ɫɔŋ̜ taɪm soʊ ʃɪ wəz vɛə˞ ˈhæ.pɨ tə staə˞t̬ə
territory for a long time, so she was very happy to start a

nɪu dʒɒb æt səˈpɜ˞b ˈpɹaɪ.vɪt̚ ˈpɹæk̚.tɪ̬s ɪn nɔə˞θ skwɛə˞ nɪə˞
new job at a superb private practice in north square near

duk stɹitʰ ˈtʰaʊ.ə˞ ði ˈɛə˞.ɹi.ə wəz mʌtʃ ˈnɪə˞.ə˞ fɔə˞ hɜ˞ ənd
Duke Street Tower. The area was much nearer for her and

mɔə˞ tu hə˞ ˈlɐɪ.kɪŋ ˈivən soʊ̜ ɑn ðə fɜ˞st̚ ˈmɔə˞.nɪŋ ʃi fɛɫt̚
more to her liking. Even so, on the first morning, she felt

stɹɛstʰ ʃi eɪt ə boʊɫ əf ˈpɔə˞.ɪdʒ tʃɛktʰ hə˞ˈsʌɫf ɪn ðə
stressed. She ate a bowl of porridge, checked herself in the

mɪə˞ː ənd̚ wɑʃt̬ hə˞ feɪs ɪnə hɜ˞.ɹi ðɛn ʃi pʊt̬ɑn ə
mirror and washed her face in a hurry. Then she put on a

pleɪɲ ˈjɛ.loʊ dɹɛs ɛn ə flis ˈdʒæ.kɪt̚ pɪkt̬ʌp hɚ kɪtʰ ɛn
plain yellow dress and a fleece jacket, picked up her kit and

ˈhɛ.dɪd fə˞ wɜ˞k
headed for work.

wɛn ʃi ɡɑt̚ ˈðɛə˞ ðɚ wəz ə ˈwʊ.mɪn wɪθ ə ɡus
When she got there, there was a woman with a goose

ˈweɪ.ɾɪŋ fɔə˞ hə˞ ðə ˈwʊ.mɪn ɡeɪv ˈsɛə˞(.ɹə) ən ʌˈfɪ.ʃəɫ lɛ.də˞ fɹəm
waiting for her. The woman gave Sarah an official letter from

ðə vɛt̞ʰ ðə‿ˈlɛ.ɾə˞ ɪmˈplaɪd θət ðɪ ˈæ̃.nɪ.məɫ kʊd bɪ (ˈsɜ˞.fɪŋ) ˈsʌ.fɹɪŋ
the vet. The letter implied that the animal could be (surfing) suffering

fɹəm ə ɹɛə˞ fɔə˞m əv fʊʔ ən məʊθ dɪˈziz wɪtʃ wʌz̥
from a rare form of foot and mouth disease, which was

səˈpɹaɪ.zɪŋ bɪˈkʌz ˈnɔə˞.məɫɨ jʊ wʊd ˈoʊn.l ̃ ɨ ɛkˈspɛktʰ tə si ɪɾ
surprising, because normally you would only expect to see it

ɪn ə dɒɡ‿ə˞ ə ɡoʊ̜ t ˈsɛə˞.ɹə wʌz̥ˌsɛn.təˈmɛn.təɫ soʊ θɪs meɪd hɜ˞
in a dog or a goat. Sarah was sentimental, so this made her

fɪəɫ ˈvɛːə˞.ɹɨ ˈsɔə˞.ɹɨ fə˞ ðə ˈbɪu.ɾɪ.fʊl bɜ˞d biˈfɔə˞ lɑŋ ðætʔ̚ ˈɪ.tʃɨ ɡəus
feel very sorry for the beautiful bird. Before long, that itchy goose

biˈɡæn tə stɹʌɾ‿əˈɹaʊnd ði ˈɑ.fɪs lʌɪk ə ˈlu.nəˌtɪkʰ wɪtʃ meɪd̝
began to strut around the office like a lunatic, which made

ən ʌnˈsɛ.̞nəˌteə˞.ɹi mɛs ðə ˈɡu.sɪs ˈoʊ.nə˞ ˈmeə˞.ɹi ˈhɛə̝ ˞.ɪ.sən kɛp
an unsanitary mess. The goose’s owner, Mary Harrison, kept

ˈkɑ.̙ɫɪŋ ˈkɑ.mʌ ˈkɑ.mʌ wɪtʃ ˈseə˞.ɹə θɒt wəz‿ən ɒd
calling, “Comma, Comma,” which Sarah thought was an odd

tʃɔɪs fə˞ ə neɪm ˈkɑ.mə wəz stɹɑŋ ən hɪudʒ soʊ ɪt̚ wʊd
choice for a name. Comma was strong and huge, so it would

teɪk səm fɔə˞s tə tɹæp hɜ˞ bʊʔ ˈsɛə˞.ə hæd‿ə ˈdɪ.fə˞n‿aɪˈdi.ə
take some force to trap her, but Sarah had a different idea.

fɜ˞ʃ ʃi tɹaɪd ˈdʒɛntʔ̚.lɨ ˈstɹoʊ.kɪŋ ðə ˈɡu.sɪz ˈloʊ.ə˞ bæk wɪθ
First she tried gently stroking the goose’s lower back with

ə˞ pɑm ðɛn ˈsɪŋ.ɪŋ ə tʰun fɔə˞ hə˞ ˈfai.nəˌlɨ ʃi
her palm, then singing a tune for her. Finally, she

ədˈmɪ.nɪ.stə˞d ˈi.θə˞ hə˞ ˈɛ.fə˞ts wɜ˞ nɒt ˈfɪu.taɪəɫ ɪn noʊ taɪm
administered ether. Her efforts were not futile. In no time,

ðə ɡus biˈɡæn tə taɪ.ə˞ soʊ ˈseə˞.ə wʌz‿ˈeɪ.bəɫ tə hoʊɫd̥ˈɑn.tu
the goose began to tire, so Sarah was able to hold onto

ˈkɑ.mə əŋ ɡɪv‿ə˞ rəˈlæk.sɪŋ bæθ
Comma and give her a relaxing bath.

wʌns ˈseə˞.ə hæd ˈmɪæ.nɪdʒd tu beɪð ðə ɡus ʃə wʌɪptʰ ə˞
Once Sarah had managed to bathe the goose, she wiped her

ɑf wɪθ‿ə klɑθ ən leɪd ə˞ ɑn ðə ɹʌɪt̚ saɪd ðɛn ˈseə˞.ə
off with a cloth and laid her on the right side. Then Sarah

kənˈfɜ˞md ðə vɛts ˌdaɪ.əɡˈnɑ.sɪs ˈɑ.moʊst əˈmi.diətʔ.lɨ ʃi
confirmed the vet’s diagnosis. Almost immediately, she

ɹɪˈmɛm.bə˞d ən əˈfɛk̞ ̚.tɪ̬v ˈtɹit̚.mənt̚ ðət̚ ɹə.ˈkwaɪə˞d hɜ˞ tʊ
remembered an effective treatment that required her to

ˈmɛ.ʒə˞ əʊtʰ ə lɑɾ əv ˈmɛ.dɪˌsɪn ˈsɛə˞.ə wɔə˞nd ðət ðɪs kɔə˞s
measure out a lot of medicine. Sarah warned that this course

əv ˈtɹɪt.mənt mʌɪt bɪ əkˈspɛn.sɪv i.ðə˞ faɪv‿ə˞ sɪks taɪms ðə
of treatment might be expensive—either five or six times the

kɒst əv ˈpɛ.nɪˌsɪ.lən aɪ kænt‿əˈmæ.dʒɪn ˈpeɪ.jɪŋ soʊ mʌtʃ bət ˈmɪ.sɪs
cost of penicillin. I can’t imagine paying so much, but Mrs.

ˈhɛə˞.ɹɪ.sən wəz‿ə ˈmɪɫ.jə.nɛə˞ ɫɔɪə˞ θɒɾ ɪt̚ wəz ə fɛə˞ pɹʌɪs fɔə˞
Harrison—was a millionaire lawyer—thought it was a fair price for

ə kɪə˞
a cure.

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

ORTHOGRAPHIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH:

It’s a tradition that my mom and I go to the Rockden World Fair over the Thanksgiving weekend. And it’s pretty much one of the only things. I think it is one of the only special holiday things that we really really enjoy, and actually make time for.  And we get candy apples, and sometimes there’s a special sale or something, so we’ll get more than one each. And, um, while we’re eating that, we walk around while we’re in the candy apple tent, they have these rows upon rows of birds, and they’ll be anything from pigeons to, um, very exotic things, and then also just farm, you know, regular birds. And we eat our candy apples while we’re walking up and down, and we pretend to think what they’re saying to each other, and when, if one’s like “I’m starving,” as it’s screaming out, or the rooster’s, you know.  It’s really interesting, and sometimes it’s … I find it quite sad, actually, so my mom tries to hurry her, her experience, ’cause she loves it way more than I do, so that we can get out, because I don’t really like seeing that: caged animals.  And, uh, yeah, then we continue on to other animals; like this year we saw horse races, well, not races, more like competitions, I guess, and then there’s the derby at the end.  Where we go back to the car, get our blankets, and then go back, and watch, and cheer, and have people look because we’re so excited, and eat the rest of the food, such as beer nuts, and ju-jubes, or baked potatoes and sour cream.  Yeah.

TRANSCRIBED BY: John Fleming

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): 24/10/2008

PHONETIC TRANSCRIPTION OF UNSCRIPTED SPEECH: 

its ə tɹəˈdɪ.ʃən ðæt maɪ mɔm‿ən‿aɪ ɡoʊ tu ði ˈɹɑk.dən wɜ˞ld fɛə˞ ˈ
It’s a tradition that my mom and I go to the Rockden World Fair

oʊ.və˞ ðə ˈθæŋks.ɡɪ.vəŋ ˈwi.kənd ænd əts pɹɪ.tə mʌtʃ wʌn‿
over the Thanksgiving Weekend. And it’s pretty much one

ʌ ðɪ ˈoʊn.lɨ θɪŋs aɪ θɪŋk‿əd‿ɪs wʌn‿ʌ ðɪ ˈoʊn.lɨ ˈspɛ.ʃəl ˈhɔ.ɫɪˌdeɪ
of the only things… I think it is one of the only special holiday

θɪŋs ðət wɪ ˈɹi.li ˈɹi.li ˈen.dʒɔɪ ənd‿ˈæk.tʃʊ.lɨ meɪk taɪm fɔə˞
things that we really really enjoy, and actually make time for.

ənd wɪ ɡɛt ˈkæn.dɨ ˈæ.pəɫs ɛn ˈsʌm.taɪmz ðɛə˞z ə ˈspɛ.ʃəɫ seɪl‿
And we get candy apples, and sometimes there’s a special sale

ə˞ ˈsʌm.θəŋ soʊə wəɫ gɛt̚ mɔə˞ θən wʌn‿itʃ ɛnd‿ʌm, wɑɫ wɜ˞
or something, so we’ll get more than one each. And, um, while we’re

ˈi.təŋ ðæt wɪ wɑk‿əˈɹaʊnd wɑɫ wɜ˞ ɪːn ðə ˈkæn.dɨ ˈæ.pəl tɛnt
eating that, we walk around while we’re… in the candy apple tent,

ðeɪ hæv ðiz ɹoʊz əˈpɒn ɹoʊz əv bɜ˞dz ən ðəɫ bə ˈɜ.nə.θəŋ
they have these rows upon rows of birds, and they’ll be anything

fɹəm ˈpɪ.dʒɪnz tu ʌm ˈvɛə˞.ɨ əɡˈzɑ.dɪk θɪŋz ən ðən ˈɑl.soʊ dʒəst fɑə˞m
from pidgeons to um,very exotic things, and then also just farm,

jə noʊ ɹɜ.gə.ɫə˞ bɜ˞dz ɛnd wi ɪt ɑə˞ ˈkæn.dɨ ˈæ.pəlz wɑɫ
you know, regular birds, and we eat our candy apples while

wɜ˞ ˈwɑ.kəŋ ʌp‿ən daʊn ən wɪ pə˞ˈtɛnd tə θɪŋk wʌt
we’re walking up and down, and we pretend to think what

ðə˞ ˈseɪ.jɪŋ tʌ ɪtʃ‿ˈʌ.ðə˞ ən wɛn ɪf wʌnz laik aɪm ˈstɑə˞.vɪŋ
they’re saying to each other, and when, if one’s like “I’m starving”

æz‿ɪt̚s ˈskɹi.məŋ əʊt ɔə˞ ðə ˈɹu.stə˞z jʊ noʊ əts ˈɹɪ.lɨas
it’s screaming out, or the rooster’s, you know. It’s really

ˈɪn.tə˞.ɹəs.tɪŋ ənd ˈsʌm.taɪmz əts aɪ faɪnd‿ət kwaɪt sæd ˈak.ʃʌ.lɨ soʊ maɪ
interesting, and sometimes it’s… I find it quite sad, actually, so my

mɑm t ̆ ɹaɪz tə ˈhɜ˞.ɨ hɜ˞ hə˞ əkˈspɪə˞.ɹɪəns bəˈkʌz ʃə lʌvz‿ɪt
mom tries to hurry her, her experience, because she loves it

weɪ mɔə˞ ðən‿aɪ du soʊ ðæʔ wɪ kən gɛʔ ɛʊt̚ bɪˈkʌz aɪ dʌnt̚ ˈɹɪ.lɨ
way more than I do, so that we can get out, because I don’t really

lʌɪk ˈsi.ɪŋ ðæt keɪgd ˈæ.nɪ.məɫz ɛnd‿ɜː jæ ðɛn wi kənˈtɪ.nɪʊ
like seeing that: caged animals. And, uh, yeah, then we continue

ɔn tə ʌ.ðə˞ ˈæ.nə.məɫz lɜɪk ð ̆ ɪs jɪə˞ wɪ sɑ hɔə˞s ˈɹæ.sɪs wəl nɒt
on to other animals, like this year we saw horse races, well, not

ˈɹæ.sɪs mɔə˞ laɪk ˈkɒm.pəˌtɪ.ʃənz‿aɪ gɛs ən ðɛn ðə˞z ðə
races, more like competitions, I guess, and then there’s the

ˈdɜ˞.bɨ æt̚ ðɪ‿ɛnd wɛə˞ wɪ goʊ bæk tə ðə kɑə˞ gɛt‿ɑə˞ ˈblæŋ.kəts ən
derby at the end, where we go back to the car, get our blankets, and

ðən ɡoʊ bæk ənd wɑtʃ‿ənd tʃɪə˞ ənd hæv ˈpi.pəɫ‿ɫʊk bəˈkʌz
then go back, and watch, and cheer, and have people look because

wɜ˞ soʊ əkˈsʌɪ.dəd ənd it ðə ɹɛst‿əv ðə fɯd sʌtʃ‿əs bɪə˞ nʌts
we’re so excited, and eat the rest of the food, such as beer nuts,

ən dʒəˈdʒubz ɔə˞ beɪk pəˈteɪ.dəz‿ən sæʊə˞ kɹɪːm jæː
and ju-jubes, or baked potatoes and sour cream. Yeah.

TRANSCRIBED BY: N/A

DATE OF TRANSCRIPTION (DD/MM/YYYY): N/A

SCHOLARLY COMMENTARY:

Both the trap and price lexical sets are nasalized in this subject’s speech.  Price undergoes “Canadian raising” before a voiceless consonant, but not before a voiced consonant (e.g., “price” but not “pride”). Mouth undergoes “Canadian raising” before a voiceless consonant, but not before a voiced consonant (e.g., “mouth” but not “around”). Palm, lot, cloth and thought are generally merged as [ɑ]. Trap before a nasal sound (e.g., “animal and “can’t”) features an onglide, but in other settings doesn’t. Also, “been” and “really” are generally spoken with fleece vowel, [bin, ɹili]. The features of the dialect of mainstream English speakers in Ontario can be heard at Professor Eric Armstrong’s website (http://www.yorku.ca/earmstro/ontario/words_and_phrases.html). Ontario 11 is featured as sample number 11 on that page.

COMMENTARY BY: John Fleming

DATE OF COMMENTARY (DD/MM/YYYY): 24/10/2008

The archive provides:

• Recordings of accent/dialect speakers from the region you select.
• Text of the speakers’ biographical details.
• Scholarly commentary and analysis in some cases.
• In most cases, an orthographic transcription of the speakers’ unscripted speech.  In a small number of cases, you will also find a narrow phonetic transcription of the sample (see Phonetic Transcriptions for a complete list).  The recordings average four minutes in length and feature both the reading of one of two standard passages, and some unscripted speech. The two passages are Comma Gets a Cure (currently our standard passage) and The Rainbow Passage (used in our earliest recordings).

 

For instructional materials or coaching in the accents and dialects represented here, please go to Other Dialect Services.