Actually, all accents outside of Western Canada are funny.
Hey, I’m not joking- the “flat Canadian accent” is the most sought-after speech for broadcast and has been influencing all other English speakers for so many years that all other accents are fading away. Think about it: many, many Hollywood actors are Canadian. Many news anchors and TV personalities also speak the same way. Even Queen Elizabeth’s accent was fading away, as you can hear when you compare her early speeches to the most recent.
Flat Canadian is recognised as the most widely understood English accent.
I grew up in Brooklyn and still have a lot of my Brooklynese. Even my daughter jokes about the way I say some things. I like to try and guess where folks come from by their accents. I had an adjunct professor and I recognized her upper midwest accent right away. I told her by the end of the first class I’d tell her where she was from. After class I told her I thought she was from the UP (upper peninsula) of Michigan and I was right. I think our different accents are great.
An Australian friend of mine has a t-shirt with a world map showing the countries “upside down”: Oceania etc at the top, N America etc at the bottom. It says “Oh yeah?”Basically the message is that a round planet hung in space can be seen from many perspectives.
If Rat’s U.S. arrow is pointing to Mississippi and Alabama, I’d have to say he’s not wrong. The people who live in that region do have an accent that some might think is funny.
I love seeing those “man on the street” interviews where the guy will ask some young person a really simple question like “where is the US Capitol” and they have no clue.
“Nation’s of the World”, “Wakko’s America” and “Yakko’s Universe Song” come to mind. All these songs written by Randy Rogel for Animaniacs. Look them up on YouTube.
So many people are ignorant about geography. I don’t just mean countries all around the world, but even places in the US. Pick a state, any state and then ask someone where the capital is. We have a La-Z-Boy leather recliner that was under warranty and I needed the footrest repaired. The service rep told me I’d have to take to Salt Lake City. Why there instead of Las Vegas (both had repair centers)? She said SLC was closer to where I live. (Near St George UT) Umm – no, it’s not.
SLC is about 5 hours north and LV is two hours south. She kept saying SLC was because it’s in Utah and LV is in Nevada. I argued with her. I told her that SLC was at the top of the state and I lived at the bottom of the state. I even faxed a map to her. She was resolute in her opinion. Finally, she asked if I would accept a check for $600 and relieve La-Z-Boy of any future warranty issues.I said yes, took the chair to a local upholstery/furniture repair place, paid them$75 and got it fixed. That was about 10 yrs ago and no other issues since then.
Although I read and write in the English language daily, I rarely speak it anymore. On the rare occasions when I have, I recently discovered I have developed a Spanish accent – not the phony movie stereotype, but more of the cadence and inflection of a Spanish speaker fluent in English.
There are a lot of ‘funny accents’ in the US. At one point in my career I had to translate between co-workers from California and New England, and none of them could speak proper Southern!
I’m from Philly, but moved away after high school. I ended up spending several years in Wisconsin. One time, on a visit to my parents, my mother remarked that the way I pronounced certain vowels sounded “funny” to her. I can’t remember which ones they were, but no doubt had been modified by the time I had lived in the Midwest.
At least Rat acknowledges there are other places in the world. In the comments here on gocomics·com it seems many have a hard time remembering even there are Canadians and Mexicans.
I learned geography by looking at the maps on the wall in grade school while the teacher explained stuff to the kids who didn’t get it the the first or second time.
3nemesis about 1 month ago
Stephen loves making fun of people especially when they tell him not to…
hariseldon59 about 1 month ago
Similar maps have been around for a while of course. Google, for example, ‘the world according to Reagan’.
carlsonbob about 1 month ago
What kind of accent does a talking rat have?
BasilBruce about 1 month ago
“People with funny accents” should include Texas, Georgia, Mississippi . . .
sirbadger about 1 month ago
I never memorized state capitals because I stick to the important stuff.
lavender headgear about 1 month ago
I’m proud to come from the only country where people talk normally.
iggyman about 1 month ago
Not very inclusive is he?! Isolationist!
iggyman about 1 month ago
Rat, a great deal of almost everything you eat, wear, and use comes from those other countries these days!
Robin Harwood about 1 month ago
Rat knows where the USA is. Many Americans don’t.
ImDaRealAni about 1 month ago
My takeaway is that Antarctica is the land of the funny accents, and everyone with an accent migrated from Antarctica!
legospiff about 1 month ago
Rat has spoken: Hawaii and Alaska are not part of the US
blunebottle about 1 month ago
Actually, all accents outside of Western Canada are funny.
Hey, I’m not joking- the “flat Canadian accent” is the most sought-after speech for broadcast and has been influencing all other English speakers for so many years that all other accents are fading away. Think about it: many, many Hollywood actors are Canadian. Many news anchors and TV personalities also speak the same way. Even Queen Elizabeth’s accent was fading away, as you can hear when you compare her early speeches to the most recent.
Flat Canadian is recognised as the most widely understood English accent.
Keno21 about 1 month ago
Well, I know many Americans who aren’t from Minnesota who talk mighty funny then, don’cha know.
Tra1nman2 Premium Member about 1 month ago
I grew up in Brooklyn and still have a lot of my Brooklynese. Even my daughter jokes about the way I say some things. I like to try and guess where folks come from by their accents. I had an adjunct professor and I recognized her upper midwest accent right away. I told her by the end of the first class I’d tell her where she was from. After class I told her I thought she was from the UP (upper peninsula) of Michigan and I was right. I think our different accents are great.
orinoco womble about 1 month ago
An Australian friend of mine has a t-shirt with a world map showing the countries “upside down”: Oceania etc at the top, N America etc at the bottom. It says “Oh yeah?”Basically the message is that a round planet hung in space can be seen from many perspectives.
jshornyak about 1 month ago
At least he found his home country. There are many in the US that can’t even do that.
einarbt about 1 month ago
Explains a lot. Just too bad that the US empire forces seem to know geography. I mean, just imagine if they mistook Canada for Iran.
phritzg Premium Member about 1 month ago
If Rat’s U.S. arrow is pointing to Mississippi and Alabama, I’d have to say he’s not wrong. The people who live in that region do have an accent that some might think is funny.
Ellis97 about 1 month ago
Rat doesn’t know anything at all.
Ignatz Premium Member about 1 month ago
In Noo Yawk, we don’ tawk funny.
NeedaChuckle Premium Member about 1 month ago
That is the extent of many Americans’ knowledge of the subject.
dziner88 about 1 month ago
Has Rat been to the southern US? Or Boston? ;-)
fjc007 about 1 month ago
Don’t forget that the Mercator projection makes Africa look much smaller than its actual size.
makarnowski Premium Member about 1 month ago
‘Taint no one don’t have a dialect!
Kilrwat Premium Member about 1 month ago
Rat’s a ’Murican all right!
Brich027 about 1 month ago
Funny accents? Rat, have you ever been to Boston, Brooklyn, New Orleans, and many places in the Deep South?
[Traveler] Premium Member about 1 month ago
I love seeing those “man on the street” interviews where the guy will ask some young person a really simple question like “where is the US Capitol” and they have no clue.
jessegooddoggy about 1 month ago
He missed a few.
uniquename about 1 month ago
I’m surprised it’s not “People who don’t speak English”.
Goat from PBS about 1 month ago
Didn’t even label Alaska as part of the U.S. Bruh.
minty_Joe about 1 month ago
“Nation’s of the World”, “Wakko’s America” and “Yakko’s Universe Song” come to mind. All these songs written by Randy Rogel for Animaniacs. Look them up on YouTube.
jmcenanly about 1 month ago
Rat has obviously never been outside of whatever part of the country this comic is set in.
royq27 about 1 month ago
This map was used for broadcasting the Olympics.
well-i-never about 1 month ago
A Jeopardy champ in the Cliff Claven mold.
artegal about 1 month ago
U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!
prrdh about 1 month ago
Even more succinctly, “Us” and “Them”.
Out of the Past about 1 month ago
Where I grew up, our accents were so obvious, even we knew it.
johnschutt about 1 month ago
PLEASE don’t go political.
FRITH RA about 1 month ago
He put Alaska as having a funny accent. We don’t, y’all in Conus sound funny to us.
rugeirn about 1 month ago
Consider the possible interpretations of “USA” in other places. Lots of interesting possibilities!
KEA about 1 month ago
I was going to make a political comment… but it’s really not necessary
MayDay31 about 1 month ago
Yay! Rat’s map includes New Zealand (often left off maps) but sadly forgets Iceland and Greenland.
Sir Isaac about 1 month ago
Englishburg, Germanville, etc.
Queen of America about 1 month ago
So many people are ignorant about geography. I don’t just mean countries all around the world, but even places in the US. Pick a state, any state and then ask someone where the capital is. We have a La-Z-Boy leather recliner that was under warranty and I needed the footrest repaired. The service rep told me I’d have to take to Salt Lake City. Why there instead of Las Vegas (both had repair centers)? She said SLC was closer to where I live. (Near St George UT) Umm – no, it’s not.
SLC is about 5 hours north and LV is two hours south. She kept saying SLC was because it’s in Utah and LV is in Nevada. I argued with her. I told her that SLC was at the top of the state and I lived at the bottom of the state. I even faxed a map to her. She was resolute in her opinion. Finally, she asked if I would accept a check for $600 and relieve La-Z-Boy of any future warranty issues.I said yes, took the chair to a local upholstery/furniture repair place, paid them$75 and got it fixed. That was about 10 yrs ago and no other issues since then.
eric.franz.petras about 1 month ago
Sadly, true…most Americans.
zeexenon about 1 month ago
You’re not from around here are you … to New Yorkers, Texans, South of the Mason-Dixon Liners.
Snuffles [Previously Helikitty] about 1 month ago
He forgot Alaska. And Hawaii.
joannesshadow about 1 month ago
In those countries, Rat, YOU have the funny accent!
Buoy about 1 month ago
Them and us. Same as it ever was.
Bilan about 1 month ago
England is the one that invented English. So they have a right to say we’re (the US) the ones that talk funny.
liberalnlovinit about 1 month ago
There’s a metaphor for current events going on there, but for the life of me I can’t say what…
SuperCharged5- about 1 month ago
we have funny accents too
Linguist about 1 month ago
Although I read and write in the English language daily, I rarely speak it anymore. On the rare occasions when I have, I recently discovered I have developed a Spanish accent – not the phony movie stereotype, but more of the cadence and inflection of a Spanish speaker fluent in English.
Curiosity Premium Member about 1 month ago
There are a lot of ‘funny accents’ in the US. At one point in my career I had to translate between co-workers from California and New England, and none of them could speak proper Southern!
MarshaOstroff about 1 month ago
I’m from Philly, but moved away after high school. I ended up spending several years in Wisconsin. One time, on a visit to my parents, my mother remarked that the way I pronounced certain vowels sounded “funny” to her. I can’t remember which ones they were, but no doubt had been modified by the time I had lived in the Midwest.
Cameron1988 Premium Member about 1 month ago
Apparently Rat has never been to Boston
eddi-TBH about 1 month ago
Americans are like Dark Age peasants. We don’t care about elsewhere. It full of strangers and monsters.
unfair.de about 1 month ago
At least Rat acknowledges there are other places in the world. In the comments here on gocomics·com it seems many have a hard time remembering even there are Canadians and Mexicans.
Henry R Premium Member about 1 month ago
I’m pretty sure Rat knows there are 2 types of nations (for the most part) – those on the Metric System, and those that have walked on the Moon. :-)
Cactus-Pete about 1 month ago
Not all the other countries have names. This country (USA) doesn’t even have a name – just a description.
willie_mctell about 1 month ago
I learned geography by looking at the maps on the wall in grade school while the teacher explained stuff to the kids who didn’t get it the the first or second time.
christelisbetty 30 days ago
In Rat’s defense, most countries (large enough) have several different accents and idioms within their own languages.
Swirls Before Pine 24 days ago
Those other places have the same maps.