Canadian Raising: A Different Vowel Shift

Canadian Raising is an interesting characteristic of North American English that affects how certain diphthongs are being raised before certain voiceless stops. Unlike the common American views which see Canadians sounding weird as they speak English, Canadian Raising is a different vowel shift than the common Canadian Vowel Shift that allows most Americans to hear the dialectal difference between the majority of American English and the dialects of Canadian English. The way in which Canadian Raise has occurred today and where it comes from, this brings forth a very interesting process in which characteristics of the vowels from the Great Vowel Shift present themselves and how this change in vowel pronunciation has made its influence in Canada and the United State today.

There will be an exploration as to what the details of what Canadian Raising is and how it is produced in what circumstances. A linking to a historical aspect of English will be made in how the tendencies of the vowel raising came from. This historical aspect will look at the vowels that are used in Britain, and how separation of populations would have effects of the Great Vowel Shift in speakers who eventually came to Eastern Canada. The spread of the vowel characteristics that is seen in Canadian Raising will be explained in the spread of Canadian English as Canadian English influences parts of upper Midwest in the United States. As we link the historical context of this vowel shift, a link to the present will be made by explaining how Canadian Raising has affected the Canadian Dialect in English and how this shift is spreading in some parts of the United States.

Canadian Raising is the process of a change or raising of certain diphthongs before voiceless cons...

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...teresting links to older forms of Middle English and linking aspects of Canadian English and certain dialects of American English to certain small sound changes in isolated parts of England, in that small language change can link the Fens of England to Canadians today. Even though Canadian Raising is unique and is an important aspect of Canadian English, Canadian Raising affects various different dialects in the United States. From many different parts of New England to the upper Midwest, Canadian Raising is affecting diphthongs in spoken language in different ways, depending on the region and who is speaking. It is uncertain as to how Canadian Raising will be used or changed in the future, but depending on how many people continue to shift the diphthong in their speech, then one will be able to understand the true origins of this interesting phenomenon came to be.