I’ve never really heard anyone pronounce it like aboot (as in "rain boots). More like abeut (as in beutiful) or abowt (as in ‘bow down’). Is it because I’m from Ontario?
I can’t speak for others, but out here on the west coast, I say it more like “a-bow-oot”. I could then see how it morphs into the stereotypical “a-boot”.
I’ve got a theory about that. As someone from the US, I’ve tried pronouncing “about” the way people from Ontario do… and it’s really hard. It’s a sound we just don’t make in our accent. Which is why I suspect that so many Americans say that you say “aboot” - not because you literally say “aboot,” but because it’s the closest approximation many of us can make to your pronunciation.
I’ve never really heard anyone pronounce it like aboot (as in "rain boots). More like abeut (as in beutiful) or abowt (as in ‘bow down’). Is it because I’m from Ontario?
I can’t speak for others, but out here on the west coast, I say it more like “a-bow-oot”. I could then see how it morphs into the stereotypical “a-boot”.
I’ve got a theory about that. As someone from the US, I’ve tried pronouncing “about” the way people from Ontario do… and it’s really hard. It’s a sound we just don’t make in our accent. Which is why I suspect that so many Americans say that you say “aboot” - not because you literally say “aboot,” but because it’s the closest approximation many of us can make to your pronunciation.
In other words, it’s a skill issue on our part.
Maybe it’s me or which province’s media I’m listening to but I hear something closer to “aboat”.