Latest from Lakshine Sathiyanathan
The Accent Effect
N.L. accent the outlier among English speakers across Canada
Toronto linguist Jack Chambers says urban, middle-class Canadians sound alike, and no other large nation — the United States, for example — is comparably "homogeneous." The exception is the Newfoundland accent.
The Accent Effect
Why some people try to chip away at their accent
Accent reduction and accent modification refer to terms used by businesses that strive to change how a person pronounces in English. The problem is, there is no standardization in the field, says Murray Munro, a linguistics professor at Simon Fraser University.
The Accent Effect
'Accent is an irrelevant factor' if you can do the job, but it can pose a challenge during the job hunt
Denying employment over a job seeker's accent contravenes the Ontario Human Rights Code. Although language is not explicitly reflected in the Code, it is related to ancestry, ethnic origin, place of origin or race — all prohibited grounds.
The Accent Effect
What can we tell from how someone speaks?
For The Accent Effect — a CBC Toronto series looking at attitudes about accents — we spoke to three people who have navigated life in Toronto speaking with an accent. They talk candidly about the unsolicited observations, prying questions and memorable interactions.
The Accent Effect
In a city of accents, what's considered 'cute' versus 'foreign' reveals a hierarchy
By all accounts, Yunxiang Gao is a well-educated, qualified professor and her credentials and accolades speak volumes, yet some students fixate on her accent.
Friends of Andrew Kinsman, missing for over a week, desperate for leads
Close friends of Andrew Kinsman, who has been missing for over a week, pleaded for leads on his whereabouts at a Toronto police news conference.
Some Canadians used to speak with a quasi-British accent called Canadian Dainty
The age-old "tomayto-tomahto" debate may bear the remnants of Canadian Dainty, a quasi-British accent spoken by upper middle class Canadians that is now mostly extinct, according to a Toronto linguist.
'We erred,' says Toronto mas band after First Nations chief calls costumes 'disrespectful'
A Toronto-based masquerade band is apologizing after its costumes for the Toronto Caribbean Carnival portraying Indigenous people to "celebrate their true contribution to Canada" instead prompted accusations of cultural appropriation. But it stopped short of saying the costume plan would be axed.
Ontario budget 2017: Recent graduates to get a little reprieve in paying back OSAP loans
Recent graduates can soon wait until they earn $35,000 a year before they begin to repay the provincial portion of their student loans, a tweak to last year's surprise budget highlight that overhauled the Ontario Student Assistance Program.
This Toronto couple married 75 years 'know no life without each other'
Bill Challenger is still smitten by his wife of a remarkable 75 years.