Dumb Americans and US/UK Editions

[blpurdom]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "mjollner" <mjollner at y...> wrote:
> >I also like the fact that the majority of list members have 
> >the 'derivative' text - it gives a suitable mystique to us Brits 
> >(and Ozzies and Canadians) who are the anointed interpreters of 
> >the original.
> 
> I dunno about Aussies, since I've never known any, but I do know 
> several Canadians, and they sound more like us Americans than 
> Brits in colloquial speech as well as accent!  Though they are 
> *thoroughly* ashamed of that fact. :-)
 
I believe Dave was referring to the fact that the Canadian versions 
of the HP books are the same as the Australian and UK versions.  
Yes, some Canadian accents sound very similar to some American 
accents (what we think of as the "stereotypical" accent, people 
saying "eh" a lot, etc. is very similar to what one hears in the 
Upper Peninsula of Michigan and in Wisconsin), but others bear more 
of a (fleeting) resemblance to some British and Scottish accents, 
especially in the far Northeast (Nova Scotia and Newfoundland).  And 
despite the fact that Canadians are also exposed day in and day out 
to American culture, it was assumed that they would be with-it 
enough to comprehend the British versions without the changes made 
for Americans.  So why DIDN'T they change the books for Canadians?  
That's probably an even better question than "Why DID they change 
them for Americans?"

--Barb