Quote:
Originally Posted by joveski
in my 31 year old years, he changes the "i" into "ae"
i thought it might be a canadian thing
is an:
Betty my true love do what you do 'toonate'
Where she goes I hope she knows she's 'rate'
The worst of 'tames' and the best of 'tames'
She was never the 'kaind' to kick and bitch and 'fate'
just like "allright" becomes "all-rate" (maybe cunuck accents think its the same thing!) 
if i sit here and listen to every album, i can probably flood the board! i thought it might be a canadian thing
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Actually what you're hearing is the Scottish influence in Canadian English.
In Canada's early days, Scots accounted for approximately 25% of the population. Today, amongst native English-speakers in Canada, about 35% are of Scots ancestry, 55% are of English heritage and the remaining 15% or so are Irish. Part of the reason why there was an influence at all is that the Scots back then ran the schools, the banks, the churches and played a large role in government (hell, our first Prime Minister was a Scot!!) In short, they played a huge role in shaping Canada's language and culture.
To most Canadians what you hear in Gord's accent is pretty subtle and passes without notice. But to Americans and other non-British speakers of the language, it's often quite noticeable. Listen to a speaker of Scots English say the words 'tonight', 'times' and 'right' and you'll hear what I'm talking about. The pronunciation may not be exactly the same but you'll hear unmistakable commonalities.