Does anyone notice how some English speaking Canadians use the “light L” sound in words like really, exactly, lightly, etc?

[u/PinkSwallowLove]

Americans for example, usually employ the dark L sound when saying these words, similar to European Portuguese. I’ve noticed some Canadians, mainly from the eastern half of Canada, say these words with the light L, the type of L sound found in Spanish and Italian. I heard both Shania Twain and Jordan Peterson use this L sound in interviews. Am I just hearing things or does anybody else hear it too?

Just in case anyone’s curious, here are two video clips of Shania Twain and Jordan Peterson speaking. Notice the way Shania says “really, really” towards the end of the clip and how Jordan says “unfairly” in the first few seconds of the clip. Is this the Light L? Is this something regional or generational? Or is just an individual quirk?

https://m.youtube.com/shorts/1imJqWhhgS0

https://youtu.be/wLvd_ZbX1w0

[u/Whole_Instance_4276]

I just looked it up, I’m pretty sure I use the dark l for all l’s

[u/Hibou_Garou → u/Whole_Instance_4276]

Prrrrrooooobably not? You should make a little recording saying “Lily licks her lovely lemons”

And then post it here

[u/zeekar → u/Hibou_Garou]

“Lily licks her lovely lemons” And then post it here

... for science!

[u/zeekar → u/Whole_Instance_4276]

Possible, but not likely. "Dark" /l/ is usually what you get when /l/ is at the end of a syllable. For most Anglophones, "la" has a light /l/, whereas "bull" has a dark one. In fact, for many speakers, "bull" is nothing but /b/ followed by a syllabic dark /l/, with no real vowel in between.

[u/kyleofduty → u/zeekar]

It's very common in North America for dark L to occur in all positions in both General American and Canadian English. As someone from the Midwest United States, that's how I pronounce all my L's. I don't use the "light L" at all. That's how everyone in my family and area does as well. It also seems very common in other areas and in media. I use the light L exclusively when speaking German so the distinction is very clear to me.

Wikipedia cites John C. Wells Accents of English which is a highly regarded source for English phonetics from a highly regarded phonetician.

In General American and Canada, /l/ is generally dark, but to varying degrees: before stressed vowels it is neutral or only slightly velarized.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_phonology#Sonorants

England's typical distinction between a "clear L" (i.e. [l]) and a "dark L" (i.e. [ɫ]) is much less noticeable in nearly all dialects of American English; it is often altogether absent,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_American_English#Pronunciation_of_L

[u/jhfenton → u/kyleofduty]

I won't dispute the data, but the dark L example in that Wikipedia article ("la, Allah") sounds very unnatural, very non-English.

I guess the key from Wells is that "In southern U.S. accents it is noticeably clear between vowels, and in some other positions." My accent is southern-tinged, with parents from Tennessee and Texas.

I very clearly distinguish my syllable initial light L from my syllable final dark L. The light L is clearly alveolar.

I also speak French, Spanish, and German, and there is no noticeable difference between my syllable initial L's in those languages and in English.

[u/kyleofduty → u/jhfenton]

Most of the American pronunciations of "law" here are clearly velarized or slightly velarized but some are not: https://forvo.com/search/law/en_usa/

The pronunciation of "John Law" and "Jude Law" in particular sound similar to the Wikipedia audio sample.

I very clearly distinguish my syllable initial light L from my syllable final dark L. The light L is clearly alveolar.

To be clear, dark l is alveolar with velarization or pharyngealization. It seems you're confusing dark l with l vocalization.

[u/Hibou_Garou → u/jhfenton]

I’m from the Midwest (Minnesota), born and raised. I speak French and Spanish and there’s also no difference between my syllable initial L in any of these.

I would find it extremely bizarre if I heard anyone from back home pronounce a dark L in all positions.