Accents, Speech Patterns and Family Life

[ElizaG]

Yeah, I can not possibly figure out how to pronounce them differently. I had friends and family that were Erin or Aaron from the South, NE, and MW and all were pronounced the same every time.

Canadian here, with some British family influence.

 

The way I grew up hearing and saying it, Erin has a shorter first syllable, and it's made just in the front of the mouth, mostly by using the lips and teeth.

 

With Aaron, the first syllable is longer, and it's made in the back of the mouth, with more throat and jaw involvement.

 

The "in" part of "Erin" is also somewhat distinguishable. It's not totally clear, but it doesn't drop out completely and turn into "un."

[Little Nyssa]

Re: Mary/marry/merry-- in certain parts of the country they ARE all pronounced the same, that is why some of you don't hear any difference. I think if you heard 'one of us' saying them differently, you would notice.

 

For example, I had a friend named Cheryl. I pronounced it "Sheh-rill" but she said this was not right, she said it sounded like I was saying "Shirr-ill" and I had to keep trying til I called her "Shay-rill" which sounded very unnatural to me, but that's how it was right, to her. :001_smile:

[GSOchristie]

We live in the South, and are from the South. My dh is from FL, so he doesn't have an accent, and mine is very slight, but my kids have thick southern accents! In fact, it has been an issue for reading because Asher had a hard time recognizing words like "am" and "Sam", because he says "ay-um" and "Say-um". I guess they've picked it up from everyone else we are around, including my family. Jackson, bless his heart, also has a lisp, and he's the one trying the hardest to teach Piper to talk :lol:.

[AimeeM]

No clue.

We live in the south, but I can tell you that when we visit my husband's Italian immigrant family in Philly, his accent becomes much more pronounced :D. Despite living in a home with accents and a second language, he normally generally speaks English with no accent... I assume because he attended school outside the home. Although it may have been the result of spending most of his adult years in the south; I say that because he attended a Catholic school that was primarily made up of other children from Italian backgrounds (if his yearbook is any indicator at least)... in the 70's... so I know his school life wasn't without some "accent". Hmm.

Now I'm confused. Lol.

I grew up in the south, though my parents aren't natural southerners. My mother from FL and my father from New York. When I am around other southerners, I tend to lean towards the heavier southern accent I had as a child.

[LaxMom]

Canadian here, with some British family influence.

 

The way I grew up hearing and saying it, Erin has a shorter first syllable, and it's made just in the front of the mouth, mostly by using the lips and teeth.

 

With Aaron, the first syllable is longer, and it's made in the back of the mouth, with more throat and jaw involvement.

 

The "in" part of "Erin" is also somewhat distinguishable. It's not totally clear, but it doesn't drop out completely and turn into "un."

 

Yes. My husband is AIR-un. The female name is EH-rin.

[SquirrellyMama]

:iagree:

 

But then I had a woman I worked with screaming at me once that her name was "Dawn", not "Don". Since I pronounce Dawn the same as Don, even when talking about the sunrise, her anger surprised me but baffled me at the same time because I couldn't make my mouth pronounce them differently. She had moved to the PNW from somewhere in the NE and I think she must have been angry a lot at how people pronounced her name because everyone I know here pronounces Don and Dawn exactly the same.

 

(I pronounce Mary, marry and merry all the same too.)

 

I know the difference between Dawn and Don but I also pronounce those the same. I have to really work at it to get them to sound different.

 

Kelly

[SquirrellyMama]

Yes. My husband is AIR-un. The female name is EH-rin.

 

Ok, I can see the difference in those. I say both of those as "Air un".

 

Kelly

[Jean in Newcastle]

Thinking back to my linquistics class many eons ago, I remember something about phonetic significance. Some sounds are significant in that they change the meaning of the word. Some sounds are not significant in certain languages, but are significant in others. Even within the English language there is variation on what sounds (esp. within certain words) that are considered significant or not. So while I might be able to hear the difference between pronunciation between different recordings of different people, I sort of filter out the differences and count them as all meaning the same thing. It sounds like the people from places that have more sounds that are phonetically significant have a harder time accepting the pronunciation of people from places that lump a wider variation of sounds into a general "a" sound or whatever.

[ElaineJ]

I was just about to ask a question about this when I saw this thread. I've been watching an episode of House Hunter International. The couple, a husband from England and a wife from the US South, live in England. The wife has dropped her Southern accent and adopted an English accent. I find her rather annoying and I wondered if Europeans found Americans who adopt their accent annoying.

 

I love accents so I find it sad when someone throws their accent off for a new one. I can understand losing some of it over time but this woman is over the top.

 

Kelly

 

I'm curious about the number of people who find those who adopt the accents of countries they've spent time in to be annoying. Do we Americans feel the same about immigrants from other countries who adopt an American accent? I do notice that the annoyance is mostly directed at people acquiring a British accent and wonder if that is because that accent is (for some reason unknown to me) stereotyped as snobbish in America.

 

Elaine

[stripe]

I'm curious about the number of people who find those who adopt the accents of countries they've spent time in to be annoying. Do we Americans feel the same about immigrants from other countries who adopt an American accent?

 

I don't have an opinion on people's desire for an American accent. However, if they were English speaking before, that is a bit different than being someone who knew no English before, I think, maybe.

 

I don't find people who have actually immigrated to be annoying if their accent changes. I find it annoying when they pretend they've had an accent change after a week vacation (hence my example about "my flat") and pretend they cannot understand American English anymore.

Edited September 23, 2012 by stripe

[Wendi]

Well, my Massachusetts parents moved us to central Florida when I was 2yo and my brother was 4yo. We both grew up talking like Floridians. Central Florida is full of people from other places, so there's not a strong accent, although "y'all" is used. :D

 

To my Yankee cousins who visited, I sounded extremely southern. They sounded weird to me. I used to tease my mom (whose accent faded quite a bit over time) for saying "pahk" and "pahty".

 

Wendi

[Julie Smith]

I can't find the previous poster who said they, or a family member has no accent. How is that possible?

 

For example my dh has, to me and everyone in the area no accent. But to some people in the US he has a Canadian accent. Isn't accent, or lack of accent just prespective?

 

:grouphug: (happy face picked out by my son)

[stripe]

I can't find the previous poster who said they, or a family member has no accent. How is that possible?

Several people said it.

 

Dh has no accent at all.

 

;) everyone has an accent

[PeacefulChaos]

I can't find the previous poster who said they, or a family member has no accent. How is that possible?

 

For example my dh has, to me and everyone in the area no accent. But to some people in the US he has a Canadian accent. Isn't accent, or lack of accent just prespective?

 

:grouphug: (happy face picked out by my son)

 

It might have been me. I don't think we have an accent -- we don't sound like southerners, or new englanders, or northerners, etc. To me the midwest has the least accent. That said, I grew up there (at least as a teenager) and it's what I'm used to, so it is perspective.

I also don't consider DH to have much of an accent (though he has more than some) but a lot of that is in comparison to others who live around us. :)

[momma2three]

I'm curious about the number of people who find those who adopt the accents of countries they've spent time in to be annoying. Do we Americans feel the same about immigrants from other countries who adopt an American accent? I do notice that the annoyance is mostly directed at people acquiring a British accent and wonder if that is because that accent is (for some reason unknown to me) stereotyped as snobbish in America.

 

Elaine

 

I think it's more when people go to the UK for vacation and come back with a brand new accent. IME it's usually done as bragging... "Oh, shall we take the lift! Oh, sill me! You Americans call it the elevator, don't you." Said by someone who spent 2 weeks on vacation in London 6 months ago and hasn't stopped talking about it.

[momma2three]

Oh, I do have a funny story about my bi-lingual children.

 

(DH is English, I am American.)

 

DD came running in the room, saying "[brother] fotted!"

Me: "fotted?"

DD: "Yes, and it was DISGUSTING! Everything smells now!"

 

LOL, I guess maybe I don't say "fart" enough, so she picked up the way DH says it. :lol:

[Sahamamama]

Both home and school. I think our speech is a combination of everything we hear and are exposed to, perhaps even including what we read (if we are influenced by books).

 

Before they started school, my British friend's two adorable sons used to say, "Shall we turn the light on in the GAR-age for Dad?" It was so cute. Then her eldest son started school, and lost most of his British accent. She was sad, but accepted it as a normal part of raising her children in the US.

 

My husband's Egyptian cousin spent a year as an exchange student in North Carolina. Before going back to Egypt, she spent time with extended family in California. They still talk about how she spoke Arabic with a Southern accent. She really did, and it was funny. Arabic with a twang is not what you expect to hear, KWIM? It didn't juxtapose.

 

When I get off the phone from talking with my in-laws, my English has an Egyptian accent. When I'm done talking to my friends in Missouri, I have a little twang. When I've been watching Downton Abbey at night, the girls tell me I "talk British" first thing the next morning. When we have our West African friends for dinner, we sound more French/West African for a while after they leave.

[stripe]

DD came running in the room, saying "[brother] fotted!"

Me: "fotted?"

DD: "Yes, and it was DISGUSTING! Everything smells now!"

Heh. Yeah, but "fork" isn't quite so funny. ;) heh. I speak from experience.

[SquirrellyMama]

I'm curious about the number of people who find those who adopt the accents of countries they've spent time in to be annoying. Do we Americans feel the same about immigrants from other countries who adopt an American accent? I do notice that the annoyance is mostly directed at people acquiring a British accent and wonder if that is because that accent is (for some reason unknown to me) stereotyped as snobbish in America.

 

Elaine

 

I love British accents so I'm not sure that is the reason why it bothered me. The lady in the show was just plain annoying anyway. She had this dream of what it should look like to live in England, complete with quaint English cottage. Even her dh and realtor were annoyed.

 

She annoyed me because it seemed like she set out to throw off what she was. I like to think that people are proud of where they come from, wherever they come from. I would prefer to keep my own accent/identity should I move to a different part of this country or to a new country. It is a part of who I am. I'm always so sad when I hear my brother talk. He grew up in Scotland with him mom and he had the best accent but has lost most of it. I know that is mainly because he hasn't lived in Scotland for more than half his life now and has moved and lived in several countries.

 

So, I guess it isn't about someone acquiring a new accent but trying to. I wondered if that irritated other people.

 

I hope that makes more sense.

 

Kelly

Edited September 23, 2012 by kwiech

[Crimson Wife]

How do you pronounce Erin? I would pronounce both of those names the same way.

 

Kelly

 

Erin has a short e in the first syllable

 

Aaron has a short a in the first syllable.

 

Neither one has an "air" sound. To get that sound, the name would have to be Aren, kind of like Maren without the m.

[Laura Corin]

My kids all have a British accent despite never having set foot in England. Their dad moved her about 15 years ago so his accent is somewhat diluted. They are with me most of the time, yet they've picked up his accent.

 

People comment on it all the time.

 

My boys sound British to Americans and American to Brits. I'm English, their father is American and they only moved to the UK four years ago, having grown up in Asia.

 

Laura

[mumto2]

Dh and I still speak midwest american after six years in the UK. The kids have a slight Brit accent according to my mom. The oddest thing is I no longer hear Americans in crowds. I may spot them by their behavior then listen for confirmation. But I just don't notice usually. English is english unless really strong accent.

 

Someone called me inquiring about home ed. Left a long message. I listened to the whole thing and wasn't sure how to handle it so passed it on to Dh for his input. The first words out of his mouth were you do know she is American -- well no, I really hadn't noticed.

[Laura Corin]

But.. they do all sound the same. I don't say "Mayree" but I do pronounce them all "Mare-ee". I'm curious how you think they sound.

 

Kelly

 

Mary is 'mare-ee'

Marry is 'Mah-ree' (short 'a')

Merry is 'Meh-ree'

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

DH drives me nuts because his sister is Erin and my cousin is Aaron and he pronounces both the same (with the same vowel sound as "air"). So I have to keep asking whom he means. :glare:

 

To me Erin is 'Eh-rin' and Aaron is 'Aa-ruhn'.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

...everyone I know here pronounces Don and Dawn exactly the same.

 

(I pronounce Mary, marry and merry all the same too.)

 

Dawn has lips forward, as in 'awe', but Don has a short 'o' as in 'off'.

 

Laura

[justamouse]

Dh and I still speak midwest american after six years in the UK. The kids have a slight Brit accent according to my mom. The oddest thing is I no longer hear Americans in crowds. I may spot them by their behavior then listen for confirmation. But I just don't notice usually. English is english unless really strong accent.

 

Someone called me inquiring about home ed. Left a long message. I listened to the whole thing and wasn't sure how to handle it so passed it on to Dh for his input. The first words out of his mouth were you do know she is American -- well no, I really hadn't noticed.

 

total hijack

 

Please tell? :D I want to know what not to do.

[Laura Corin]

 

The first time my husband said "squirrel," I seriously had no idea what he just said. The only person I've ever heard who says it anything like him was David Attenborough in one of the nature documentaries. I laughed so hard.

 

... say 'squirrel' as if it were one syllable: skwirl. I say it with two: skwi-ruhl.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

It might have been me. I don't think we have an accent -- we don't sound like southerners, or new englanders, or northerners, etc.

 

Laura

[Laura Corin]

total hijack

 

Please tell? :D I want to know what not to do.

 

They are more expansive in their gestures so they take up more visual space. They are - in general - not used to the 'rules' for public transport in the UK (speak quietly and don't interact unless there is a disruption to the schedule). They also wear white trainers (tennis shoes).

 

Please note: none of these are criticisms (before I get jumped on for being anti-American). Rick Steves makes similar observations in his UK book.

 

Laura

[Deb in NZ]

Dh is a NZer & I am American. Our dc understand both dialects, but tend to use NZ vocabulary (ie "lift" instead of "elevator", etc.)

 

Dd picks up accents very easily, without even being aware of it. We lived in Fiji when she was 2yo-6yo. When we left she spoke English like a Fijian out of the village (but spoke no Fijian :confused: ). We moved to NZ & our neighbors were from England. Soon she had lost her Fijian accent, replacing it with a British accent :001_huh: . Most recently she has a bit of a South African accent as she had a flatmate at uni for 2 years from SA. Some people just naturally adjust how they speak to their environment.

 

Here in NZ people think our dc have a slight American accent, but more from the American vocabulary than from how they pronounce their words. When we go visit my family everyone thinks we all have NZ accents. When my dc were young I would spend the time traveling refreshing their American English skills :lol: so that they could be more easily understood.

 

I usually don't even detect American accents anymore, unless they are really strong. I don't think I have an accent anymore, but dh tells me that when speaking on the phone my accent is quite apparent. I, also, tend to speak louder than NZers (but not as loud as most Americans ;) ) & I keep steady eye contact with whomever I am speaking. It is not common for Polynesians to hold eye contact, so this can sometimes be wrongly taken as me being aggressive. Body language is often as enlightening as accent as to where someone is from.

 

JMHO,

[Caroline]

... say 'squirrel' as if it were one syllable: skwirl. I say it with two: skwi-ruhl.

 

Laura

 

We have a good friend from Bolton, England. We had a discussion last night about the word squirrel. He says it with two syllables.

[TravelingChris]

I am another one of those who picks up accents without thinking. I think it has to do with my being bilingual by the age of 6, and then learning more languages in later years. Also, having lived three years in Europe just made me even more likely to do this. I get mixed up at times too- like when I first got to Belgium, the last language I had studied was Spanish. I had studied French too, but earlier in my life. So when we were looking at houses to rent, and this was the one we rented, I was trying to start a conversation with the Mrs. of the landlord couple about my pet, a cat. So what did I say? J'ai un gato- which sounder to her like J'ai un gatauex - which means I have a cake. Gato is the Spanish word for cat. I should have said J'ai un chat. They rented to us anyway.

 

But in terms of using English terms in stead of American terms, don't most people know both? Even before I had visited England, I knew that a lorry is a truck, a torch is a flashlight, a boot is a car trunk, etc. Some I didn't know but learned very quickly like round about which is a traffic circle. Let or rent, lift or elevator, who really cares? Some of these words are different in Canada too. Probably Australians, New Zealanders, SOuth Africans and others have some differing terms too.

 

Oh, and in terms of accents, all people have one. You may just think it is normal and there is none there but others will hear it. And there is no one British Accent- there are many, just like there isn't one American accent, there are many. Our accents are not just from places or parents. They often have a lot to do with our social class. For example, you generally hear the thickest regional accents of any given area by the lower classes. The upper classes, who usually have the most education, generally have the mildest accents. I have found that to be true to a large extent in any area I have visited or lived.

[stripe]

Erin has a short e in the first syllable

 

Aaron has a short a in the first syllable.

 

Neither one has an "air" sound. To get that sound, the name would have to be Aren, kind of like Maren without the m.

 

Some regional accents are more nasal. The governor of Michigan says the first syllable of "economy" and "job" almost as if they have a short "a" sound, very nasal. Similarly, Erin/Aaron can be air-y.

[black_midori]

I'd guess at school as well, or from close friends outside of school. I grew up in NC and FL (switching back and forth for the military) and never thought I had an accent until randomly one day as an adult some guy told me I was TOTALLY from NC because he could tell by my accent... ? My dad and mom lived there as well, but didn't grow up there or have accents.

[stripe]

... say 'squirrel' as if it were one syllable: skwirl. I say it with two: skwi-ruhl.

 

Laura

Yes, that's more along the lines of how he says it. I was so tickled to hear anyone else say anything like it.

Edited September 24, 2012 by stripe

[Belacqua]

Yes, that's more along the lines of how he says it. I was so tickled to hear anyone else say anything like it.

 

My husband says skwi-[r]uhl, as well (the "r" is kind of swallowed). It was years before I could distinguish his "squirrel" from his "squiggle," which led to some interesting discussions about cupcake decoration.

[mlbuchina]

I guess I got my accent from my family mostly. Some have a thicker southern accent than others, but once I started studying a foreign language, mine started to mellow out. When I lived in Norfolk, VA, I lost even more of it. When I would come home for visits, my family would joke about my northern accent. When I went back to VA, my friends would make fun of my newly thickened southern one. Then I lived in south TX, and started to pick up Tex-Mex. Currently, I have been watching the UK Top Gear a lot (and I mean A LOT, I love that show!), and I find I have to stop myself from calling the windshield a windscreen, the trunk a boot, and the hood the bonnet. :lol:

 

Both my dc have typical southern accents, but my younger dd's is much thicker. It gets on my nerves! Man is not a three syllable word for heaven's sake! :D

[Little Nyssa]

Ha! We are reading the Secret Garden and I'm trying to read Martha and Dickon in broad Yorkshire. :001_smile:

[JennyD]

I am loving this thread.

 

DH and I both grew up in NJ, my parents have strong NYC outer-borough accents, and I spent much of my adult life in NYC. Compared to my mother, I sound like a TV anchorperson, but really, that's not saying much. To her, Don and Dawn are different, but throw an "r" in there to make that first one "Dorn" and now they're both Dawn for sure. I once had a long, immensely frustrating conversation with her about covering a wall in -- I thought she said -- caulk. She was actually talking about "cork," fortunately for the wall. Those lost "r"s usually go to the end of words ending in "a," -- e.g., Mahther Stewart, idear.

 

Anyway, now i live in Tennessee, and even though I still can't hear my own accent I am no longer under the delusion that I sound like an anchorperson. I am also quite sure that I speak rather too quickly (I teach, so I am working on this) and wave my hands around inordinately (probably hopeless). My 7yo definitely has a NY accent, as well as a lot of the idioms, but we've only been here a year, and I suspect it will fade with time.

 

DH's aunt speaks English with a strong NJ accent overlaying her Chinese accent. It's awesome.

Edited September 24, 2012 by JennyD

[ondreeuh]

Erin has a short e in the first syllable

 

Aaron has a short a in the first syllable.

 

Neither one has an "air" sound. To get that sound, the name would have to be Aren, kind of like Maren without the m.

 

Tell that to my sister, who named her son Aaron and pronounces it "Air-un".