Amira Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Do you know what I wish? I'd love it if there were a way to hear voices on the Internet instead of just reading them. We communicate in English here nearly all the time, but you all sound pretty much like me in my head and that's boring. I know there has to be a huge variety of accents here and I wish there were a way to experience that online. 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I actually do not have a strong accent, but if it pleases you, by all means imagine me with a lovely Southern drawl. ;) I can do one at will. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoCandJ Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Hehe you wouldn't want to hear mine. It's a yooper/southern accent (and yes people from the upper peninsula of MI have a slightly different accent than those of the lower peninsula :D) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Everyone would giggle at me. I live in MN and I have the Fargo accent. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I find Aussie accents adorable. Mergath can make us up a "pan o' baaaaars". :D Ya'll are so quaint. ;) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liz CA Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Irish. Is there an Irish accent here? 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I heard a recording of Jennifer'sLost once. It was uncanny because she has my voice. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8circles Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I don't have an accent ;) But I'd love to hear all of yours. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndOfOrdinary Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I am from the Pacific Northwest and say "Dude", "Awesome", and "sucks" a lot. I don't know about an accent, but I definitely have distinct word choice. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albeto. Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I find Aussie accents adorable. Me too. I once found a lovely Catholic Church that I thought might really work for me. Until I realized I couldn't stop groovin' on the priest's aussie accent. :blushing: 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tsuga Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Everyone would giggle at me. I live in MN and I have the Fargo accent. I had you as that in my head because you look like a Minnesotan to me. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I don't know. Certain people here have their own voice in my head. Just me? Lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have mostly shed my Hawaiian accent but dh says it comes out when I talk to my mom on the phone. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammi K Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I've talked to online friends on Skype, and I find the accents disconcerting - they are lovely - but they make me feel I'm speaking in a very broad Aussie drawl. Americans sound so cute! and I sound like a lizard from the outback. I think strength of accents is as much perspective as reality. We lived in Australia for 6 years and I didn't think my kids sounded a bit Australian.....until we landed in the Los Angeles airport. Now that we were surrounded by American accents I realized I brought back a bunch of little Aussies. 16 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I've talked to online friends on Skype, and I find the accents disconcerting - they are lovely - but they make me feel I'm speaking in a very broad Aussie drawl. Same here! I feel ridiculous in my own accent when speaking with North Americans. And I think Aussies on US TV sound really *fake*, even if they're not. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happi duck Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 "Will you please call me Cordelia?" she said eagerly. "Call you Cordelia? Is that your name?" "No-o-o, it's not exactly my name, but I would love to be called Cordelia. It's such a perfectly elegant name." "I don't know what on earth you mean. If Cordelia isn't your name, what is?" "Anne Shirley," ---------- "Will you please imagine me with a lovely British accent?" happi duck said eagerly. "Is that your accent?" "No-o-o, not exactly but I would love to have a British accent. They're all so perfectly elegant." "I don't know what on earth you mean. If not British what is your accent? "Boring, U.S. broadcast-ish." ...sigh... :) 29 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I've talked to online friends on Skype, and I find the accents disconcerting - they are lovely - but they make me feel I'm speaking in a very broad Aussie drawl. Americans sound so cute! and I sound like a lizard from the outback. Well we Americans think our accents are boring and yours is cute! 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyJoy Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I used to attend a church with a Scottish pastor. There were a few times we had to struggle to understand him, but it was totally worth it! From a young age my sister insisted she wanted to marry a guy with an accent. She got a New Yorker, which isn't nearly as exotic/romantic as she was thinking (Irish, English, Scottish, or Australian). 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pegs Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I know a woman who sounds Aussie as anything, but has a Belfast accent when she talks with her mam. *swoonnnnn* 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I think strength of accents is as much perspective as reality. We lived in Australia for 6 years and I didn't think my kids sounded a bit Australian.....until we landed in the Los Angeles airport. Now that we were surrounded by American accents I realized I brought back a bunch of little Aussies. I don't think I sound at all North American, but apparently I'm wrong. In the supermarket the other day, a stranger asked me when (British) Mother's Day was. I replied that I thought it was in a week or two, but I wasn't sure as I didn't celebrate it. Her reply? 'Oh yes, you celebrate it later in the year, don't you?' She then confirmed that she thought I was American. That's what living with a Texan for twenty-five years gets you: you sound English to Americans and American to British people. 21 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jasperstone Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 We have Marcia from the Brady Bunch on a reality tv show amongst Aussies. And my dd thought she was putting it on, as she doesn't sound like *that* on the kids show. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melissa in Australia Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I didn't think I really had an accent until I went to Canada. nobody at all could understand me. DH had to translate everything I said into Canadian. So if you are not an Aussie then my accent is pretty strong. I even say G'day and all those types of things in everyday language. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 It took me many years to get rid of my California girl accent. But the words have stuck; they are like totally part of my heritage, dude. :) We lived in Canada for a few years and DS picked up some fun vocabulary. He still says mobile (moBILE) for cell phone and has trouble with adding in u's into words like humor/humour. We all say washroom which throws some people off. He's also a Top Gear head which adds fun words like windscreen to his daily vocabulary. It's a wonder his friends can follow him at all. We lived in MN when Fargo came out and everyone was so offended, certain that they didn't sound like that. Um yeah you do! We loved it. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 My husband often says he does not have an accent...everyone else does. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom2att Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 My daughter is studying Linguistics and has introduced me to some really interesting reading on the topic of language acquisition/accents/etc. This book is one I enjoyed very much: Do You Speak American? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MEmama Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 My daughter is studying Linguistics and has introduced me to some really interesting reading on the topic of language acquisition/accents/etc. This book is one I enjoyed very much: Do You Speak American? Ooh--I'll have to check that out! I once took some online linguistics quiz and it pinpointed me to my hometown, a place I haven't lived in 25 years. Amazing. This stuff fascinates me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFSinIL Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I can always tell, when watching a BBC program, when a Brit is channeling an "American" accent, as it sounds as exaggerated to my ears as Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins must sound to a Brit. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fruitofthewomb Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have a very pronounced Southern drawl. I get so embarrassed when I hear myself on tape. I sound like such a dumb redneck. Siri can't understand me half the time. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawthorne44 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I think strength of accents is as much perspective as reality. We lived in Australia for 6 years and I didn't think my kids sounded a bit Australian.....until we landed in the Los Angeles airport. Now that we were surrounded by American accents I realized I brought back a bunch of little Aussies. I love the Aussie accent! DH commented the other day that DD has a Texan drawl. That made me tingly with happiness. I have no idea where she got it, even though we live in Texas. Mine is 50% generic American, 35% Minnesota and 15% Texas. DH is 100% dictionary-correct American. MIL is posh British. My parents are 100% Minnesota. She spends most of her time with us. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiMi 4under3 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I am an accent chameleon: I automatically adapt to match the accent of the person I am speaking to. It's the result of speaking multiple languages, and it's completely involuntary. I hate it. I know what you mean. If I'm speaking English to my Polish family my English takes on a Polish accent automatically - I do it without thinking. And if I speak Polish to my sister, I have a heavy American accent - but not when speaking to my mom. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brehon Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Me too. I once found a lovely Catholic Church that I thought might really work for me. Until I realized I couldn't stop groovin' on the priest's aussie accent. :blushing: I will never forget my grandparents' *very* Irish priest saying "Give tanks t'God" nor my little brother laughing out loud during Mass the first time he heard it. (He was 5 or 6 at the time.) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Girls' Mom Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Very southern Tennessee specific drawl here. I sound cowntree! I feel like it makes me sound uneducated and drives me nuts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewingmama Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I didn't think I really had an accent until I went to Canada. nobody at all could understand me. DH had to translate everything I said into Canadian. So if you are not an Aussie then my accent is pretty strong. I even say G'day and all those types of things in everyday language. When I was in Canada I couldn't understand what they said LOL. I kept saying to my DH..." I know they are speaking English but I don't understand a word they are saying" It wasn't really the accent...it was they way they used language and such...I didn't get any of their culture references and when people talked to me I felt like I was listening to them in slow motion. LOL The words were the same but the meanings were all different. Now I'm all messed up... everyone in Australia asks if I am American ... I've picked up DH's accent and since he's Canadian he gets a little ticked off when people ask me that LOL. When I was younger people always used to ask me if I was a Kiwi... "No that's just my allergies" LOL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 At the age of 12, I started making a conscious effort to shed my Okie drawl and talk like the people on tv instead of the people around me. I was only moderately successful. I worked as a waitress for awhile when I was in high school, and some of my customers would ask me where I was from since I didn't sound like a local. But when I moved to NY I wasn't fooling anyone - they knew exactly where I was from! I haven't lived in OK for 20+ years now, but I still get mixed results. Some people are surprised to learn where I am from because they say that I don't have an Okie accent. On the other hand, when we vacationed in London, the very first person we talked to knew exactly what region of the US I am from! I guess I need to redouble my efforts. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I used to have a New Jersey accent but I've been in Florida long enough to lose it. I have a basic non-accent other than just generic American that many Floridians have. We have quite a mix of accents here but there isn't really a Florida accent. I have mostly shed my Hawaiian accent but dh says it comes out when I talk to my mom on the phone. My mom lost her NJ accent for the most part, but it came out when she talked on the phone to one of her sisters who still live there. It would last a few hours. I could always tell. "Who were you talking to, Aunt H or Aunt S?" 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I would really love to know what sort of "feel" American accents have to non-Americans. What I mean is that to me (and I think to many Americans), an English accent sounds very sophisticated and proper; an Australian accent sounds very warm, friendly, outgoing. So what does an American accent sound like to you? What's the first impression that it gives you? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I would really love to know what sort of "feel" American accents have to non-Americans. What I mean is that to me (and I think to many Americans), an English accent sounds very sophisticated and proper; an Australian accent sounds very warm, friendly, outgoing. So what does an American accent sound like to you? What's the first impression that it gives you? I'm no longer qualified to answer - I've been around American accents for too long. ETA: I do think that Brits are quite able to distinguish different American accents, because we grow up with them through Hollywood, etc. So the 'feel' might well vary based on which US accent it is. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I've tried to get my husband to talk to me in a British accent. He won't play. Sigh. I've got a Southern drawl...except my real Southern friends make fun of my "Yankee" accent that came from living in Florida. So I'm a mix. I'd probably annoy most of you. I'd love to have an Australian or British accent. My kids can tell when I've been listening to the BBC. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KrissiK Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have no accent. Just plain, flat California. But I'd love to have a British accent, so pretend that is how I talk! :) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have no accent. Just plain, flat California. But you do have an accent: an American accent. No one has 'no accent'. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Peregrine Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I would really love to know what sort of "feel" American accents have to non-Americans. What I mean is that to me (and I think to many Americans), an English accent sounds very sophisticated and proper; an Australian accent sounds very warm, friendly, outgoing. So what does an American accent sound like to you? What's the first impression that it gives you? I once heard a British person say it sounds like we talk with marbles in our mouths. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greta Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I once heard a British person say it sounds like we talk with marbles in our mouths. . . Oh, dear, well that's not exactly a good first impression. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alisoncooks Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Where I grew up, there is supposedly a strong local accent/dialect...however I never felt I had it. (In fact, when I go back home I never hear anything but straight up "country" -- not an accent I strive to emulate or maintain. :p Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Mine is a typical British BBC accent. A very slight hint of country & London mixed in on some words but basically modern RP. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I love my New Jersey accent, but I'm pretty sure people would prefer not to hear it, lol. ETA: Northern NJ accent. Which is vastly different from a Central or Southern NJ accent. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lailasmum Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 ETA: I do think that Brits are quite able to distinguish different American accents, because we grow up with them through Hollywood, etc. So the 'feel' might well vary based on which US accent it is. Yeah I agree, I can hear different American accents. And can usually tell Canadian accents and different Australian accents. We have so much foreign TV & film I think we all grow up hearing a lot of different accents. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Yeah I agree, I can hear different American accents. And can usually tell Canadian accents and different Australian accents. We have so much foreign TV & film I think we all grow up hearing a lot of different accents. Can I say though that what burns my biscuits is to hear an actor with a fake southern drawl. I can spot it a mile away. Ugh. It sounds so grating to me. Does a fake accent from other areas drive the natives crazy? 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Inna* Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I have an accent but no one ever can pinpoint me. It's a lot of fun to have a guessing game! :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laura Corin Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Can I say though that what burns my biscuits is to hear an actor with a fake southern drawl. I can spot it a mile away. Ugh. It sounds so grating to me. Does a fake accent from other areas drive the natives crazy? Yes. Dick Van Dyke anyone? Some actors are really good though: Meryl Streep for one. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 I am an accent chameleon: I automatically adapt to match the accent of the person I am speaking to. It's the result of speaking multiple languages, and it's completely involuntary. I hate it. I do the same thing, and I am sure it makes me sound horribly fake. It is completely involuntary, though I can mostly avoid the shift if I make a serious conscious effort. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.