And Accents...

[Maths Dude]

Ive been back in this god awful country for a year now and COUNTLESS times people have asked me 'So...where you from originally?' Some reckon I'm from Canada, England, South Africa even...so I guess I lost the Aussie accent,(good or bad?) and it seems that it hasn't or won't come back. Anyone els found they lost their accent after being in japan too long ? Perhaps it was because I was basically self employed (as a teacher) for 5 odd years and talked rarely to any gaijin. I think I spoke to an aussie twice in those 5 years, so maybe thats part of it. Or perhaps some people lose accents faster than others....shrug

[Naniwan Kid]

Wow. I would find that hard to believe. I would guess that the people you meet have a poor recognition of an Australian accent. Unless you are under 10-years-old, I doubt you could lose it so fast and not without a concentrated effort.

[Ol Dirty Gaijin]

My parents have said that my accent has changed. Did have the "where ya from" a couple of times, but mainly from people who speak with a strong Strine.
That would be everyone in Briz Vegas wouldn't it?

[GomiGirl]

Oi!! I am from vegas and I rarely speak strine...

[cliffy]

I have never been out of Aus. and am asked regularly 'Where ya from?' with most guesses being England. Before anyone accuses me of pretentions, I have had to overcome A stutter, stammer (mild) and a lisp (very pronounced) so I speak in a slightly measured manner. My accent, to my ear, is Aussie but not strine but I don't end every other sentence with AY? so I suppose I am not a true Queenslander yet?

I believe most People Use too small a sample in their decision of "true accents" and as such 'anyone not like me' is to be suspicious of. Sound familiar anybody?

[Milla]

I recently came back to England to have my baby in March and was told by my midwife I have an American accent! I've started living in Milan last April and have never lived in the Usa. Beats me why she thought that. When I was holidaying in California people mistook my accent for a Kiwi or Aussie, sure makes me laugh.

[killjoy]

[Shoukan Lingerer]

Yeah, I hear ya - In my case, after 6 years in Japan, everytime I went back home people said that my accent had become "neutral" - whatever that meant??! Now though, after almost 2 years in London, and surrounded by more Aussies than you can poke a stick at, I think my accent is broader than it was originally!

The thing that pisses me off the most is when family or friends correct your english, as if being away for a long period of time had caused you to become a non-native english speaker for some reason. Case in point:

Upon the birth of my son in London last year - Mum had travelled over from Sydney

Me: I need to speak to the Baby Doctor
Mother: (Laughs) don't you mean the paediatrician?
Me: That is what I would usually say, but everyone keeps referring to the doctor as a baby doctor
Mother: Well, you should say paediatrician

A little later, in front of the doctor:

Mother: Ah, you must be the paediatrician
Doctor: No, I am not, I am a baby doctor...

I give up! Maybe it is not the accents that are the problem....! Most of the guys here refer to a paediatrician as a baby doctor...Any Brits out there that can help me out here?

[Watcher]

While flat "teacher accent" may be one thing to try and overcome from so many years abroad I wonder how many former English teachers (and current ones, too) can't stop correcting people in their heads. I just read the article in Wired about how people can't stop thinking like life is a video game (Katamari Damarcy is apparently very addictive)... I have the same issues with language. Seems that here in North America plural forms of the verb "be" have all been replaced by singular forms. Examples: "Your shoes is by the door." "The peas is on the table". "What's their names?" It drives me mad and I hear it all the time... every single day... and now I'm catching myself speaking this uneducated southern USA hick speak. Help!

BTW I was tipped off to this by another teacher a few years ago when he had vacationed in Washington State for a month... he returned and told us all this story and I didn't believe him. Now that I know it's true I wonder if it has always been so or only since Bushisms became popular reporting fodder.

[DJEB]

...now I'm catching myself speaking this uneducated southern USA hick speak. Help!

Don't you mean "Hep!"?

[jjaappaa]

A the unbridled joy in reading this thread! I thought I was the only one! I was born in Melb, grew up in Canada and I have lived in Bris-Vegas for 19 years. But people still can't pick my accent. sometimes American, Irish, Englsih, South African etc, etc. I can't wait to get back to Japan and speak Japanese. At least in Japan I know that I am a foreigner! Not like in Aus. where I am a native but don't talk like one. My kingdom for a strine!!!

[DJEB]

At least in Japan I know that I am a foreigner! Not like in Aus. where I am a native but don't talk like one. My kingdom for a strine!!!

Just rent all the Bruce Spence movies you can and practice, practice, practice!

[Blah Pete]

Lived outside the US since '87. Whenever I go back people are never sure of where I am from. Most think from the US but are not sure which part.
I was in a store once and the clerk started talking to me in spanish. I hadn't opened my mouth once. He said I didn't walk or act like I was from the US.

[tatsujin]

I think its only natural to pick up the accent of the country you are staying/have stayed in.

I work with a lot of foreigners in my company and most of them start showing signs of the local accent after a year or so, it all depends on the environment you are in. As people its natural for us to assimilate that which is around us (advertising anyone?), accents easily falls into that bracket

When I came back from Uber Deutschland I couldn't stop saying "Scheise!" Quite strangely my mates started picking it up too!

[Buraku]

Stroke survivor develops French accent
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cj77v4jkz7ro

Different English Accents 10 yr old question

'Strong accents and rural areas correlation'
https://linguistics.stackexchange.com/q ... orrelation

En français, l’accent sera associé à une variété et sera considéré comme un écart à la norme. L'accent peut se caractériser de deux façons : par sa phonologie et par les aspects sociaux que l'on y associe.

Aussies reveal the hottest accent from around the world: 'So mesmerising'
https://au.lifestyle.yahoo.com/aussies- ... 55934.html

Dialects, local slang and sociolinguistics

The Scottish accents named the most and least 'desirable' - see full ranking
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/scottish-acce ... 06553.html

https://preply.com/en/online/s/accent-reduction-tutors

Ewan McGregor Sings Beauty & The Beast In A Mexican Accent - The Graham Norton Show

Ewan McGregor central Scotland Dundee-ish and Graham Norton Southern Irish and homosexuality and theatrical 'Father Ted'

I'm fluent in English, but my accent still feels like a barrier to acceptance
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatch ... -1.7237648
Canada from the Philippines

What accent does Butcher have in ‘The Boys’?
https://www.nme.com/news/tv/what-accent ... ys-3771902

Butcher's Anti-Therapy Rant

English woman who woke up with Welsh accent despite never visiting the country says her old dialect has finally returned - a year later
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/arti ... -back.html


Is there something worse than a Bushism, and rigorousness

maybe an old guy Joe with a telepromoter who has trouble with Rigor

'LMFAO, Joe Biden Called The Secratary Of NATO A Wigger'
https://vidmax.com/video/228444-lmfao-j ... o-a-wigger