Alberta_Rose

My OH has just started saying Worrrk! Most odd!
I'm sure it used only to have one r in the word, and that barely perceptible!

MarylandNed

The changes for the 9 year old should arrive quickly - much sooner than a year. Also 12 is still young enough to assimilate very quickly as well. I went to high school in Northern Ireland with an American kid whose Irish parents had moved back home from Buffalo, NY when he was 14. We noticed changes to his accent after only a few weeks - and he was speaking like a native after a couple of years despite being born and raised in the US.

KeithSonja

There was a girl that moved down to our school when she was 13, she had a very strong Manchester accent when she arrived - within only a few months she sounded like born and bred Hampshire Hog!

chanceUK

I worked for a year as a veterinarian in canada - I had to change the way i spoke very quickly since people found my english accent very difficult to understand and it became very frustrating to have to repeat everything multiple times.

After 6 months, I stopped being asked where in england I was from and canadians could no longer figure out my accent - A few people thought i sounded south african. Since returning to the UK, I have retained a canadian twang and it seems that I have lost my well spoken hampshire- english accent permanently. In fact, I often get mistaken for a foreigner despite being back in the UK for almost 3 years.

My accent and dialect now varies dramatically depending on who I'm talking to and I find that I'm able to switch between the two dialects easily. This is probably because I talk to my canadian boyfriend (who is still in canada) daily and visit him often.

cheeky_monkey

my kids have been in school for nearly a year with the youngest being 7..none of them have even the hint of a canadian accent..they have reatined their english accents completely and i dont know why??

MarylandNed

Very unusual - especially for the 7 year old. Do they spend much time with their friends outside of school e.g. sleepovers?

My oldest 2 girls were born in Canada and moved to the UK while quite young. They lost their Canadian accents very quickly and picked up London accents in a few months. A couple of years later we moved to the US and everyone commented on their "lovely, cute English accents". Those accents were again gone in a few months and they quickly became total Yanks.

cheeky_monkey

my older two who are 11 and 13 now do spend alot of time with their friends sleepeovers etc my youngest not so much even so i would have thought they would have changed their accents to some degree but not at all.

The4BellsLondon

We have been here 2 years - kids are now 12 and 16 - still sound British - sometimes a twang when talking quick with friends. Probably cos I beat it out of them when they get home and make them talk like Queeny

roxye3

Looks like there are no sure answers to this one as all of our experiences vary widely. I say, just let your kids grow up to become amazing people. Their experiences will make them who they are.

BIG SMILE

NatsnSid

[QUOTE=chanceUK;9074453]I worked for a year as a veterinarian in canada - I had to change the way i spoke very quickly since people found my english accent very difficult to understand and it became very frustrating to have to repeat everything multiple times.


I found the same. I have changed the way I pronounce certain words so that people can understand me. I don't get so irritated as I used to...It used to really get to me lol.

I have to say: Natalie as Nadalie, Butter as Budder for two quick examples!

I was called Leslie for the first year of my working here - where Natalie and Leslie comes together I have no idea (apart from the last 'lee' sound). One of my friends still calls me Leslie 2 years down the line - just for the craic (little %$#@@).

I do laugh at my neighbours (or neighbors!) though - because they now say "silly cow", "Silly bint" and "Sod it", the odd b**ger or numbnut! . They were telling me the other day that they now say these things as naturally as I do -(what a bad influence!). As I guess I do when I say "dink" and other local slang I get from them.

Did you know calling a woman a Silly Cow out here is tantamount to calling her the most foul swearword we have in the UK language! No neither did I - what we usually use for a silly term of endearment could get you a slap round the head here! Hence why my neighbors have picked it up to take the P out of me!

Hey ho - we live and learn! Just my tuppence of crap hahah

sabsah

It's actually natural to 'mimick' voice and body language when communicating. i've been here 18 mths & find it can help them understand you particularly if you are dealing with (non-UK) newcomers, they find a thick accent hard to understand. and I've even spoken to people who have spent decades actively resisting picking up the canadian accent.

roxye3

Imagine how hard it is for me... I'm Cockney! LOL!

I have been teaching Cockney Rhyming Slang to my friends though so this makes up for things! My plan is to get them as fluent as me so that we can talk more concentrated Cockney then that will help keep my accent strong. Am I sly or what? HAHAhAHA!

antheas

I've lived in Canada for over 30 years and still have a British accent. I came here in my early 20's. When I go back to the UK, people say that I sound Canadian (or American), but as soon as I open my mouth here, people know I'm from England. I've never tried to lose my accent, but nor have I tried to keep it. My husband is Canadian, as are most of our friends. My kids (who are now adults) think I talk funny! I suppose if you have such a thick accent that people can't understand you, you might want to try to change, but otherwise, I wouldn't try - it must be quite difficult to consciously think about your accent every time you speak.