jeannie

Just my thoughts....
Lose the accent ...a.s.a.p I did when I came to Canada . It's part of fitting in it makes life easier.
Start calling things by there OZ names right away get your children to do the same. it will sound strange at first but it works (in my case anyway)...... A friend told me "I'm English I am not going to lose my accent" I asked her then way are you here ? you need to start fresh on everything ??
I will say after 40 years the accent came back but then I am not trying to fit in any more .........

tinaj

I can't understand why you must intentionally lose your accent- there are so many different cultures in Oz and most of them retain their accents because of the language barriers. Your accent will soften anyway, it always does.
I have nothing against the Aussie drawl, but I won't be going out of my way to speak it!

The Koalas

Why on earth would I want to loose my accent and start sounding Australian. I have never understand why when watching tv some Brits go to the USA and start talking like a yank!!! i am sorry but if there is one thing that winds me up it is that.
My friends are welsh have lived in OZ for 20 years and are still as welsh sounding as ever, if ever i went to see them and they started talking like an OZ I would have to tell them to get a grip. My kids will no doubt talk Ozzie if I spend many years there as they are only 4 years but an adult all of a sudden talking with a different accent NO WAY, just sounds ridiculous.
I love my accent and I am proud of it, just cause I move to a different country does not mean I will become a yocal. I only wish I could have my sons talk with a real Queens english accent, you know the sort as though they have marbels in their mouths, would go down a treat in OZ.

Pollyana

Must admit I already use a lot of Aussie words, but I really don't want to lose my British accent. Using the words just makes life easier, but theres no need to talk in an Aussie accent in order to fit in.

mr2blue

I pick up accents very quickly,last time I went to Oz after 1 month I had a right ozzie twang.
Nothing intentional it just happens,soon dissapears when I get back to sunny Essex though.

WBB

if i had an english accent i would want to lose it

mr2blue

I'm sure the sheep would love it if you whispered sweet nothings to them in French for a change

The GoodbyeGirl

I have been in Canada for nearly 9 yrs (originally from S. Africa), and I never intended to "change" my accent. I did find that I had to pronounce some words differently in order to be understood. After a while it just got easier to say things the way the Canadians say them. My friends in SA say I sound like a "yank", but my friends in Canada still comment on my S. African accent. I guess I have my own unique accent now, which will be made all the more stranger when I go to Oz!!!

WBB

french....no way, the sheep here are a little more cultured.

steandleigh

We ahve family in N.Z ( Welsh and lived there for about 40 years now ) and are still true to their welsh accent. We've got family in Hong Kong and the kids that were born there sound english/american. I have a friend in Canada, been there 14 years and when we talk on the phone she sounds true canadian - when she comes over to visit she slips back into her english accent within a few days. Weird world.

WBB

maybe one day we will have no regional accents as we all travel so much and settle in areas other than where we were born, maybe.

the same could be said of colour of skin, maybe one day we will all be the same shade?

Akaubear

I agree about calling things by their Oz (or in my case NZ) names - otherwise people won't know what you're talking about. But losing your accent on purpose?? Naaaa..... You'd probably end up sounding very silly!

Nicola

cam the man

As a Scotsman who has lived in Engerland for 10 years I have made no attempt at changing my accent.

It is softer now though. It is part of me and to change would make me a fake.

It s good that people don't forget me in a hurry. (or maybe that's a bad thing!)

It may be different if I was English in Oz though?

scotvness

The old girl moved form Glasgow just after the war (getting on a bit I know). I'm in Scotland and when talking to her by phone, she could easily be just over in Glasgow. She cant hear her accent (not because of any hearing problems) but thinks she sounds Australian because she thinks she is Australian - she's happay.

podgypossum

I also think losing your accent depends on what sort of accent you had originally.
I have been in NZ nearly 2yrs and my daughters say i have a kiwi accent. I come from London and i think our accent is easy to drift into aussie or kiwi.
I work with a guy from Yorkshire who has been in NZ 30yrs and he still sounds like a Yorkshireman. The same applies to the Scots. My first husband was scottish but had lived in London 20yrs, he still sounded very scottish, but lapsed back into a much broader version when talking to his mother on the phone.