cadman

Having just read the thread about ozzie words different to ours I wondered for those out there:

1. Do you get an aussie accent eventually? My cous and her fella still have scottish accents 6 years after going to Oz (their kids have full-on aussie accents even though they were born in scotland)

2. Do you sound stupid using the aussie phrases and expressions in a non-aussie accent? or do you put on a bit of an aussie twang when saying them e.g. I feel obliged to say "g'day mate" in an australian accent wherever I am!

Cadman.

molloymj

Hi Cadman!

My uncle has lived in Oz since 1969 and his accent sounds put on. Some "aussie" words that he has picked up since being there, such as "g'day" sound authentic, but really he has sort of a mongrel part Mancunian, part put on Aussie accent. :scared:

MM.

biggy

we have been here just over 8 months...me n hubby havent picked anythin up yet apart from sayin "mate" and "no worries" all the time.

kids have a Qld twang.....the pitch of their voices heightens at the end of a sentence.........and my daughters speach has become very lazy I keep saying to her...ffs its t o m o rrow....not tomowwo grrrrrrrrrr

Professional Princess

People that have strong accents in the first place seem to take the longest to lose them.

I was talking to this woman who had lived in QLD for 20 years and still sounds like a Yorkshire woman.

But when I saw that 'no going back' programme, after just 6 months, the guy from London had picked up a slight accent.

I suppose its who you work with too, if you work with Aussies and spend lots of time with them, you may pick it up quicker.

I know when I worked in Devon, I worked with farmers and all our clients had strong devonshire accents and after 7 years, I sounded like a real devonshire lass.

Depends on the person I suppose.

Who feels strongly about keeping their accent or is keen to lose it?

Ialibu

Children pick it up really fast. And all that baggage that goes with it.

Adults tend to hold out! I can remember my grandmother who came out from Yorkshire in 1913 (she died in the late 60s) but the last time I saw/heard her in the mid 60s she still had a strong Y accent.

After a while you will absorb it :-) When you go back to visit relatives and squabble and bitch, they will comment on your Australian accent, out here you will receive comments about your english/scottish/welsh (I had to slip that in ;-) accent etc.

cammym

Hopefully my kids 6, 4 and 1 will pick up the Aussie accent.
At the moment they are a mixture of Glaswegian (me) and Black Country where they have lived all their lives.
My wife (neither of those places) is being driven mad.
Sorry to offend those in the Black Country :-)


Cameron

cadman

If you start using all the aussie phrases, do you use an aussie accent, your own accent, a bit of an aussie accent or what?
Do you think the locals think you're taking the piss if you put on an aussie accent when you say for example "she'll be right" or whatever ?

BTW - I don't care wether I lose my accent or not (slight northern, from warrington. kids+wife from wirral i.e scouse gets! - won't be sad when the kids stop talking like dat do won't dee do! ay, ay, carm down, carm down!)

Jamiem

ay, is dat my tv?

webgum

I think it depends not only on original accent but also on things much more complex. Some people pick up an accent in a week just being around a different set of people, others never do.
I wonder if it has something to do with how we hear things.
My hubbys uncle came over in the 50's as a £10 pom and sounds more north wales than my hubby (who has lived in South Africa, Australia and other parts of the UK since adulthood).
You know how we copy people's body language unconsciously, maybe its the same thing for the sound of language.
I'm trying to sound scientific but failing miserably!

wmoore

I reckon. I would say I've not had a really strong accent since I was about 9. I've found that when I've changed jobs in different areas, let alone different countries, I've picked up a bit of the twang of my workmates. I reckon if I'm still in Oz in 5 years, yo'll barely be able to tell me from a local fella.

bondipom

People in England say I have a definate Australian twang and several people there asked me if I was Australian. I just said I was a Kiwi to confuse them. The Australians say I sound English so I am stuck in no mans land. I've only been here just under 3 years.

I work with a scot who has been here 30 years. He has a soft Scottish accent with a big Australian twang. I understand his Scottish accent used to be a lot stronger.

louise

I'll probably end up sounding like an aussie in the first week. My accent tends to change depending on who I am working with, socialising with etc.

I was born in Oz to British parents, when we came back I was 8 years old and spent what seemed like ages trying my best to talk like all the kids over here. I have a mix of Wigan, St. Helens, (scouse on occasion) and now Warrington so god help me.

I'll probably end up speaking more local than the locals

Louise

jimtrish

my mate has been in NSW for 7yrs, she was a real wiltshire lass but to talk to her now its so funny, she sounds a real confused mishmash of wiltshire and oz, if i spend loads of time with my ozzie mate i find my accent starts to reflect hers, im not bothered about losing my accent, just want us all to live life to the max and settle into life there

JayneS

Children will defo pick up the accent and that's fine.
However adults that pick it up sound completely mental. I have a mate from derby who has been here 2 years and sounds more australian than any ozzy i know. It sounds fake and stupid and I cringe everytime he speaks in front of anybody especially when he starts using ozzy phrases.
I met a bloke from sheffield the other day who'd been here 25 years and hadn't lost his accent at all.
On the other hand if you are from Birmingham it might be worth trying to pick it up....just kidding (being a midlands chick myself)

brisnick

i've been here 4 years, and after 18 months (the last time i was back in the uk) all my mates thought i had an aussie accent, but all the aussies didn't. now even my aussie girlfriend thinks i speak aussie, and up in brisbane people think i'm from melbourne!! i'm back again in 6 weeks and i dread to think what my uk friends will think of my accent now!!

i never had a strong accent (thankfully) as the wolverhampton/black country/brummie accent is soooo bad