Nu-Shooz

My daughter (16) tried to fit in and changed her accent, but now she's back in UK and is Yorkshire as ever

I suppose most can try to change it, but like you, mine just won't shift..i hate my accent.

bev1

the ozzie accent is supposed to be mix of South African and London accent so maybe its easier to loose your accent if your English.

I have many irish and scottish friends who have been in England since they were really young and they still have very strong accents

Maybe it depends on who you spend alot of time with

Can't see my husband ever loosing his brummie accent its,very strong infact sometimes he sounds borderline black country lol

moneypenny20

I hear myself sounding Aussie but to others I don't. The girls sound Aussie to me but my husband sounds as English as ever although last time my sister spoke to him on the phone she reckoned he sounded the most Australian of all of us Be interesting to hear what the Brits think when we get back next week. I must remember that trousers are trousers not pants or I might get some funny looks

Wheeler-Jones

I am a kiwi and moved to Australia and lost my kiwi accent fairly quickly (I was 19). I moved to UK when 24 and spent about a year in US and another in Canada, so have been away from Australia for 6 years, but never managed to lose the Aussie sound in me. It did tone down a bit and I did pick up local sayings (which I found would be said with a more local accent) but find it strange that I still sound Australian before anything else.

I have been back for two weeks and people seem to think I am local still.

lesleys

People still recognise my Manchester accent despite having left the place 40 years ago! My OH gets annoyed because his (similar) accent disappeared years ago and left him 'anonymous'. I seem to remember reading that women tend to hang onto accents longer than men, or men are more likely to adapt to the local habits more easily. We've both picked up the local idiom, just with different accents.

We have a friend who accumulated accents. He started life Scottish, moved to Yorkshire (school days), then Liverpool (uni), then started a career of working overseas, married an Irish woman then spent a few years in Aus. Next they moved to Houston and are toying with the idea of retiring to NZ.

sasbear

where in Yorkshire?

Oz Rascal

This is something I am quite interested to watch to see what happens when we move over there. We expect our two yung boys (aged 4 and 2) to grow up with Aussie accents. I am originally a Geordie but most people think I'm from Norwich or Somerset - strange, as I have lived in Newport Pagnell (Bucks) since I was 3 . However, my Brother and Mam still have strong Geordie accents. My Dad who has lived in Melbourne for nearly 25 years still sounds quite Geordie yet my Step Mum (from Essex) sounds a bit more Aussie these days.

There's still hints to my Geordie accent though, for example, I still say Path and Grass rather than Parth and Grarse!!

Guess I'll have to let you all know in a year or two...

Colin

pumpkin blossom

I had big problems when moving to Manchester as in my mind pants are underwear, but everyone there meant trousers. You should have seen my Mum's face when my Mancunian husband said 'look, I have a big hole in my pants!'. LOL.

I am from Cambridge and have always even there had people ask me if I was Australian, although I don't think I sound Australian. I think it must be from watching far too much Neighbours and Home and Away from a young age lol. I have only had two ozzies think I was Australian since coming here in Feb, so can't be that bad.

After 4.5 years living in Manchester I managed to keep my accent, but noticed a couple of words beginning to change before I left. I would predict that I will pick up far more of the ozzie accent as it is so much closer to my own than the Manchester accent. Hubbie I can't see ever picking it up ever.

Hubbie works on a phone line and gets at least one person a day here asking what part of Scotland he is from, which I find halerious. He has never even stepped foot in Scotland. This doesn't seem to be just Ozzies though, he has been asked the same by Americans and Canadians. Especially funny as it is such a strong Manc accent and not scottish sounding at all.

I actually don't like having a different accent to everyone. Sounds strange, but I think it is because there are so many English people here. In Manchester I didn't hear anywhere near the amount of southern English accents as I do here. If it were just me I would be quite happy, but as there are so many poms I think I would prefer to sound ozzie. I would feel less of an imposter when I can eventually say I am Australian.

Jan4kids

That's really spooky as this is almost to the word what I would have written!

I too am Australian sounding when talking to the U.K and 'what part of England are you from' when speaking with Australians . My Mum sounds very 'London' nowdays on the phone too

Great minds think alike eh?

Australia_bound?

My Grans been in Aus 40 plus years, still sounds very Irish, though have to say she takes on the Dame Edna strine once back in the UK, was a total shock first time I went to Aus and heard her speak in her usual accent

Rainydaze

Someone once told me that whether or not you keep your accent intact is all down to whether or not you're musical. If you have a natural ear for music, you're more likely to pick up accents, whereas if you're tone deaf, you'll retain your native accent. Interesting to know if any ex-pats (musical or not!) can prove this theory!

Oz Rascal

That one made me laugh. As I said, I'm a geordie originally nut have lived in Newport Pagnell since I was 3 (with a 2 year stint back up north) and this combination has left me sounding like I'm from the west country. However, to disprove your theory - my Wife will be the first to tell you I am completely tone deaf. Perhaps the theory is actually the other way round???

Colin

Jerseygirl

Someone told me if you move to a new country before the age of 11 you adopt the new accent...after the age of 11 you probably won't...maybe an odd twang here and there. We moved to the US 5 weeks after my daughter's 11th birthday...she is now 23...depending who she's talking to she can slip from one accent to the other.

I overheard a lady in a store speaking with a broad Yorkshire accent. I asked if she was in the US on vacation...she said 'No love I've lived here for over 40 years'.

Rainydaze

Re: Musical Ability and Accents
Yes, maybe it is the other way round! If anybody else posts with their experience, maybe'll build up some "evidence" to prove it one way or the other!

Mumfords

Well My OH wasent in Australia for 25 years (Born out Here!!) on holiday in Kos whilst ordering in a Bar the greek Australian behind the bar asked him where in Australia he was from!!!!!!!



The kids had dropped the South midlands accent very quickly