Your accent...
Jun 1st 2008, 7:56 pm
#91
Logical & Hot Stuff
Joined: Nov 2007
Location: Ontario's Armpit
Posts: 19,815
Re: Your accent...
Jun 2nd 2008, 1:59 am
#92
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: SUMMERSIDE PEI
Posts: 145
Re: Your accent...
I usually get asked where abouts in Australia I'm from! So I reply England, sometimes the penny drops other times.......(I'm quite often wearing an England football shirt when asked!) I can understand their confusion as I'm from Portsmouth which is like cockneys by the sea, sort of Aussie and we did ship the first convicts out from Pompey harbour.
Graham
(A happy Pompey fan,just wished I'd been there.)
Graham
(A happy Pompey fan,just wished I'd been there.)
Jun 2nd 2008, 3:00 am
#93
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: Off moaning somewhere...
Posts: 882
Re: Your accent...
I usually get asked where abouts in Australia I'm from! So I reply England, sometimes the penny drops other times.......(I'm quite often wearing an England football shirt when asked!) I can understand their confusion as I'm from Portsmouth which is like cockneys by the sea, sort of Aussie and we did ship the first convicts out from Pompey harbour.
Graham
(A happy Pompey fan,just wished I'd been there.)
Graham
(A happy Pompey fan,just wished I'd been there.)
I'm a Manc with still quite a strong accent and I get it all the time. I work in retail so it's practically every shift that some customer will ask.
Unless you speak like the queen they think everybody who's English sounds "Australian"...
I once had the following conversation with a customer:
Her - Are you Australian?
Me - No, I'm English.
Her - Really? Well you sound Australian.
Me - No. I'm English. I'm from Manchester in the North.
Her - Well you do have an Australian accent.
Me - No. I have a Mancunian accent. I'm from Manchester in the North of England.
Her - Well that's definitely an Australian accent...
Well, that was me told.
Jun 2nd 2008, 6:47 am
#95
Bristolish expat
Joined: Aug 2004
Location: Bristol ~ Nanaimo, BC ... It's a bit like Salem's Lot!!
Posts: 1,699
Re: Your accent...
[QUOTE=sally h;6417551]
It's so funny isn't it ........ I told one of the kids I worked with that I sounded like someone off the telly that says Yeah, but no, but yeah 
after which every conversation we had, had to start with the 'yeah but' 1/2 a dozen times!! 
I work with special needs kids & sound like Vicky Pollard 
.
I work with a group of young adults with disabilities, and unfortunatly, some of the members seem to find the word "rubbish" hysterical. If only I had realised when I started work, I would have tried harder to use the word "garbage." I now have to listen to everything being called rubbish about a hundred times a day....Although, I now have managed to get them to use it only on things that are negative.
One of the autistic members calls me "Sally-James-Bond" and I assume that this is because of my accent.
Another member also believes that I must know Harry Potter personally....Makes a change from The Queen!
It's a great place to work, and the members seem to find my accent very amusing, so I feel that in my job, it definately has a positive benefit.....laughter!
.I work with a group of young adults with disabilities, and unfortunatly, some of the members seem to find the word "rubbish" hysterical. If only I had realised when I started work, I would have tried harder to use the word "garbage." I now have to listen to everything being called rubbish about a hundred times a day....Although, I now have managed to get them to use it only on things that are negative.
One of the autistic members calls me "Sally-James-Bond" and I assume that this is because of my accent.
Another member also believes that I must know Harry Potter personally....Makes a change from The Queen!
It's a great place to work, and the members seem to find my accent very amusing, so I feel that in my job, it definately has a positive benefit.....laughter!
after which every conversation we had, had to start with the 'yeah but' 1/2 a dozen times!!
Jun 2nd 2008, 7:23 am
#96
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2004
Location: Kent
Posts: 46
Re: Your accent...
Good morning: As a Canuck in the UK, my accent has been mistaken for Kiwi, South African, Aussie, American and Dutch. I also worked with students with ASD...over the years, several of the students picked up bits and pieces eg. garbage, wadder, budder, hihowareya..had the other teaching and support staff in stitches. The parents said they didn't mind what accent the kids picked up as long as they were speaking
It didn't take me long to identify the variety of regional accents over here (any amazing number for a small country). My own accent and vocabulary has evolved over the last 12 years...a bit transatlantic through no fault of my own but becomes distinctly 'Ottawa Valley' when I'm back in Canada for a few weeks.
Canucklehead
It didn't take me long to identify the variety of regional accents over here (any amazing number for a small country). My own accent and vocabulary has evolved over the last 12 years...a bit transatlantic through no fault of my own but becomes distinctly 'Ottawa Valley' when I'm back in Canada for a few weeks.
Canucklehead
Jun 2nd 2008, 8:49 am
#97
Always lurking.
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: My second Choice.
Posts: 410
Re: Your accent...
If hubby has had more than 2 beers I have to translate.
Jun 2nd 2008, 2:16 pm
#98
Just Joined
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 9
Re: Your accent...
In response to Canucklehead
I lived with my husband in the UK and my accent was mistaken for Aussie, NZ, Irish, Dutch and American (somewhat understandably). I come from the Toronto area and now live in the Ottawa valley. We lived in Swindon, and my accent was a source of entertainment for most of the people I worked with. One gentleman, claimed that he could speak 3 languages, English, Canadian and american (with words like garbage, trash and rubbish!). My bosses wife always knew when I had gone to canada and come back because my boss would go home with my accent! The strangest thing I found was when in the UK I sounded "very canadian" and when I went back to canada I had "pick up a british accent".
My husband is now experiencing the same thing, as he is welsh. He has reaped many benifits from having an accent, I think the one he loves best is that he always has a captive audience for the jokes that I stopped laughing at long ago! lol
I lived with my husband in the UK and my accent was mistaken for Aussie, NZ, Irish, Dutch and American (somewhat understandably). I come from the Toronto area and now live in the Ottawa valley. We lived in Swindon, and my accent was a source of entertainment for most of the people I worked with. One gentleman, claimed that he could speak 3 languages, English, Canadian and american (with words like garbage, trash and rubbish!). My bosses wife always knew when I had gone to canada and come back because my boss would go home with my accent! The strangest thing I found was when in the UK I sounded "very canadian" and when I went back to canada I had "pick up a british accent".
My husband is now experiencing the same thing, as he is welsh. He has reaped many benifits from having an accent, I think the one he loves best is that he always has a captive audience for the jokes that I stopped laughing at long ago! lol
Jun 2nd 2008, 2:18 pm
#99
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Shawnigan Lake, Vancouver Island, BC
Posts: 1,464
Re: Your accent...
hi, i feel my accent has really helped me to get to know canadians as they love my accent...i always end up talking to most of the customers i serve everyday and now cos ive been there a while they come in just to here my accent..i also find people ask me where im from...ie south africa, australia even germany or russia (cant figure out where the last 2 come into it). i also sometimes find i dont understand the canadians as some can talk really fast.
When we spent the night in Vancouver recently we went to a restaurant where there was a chinese lady taking the seating waiting list. Hubby really started to get the hump when she could not understand him when he asked for a table for 2! the lady behind us had to translate while holding up 2 fingers.
INcidently when we was on holiday in Turkey. The store hagglers trying to lure you into their shops would speak at you in the language you obviously looked like you came from! we were 9 times out of 10 spoken to in German!
On one occasion they spoke to us in a dialect i could not understand so we had to ask the guy! he said 'you not Russian?' after we had looked at him blankly he pointed to hubbies nose and said 'not russian, no'. I nearly wet myself laughing
Jun 2nd 2008, 2:59 pm
#100
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: High River, Alberta
Posts: 205
Re: Your accent...
I work in a docs office and daily get patients listening to my voice and not what im actually saying. Get asked daily what part of OZ am i from! Hubby always replies if he gets asked this.....'what part of AMerica are you from'
When we spent the night in Vancouver recently we went to a restaurant where there was a chinese lady taking the seating waiting list. Hubby really started to get the hump when she could not understand him when he asked for a table for 2! the lady behind us had to translate while holding up 2 fingers.
INcidently when we was on holiday in Turkey. The store hagglers trying to lure you into their shops would speak at you in the language you obviously looked like you came from! we were 9 times out of 10 spoken to in German!
On one occasion they spoke to us in a dialect i could not understand so we had to ask the guy! he said 'you not Russian?' after we had looked at him blankly he pointed to hubbies nose and said 'not russian, no'. I nearly wet myself laughing
When we spent the night in Vancouver recently we went to a restaurant where there was a chinese lady taking the seating waiting list. Hubby really started to get the hump when she could not understand him when he asked for a table for 2! the lady behind us had to translate while holding up 2 fingers.
INcidently when we was on holiday in Turkey. The store hagglers trying to lure you into their shops would speak at you in the language you obviously looked like you came from! we were 9 times out of 10 spoken to in German!
On one occasion they spoke to us in a dialect i could not understand so we had to ask the guy! he said 'you not Russian?' after we had looked at him blankly he pointed to hubbies nose and said 'not russian, no'. I nearly wet myself laughing
My dad has a rather large nose and very dark hair, he also spends a lot of time doing the gardening so has a deep tan.
We live in Spain and all the spannish think he is one of them the old men all talk to him and he doesn´t speak a word of Spannish it´s very funny what he agrees to.
We do tell him sometimes but most of the time it´s better he doesn´t know.
Jun 2nd 2008, 3:00 pm
#101
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2008
Location: High River, Alberta
Posts: 205
Re: Your accent...
It will be fun when we move to Canada my OH is from London I´m kind of mixed up having been born east coast Scotland lived west coast Scotland, Bristol then Spain and our daughter is Spannish so god knows what they will think we are saying.
Jun 2nd 2008, 3:18 pm
#102
Forum Regular
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: Ontario
Posts: 71
Re: Your accent...
I asked for a strawberry shake at Mcdonalds and got a 'small chocolate shake' 
haha. I didn't bother to correct her.
I'm from Birmingham and although it's not a strong Brummie accent, anyone from the UK would be able to recognise it. I spend a lot of time on the phone to people at work here in Ontario and they tell me my accent is so awesome and lovely! If only they knew!
haha. I didn't bother to correct her.I'm from Birmingham and although it's not a strong Brummie accent, anyone from the UK would be able to recognise it. I spend a lot of time on the phone to people at work here in Ontario and they tell me my accent is so awesome and lovely!
If only they knew!
Jun 2nd 2008, 3:39 pm
#103
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2007
Location: Calgary
Posts: 1,898
Re: Your accent...
If I go to Timmy Ho's and ask for a bagle NOT TOASTED, 9 times out of 10 I get it toasted. Not the accent. (Or maybe it is...)
I'm surprised they don't want to toast my coffee there.
Jun 3rd 2008, 9:52 pm
#104
Home Sweet Home
Joined: May 2008
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 482
Re: Your accent...
I work in a docs office and daily get patients listening to my voice and not what im actually saying. Get asked daily what part of OZ am i from! Hubby always replies if he gets asked this.....'what part of AMerica are you from'
When we spent the night in Vancouver recently we went to a restaurant where there was a chinese lady taking the seating waiting list. Hubby really started to get the hump when she could not understand him when he asked for a table for 2! the lady behind us had to translate while holding up 2 fingers.
INcidently when we was on holiday in Turkey. The store hagglers trying to lure you into their shops would speak at you in the language you obviously looked like you came from! we were 9 times out of 10 spoken to in German!
On one occasion they spoke to us in a dialect i could not understand so we had to ask the guy! he said 'you not Russian?' after we had looked at him blankly he pointed to hubbies nose and said 'not russian, no'. I nearly wet myself laughing
When we spent the night in Vancouver recently we went to a restaurant where there was a chinese lady taking the seating waiting list. Hubby really started to get the hump when she could not understand him when he asked for a table for 2! the lady behind us had to translate while holding up 2 fingers.
INcidently when we was on holiday in Turkey. The store hagglers trying to lure you into their shops would speak at you in the language you obviously looked like you came from! we were 9 times out of 10 spoken to in German!
On one occasion they spoke to us in a dialect i could not understand so we had to ask the guy! he said 'you not Russian?' after we had looked at him blankly he pointed to hubbies nose and said 'not russian, no'. I nearly wet myself laughing
That is so funny - also love the story about your dad! When me and hubby go abroad people always think we're Dutch?!! what's that all about?
Jun 3rd 2008, 9:55 pm
#105
Home Sweet Home
Joined: May 2008
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 482
Re: Your accent...
Good one
My dad has a rather large nose and very dark hair, he also spends a lot of time doing the gardening so has a deep tan.
We live in Spain and all the spannish think he is one of them the old men all talk to him and he doesn´t speak a word of Spannish it´s very funny what he agrees to.
We do tell him sometimes but most of the time it´s better he doesn´t know.
My dad has a rather large nose and very dark hair, he also spends a lot of time doing the gardening so has a deep tan.
We live in Spain and all the spannish think he is one of them the old men all talk to him and he doesn´t speak a word of Spannish it´s very funny what he agrees to.
We do tell him sometimes but most of the time it´s better he doesn´t know.