I hope you told the teacher where she could stick it.

Rest assured...we most certainly did. He moved up as normal.

As for accents, I was born in Aldershot-Hampshire, growing up I lived in Lincoln, Nottingham (some place called Ranby), Bodellwyddan-North Wales, Bovey Tracy-Devon, Carisbrooke-IOW, and Cannock-Staffs; all before joining HM Forces at 16.

If you move around, accents naturally evolve, it does not take long before you sound like the rest of the local population.

My accent was fairly neutral by the time I came to Canada at 25...I still think I sound English even if I naturally say Canadian words. Some change has occurred, but to my workmates I remain English (ish).

I am trying to recall, the first time my father in Devon reinforced the change aspect as he handed the phone to my mother....with a "there is a Yank on the phone for you"....it was not that long after arrival, a couple years at best.

So if you do not have a strong accent, your voice is very likely to change. That's my experience.

But then again, who gives a Shiiiiiiite. For those that do...take a look at my avatar...I would insert smiley with raised finger if one was available.

Divn't fash yersel, pet. Thore's a few of wus on heor like.

my brother lives up near Whitley Bay and if i spend a week there i start sounding geordie!!, sorry carnt help it!!, Im from Hull and i think my "ULL" accent is horrible, carnt wait to adopt the canadian twang.
I found myself saying "no, Im good" when someone offered me something i didnt want which worried me a bit last year when we spent 2 weeks upnorth of Toronto with family!

that was crackin!!! lol

This is very interesting since i have moved to Canada i have become friends with both Canadians and Brits...... none of our new friends are from the North East of England so there are various accents. But my friends have started to pick up my accent and sayings, it is so funny.......they have moved all the way to Canada and talk Goerdie!!!! both my British friends and Canadian friends really digg my accent and vice versa, we all share different local traditions it is great!!! The first foot thing on New Year took some explaining my poor son nearly was suffering from Hypothermia by the time we explained why he was waiting outside in the cold until after midnight!!!! but it is really good how we all can share this stuff.

What's the first foot thing?

I drank with some Geordies in Canada for five years or so. The only thing I ever understood them to say between themselves was "Gan yem then, Gary?" which immediately preceeded their departure. Now I see Novo in pubs from time to time but, fortunately, he's never brought a second speaker of this curious dialect.

I had a girlfriend when I was 16 who hailed from Trondheim in Norway. She had stayed in Scotland for a few years and spoke perfect West Coast English (i.e with a Glesga twang). When she flipped into fluent Norwegian it seemed surreal...but then again I was mesmerized by other things than her accent.

Ah, Norwegians. We got a contract, from here, to do some stuff in Oslo. There's a pub there "The Scotsman". Every visit to the Scotsman results in shocking fornicatory experiences but the prudent of us don't leave a business card so the prudent of us don't find a Norwegian on the office doorstep in Toronto.

Come may 17, most young swedish males with bubbling hormones, travel west in to Norway to drool over the young estrogen filled trimmed and voluptuous female Norwegians, in hope that they might bring one home to their lair... I mean hotel/hostel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-Foot

I can relate to that.

A wise man indeed.

"Gary" doesn't sound very probable. "Wor Gary", if a family member. "Gary, lad" if just drinking buddy. "Gary, y'bugger" if a close friend.