Well, the way you are reasoning, to be myself I should have the normal expected accent. Swede's are supposed to speak with the same melodic style as the Swedish Chef. Something I have never done. I speak with the accent surrounding me, involuntary, I can't help it, but according to you, if I adapt to the surrounding accent I, and anyone else who is like me, am a fake.

So, Annie3-4, which one is it?

Chill our maaaaaannnn

Nearly all the words you referred to as 'Canadian' I used regularly in the UK. Same words, Scottish accent.

Shock, horror, "I say tomAAto, you say tomato"

Im just saying it pisses me off hearing Brits speaking with fake accents. Sorry I didnt realise just how many of you obviously do it.
I intend to keep my accent, like I said its makes you look/sound silly and shallow.

Why the hell would you want to "adapt to the surrounding accent" are you a sheep. Use your OWN accent ffs.

I still have my Scottish accent - its the words I have adopted.

Life's too short to get sooo angry over something so trivial

Not angry, just an observation on something I think is silly.

I see in one of your previous posts that you hate having to repeat yourself to be understood. That's why people adapt the way they speak - its as simple as that.

The UK has a very rich and varied array of accents and you don't have to move very far so see huge differences in the way people talk. It can be difficult enough to for English people to understand Scottish/Welsh people and vice versa so its no surprise that Canadian's would find it even harder to understand.

In the workplace and over the phone you definitely have to make yourself understood - it wouldn't make good business sense if you didn't.

I still have the same accent but I also speak a little slower when talking to a Canadian. I am generally a very fast talker just like the people from Newfoundland. A lot of Canadian's have trouble understanding their accent. Me, I understand every work they say (almost)

Clearly it is you with the issue, not us.

At the end of the day it's all about fitting in.

I pick up accents at the drop of a hat, sheesh, I go to Liverpool for a night out and come back sounding scouse.

When I was last in Canada I picked up the accent really bad.

Without wanting to sound rude... Get over it sweetheart.

I do this. I did it when we lived in England. I was born in the North East and we moved to Bedfordshire when I was a child. I was teased dreadfully for speaking "funny". My accent changed slightly. I then went to a school that thought it was posh, and suffered even more there so my mum paid for speech lessons for me. This has helped me to be able to interpret and copy speech patterns and as a natural mimic then it stands to reason that accents and speech patterns change.

I have several accents and depending on the group I am with it changes slightly. Its a bit northern when with family, received pronouncian when I am with my public school friends, or giving a talk. Bedfordian when in Bedford. When I am at work some of the older patients dont understand me unless I try to Canadianise my speech.

Its not an attempt to mock people, it may be an attempt to fit in but whats wrong with that? Body language also has examples of mimicing stance and behaviour to fit in. I think it shows adaptability.

My father always had a Durham accent, but when we went back for visits he was ribbed for talking "swanky". He was suprised to hear them say that as he hadnt realised his speech had changed. Maybe some expats dont realise that their accents will have changed too, whether they want them to or not.

Are we not allowed to discuss anything which we dont like then, or is this forum purely for deluding yourselves that Canada is pure Utopia.
In the real world there are things we like and dislike, I am merely stating something that p.....s me off POLLYANNA....
Im just not joining the "lets all pretend to be Canadian Club"

Interestingly enough I have always called my mother "Mom" , yet there were no North American influences in my life when I was growing up. I didn't even realise that it was "American" until well into my twenties.

Get over yourself.

So you do it too eh??

Considering I've been here 45 years, yes "I do it too".

You do tend to lose you accent over time there is nothing you can do about it.

So relax and go with the flow.

: QUOTE=annie3-4;5729748]So you do it too eh??:p[/QUOTE]

Is that that irony thingy??