British Expats

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-   -   What REALLY pisses me off... (https://britishexpats.com/forum/maple-leaf-98/what-really-pisses-me-off-502885/)

Novocastrian Jan 2nd 2008 4:27 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by Oakvillian (Post 5729927)
But, dear Annie, you've said that you think people who have to work at, or choose to "put on," accents are fakes and you despise them for it. What happens when, in the natural course of events, your frightfully jolly English accent starts to slip and you let a few accidental Canadianisms past your lips, eh? Will you work hard to keep your English accent, effectively "putting on" your Britishness despite the natural tendency to localise? Won't you then be just one of those people you despise? I think we should be told. :sneaky:;)

Aha! A convert. We'll have dbd33 speaking metric next.

Oakvillian Jan 2nd 2008 4:47 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 5730138)
Aha! A convert. We'll have dbd33 speaking metric next.

Should we follow Flanders and Swann's advice when talking to eminent men of science such as yourself?

"Ah, H2SO4, Professor. And the reciprocal of pi to your good wife."

Ruby Murray Jan 2nd 2008 5:09 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by annie3-4 (Post 5729832)
Absolutely......
Personally I would feel like a bit of a traitor to lose my accent. I dont buy this "you have to do it to fit in" stuff.
back home my parents had Scots and Irish friends who had been in England for donkeys' years, they never altered their accent one iota.

You can regard me a fake all you like - I still have my manc accent but it's only wording that has changed so that people here can understand what I'm on about. I would, however, say that you must be one big attention seeker, loves to hog the limelight when you talk to Canadians. "Hey, look at me, talking all British lingo and everyfink, and you don't understand a word I'm saying". It just gives you an excuse to draw more attention to yourself and talk some more of your britishness while you explain your way around jumper/sweater, boot/trunk, bonnet/hood, petrol/gas, loo/washroom, and the likes. As a previous poster has said, there are more valid reasons to be p*ssed off than just a bloody accent!! Get a grip

Novocastrian Jan 2nd 2008 5:09 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by Oakvillian (Post 5730205)
Should we follow Flanders and Swann's advice when talking to eminent men of science such as yourself?

"Ah, H2SO4, Professor. And the reciprocal of pi to your good wife."

Ah divvn't knaa wit yer taakin aboot, hinny.

annie3-4 Jan 2nd 2008 5:16 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 
You can regard me a fake all you like - I still have my manc accent but it's only wording that has changed so that people here can understand what I'm on about. I would, however, say that you must be one big attention seeker, loves to hog the limelight when you talk to Canadians. "Hey, look at me, talking all British lingo and everyfink, and you don't understand a word I'm saying". It just gives you an excuse to draw more attention to yourself and talk some more of your britishness while you explain your way around jumper/sweater, boot/trunk, bonnet/hood, petrol/gas, loo/washroom, and the likes. As a previous poster has said, there are more valid reasons to be p*ssed off than just a bloody accent!! Get a grip
__________________
Calm down dear, no need to get your knickers in a twist,;) actually you must consider Canadians pretty stupid if you think you need to explain words like petrol/ loo/ etc. I have never needed to translate.Very patronising.I dont think I have ever said "everyfink" in my life.
And whats wrong with speaking "all British"? I am British. Would you expect visiting Canadians to Manchester to suddenly start speaking as though they were auditioning for Oasis.
Why would you insult the intelligence of canadians by assuming that they will only be able to understand you if you attempt a poor imitation of their accent.

bandit Jan 2nd 2008 5:23 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 
Annie

It seems a rather trivial thing to be concerned about, however....

I moved from Canada to Saudi Arabia, finally coming to the UK at the tender age of 10.

The minute I hit the school playground, my North American Accent brought ridicule / insults / bulying etc... :frown: You can guess it went within a week, and I was forced to 'learn' to speak in a British Accent :eek:. This is a learned accent of the area - SW London / Surrey, however on starting Uni in Leeds - guess what - I became a notherner for 3 years!:p

I would go on holiday to Ireland / Australia and so forth, and start talking 'like the locals'. It is not because I am trying, I am naturally able to speak like those around me. My mother has never really lost her Canadian Accent and I speak Canadian ;)to her.

My brother too had to learn to speak English, however, he was a year and a half younger than me, and on starting Uni in Newcastle didn't become 'native'. He now lives in Houston and does for the most part still speak with a british accent - although he does have a twang.

I am no fake, and no doubt will have my canadian accent back to perfection within a month of being there - but then again, I don't really care if that p*sses people off!:curse:

Bandit

rant over !!!!:blink:

Biiiiink Jan 2nd 2008 5:27 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 5730262)
Ah divvn't knaa wit yer taakin aboot, hinny.

You're scaring me now. http://youtube.com/watch?v=-FF95JjCdaM

Biiiiink Jan 2nd 2008 5:39 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by annie3-4 (Post 5730271)
Why would you insult the intelligence of canadians by assuming that they will only be able to understand you if you attempt a poor imitation of their accent.

The Canadians for whom English isn't a first language seem to have a real problem with it. They're only tuned into Canadian accents, they're not expecting anything else and it throws them. Mr B will never order fast food, he makes me do it - if he goes to the counter he comes back with the wrong stuff every time because he can't/won't modify his speech or pace.

He sees nothing wrong in saying things like "I'll give you a bell in a fortnight" and wondering why people look at him like he's got two heads :eek:

Cookie Jan 2nd 2008 5:41 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by annie3-4 (Post 5730271)
You can regard me a fake all you like - I still have my manc accent but it's only wording that has changed so that people here can understand what I'm on about. I would, however, say that you must be one big attention seeker, loves to hog the limelight when you talk to Canadians. "Hey, look at me, talking all British lingo and everyfink, and you don't understand a word I'm saying". It just gives you an excuse to draw more attention to yourself and talk some more of your britishness while you explain your way around jumper/sweater, boot/trunk, bonnet/hood, petrol/gas, loo/washroom, and the likes. As a previous poster has said, there are more valid reasons to be p*ssed off than just a bloody accent!! Get a grip
__________________
Calm down dear, no need to get your knickers in a twist,;) actually you must consider Canadians pretty stupid if you think you need to explain words like petrol/ loo/ etc. I have never needed to translate.Very patronising.I dont think I have ever said "everyfink" in my life.
And whats wrong with speaking "all British"? I am British. Would you expect visiting Canadians to Manchester to suddenly start speaking as though they were auditioning for Oasis.
Why would you insult the intelligence of canadians by assuming that they will only be able to understand you if you attempt a poor imitation of their accent.

Are you sure. This was from your own post a couple of months back:

I miss..
Next
My decent hairdresser
The Sea
Hearing English voices
The telly
Not having to repeat myself to be understood

annie3-4 Jan 2nd 2008 5:48 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 
Er.... Repeat means to say something over again...
Translate means to explain the meaning of...
No. Ive never found it necessary to translate.

Completely different.

Jay Bird Jan 2nd 2008 5:50 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by annie3-4 (Post 5727941)
I just cringe when I hear it. If I were back home in England and a Canadian started to copy my accent, I would think they were taking the p**s.
Its nothing to do with "going native". If I went to Pakistan I would not adopt a Pakistani accent, so why do it here. Be who you are I say. It sounds ridiculous. There is a chef at my workplace (from Bolton) who has been here 3 months and has this crazy Lancashire/North American accent, makes me want to slap him... Sorry but it drives me mad.

Maybe they've have come up against the people I met who told me I should lose my English accent - it would help me find work! I've mentioned this in MBTTUK forum......... it happens quite a lot in this part of Ontario. :curse: I've had my accent a long time and don't intend to get rid of it. What I do find, though, is I pick up words - gas for petrol, garbage instead of rubbish, and so on; have done for years, so even when I'm back home I use them.

Biiiiink Jan 2nd 2008 5:50 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by annie3-4 (Post 5730384)
Er.... Repeat means to say something over again...
Translate means to explain the meaning of...

Completely different.

That's the spirit, shout louder and louder until the colonials finally get what you're on about ;)

Oakvillian Jan 2nd 2008 5:51 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by annie3-4 (Post 5730384)
Er.... Repeat means to say something over again...
Translate means to explain the meaning of...

Completely different.

Absolutely. If Johnny Foreigner doesn't understand the Queen's English, just
S P E A K
L O U D E R
A N D
M O R E
S L O W L Y

annie3-4 Jan 2nd 2008 5:55 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by Biiiiink (Post 5730391)
That's the spirit, shout louder and louder until the colonials finally get what you're on about ;)

Who mentioned shouting? No need to shout (or adopt a phoney cringey accent either)

Cookie Jan 2nd 2008 6:03 am

Re: What REALLY pisses me off...
 

Originally Posted by annie3-4 (Post 5730384)
Er.... Repeat means to say something over again...
Translate means to explain the meaning of...
No. Ive never found it necessary to translate.

Completely different.

Ahhh ha, that's so funny, cos you have just said that they can't understand what you are saying, probably because of your accent. :o


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