SultanOfSwing

You know, the more I think about this, even if I say them funny, how the hell are people still not understanding me?

If I'm reading you a PO number, you're only going to get a string of digits between 0 and 9. What the hell else is it going to be if not 8?? Likewise with 'h', what other letter is that going to get messed up with?

Christ.

kimilseung

About six months ago, someone though I was American, as I had an English accent. They thought it must be New England. Admittedly this was a youth, but still.

RoadWarriorFromLP

He was staying where I was staying in Glasgow, so no, he wasn't from there. From what he said, he didn't live that far away from there by US standards, but I can't recall exactly where.

I'm pretty sure that this was his first solo trip away from home, and it was a bit of a trauma for him.

I met this girl from Quebec in France, and she had a similar issue there. She would speak to people in her Quebec French and they would answer her in English. She was expecting to discover her cultural roots and connect with her people, only to find that the locals didn't consider her to be French. She was about the same age as the Scottish kid (18-19) and was quite bothered by the whole thing.

markonline1

My best friend and his girlfriend are from Glasgow. They are both easily understood. Believe it or not, they don't all speak like Rab C Nesbitt (although his mum does)

phodg

I'm originally from Blackburn but I've been here 24 years (next month, anyway). I still get asked to repeat things on a regular basis. But I've always had a strong accent that hasn't really gone away. I just try to speak a little more slowly and clearly over here.

MarylandNed

They might think you've just had something stick in your throat and you're now choking to death!

SultanOfSwing

Yeah, there is that

scrubbedexpat027

I obviously only have a very slight accent being from Birmingham, but I don't really get the randomness of being understood.

Some people don't even mention my accent and seem to understand everything I say. Others have no idea what I'm saying.

I always forget I'm from somewhere else now, unless someone points out my accent.

msnapz

At least my wife understands me most of the time and she's from California lol. I think most British people slur their words together, at least that's what i've been told!

One thing I've noticed is on TV shows like House Hunters. All the American people looking to buy a house, when they talk on the show, could be a news presenter. I don't know how to explain it but they sound very confident in the way they speak. I just get lazy and hope people understand me, at home anyway!

My wife has had people ask her if she was English, Don't hear it myself lol.

MarylandNed

This reminds me of a story.

A few years ago my daughter was working as a hostess at a large, busy chain restaurant here in Maryland. There were a few young hostesses at the front desk checking people in. An English woman arrived with her family. The hostess she spoke to had no idea what she was saying so my daughter (who has an English mum, Skypes frequently with relatives in the UK, and has travelled there a few times) stepped in to take over. She happily chatted with the English customer including a few anecdotes about the old country and got her party seated. When my daughter got back to the front desk, the other hostesses were agog - "You actually understood what she said?" My daughter said "Of course. My mom is English!"

This actually wasn't the only time that this happened. Similar things happened to my other daughter who also worked at the same restaurant as a hostess. On one occasion, she had to take over seating a party from London. She spoke to the woman who was heading the party. Conversation went like this:

My daughter: "Where in England are you from?"
Woman: "London"
My daughter: "Which part of London?"
Woman (a bit surprised): "Do you know London? It's a big place".
My daughter: "Oh yes. I have family there and just got back recently."
Woman: "We're from Kingsbury in NW London".

Well, my daughters had just recently returned from a month in Europe including a stay with my brother who just happens to live in Kingsbury, London!

So whenever any Brits or Irish came into the restaurant, one of my daughters was nominated as their hostess. It does pay to be bi-lingual!

Pulaski

Maybe, my wife says we just talk faster, and on trying to listen to myself, I think we do. I am fairly certain they are coached on how to talk on television, and even then have multiple takes. Mine too, me too, though unlike me she is highly susceptible to absorbing different accents, and after a couple of years in the UK and married to me for fifteen years, her accent has certainly changed.

Pulaski

When we lived New York my in-laws came to visit and we went out to a busy chain restaurant one evening. The waitress struggled a bit to understand my father-in-law, who has a distinct southern Virginia accent (though even from the first time I met him I have found him perfectly easy to understand), but the waitress as getting "tuned in" as she took my mother-in-law's order. Mrs P's accent is more muted, so the waitress took her order fairly easily. Then I spoke, ...... and the waitress was more than surprised, she literally stepped backwards!

MarylandNed

It must be amazing to have that effect on women!

scrubbedexpat099

I prefer they step forward.

msnapz

I think you're right we do talk faster, and I'm sure they're coached too!