Hi Everyone!

Now that my DH and step-daughter (15 yrs old) will be moving from the UK to California, I'd like to know how often do you get complimented on your British Accent?

What do the folks in the States typically say?

Thanks a bunch for responding.... ;-)

Warmly,
Cali

Complimented ? LOL, the piss taken out of more like.
Although the girls think it's cute.

LOL I get people telling me all the time that they love my accent, (those that have it figured out that I'm not from Australia)?!

I just luuuuuuv your accent.

My response is always "(puzzled) What accent?". Normally raises a laugh at work/Starbucks/restaurants =)


Cheers,
David.

With the less informed populous of America, try and have a laugh.

Vary it from time to time
All the different checkout clerks at my local grocery store are convinced I am from different places.
So far I have claimed to have come from Argentina, Turkey, Portugal, Denmark etc
I even have one person believing I am from Bangladesh.

basically they don't know any different.

I have even been complimented on how good my English is, I have been asked on at least one occasion what is my first language is it English or Gaelic, being from Derbyshire I would have to say English, this comment was from my wife's high school English teacher at her reunion. Unbelievable

It was a nice novelty to be complimented on it when I first came here, but that's worn off now and it's more of a pain in the arse...being constantly reminded of it, new work colleagues, grocery stores. Try doing a presentation in front of 80 people, you know after 10 seconds they arent listening to what you are saying and are focused on the question "where the hells he from?" Yeah the birds adore it, but I'm married so where the heck does that get me?

Tony, I know exactly what you mean.
I've had people asking me to say 'Harry Potter' in supermarkets before.
It's when they say.....'Say something British', and you want to reply with 'Wanker'

At least once a week someone calls me on it. But not one person has mistaken me for an Aussie here in AZ yet.

'cause the aussies have more sense than to go there.....

A new girl at work came up to me the other day and said "You're Irish aren't you?" after she'd heard me having a conversation with a colleague. Don't really know how my Nottingham accent could be confused with an Irish accent but there you go. Next thing I know there is a group of new employees gathered around me and were giving it the old "Ohhh I could listen to you talk all day"routine....I asked one of them to go and get me the phone book so I could start reading it!!
I don't mind it really it's quite flattering.
I was also out at one of the local English run bars at the weekend and the guy behind the bar had a Sheffield accent. This guy came in ordered a drink and asked him "where abouts in Ireland are you from?" The barman was very polite and told him he was actually from England but you could tell he was a little pissed off and had been asked the same question a few times before.

It was a novelty at first (the girls really liked it), but being mocked all the time grew tiresome.

Because of my current line of work, I have adopted American speech to maintain respectability (Americans don't like having foreigners telling them what to do), but I slip up every now and then when I am tired or out having a few beers.

The most common comments I get are "Your accent is AWESOME!" and "You're not from around here..." Some of my stepson's friends can be annoying. One of them asks, "Say 'banana' one more time for me!" every time he sees me.... it still cracks him up. My stepson also enjoys some British words like goolies and bollocks

Debbie

So do I

goolies goolies goolies
could say it all day!