Sally Redux

Lots of people say to me, "I love your accent" although they usually don't know what it is.

For pulling birds it might have a novelty value. My son seems to do all right.

King Gimp

Ha - I'm glad someone else has seen this - and there is now a proper term for it!

wha whu whuuuuut did you say?

We are mid house move - you can't see the glaze while on the phone to the call center folks - the bewildered silence gives it away though.

goldenstate31

Yes! all the time!! at first it was ok, now its just irritating.
I think because my husband always says 'mate' to people they ask him whereabouts in Australia he is from.

We've even had on occasion 'what language are you speaking'?
to which I sarcastically reply 'the same language you're speaking'

Sally Redux

I would say the majority of people in this area are not native English speakers. Therefore it is much harder for them to understand us, and differentiate between accents.

MarylandNed

Many of the comments on this thread apply to other accents too - not just the English accent. I've seen Canadian and American girls swoon at guys with Irish, Scottish, French and Italian accents. So I don't think it's the English accent particularly - it's any accent that marks you as something different from what they normally hear.

Besides, what is an English accent anyway? Scousers, Brummies, Cockneys and Mancs all have very different accents. Some sound better than others to different people. Some English accents naturally come across as very pompous and "know it all" which I have seen irritate people.

lansbury

You got older

goldenstate31

that would be me and my husband with our East End London accents!

jeffreyhy

Thanks to Crocodile Dundee.

Regards, JEff

UkWinds5353

The English accent is quite popular providing you are being friendly and showing a bit of charm. But if you are acting an ass, the accent will only remind people that there are idiots in the UK as well. Don't worry too much about the accent just be open and friendly and that will go much further than any regional specific sounding voice.

kimilseung

I stopped by a stand promoting a local vote on labels for GMO, I don't have a vote, but I wanted info for the missus. I never got the info, the woman would not stop asking me questions about the royal birth. I could not answer any of her questions, I only found out it had not already been born from watching John Oliver. I grew tired of saying, "I don,'t know" and left.

Bayleaf_01

My husband was told soon after starting his job here that he could handle the discipline as it sounded much better in an English accent.
We live in Michigan where there is a big immigrant population, but not many Brits. It feels like every time I open my mouth I get a comment. "I love your accent, where are you from?" "Is it British". In their defense I am a Geordie, but one comment made me laugh out loud. "What language to they speak in England, it's obviously not English"!!!!

Pulaski

At first "accent glaze" can be difficult to distinguish from "accent mania". Although the accent maniac has the same look on her face as the accent glazer, the accent maniac can carry on a coherent conversation (unlike the glazer) but her motivation is primarily to say as little as possible, just enough to keep the conversation going as long as possible because she wants to carry on listening to the accent!

sanfranjones

Been often pinned as Australian or a New Zealander, my take is unless you sound like Hugh Grant you are not "British" but something Antipodean.
We've probably all had the "oh my Auntie XXX lives in London do you know her?" or something similar. England is... London, castles, thatched roof houses & Bobbies with trunchions and whistles.

Pulaski

I had that question thrown at me when I first went to work in New York.
New Colleague: "I don't suppose you know [ .... ]? He worked in [provincial town], but he quit and went to work in London for another company."
Pulaski: "Yeah, actually I do know him. Two weeks ago he was sitting at the desk next to me in London!".

Orangepants

Don't you love that when it does come together. We had houseguests last week, my OH's old friends from UK and he is a Commander in the Navy and I said a bit tongue in cheek to the guy as we'd discovered some common ground , "I don't suppose you happen to know [....] as he was one of my best friends from Uni days", and wouldn't you know it - he said "yup I know him - he is my boss, he heads up aviation" I then proceeded to get out the Rocky Horror dress up pics and all sorts of weird and wonderful pics from our crazy student days...