Lost your accent?
Dec 1st 2003, 4:23 pm
#1
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Lost your accent?
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
My friend had an uncle who moved out to Arkansas for a few years, and when he came back to the U.K., he was a total southern American, but within 1 year of moving back to the U.K., his English accent came right back. Weird!
My friend had an uncle who moved out to Arkansas for a few years, and when he came back to the U.K., he was a total southern American, but within 1 year of moving back to the U.K., his English accent came right back. Weird!
Dec 1st 2003, 4:50 pm
#2
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Re: Lost your accent?
Originally posted by Pimpbot
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
My friend had an uncle who moved out to Arkansas for a few years, and when he came back to the U.K., he was a total southern American, but within 1 year of moving back to the U.K., his English accent came right back. Weird!
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
My friend had an uncle who moved out to Arkansas for a few years, and when he came back to the U.K., he was a total southern American, but within 1 year of moving back to the U.K., his English accent came right back. Weird!
I read once that you're more likely to pick up an accent if you're happy where you are. Probably codswallop, but sounds interesting.
If I ever say "Tomayto", though, please shoot me.
Dec 1st 2003, 5:07 pm
#3
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Re: Lost your accent?
Originally posted by Pimpbot
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
My friend had an uncle who moved out to Arkansas for a few years, and when he came back to the U.K., he was a total southern American, but within 1 year of moving back to the U.K., his English accent came right back. Weird!
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
My friend had an uncle who moved out to Arkansas for a few years, and when he came back to the U.K., he was a total southern American, but within 1 year of moving back to the U.K., his English accent came right back. Weird!
Dec 1st 2003, 5:10 pm
#4
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Re: Lost your accent?
Originally posted by dunroving
If I ever say "Tomayto", though, please shoot me.
If I ever say "Tomayto", though, please shoot me.
Patrick
Dec 1st 2003, 5:17 pm
#5
my arm aches
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: the warm waters of Florida
Posts: 2,289
I read somewhere that the accent you have at the age of fourteen is the accent you keep. It may change slightly with certain different nuances, but overall the basic accent stays. My eight year old has completely lost her British accent now, after only 2 years here. In fact it probably went within 6 months of being here. If she tries to copy our accent now she sounds as bad as everyone else in this country.
Dec 1st 2003, 5:21 pm
#6
my arm aches
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My own accent hasn't changed one bit, but I do adapt the way I speak, on the phone for instance, in order to make myself understood more easily. Got a bit of a common accent coming from sauf London.
Dec 1st 2003, 5:30 pm
#7
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,082
yeah... I sound dead posh now! I don't think I've lost it, but if I have to speak to certain people I do tone it down a bit!
I can do the awfully, awfully british accent, but I sound like Hyacinth Bucket if I do... seeing as she is a LOT older than me I don't do that unless someone is getting shirty!
Swapping "Oy" for "Hey" annoys me!
I can do the awfully, awfully british accent, but I sound like Hyacinth Bucket if I do... seeing as she is a LOT older than me I don't do that unless someone is getting shirty!
Swapping "Oy" for "Hey" annoys me!
Dec 1st 2003, 5:59 pm
#8
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 4,082
Re: Lost your accent?
Originally posted by Polaris_x
Al-i-min-e-um
or
a-lum-in-um
Al-i-min-e-um
or
a-lum-in-um
Dec 1st 2003, 6:09 pm
#9
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Posts: n/a
Ah loo min um - and toe may toe - or no-one understands what I want.
Main thing I have trouble with when swopping from one country to the other is petrol/gas. And gas/propane - and remembering to change the stress from the first to the last part of propane.
Main thing I have trouble with when swopping from one country to the other is petrol/gas. And gas/propane - and remembering to change the stress from the first to the last part of propane.
Dec 1st 2003, 6:22 pm
#10
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Joined: Jun 2003
Location: Gilbert, Arizona
Posts: 292
Re: Lost your accent?
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Pimpbot
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
I had quite a mixed-up childhood. My father is from Portsmouth, my mother is from Germany and I more or less grew up in New York City, but I also spent time in Europe. With all the accents I was exposed to, I trained myself, as best as I could, to adopt a midwestern U.S. accent. Johnny Carson was my role model. My wife says she can still detect a bit of an accent in my voice when I get tired or angry.
BTW, I once read that John Mahoney, who plays Frasier's dad on TV, lost his accent on purpose in order to play "American" roles. He was born in Blackpool, Lancs.
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
I had quite a mixed-up childhood. My father is from Portsmouth, my mother is from Germany and I more or less grew up in New York City, but I also spent time in Europe. With all the accents I was exposed to, I trained myself, as best as I could, to adopt a midwestern U.S. accent. Johnny Carson was my role model. My wife says she can still detect a bit of an accent in my voice when I get tired or angry.
BTW, I once read that John Mahoney, who plays Frasier's dad on TV, lost his accent on purpose in order to play "American" roles. He was born in Blackpool, Lancs.
Dec 1st 2003, 6:27 pm
#11
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Joined: Nov 2003
Location: south Yorkshire
Posts: 83
Although a good question really to ask today though is what exactly is a British accent? Just like America it depends where you go. For example my Niece was born in Leister and it sends shivers down my spine whenever I hear her speak, it is so different to my Yorkshire accent.
Dec 1st 2003, 6:28 pm
#12
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 185
Re: Lost your accent?
[QUOTE]Originally posted by edwords
Apparantly his first job after leaving school was to sell pies at Man City football ground, if he can do it then why can't the bastards who stole my car radio outside there in 1997 do it.
Originally posted by Pimpbot
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
I had quite a mixed-up childhood. My father is from Portsmouth, my mother is from Germany and I more or less grew up in New York City, but I also spent time in Europe. With all the accents I was exposed to, I trained myself, as best as I could, to adopt a midwestern U.S. accent. Johnny Carson was my role model. My wife says she can still detect a bit of an accent in my voice when I get tired or angry.
BTW, I once read that John Mahoney, who plays Frasier's dad on TV, lost his accent on purpose in order to play "American" roles. He was born in Blackpool, Lancs.
Anybody been here long enough to have lost part or all of their British accent?
I had quite a mixed-up childhood. My father is from Portsmouth, my mother is from Germany and I more or less grew up in New York City, but I also spent time in Europe. With all the accents I was exposed to, I trained myself, as best as I could, to adopt a midwestern U.S. accent. Johnny Carson was my role model. My wife says she can still detect a bit of an accent in my voice when I get tired or angry.
BTW, I once read that John Mahoney, who plays Frasier's dad on TV, lost his accent on purpose in order to play "American" roles. He was born in Blackpool, Lancs.
Apparantly his first job after leaving school was to sell pies at Man City football ground, if he can do it then why can't the bastards who stole my car radio outside there in 1997 do it.
Dec 1st 2003, 6:34 pm
#13
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Joined: May 2003
Location: UK
Posts: 94
I've been in the UK for a little under four years and have managed to retain the roots of my South African accent but everyone back home says I sound English. The funny thing is that now I'm picking up 'American' from my Fiance.
But I agree with those of you who tend to emphasise certain parts of your accent depending on who you're talking to. I definitely mimmick other people's accents when I talk to them.
Clare
But I agree with those of you who tend to emphasise certain parts of your accent depending on who you're talking to. I definitely mimmick other people's accents when I talk to them.
Clare
Dec 1st 2003, 6:41 pm
#14
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I've never been very good at that, I can only speak like me and thats as far as it goes.
Dec 1st 2003, 8:14 pm
#15
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 6,848
I still (unfortunately) have my Coventry accent, although Coventrians tell me that they think that I sound as if I'm from London.... 
. My husband is from Bristol but doesn't have the 'Brizzle' accent at all, he sounds like a BBC newsreader!
We moved to Singapore when our kids were aged 10 and 6 respectively. Our eldest went to an International school and picked up an American accent, despite the fact that there were over 50 different nationalities at the school and very few American kids as most of them went to the Singapore American School. At age 16 it was a bit too late for her to go into the US school system (she'd just taken her IGCSE's) so she went to boarding school in England for "A" levels. She also now sounds very English and she sounds as if she could be a BBC newsreader!
Our son went to a British school in Singapore and although we've now been in the States for almost 31/2 years he hasn't acquired an American (New Joisey!) accent (thank goodness!) and now at age 15 all the girls at his school love to hear him speak in class.
. My husband is from Bristol but doesn't have the 'Brizzle' accent at all, he sounds like a BBC newsreader!We moved to Singapore when our kids were aged 10 and 6 respectively. Our eldest went to an International school and picked up an American accent, despite the fact that there were over 50 different nationalities at the school and very few American kids as most of them went to the Singapore American School. At age 16 it was a bit too late for her to go into the US school system (she'd just taken her IGCSE's) so she went to boarding school in England for "A" levels. She also now sounds very English and she sounds as if she could be a BBC newsreader!
Our son went to a British school in Singapore and although we've now been in the States for almost 31/2 years he hasn't acquired an American (New Joisey!) accent (thank goodness!) and now at age 15 all the girls at his school love to hear him speak in class.