scrubbedexpat099

Sounds like we are getting back to Ricky Jervais put down on Comedy Central.

- sorry, I was speaking English.

Also repeating slowly and loudly usually works.

As far as the accent goes I sometimes comment that I do not actually have an accent, and then I may bore them with a diatribe on Received English.

Slightly concerned that the inate sense of Englishman abroad superiority seems to be missing in this thread. I blame it on the schools.

simongb

I have lived in the US since 1992. It doesn't happen so much anymore, but when I first got here a lot of the locals couldn't understand me. I put it down to people being provinicial and not well traveled. I mean, I am speaking the same language and all you have to do is LISTEN to the context of what I am saying and WORK OUT IN YOUR HEAD the meaning of all the words! Like I said, it doesn't happen too much anymore, I think I am sounding more American, but I remember being very frustrated. Now, when I go back to the UK people think I am American!!! UUGGHH!! I remember watching a TV show on BBC America a while back where a couple of the characters were speaking Liverpudlian (?) and I couldn't understand a word and I was born in Liverpool!

wmoore

Several times I've been asked which part of Ireland I'm from (I'm from North Yorks)

But even stranger is when I tell them where I'm from, I often get "North Yorkshire, eh? I've got an uncle that runs a pub in Liverpool".

yorkshire_lass

I haven't had any bad experiences like that so far, but my daughter does get irritated at school sometimes the kids will ask her if she can speak 'normally'. They aren't saying it to be mean, they really just want to know if she is able to speak without an English accent. Of course they all think they have no accent and maybe they think she can just switch hers off....

She has found that she is much more popular over here than she was in her UK school, she likes being different and the other kids love some of the words she uses. They particulaly like to quiz her on what derrogatory names British kids throw at each other and their fave so far is 'Minger'!! they also like 'numpty'.

At work my boss likes some of the words I come out with, some of her faves are 'grubby', half past 5 (instead of 5.30) and fortnight, she doesn't like it when i say 'a week on monday' meaning not next monday but the one after. Too confusing! What I find irritating at work is having to write the date with mm/dd/yyyy, I have to fill in the dd first then go back to mm.

What some Americans don't seem to realise is that immitating a British accent in a sterotypical way is just as insulting as when people immitate, for instance, a Chinese accent and say something like "Flied Lice!"

Pigtails

I've never had this problem. People have only ever been nice and complimentary about my accent. They must just know what a dick you are patrick!

Why do so many of you get upset when people impersonate you???? I just smile politely and say "that's cute" or something along those lines. Yes, it gets old, but I don't know why so many of you find it offensive.

ironporer

Don't worry- it's not just Americans who do that. This weekend while shopping in a Farmer's Market in Atlanta a Hispanic worker overheard my (very light skinned non-stereotypical) Spanish wife and I talking (in Spanish) and commented to my wife how well she spoke the language. When Cathy replied that she is indeed from Spain, the poor little Mexican girl asked if they speak 'some type of Spanish there too"?
Cathy was quite restrained and didn't even scream as she told the girl that just maybe Español comes from España... and that maybe HER country speaks "some type" of Spanish.

Schnorbitz

Well said! The 'you're accent is cute, what part of London are you from' thing does wear thin but at lease people take an interest. Mildly irritating yes, offensive, no.

agostinism

Think about it of a moment, in Spain they Speak different dialects of Spanish so the poor little ignorant Mexican girl got it right to be surprised to hear a Spanish speak spanish. As far as I know the Spanish speak Gallego, Catalan, Castellano y Andaluz depending on the region they come from all of these languages with heavy influence from the Spanish language or Castellano(except catalan) are not Spanish. In Mexico they speak Spanish (very few speak indigenous languages which is completely different from spanish), so your wife, and i am sorry to disappoint you, was wrong it is in Spain where they speak something different than "Spanish" (You and her should know better).

If you hear Gaelic or Welsh would you say it is English? Is Afrikaners English? then I think the Americans do have a point here.

BigDavyG

Winners don't do drugs

lee_in_nj

For the sake of every scouser. Please slap the next person who says that.

scrubbedexpat099

England and Wales are seperate countries, Spain has many regions. The only Gaelic connection I can think of with England is Cornish but that is essentially a dead language, maybe a few hundred speakers and I would not expect anyone outside the UK to know that.

Afrikaan is based on Dutch, Lower German? and I believe has little connection with any form of English.

Celtic_Angel

I only get wonderful compliments about my accent

Elvira

So you're posh too then? Maybe we should start a club!

BigDavyG

She's welsh ffs.
Obviously a wind up.

agostinism

The same can be said about Vasque Country and Spain, And the connection of Afrikaan with English lies in the fact that both are recognised official languages of South Africa. My point is that just because a language has origins in any particular country it does not imply by default absolute rights to it. On the contrary, the dynamics of a place or region tend to affect and transform the language adapting it to its need and making it its own. To the Americans, English its their language in the form they have adapted to their culture, their way of life. And since this US society does not have any other language or dialect to rely on, any other form of the Language might seem "foreign". The same paradigm occurs with Latin America and Spain and Portugal, Brazil and Lusitan Africa but differs in comparison with France, Quebec and Francophone Africa (where the case is reverted, being the dialects originated from Quebec and Francophone Africa instead of France).

In any case, many English are adopting american ways and slang in their day to day talk, be it as it may from the influence of Rap in Music and the penetration of the "American Way of Life" in the day to day activities of not only Brits but Europeans in general.

So do not be surprised if one day you wake up and hear your wife and kids speaking English like Americans and Ain't gonna be notin' y'all can do 'bout.

BTW this are a couple of things I heard the other day that really cracked me up:

"Byatch" (????)
"'sup y'all bro mofo" (it is supposed to be a greeting of some sort)
"Wassup or 'sup"
"How you doin'" (with a laid back and suspicious tone of voice)

He dicho!