Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Most people I have met here love the accent, it is a novelty, I spend much longer on the phone sometimes than necessary, because the person I am talking too, is just enjoying the accent, doesn't bother me at all. Thats cool that you have made some good friends here already, I will have to tune into the radio show, I usually listen to WIL, the country station. :)

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Then I apologise for my previous post, it just sounded like you were forming an opinion by listening to other people's. It's normal to be anxious about fitting in, you just have to be open to the experience, give it time and you will be fine.

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Hi:

My dual national brother-in-law lives in Cornwall. From what he tells me, it seems that the both people from Scotland and those from Cornwall understand 'joisy, but don't understand each others' spoken language.

BTW, a few months back, his employer used him a temporary web video to promote a program -- it seems that all Brits are able to understand 'joisy.

As an aside -- as you know, UK passports give the CITY of birth thereon -- his UK passport says "Newark" while his US passport says "New Jersey." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4e0WrBsXbE

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

I belong to another forum populated mostly by yanks and they are hilarious. Some of them are a bit rude (we have a special area for them!). I am often shocked at what I read. :D However I am guessing if you met them in person, certainly to start with they would probably be a bit reserved. But then so are most people till you get to know them.

When you travel go with an attitude of learning about people who may be different to you. People really are fascinating!

On the accent issue, I had a kiwi accent when I arrived in the UK many years ago and in some parts of the country I had to keep repeating myself. I had to deliberately change the way I pronounced my surname as people kept getting it wrong even when I spelled it out. They kept hearing e when I said a. I shared a flat with a geordie and had to have someone translate for me. :eek:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Why not let the boyfriend come over first and just settle for long'esh visit's, thats what I did and even after two years of visiting thinking I knew what I was letting myself in for :rolleyes: Wrong.... big wake up call :(

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Hi:

Quite a few years ago, I had to deal with an AMERICAN consular officer who had a distinct Liverpool accent [made famous by the Fab Four]. In joking that he "talked funny" he mentioned that his accent was not "posh" so he would have never ever been hired by the British Foreign Service.

For the Yanks who can't be bothered to deal with foreign accents, they are simply not worth it. Most Yanks don't mind. And the differences in the terminology is simply a source of mutual amusement -- the classic being "knocked up." Another one I personally find amusing is the different use of the word " brilliant." [BTW, Bono was not criticized for the use of the word "brilliant" -- it was the preceding word -- one of which American's use a lot.].

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Is it just me or are you potentially worrying about nothing - your boyfriend 'may be getting a chance to go over there' and you would 'probably' marry him if so.

So he's got to get a visa and you've got to marry him before you need to think about the finer details - no point putting the cart before the horse so to speak! I'd worry about marriage and visas before panicking about whether Americans will understand you. ;)

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Good point .... marriage is much more scary!! :lol:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Agreed :lol:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

The man's right. I hate being mistaken for an Aussie!:curse:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Living in Boston I am always being asked if I am Irish.. I'm from the Home Counties, and very un-Irish sounding. Although I can pull off a reasonable Northern Irish accent :D

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Yeah, what's that about? I've gotten into the habit of saying "England, actually, but don't worry, I get that a lot."

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

I've been here for six years now and people still comment on my accent. I used to joke about wearing a board around my neck explaining the details of my move, I wouldn't have to repeat it every 30 minutes, but never got around to getting one made up.

In my experience, when asked about my accent I am usually in mid sentence (how else would they notice my accent?) and my general reply is that I don't have an accent. That usually confuses people long enough for me to get back to my original conversation. :)

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Its all about stereotypes, and how strong your accent is.

A lot of Americans expect all Brits to either speak like Brian Sewell or Ray Winstone. If you don't fit in either category it confuses a lot of people and they will think you are Australian, South African or something else. Likewise a lot of Americans see Scotland and Wales as separate from their idea of 'England' and assume that those accents apply to different countries. Its only because the upper class twit or the Cockney have usually been the most common stereotypes of the 'Brit' commonly seen on TV and in movies in the USA, which is the source of information for most people. But that is changing rapidly, mainly because of the same media now exposes regional accents and other cultures to a wider audience.

People like Russell Brand, David Beckham, Lilly Allen, Daniel Craig and Gordon Ramsey are the current celeb darlings of British-ness in the US media :D

Mostly you will have to get used to attention and the fact that Americans will see any English accent as a 'Foreign' one. People will look at you when you speak. From ordering in a restaurant to calling your kids in the mall your accent immediately marks you out. But in the US, unlike the UK I have never found it to be a negative thing, but it can be weird to get used to. In the UK when people hear a 'foreign' accent they tend to do the 'SPEAK SLOWLY AND LOUDLY' thing or the 'Does she take sugar?' ignorant thing. My Wife who has a strong European accent and hated the frankly mildly racist/snobby attitude to 'foreigners' she encountered a lot in the UK when she spoke and loves the fact that it does not happen here in the US as by and large most people speak with some form of accent or another, and it simply does not seem to matter. This is after all a country where people will proudly tell you that they are 12/16ths Scottish on their Fathers side and 4/50ths Kazak through their Mothers great, great Grandfathers tennis partners best friend on the other.

One thing I would say, don't try and fit in, don't do a Catherine Zeta Jones, be proud of your accent and maintain it. Nobody will care and it helps you keep your identity... granted certain vocabulary will have to change otherwise you will get nowhere... (try asking for a trolley in a supermarket ) and over time there will be some slippage, but don't do the forced Ameringlish thing... its always awful in an adult. Kids are different and will develop a 'native' accent in a stunningly short space of time totally naturally.

For most Americans, England by and large has only positive overtones. We play all the best villains in movies, and most people automatically think of manners, Shakespeare, chirpy friendly cockney's, the Queen, etc etc.... Just watch TV adverts in the US to see that they use British accents for standout and emphasis. Another poster mentioned the Geico lizard.... google it, you would be amazed that they use a 'saaf London' accent to sell insurance :confused:

Your accent should be the least of your worries.

Sir D

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Hi - I was born in Zimbabwe, lived most of my life there, then was in the UK for 4 years and now in Texas for 5 years. First everyone asked if I was British or Australia and when i answered no Zimbabwean they said oh well close enough - I would always laugh and say well right hemisphere! I have been asked if I was Austrian as well and of course the favorite is, how do you find it speaking English here? To which I reply, that's all I speak. I do live in a small town so that's probably why all the questions, it's always been a help, everyone usually remembers my voice so if I have to call back somewhere they are like old friends.

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

That can be a bit of a handicap though. If you want to call incognito and ask about something (without stating your name), everyone immediately knows who you are!

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

thanks for the reply. yes i thought the cockney and posh accent would be the ones americans think of as british. what region do you come from??
i guess i just worry about relating to people in terms of humour. Though i do not understand the fascination of americans with english, as we are ntoreally fascinated by americans.

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

i dont think i would get the opportunity for many visits. It is something my boyfriends has to say if he is interested in pretty quickly, even though we are unlikely to go for quite a while

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Most of us aren't really fascinated by you, don't worry. :)

PS: not all the British are funny or have this famous sense of humor either. My Brit definitely shows his German roots when it comes to the ha ha department.
Maybe that's the Queen's problem? :)

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

I don't think you have to worry,



I found this extremely humorous!:lol:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

I have to laugh.. just as i was reading this post I just had the pleasure of watching a news clip on the BBC website with some colleagues. They where interviewing an 'a typical' UK kid about a ride a Thorpe Park, complete with burberry hat and hoody... Ok I will say it, a Chav. I was trying to be nice.....

My US workmates are all horrified. They cannot understand why a suburban UK white kid spoke like a US Gangsta Rapper. When I advised them that there were plenty of kids like that the grim truth that Ali-G 's character (he was well know here) is actually a reality in our sceptered Isle seems to have really shocked them :D

I can only assume that they thought all kids in England were like extras from Oliver, or spent all their time swooning demurely into an handkerchief like something out of Jane Austen :rofl:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Born in Oxford, I don't think I have an accent.. but the wife says I do. I will admit that whenever I want anything important or need to get anything done here I fake a thick 'BBC annoucers' fancy posh accent... works marvels :thumbsup:

Absolutely no worries there let me assure you..... if in doubt throw in a few colourful anglo-saxon words ;)

WTF!! :ohmy: have you not seen Sky TV lately.......?

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

you can't be serious? I haven't lived here too long that I forget the fascination with all things American in England! Things can't have changed that much surely :confused:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

I'd rather I was asked if I am English rather than an American saying, "are you Australian?":curse:

Once it's clear I am English/British, I've yet to be asked the infamous question, "have you met the Queen?"

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

When I was 5 I gave her Madge bunch of flowers when she came to my school.... Have I dined out on that story whilst in the USA? Damn right!

Even better HRH story. Years ago I was a show and tell subject at a fairly prestigious high school in GA. One kid puts his hand up and says 'So how does the queen decide who she's gonna kill?' Much confused I enquired further.... turns out the poor thing was convinced we still had public executions in the UK at the Monarch's request. He and many of the rest of the class where dissapointed to learn that they would not be able to watch a headsman do his thing 'live' on a trip to the Tower of London if they ever went. :eek:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Are you Australian? - Multiple times. (My Australian friend is asked if she is British).

Are you German? - Once.

Have you met the royal family? Multiple times. Fortuitously I did once meet Princess Diana and I must say I have told that tale maybe ten times to Americans.

I find I have to repeat myself often. I have been here two years. I say "cart" and I say "sidewalk" and I say "have a good day" and I even say "awesome" (which I swore I wouldn't). I am happy to use American words in America.

My accent stands out in rural NW California - it is BBC with cockney-lite; think female Clive Owen. I get a lot of double-takes in stores. I find that when (rarely) I need to be authoritative it works wonders.

I find that Americans see us as both better mannered, and simultaneously more brutal (the sarcasm and the world wars) - as polite but underlying fkrs.

I love Britons but we (me included) can seem dour or grumpy (when we aren’t) to Americans because - you guessed it - they are UPBEAT. (As my American husband says – “they make you want to get up and beat them”.)

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

To which I usually reply "Oh yes, every Sunday I used to go to her house for tea and scones and to kick back and relax and watch Songs of Praise". Trouble is I do it a little to dryly and they can't figure out if I am serious or not, also they have no idea what Songs of Praise it.

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

"Get up and beat them" love it.
German?? I've had that one too.
Once.

Still have absolutely NO idea how even a Californian could confuse English with German. Mystified.

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Maybe it was the same guy?

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

In the "old days" (showing my age), a news piece would be supported by an interview with some sort of expert. These days, the norm seems to be going out on the street, and asking the opinion of the person on the street. It seems that after getting back to the editing room, they select the one or two most uneducated, uncultured, uninformed, unintelligible people to air on the evening news. It mystifies me ... maybe this is a demonstration of how democratic the TV companies are? :confused:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

You've been here a long time. Why have you not adapted your speech patterns accordingly so that you aren't considered as a young punk with a smart mouth?

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Have you ever been in the United States? If not, you can't be judging our personalities, ethics, humour, etc. based on biased media stereotyping.

Just as I have never been to the UK and while I now have several British friends, I can honestly say that I found them to be caustic, unfunny and very rude. It took time and allowing each of ourselves to open to one another to find that the core of our humanity was a common ground and we could then interact with each other in a manner that we both found comfortable with to form a good friendship.

Only a child would judge something without having any notion of the thing they are judging, i.e. hating shellfish while never having tasted it. Leave your mind open to new experiences and don't look for differences in as much as you look for sameness. The unique of our cultures and languages will be there to mark the differences but it is the sameness that will allow us to perhaps become friends.

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

I'm fed up with being looked at like I've got 3 heads every time I speak. (Cos I haven't really... honest.) I have a very plain, boring middle English accent, no discernible dialect at all, but every time I speak people seem so taken aback. Almost as though I'm taking the mick out of them. Take the mick. Moi? The outrage!

I have, however, taken to belting out a corking Yankee drawl whenever I ask for water. They really don't get wawtah as us Brits would say. So now I really give it plenty of .... wadderrrrr. No-one bats an eye.... and I actually get what I asked for, which is always a plus. :thumbsup:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

oh my goodness. . . the word "water" has been the bane of my life on drive thru coffee places - "cappucino" is fine, but "water" is a nightmare


I agree with the previous post that the betst bet is to go for broke with waaaaadderr

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

The young woman who asked me (I am a Londoner) if I was German was from deepest rural Northern Cali. Hey we're all European!

On that note, before I moved here I thought Asia, Africa and Europe were large diverse multi-national continents, not generic terms liberally utilised by my new countrymen.

As a Brit we don't often see ourselves as European! :rofl: Until now.

And have you noticed how "Asian" means Japanese, Chinese, Korean maybe . . . . never Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi?

As a corollary, in London we often ordered a "Chinky" from the "Chinky" - a Chinese takeaway from the Chinese takeaway. My husband nearly add a coronary in Sab Francisco Chinatown in a bakery when I used the word chinky as it is apparently pretty racist! Just shows there's two sides to every story . . .

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Sometimes I get a lot of comments and then none for ages.

Most people want to know where I am from and then they ask lots of questions to keep me talking. Normally I can talk all day but at that point my mind always goes blank. I am always told I sound like Emma Thompson.

I have recently started teaching calligraphy classes again and I was really nervous on my first day and told the class to always remember to bring a rubber with them. I knew what I should have said but I just blanked and out came the wrong word.

We have struck up conversations with all sorts of people because we sound different. It's fun.

Our local park is trying to ban dogs from the park and so a big group of us have been going to the town council meetings. I was asked to speak for them all at the first meeting because of my accent...they thought it would intimidate the town managers:rofl:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Every day I get blank stares from people when I ask for water... I sound ridiculous even attempting to say waaaddderr :o All my US friends take great delight in attempting a British "war-tur" when we're eating out; Thankfully they sound more ridiculous than I do!!

I too have had the German thing- twice. Once by a friend who I had known for about 4 months at the time and he had no idea at all that I was English... :rofl:

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

Good luck with that then...

From my own experience's ( I come from just outside Glasgow ) I found it quite difficult to be understood, the way I spoke changed very quickly ( mostly without trying ) to allow me to say things once rather than three or four times. I still sounded unmistakedly Scottish, but communicated without problems.
Having said that I also know a few people from your parts that found it even more difficult, one in particular who picked up the nick name "50 /50".

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

I married my wife because of her accent. A british accent on a woman is incredibly attractive to American males...It's very feminine. Inversely a british accent sounds incredibly gay when a male has it. It's like really red hair. It's great on women and terrible on men.

Re: is your accent something that gets commented on alot
 

au contraire;) I love men with english accents, in fact I stalk this guy every time I see him at timmies because of his beautiful sexy accent. I try to get a table beside him just to listen to him speak - he's not a looker by any means, but the accent is SO SEXY.....!:wub:

Just a canadian opinion........;)