Communication!

There are a couple people I know of who are floating around that area, one of them being in Tadley. The other is not far from there. I'm sure they would love to meet up, as well. We have meetups out that way from time to time so we will have to get together (there's a whole big group of us)! We're always looking for new friends. That said, take it from me that KFdancer is totally lovely and I'm sure you will have a great time with her!!

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I sent her the link to your group as well.  You guys are awesome! 

I sent her the link to your group as well.  You guys are awesome! 

Of course you did! You are way too prepared for me!

Thanks so much ladies. I voice a small frustration and this is turning out great!  I'm looking forward to meeting some of you on Sunday


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I always got asked if I was Canadian or Irish!!

It never really bothered me with people saying things about my accent until the sandwich maker at Subway asked "Do you mean to-MAH-toes?" once when I asked for "to-MAY-toes" on my sandwich :-P

Over here in Texas, I do get more of a "I'm sorry?" when I speak. They get a look in their faces as well that tells me they want me to talk more so they can try and figure out if I'm American or not. Usually I repeat what I've said and they stand there for a minute with "Ah...you're not from here." look.

Never have I had anyone snarl at me though! The only time I've had a negative experience here because of my accent was from a Frenchman! He was a server giving me an attitude at La Madeleine (a French Bistro they have here in Austin) so I challenged him to a duel. He smacked his chest and was like "For France, I accept!" and then I chucked my potato soup in his face and shouted "Yay! I win!" (Okay, that last bit may not have happened but I DID feel like chucking my potato soup in his face! I restrained myself though because La Madeleine potato soup is wonderful! )

But yeah, sometimes they'll ask, most of the time they don't. My accent is quite mild now and I am pronouncing things the US way, like "To-MAY-to" because when I say "To-MAH-to" I ALWAYS get a "What was that?" so I relent and say it the US way and they nod.

I still call fries chips and chips crisps though. Hope you all enjoy your meet up!

Token British--You're a hoot!

I'm half American and half Mexican (my father was a Mexican national and I have four Mexican born grandparents) and I grew up in El Paso, Texas. Most people speak both English and Spanish and use it interchangeably and often in the same sentence. We have developed a sort of accepted Spanglish in El Paso. I've been married to my English husband for nearly 20 years and we've developed another weird hybrid of Anglo-American language in our household. My husband is from a town near Wigan but he has a generic English accent that's rather pleasant and he is constantly being complimented here in Houston. He does adopt many American words though and uses them often in his speech. When I lived in Reading, I worked in a call center and people said my accent sounded American without a hint of Texan twang but I had to use English words to be understood. My two youngest were born in England and they speak radically different from each other. The boy still has a northern England accent but uses American words. The girl has no hint of an English accent and never uses English words. However, we've all been known to add Spanish words and phrases in the home because my daughter-in-law is Mexican and my granddaughter lives in a Spanish speaking household. To outsiders, we are a bit jumbled.

Man, I wish I still lived in Wokingham to join y'all over the weekend. In the 9 years I lived in England I met one American. Have an amazing time!

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I remember   being laughed  at  out loud  by a  salesperson  at marks and  spencers because I  wanted to know where I could buy pants  and  she acted all  superior  and  like she had  NO idea  ..and even when I  pulled my pant leg and  said  like this..  she was all snorting and  then directed me...  My DH was so  angry because he says  the Brits  are way more  exposed  to the US vernacular from our songs   and movies than we are  of the fact  ...sure...but really?)   then I had  my MIL  be all sad when my girls  were  born saying  "oh they will have that terrible  American accent!!)  hello??!! I'm standing right here!!  I can HEAR  you!!!   

Oh how the British laugh when I pronounce each letter in a word. cem-e-t-er-y ...not Cem-e-try..

I've learned to slowly block my hearing when a British person talks the moment they have their chuckle of me being American....I just tune them out. My husband is like a roommate and I've tested out the concept real well with him.  I find British people never really say what they mean anyways. Its as if they are off in some la la land...

 just smile and carry on

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When working in the IT service industry I always felt that my American accent gave me a distinct advantage over my English colleagues when it came to client relations. Some things we are just known to be good at; finance, service and technology. Why not play that card?!

With all the goofy accents on this little island I find generally people are quite receptive to speaking to an American. It's not the Queens English but its a lot closer than some of the alleged English being spoken around here! I'll take my "wadder" over w-a-t-e-r any day.

Some things we are just known to be good at; finance, service and technology.

And most of all, a slightly distorted self-confidence.....

But.......confidence has been shown to produce results even when it is baseless.

 

And most of all, a slightly distorted self-confidence.....

But.......confidence has been shown to produce results even when it is baseless.

 

I would argue an essential element to that end.

I've got a mush of an accent and it probably changes depending on who I'm talking to and what part of the world I'm sitting in when I'm speaking.
 
This is a funny story, well I think it is anyways.  I've been here 8 years and I just got married. I invited one of my bandmates to the wedding along with his wife.  I've casually known the wife for about 7 years,but it's always been the kind of five minutes after a gig kind of pleasantries exchange, (Hello, how are you?, how's your son?, how are you feeling?, etc) rather than with a full on conversation together.  When she was at the wedding, she said to our mutual friends, "that was the first time she had actually realised that I was American".   That made me giggle a lot!  However, I do know that my accent switches and in that especially in the pleasantries exchanges, unconsciously to probably not stand out and blend in, I really can be softspoken and 'Scottish'.  So most likely, in any exchange with her, I was probably just quite quiet and muted and no one ever had any need to explain to her that I was American. 

My accent 'switches', too. After a video meeting with coworkers in the US or hanging out with American friends here in the UK, DH has noticed my accent is definitely more American. I don't do it intentionally, it just happens.

My little story from yesterday:

We had a food delivery last night and the driver was very chatty. I can't remember how it came up, but he was from Italy (I would have never guessed from his accent).

We were talking about Italy and when I started speaking Italian, he was impressed and said 'it isn't common for English girls to speak Italian so well'. 

Very flattering both that he thought my Italian was good and that I was English (which I guess I am now, but not by birth).

Not to suggest that I would have been insulted if he had called me out as an American, but I prefer to just blend in and don't like being pointed out as 'different'.

My accent 'switches', too. After a video meeting with coworkers in the US or hanging out with American friends here in the UK, DH has noticed my accent is definitely more American. I don't do it intentionally, it just happens.

My little story from yesterday:

We had a food delivery last night and the driver was very chatty. I can't remember how it came up, but he was from Italy (I would have never guessed from his accent).

We were talking about Italy and when I started speaking Italian, he was impressed and said 'it isn't common for English girls to speak Italian so well'. 

Very flattering both that he thought my Italian was good and that I was English (which I guess I am now, but not by birth).

Not to suggest that I would have been insulted if he had called me out as an American, but I prefer to just blend in and don't like being pointed out as 'different'.

I find most non-native English speakers are rubbish at differentiating between major accents of the English speaking world--British, North American (cause let's be honest, sometimes Canadian is hard to differentiate from northern US), South African, Australian, and Kiwi. I had Italians once ask me if a was Australian. Not that we are much good at differentiating different Spanish accents, but there you go. It's hard if it's not your native tongue. 

At least it lets us get by with not being "called out" by other non native speaking immigrants. Haha. No matter how much our accents have or haven't changed.


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My little story from yesterday:

We had a food delivery last night and the driver was very chatty. I can't remember how it came up, but he was from Italy (I would have never guessed from his accent).

We were talking about Italy and when I started speaking Italian, he was impressed and said 'it isn't common for English girls to speak Italian so well'. 

Very flattering both that he thought my Italian was good and that I was English (which I guess I am now, but not by birth).

Not to suggest that I would have been insulted if he had called me out as an American, but I prefer to just blend in and don't like being pointed out as 'different'.

I find most non-native English speakers are rubbish at differentiating between major accents of the English speaking world--British, North American (cause let's be honest, sometimes Canadian is hard to differentiate from northern US), South African, Australian, and Kiwi. I had Italians once ask me if a was Australian. Not that we are much good at differentiating different Spanish accents, but there you go. It's hard if it's not your native tongue. 

At least it lets us get by with not being "called out" by other non native speaking immigrants. Haha. No matter how much our accents have or haven't changed.

True.

His English sounded like native English to my ears (besides a very subtle Italian inflection I think I heard once I knew he was from Italy), so I'm guessing he's been here quite a while.

He probably 'gets away with it' as much as I do.