I have lost all control of my accent

Well, it's happened.  I am Loyd Grossman.  I have no control over what comes out of my mouth.  At work, it was pointed out that when I'm trying to make a point I put on a posh English accent (true, according to my husband).  My children object to me saying 'bleeding' because no one say that.  I'm laughed at for saying 'soda' and 'gnarly'.  No one knows what I mean when I say 'conniption'.  I'm losing the battle not to say to-mah-to and sometimes find myself slipping.  Sometimes, even I have no idea what I'm going to sound like when I start to speak-I can swing from American to English and back to American all in the same sentence.  It's really starting to be a problem.    Anyone else in the same boat?

Well.. at least you keep everyone on their toes!  Maybe you'll even start saying things with a Japanese accent.. now that really would be something  

So conniption isn't a term used there??  Add that to "antsy".. I'm always having to explain that one to Sean.

Haven't had that problem myself but then I only spent 6 months there.  

Keep 'em guessing

I have the same problem, Mindy. I'll sometimes catch myself saying to-mah-to, then quickly switch to the way I would normally say it because it just doesn't sound right coming out of my mouth.

Another one is France.  I'd usually say the ending of the word to rhyme with dance.  Now I find myself saying Fr-ah-nce.  Bleeding, bloody, sodding have all become a part of my vocabulary, but equally mixed with quaint Americanisms like cotton-pickin' or pea-pickin'.

I call back home, they say I sound English.  Yet over here, my accent is easily targeted as American.  However, lately I've been told I sound Canadian because my accent isn't as strong.  Come to think of it, I've been labelled as South African, Australian, New Zealand and Irish.  Sheesh!

Ever get the feeling that you don't truly belong to either country?

I haven't just lost control of my accent, but my whole power of speech.  I think I has become so confused that my brain and mouth have been officially disconnected.    

Part of my job is to give tours to groups of school children on the tudors.  Since I am talking to children I do try to use their language (as it were).  You wouldn't believe the stuff that comes out of my mouth.  I talk about their mates, wonky floors, being sensible and being naughty, all words that I wouldn't use in everyday life.  Problem is my brain doesn't realise when I'm not doing a tour!    Not that I have any problem with these words, I just think I must sound really strange when they come out of my mouth.

Converesly, when we were walking down the road the other day I told my husband that one of these days we were going to beaned by a rock.  He replied that he wasn't sure if he wanted to be beaned or not!

Oh yes.
Our friends here are Scottish, Irish, American(Southern), and of course British.

When Im around people I tend to pick up on accents not even realizing it.
Some days the kids swear I talk Irish.  It depends on who Im hanging around with.  I have hosts of words AND accents coming from different places all mixed together. LOL

Currently, hubby says Im speaking from the American south with hints of Surrey. LOL!
Lately I just point to items because Im never sure what Im going to call them..hehehe

Same here, no idea what will come out of my mouth either, and it's in my head as well. For instance, thinking I've been here four and half years, I hear in my head "four and a hahf years", and I just think, OMG. :-/

I think if one wants to keep their American accent as much as possible, you better concentrate on thinking and saying things that way, else it's going to sneak up on you as it has me. I was sure that I wouldn't lose mine, but I do make a small effort with my young children to repeat words in their accent so they won't be singled out in school, etc., and I think that's what's gotten me after just 4 and hahf years. I have picked up the slang and a whole new way of speaking as well. For instance, I never used to say "as well", now I do all of the time.

What a hodge podge of voices I feel like. (See there, it used to be that I would have put the end of that sentence on the front.)

I find it a little unsettling at times, but it's interesting, and probably will be confusing to my family the next time I'm able to fly home for a visit.

I think in a couple of years I may succumb to the power of the soft "a". I just need to let go and just do it instead of worrying it's going to accidentally spew from my mouth.

My current stumble word is "garage". I saw it all three ways, and sometimes all three, one-right-after-the-other.
- GARE udge
- gah RADGE
- and some sort of slur that softens the "GARE" a bit. I can't quite write it down to make my point. It's not meant to be a combination of both because I do hear Brits saying it that way, it's just not the hard "GARE".

 Well sometimes I sound southern,because Iam from KY.Then other times I either sound English,Irish or Canadian   LOL.

I have a habit of picking up other people's accents, too, and now when I talk I sometimes have this warped sounding thing happening because of a combo of ameri-brit speak. Morphing between the 2 versions of the word. ergh. One thing I've noticed is that my o's are changing to the Scottish o. Like Michael Moore is moo-er. (Well, that could be appropriate. tee hee) And food and mood are like the French eu sound...like in deux.  One of my US friends said I was picking up a lot of brit phrases: cooker, hoover, holiday. What's funny is when I can't remember the American term for something. eek! It really does just sneak up on you. But, my hubby is also picking up some of my American phrases. ha ha!

Mindy,

I completely understand what you're going through.  When I first moved here I couldn't understand how Lloyd Grossman could sound as strange as he does, and now 12 years later I sound just like him!

The strange thing is, my father-in-law who is also American has lived here for over 35 years and has not changed his accent one bit.  My husband insists that it is down to the fact his father never listens to anyone (ha, ha).  I do think that the more you have to interact with different accents in your day to day life, the more likely it is that your accent will change.

Mostly I don't here myself speak with any accent anymore, but every once in a while I'll say something that sounds very strange to my own ears - especially if I've somehow managed to sound Bristolian (or Brissle).

There is one advantage - whenever I have had to deal with Europeans, or other people who speak English but not as their first language, they always seem to have an easier time understanding my accent than a heavy English or American accent!

Thanks guys.  At least now I don't feel like such a freak.  It'd just be nice if I could work out a way to control it.    Somethings though-like Chusday and Chuna I'm still fighting the good fight and have so far resisted.  

I caught myself ordering an English Breakfast with no to-MAH-to a while back... and I haven't even been here 2 years yet! *eek*

CAHN'T is the one I can't get away from.  I think because if I say CAN'T.  I have to go through the whole
'can't'  
'can?'
'no, can't'
'can?'
'NO, CAN'T' thing.  It's easier to just say cahn't and then everybody knows what you mean.  

Converesly, when we were walking down the road the other day I told my husband that one of these days we were going to beaned by a rock.  He replied that he wasn't sure if he wanted to be beaned or not!

That's great... I can just imagine how funny it must have been.  :-)  Certainly "made my day..."

THANK GOD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE!  I have experienced so many of the same things above.  It's pretty funny to read now.  The Loyd Grossman stuff,  and if I get asked what part of Ireland I'm from just one more time.......Grrr!  In another one of my replys I said how Im just about to say a particular word for example "garbage" and I know what I want to say but about a nanosecond before the word "garbage" comes out of my mouth I remember I have to use the English equivalent, only my mouth doesnt work that fast and it comes out this total gibberish which no one understands. GARB.....ISH.

Ive got to show this to my wife.  

The really funny thing is how around the house, Ive got my wife saying OREG-ahNO instead of OReeeeGANO and Garbage instead of rubbish.  I just smile to myself and know Ive gotten my own back for all the times she makes fun of my messed up Englishisms.

Again, great site