Accidental Accent

I asked DH and he also said it with the emphasis on the oooh at the end as well. 

I heard once that your accent may change, even very drastically, when you move to a new place; however, unless you put effort into trying to flawlessly adopt the new accent, you are unlikely to ever sound like a born and bred local to the locals.

From my experience, that has held true thus far.  I have British friends who moved to America decades ago.  To their British friends, they sound American but to their American friends, sound very slightly British still.

My American family/friends think I'm sounding more and more British, but DH still thinks I'm undeniably American (and apparently, my accent gets stronger when we visit America and fades away when we come back home).  American tourists in London usually think I'm from Canada or Australia when I talk to them, and seem surprised I'm a fellow American.  But British people I speak to on the phone at work usually pick up on the American accent and like it. 

I know I've definitely adopted the expressions, I know there are definitely some random words I say with a British accent, and DH thinks I even speak faster as well.  He says that when he first met me, the American drawl seemed so long to him and he had already formulated a response in his head while I was still speaking because I drawled all my sentences out.  Apparently now I speak faster and am getting more clipped.

I've only been here a month but as a linguistic chameleon (Texan mother, Yankee father (Ohio) and traveled a lot between the two states as a kid) I'm quickly picking up new sounds.

I've always been afraid that people will think I'm "putting it on" when a new accent comes out of my mouth, but I can't help it. Everyone can tell when I've talked to my mom (my southern twang comes out) or my aunt in Chicago (my nasally voice comes out).

Apparently my kids are no different, just yesterday my daughter was giving me a hard time because I sounded "posh" and as she says I did it "on purpose". But I'm not! I'm so afraid people that don't know me will be insulted because they'll think I'm making fun or something.

I also wondered about the kids. DH has a 3 year old and even when we Skype he picks up my words, hilariously he says, "yeah" like an American "YAY-ah". Everyone says that sounds American.

I wonder if our future children will have strange accents since they will be spending a lot of time with me, but living in a country where everyone else speaks differently from their mother.

Has anyone had children who sound British? Despite having one American parent?

Angela Randall

I wouldn't say I sound "british", however, I think my phrases and word choices have changed a bit. I was talking to my flatmate about this topic the other day actually. It might even be the tone that goes up at times (on some words), in a more british way. If anything I sound more "neutral" than anything.

To british people I usually sound American, but to some Americans I meet...well they can't place my accent. I've definitely had quite a few people over the last year say I don't sound American. I've heard south african, kiwi, irish, scottish, amongst other things.

I also think it depends who I'm talking to. At work surrounded by my British colleagues, I probably sound and use more British words etc. When I'm at home or talking to friends maybe a bit more American. I do kind of feel like a mut accent wise. I definitely don't sound the same, for when I went home in December I heard a lot of remarks, mainly making fun of me or a word I used.

I think it's inevitable though to some degree. Maybe sooner for some than others. There is no way, at least I don't think, that one does not pick up the local lingo to some degree! It is what it is!

So like I said, I definitely sound more neutral than I did before. I use both British and American words, both slip out at times!

I mentioned lasso not because I actually use the word (although I played a Tree Fu Tom game on Cbeebies today that used a lasso) but it sort of represents what I love about living overseas.

Things like pavement, chips, flat, football, etc., etc.-those all come quite quickly and, I think, effortlessly become part of your vocabulary, even if you're over here for a short while.  But what I love is that even after all the time I've lived here, I still, on at least a weekly basis, learning something new about living in the UK (vocabulary or otherwise).  Just when I think I've mastered most of the language, I'll turn to my husband and say, 'I have no idea what that was/why that was funny/what that actually meant'.

Heh. On this subject, DH and I just had a tiff over the word "percolator". He said his mom wants to buy us one for Christmas. So I said, "can we just get a regular brew coffee machine?" Which then led to a tiff about what a percolator *is*! lol I told him my grandmother had one, but that no one has those nowadays! Lots of google images later, and he conceded that these days it's just a "coffee maker" or "filter coffee maker".

My favourite thing about the whole lasso/lassoo conversation was when I actually did ask my boyfriend, 'what do you call a cowboy's rope?' and he said 'bola'.  I said no, and then he said 'baledora'. 
I said no, and then he said 'lariat'.  No... that's not what I was after.  So i spelled the word for him and he then said 'lassoo.'.   
I like that he knew different words for it... well, i guess he was thinking of gauchos rather than cowboys, but i still liked it. 

My co-workers often hear me talk to my husband on the phone as L.A. and London are still 8 hours apart (the new visa rules haven't changed everything). And one has a fondness of saying - "It's 2pm, Angela is about to be British!"

I honestly don't even know I'm doing it. How do you guys deal with this? Do people find it annoying? Did you find once you moved you got more "American-sounding" or adopted more of the accent in your new home? Do your friends and family in the US take the piss?

Oh my god, I am so glad I'm not the only one that does this! My brother always picks on me when he walks in on me talking to my boyfriend. I don't know I'm doing it either. It's only when people point it out I turn bright red and realize how I've pronounced something. I've noticed I say "No" more.. British-sounding than American when I'm talking to him, which I don't mind, it sounds kinda cute, lol. But nope you are definitely not alone! There is a place in the brain where this kinda thing occurs, and you start pronouncing things.. differently than usual around foreigners after a certain amount of time, I forgot what it's called unfortunately but there is a scientific reason behind it. That's why when I come home from England I get a lot of "You kinda sound a little British there Amanda.." Ah, science.. xD

I asked J yesterday how to say what a cowboy uses to rope steers and he looked at me and went 'HUH? Why?'  and I told him about this thread and he started laughing and he said, 'Oh its lassoooo. I think?  Or is it lasso? Oh I don't know!? It's not really a word that comes up in normal conversation!'   

Then he asked me how I say it and I went, 'Huh. I dunno, anymore both sound strange to me!' 

So who knows     

GGTL, lol on the percolator- I too would automatically think of the kind you put coffee into a little pan, then add water and boil and the grounds get everywhere- i.e. something you would use camping- rather than a regular drip filter coffee maker

This debate always makes me chuckle and think of this cartoon -
http://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences4/accents

This debate always makes me chuckle and think of this cartoon -
http://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences4/accents

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!  I <3 the oatmeal!

A freind of mine made an interesting post on Facepest the other day. Shes American & lived here for about 6yrs before going back. Shes been back in the States for around 7 yrs now & posted that " After 7yrs back home the people in my dreams have got American accents back, before that everyone in my dreams had a Brit accent" ... Jus thought that an intresting observation.

Certa.

I've always been the sort of person who accidentally picks up the accents of the people around me. It's something that I fight against, of course, because I don't want anyone to think that I am mocking them.

The weird thing is that this tendency only rears its ugly head in the US.

When I've visited the UK or other places where everyone else has an accent, my accent remains unchanged. It's almost as if I am subconsciously asserting my nationality in other countries.

The mind is a strange thing.

Interestingly, I am finding this happening more and more and more -just in the last six months especially getting this a lot.     'I can't quite place your accent.  At first I thought you were Scottish. But then you come out with other things that sound American.  But then you sound Scottish again '     

Hehehehe. Ooops.   

I've been living in Scotland and Yorkshire for nearly 8 years (ok, had a few years down South too). I spent the first 20 years of my life in California, which in my mind has a softer accent anyway, but now I sound just plain odd. Most people guess that I'm Irish. In fact, my Year 11 students insist on speaking in Irish accents in my classroom. Occasionally I get Australian. Mostly I think I sound American but I definitely say some words just plain bizarrely.

Take the word part. I swallow the 'r' and soften the 't' so its almost palatalised (if anyone else studied linguistics).

My accent really only started to change after about 3-5 years of living here.

I love my idiosyncratic accent!!! However, NOT a fan of the 'Madonna accent.'