Reactions to you accent!

[Kez/JWolf 6]

I miss Arbroath so much.... I have not been home since I came to the States for a few weeks vaccation back in Feb 2005.... but we are flying home for a 12 day visit on Sept 15th... It will be my husbands first trip to Scotland.... infact it will be his first trip out of the States... I cant wait to show him my home town... so diffrent from Boston... LOL

Kezzie

[iceyspots 0]

I was asked once how long it took me to learn the language after I arrived in the States!!!!!!

Guy: Where are you from?

Me: England.

Guy: Oh really? You speak very good English.

The above conversation actually happened.

jethro : learn to speak american!!

[The Molinas 0]

my fiances brother (13 yrs) told me i had a funny accent when i first came to the states to meet the whole family... but he just told me yesterday that he dun hear my german accent no more *me being proud*

but on the other side my fiances mum told me after she talked to me for the very first time that i talk like an "american girl" (she is from puerto rico...)

[Lizzy 0]

Drives me Mental!!! I think being in Oklahoma its worse, theres not a lot of UK people here...

I went into the store for a packet of Marlboros..

Me: Packet of Marlboros please!

Clerk: Say it again!

Me: Packet of Marlboros please!

Clerk...sorry again!

Me: *getting slightly embarrased and miffed at this point...packet of Marlboros please!

Clerk: hahahaahah, just wanted to hear you say it again.

At which point the guy behinds me says, Packet of Marlboros please (in a fake English Accent) and they both laugh!

Hilarious i'm sure..

[Jaylen Brit 0]

So far people keep telling me 'I could listen to you speak all day'

Tho twice they've said it to Len (I could listen to HER speak all day) like I'm obviously deaf

Most of the time its positive - if I'm feeling mean tho I just throw in a lot of London slang and watch the confused look with a smile on my face

[Lizzy 0]

He has also been accused of speaking Japanese with me. The fella just would not believe that he wasn't. This accusation came as quite a shock to the both of us since neither one of us speaks Japanese.

OMG THAT HAD MY TEA COMING OUT OF MY NOSE!

[Dr_LHA 3]

When I was working in a particularly "hick" part of the USA, people would often say stuff like to me like: "You have a funny accent, are you from New York?"!

Also, when I responded "England" they would go "New England"?

To these people, no other country than the US exists!

[Alison 0]

I really don't want to lose my English accent and refuse to 'adapt' so people can understand me. I speak perfectly clearly. Something foreign throws them off and they forget to listen

I usually get "You're not from around here, are you?" and my answer is a firm "No" which makes them laugh nervously

If anyone else asks about my accent I usually say "My parents gave it to me". That shuts them up.

MY OH would be gutted if I started to sound American. He said it would be terms for divorce

I know how you exactly feel about not wanting to lose our english accents, well mine has welsh in too but I too certainly don't want to lose it. Some ladies say in stores, oh I love your accent in their giggly american accents and it does sometimes get on my nerves but don't show them that.

I want to stay British but I enjoy living here if you know what I mean.

Alison.

[mary&tom 0]

All in all, don't blame the Americans for thinking you're from Australia. In general it seems that Americans have a tin ear for accents compared to people from the UK.

You are correct. Very guilty here... when Tom and I watched the "Shameless" DVDs ( for those who don't know the show, its set in Manchester), I had to have the English subtitles turned on! They were speaking English (I think). LOL !

Speaking of Australia... when I was in London and Gravesend I was asked if I was from Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and even South Africa. Just an ordinary midwest american accent here.... colored by my upbringing in upstate new york.

Now that I am moving there I will be the one with the "foreign" accent. I have become a bit self concious about it.

mary

[globetrotter 0]

Good thread this one makes me laugh.

My problem is that even though I have only been back and fore on visits to the USA so far my accent is already changing... could be to do with the fact that the last 2 years I've been in the Dominican Rep and the person I spent most time talking to was my fiance and the TV I got in English was American... but anyway I seem to pick up accents like nobody's buisness and now I have some mid Atlantic accent... In America I get the kind of comments people have written about here as it is perceived as British but in Liverpool people ask me if I am American!! ??!

So nobody want to own me as theirs now

When my finace is here (he is visiting right now - yeay!!) people just look at him kind of wierd when he talks.. if the British were as outgoing as the Americans he would probably get similar dumb ### comments to the ones I get in the USA but here we are too 'polite' - or something.

All this culture adapting is a funny business....

Still waiting for an appointment date.......

[drelewis 0]

I am from Manchester and tend to talk very fast, i think this sends the yanks way off the whole point of what i am saying.

My mrs now understands me fine but when we first met she just smiled at me as she did not understand a word i was saying.

I am really proud to be a mancunian and would hate to lose the accent but i guess over time i would not be saying "i am on a mad one " or "up for it" "banter "

Oh and by the way the one thing that really gets to me is the word BEER they never understand me, i think thats the most important word too!!!!

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

When my finace is here (he is visiting right now - yeay!!) people just look at him kind of wierd when he talks.. if the British were as outgoing as the Americans he would probably get similar dumb ### comments to the ones I get in the USA but here we are too 'polite' - or something.

All this culture adapting is a funny business....

Funny you mentioned this. When I spent five months over there, people in the shops would stare at me when I talked to Tim. It made me feel very out of place, and thought perhaps I looked like Quazimoto or something. Reminded me of all the times I told my children not to stare at someone just because they were different, but mind you adults did it as bad as children! Told him I was going to stop talking in public, he chalked it up to ignorant rude people and began making remarks when he saw people doing that to me. Lol I did get the occasional "your American", and nothing more. Of course he is from Felixstowe, where he claims all the "old people come to die", so maybe that caused the not so warm and friendly acceptance. People in Woodbridge, were extremely accepting and nice, we chalked that up to the fact there used to be an airforce base there, and many of the locals were married to Americans or someone in their family was.

[Linababe 0]

I quite like the attention - makes me feel special:)

Lina (UKC)

[TracyTN 237]

Now that I am moving there I will be the one with the "foreign" accent. I have become a bit self concious about it.

mary

I've never had one British person ask me where I'm from (I have that same Midwestern 'non' accent). I think they hear Yanks all the time over there, so it doesn't seem like any kind of novelty to them at all.

And damn it, I want to be a novelty! Its fun to be different, who wants to sound like everyone else??

[Kaalyx 0]

Does other peoples reactions to your British accent drive anyone else mad??!! I can't even buy anything in a store without people saying stupid things to me! Just this weekend I got...

I have nothing to add to the accents conversation, but do understand your amused frustration, louandmikek3.

However, as for giving out your phone number to clerks, just politely decline to offer it, since it's rarely required to complete the sales transaction. I hate offering my number as well, and decline every single time.