Reactions to you accent!

[Tim and Bethanie 1]

My aunt once offered Tim a cup of tea and got out her fine china. He is sitting their protesting "no no no I will take it in a mug"! They can't seem to get over he prefers coffee.

[wherezdabearz 0]

Well, I think my British accent is my trump card - apparently it's considered exotic and sexy (hah - never had that reaction back in the UK!). I'm always being told how people love my accent, that my voice is like velvet blah, blah. Was asked to do a testimonial on local radio and they asked if I'd come back if they needed a British accent (new career, perhaps, for when I get EAD?).

Once in a shop I asked the assistant if the shoes I was looking at were waterproof. He made me repeat the question 3 times and then said he had understood me all along but just loved the way I pronounced 'waterproof'.

What's not to love??

[cheeky^Wolf 0]

An english friend who married an american got stopped for speeding on their 1st anniversary. The cop let him off cos of his accent and the fact it was their anniversary, my friend then said "thanks, you're a real #######" and explained this was a term of affection like mate and buddy.

Somewhere in Tennessee there's a cop using this english slang!

[dani_christine 0]

An english friend who married an american got stopped for speeding on their 1st anniversary. The cop let him off cos of his accent and the fact it was their anniversary, my friend then said "thanks, you're a real #######" and explained this was a term of affection like mate and buddy.

Somewhere in Tennessee there's a cop using this english slang!

:lol:

Anthony once ordered a coney dog with no cheese at Sonic, and instead got a coney dog and an iced tea.

the funniest thing to me is that i have to interpret for folks when he introduces himself. he'll say to someone, "hi, i'm anthony" (ahn-thony), and then i have to interpret that as we americans say "aaanthony". heh.

i just can't bring myself to call him "ahn-thony"...it sounds awfully pretentious to my midwestern ears.

[Dr_LHA 3]

An english friend who married an american got stopped for speeding on their 1st anniversary. The cop let him off cos of his accent and the fact it was their anniversary, my friend then said "thanks, you're a real #######" and explained this was a term of affection like mate and buddy.

Somewhere in Tennessee there's a cop using this english slang!

[missyandneil 0]

I have had so many people comment on where I'm from and also to ask me to "say that again please???" I think I must be loosing the accent now though cos I haven't had anyone ask where I'm from for a while.

I've been asked if I am from Spain, France, Newzeland, AUSTRALIA!!!!!! (grrrrrr (I'm big into my rugby so that angers me greatly)), Belgium and even Greenland ( I don't even know what language they speak there) but never has anyone actually said "Are you from England?". People always say "You aint from round here are ya?". Which is kinda funny as it's always said in that Dukes of Hazard kinda slang. I'm living in Florida and work as a surveyor so travel to a lot of parts of the central Florida area and meet a lot of new people on the job sites we go to so it's not uncommon to be asked if I'm from.................... on a daily basis?

You are right though it is a great conversation starter until they ask if your from Australia. I was born in Middlesbrough and grew up in the outskirts of Bristol (Yate) but was very very fortunate not to pick up the West Country accent. I don't roll my rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr's lol and I don't call it a great Ideal if I mean a great Idea so I count myself lucky in that sense. My work collegues have been really patient with me using different words for different things like Data (said Dahtah) and Data as we use a data collector for work. Hood and Bonnet, Boot and trunk, Windscreen and windshield, quater past and 15 after or any other one of the quaters in the clock. It has been an interesting time but I have enjoyed people noticing that I am quite rightly Not from round here. I have met a few people from Britain on my visits to the Citgo on a morning and even met a guy from West Yorkshire who had been here for 8 years and sounded like he was still back home with that really really broad accent. It was nice to hear it though.

[britbird 4]

I turn the accent on and off depending on my mood and the situation. I'm a good mimic so that helps.

If I want something or am having an argument then the English accent comes back. It really depends on whether I want the attention or not.

[Fandango 1,439]

Dave: blah blah blah

shop assistant/clerk/waitress: oooh, your accent is so cute! Say my name for me?

Me: *blink*

[babybunny 2]

when I lived in the UK. I got the same reactions

" oh how cute canadian accent " gagggg I am american dayum it!

I hated being called a " yank"!

Edited August 6, 2006 by babybunny

[dmd01708 3]

My husbands mate makes a bee-line for me at BBQ's and asks me to say words like water, carhart and excellent (bizarre I know), and my son who is nearly 14 has girls in his grade at school asking him to say 33 and then they say "oh jac you speak sooooooooooooooooooooo nice" he finds it hilarious that a common ole east end boy like him can make girls swoon ( I do too cos this kid is one messy little git)

[luv2teach77 41]

I have many many examples of my accent either being a source of interest of an absolute block during everyday communication. Here are few of the choice ones...

1) Waiting to order in KFC. I decided to make things simple by ordering using the menu number instead of the meal name. Me - "I'll take a number 3 please", KFC Worker - "Huh ??", My Wife - "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA".

2) Whenever I have to give my name in a resteraunt etc.. I say "Mark" like I have for the last 28 years but to people around here it sounds like "Mork" or "Molk" or "Malk". depending on my mood I either just go with whatever they write down or spend 5 minutes trying to sound out the letters so they get it right.

3) Ordering water is always a tricky one. At the moment I refuse to change the way I say it so I either say "I'll take the same as her" or I order coke.

4) I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked where I was from but the funniest times are when people try and guess without asking. "I'd love to visit Australia" or "I've never been to New Zealand". The best one was when i was in Best Buy last weekend and a woman at the cash register asked me if my accent from the East Coast ?? "Ummm... Slightly East of Boston yeah !!" nudge nudge wink wink.

Most of the time I can laugh it off and am pretty understanding about the source of the confusion. It's only when the reactions are rude or the confusion is almost treated like it's my fault that I speak differently. Only then do I get rude back.

Anyways... I have no intentions of trying to tone down my accent, It's what makes me me. I am in touch with enough friends and family back home that the second I start sounding even slightly American they'll let me know !!

Mark

[HuffyTheSlayer 22]

Yay! So glad to see someone else who's been asked if they were German. NO clue where they got that from, though.

I've tried the same thing, Mark, ordering using the menu number and had the same reaction from the cashier. I also have the same water/wadder problem. It gets really annoying sometimes.

Greenland ( I don't even know what language they speak there)

I believe most people there speak Greenlandic as their first language (about 87% of the population are of inuit origin) and with a small percentage of the people speaking Danish, since it's a Danish territory. Both are official languages.

No idea why anyone would think you were Greenlandic, though.

[Paul_Light 0]

Very funny topic.

Although, sometimes, I do get a little frustrated.

The usual is "where in Australia are you from"?

The WORST is when you get the blank look - you know the one. Like you've just landed from another planet. I don't even react like that if somebody talks to me in another language.

I was in a shop last week and the girl behind the counter said "where are you from?", London, I replied

"my family come from England"

I replied, "well, I guess you all did"

Paul

[Euro 3]

I tell them, NO i dont have an accent, tis YOU who has the accent

[Nicola&Matthew 0]

This post is so funny and I can relate to all you Brits out there in the US! So far I've been asked if I'm Austalian and German!

Here's my experience/rant so far:

I'm always getting comments on how pretty and unusual my name is. And noone can pronounce my name properly (except for my in-laws!), I'm called Neee-co-la not niic-olaa as it should be pronounced. The most irritating situation happened on our wedding day which was video taped:

Rev: Neee-co-la you will then say... (explaining what's going to happen, mispronounced my name at least 5 times before I corrected him)

Me: I'm sorry I have a point to make, my name is pronounced Niic-olaa

Rev: Ok no problem, Niic-olla Niic -olla Niic-olaa (pronounces it correctly several times)

Me: Thanks

Ceremony starts.... Rev: Do you Neee-co-la.... grrrrrrrrrrrr

Answering phones at work, (speaking incredibly clearly) " I can't understand a word you are saying put someone else on the phone".... Pi$$ed at that one when I speak the Queen's english!

Using my UK driving licence at Applebee's to get some booze (before I got my state ID) "Umm I have to check all out of state licences with the manager" Ummm out of state huh? Try another country lady!

"Ohhhh you have such a sexy accent, I could listen to you all day, oh it's so sexy" <yawn>, I said thanks and politely smiled, then I got a "how come you're here in Wisconsin" a cheerful gooey reply from me "oh it's because my husbands from here"

And countless times after I've been asked where i'm from (England) I get a barrage of "my xxx was from there", "I'm 1/4 English", "My dad was over there in the war", "is that near the UK?"

I hope I NEVER EVER loose my accent because it's what makes me, me. Just please pronounce my name right and I can talk all day about castles, the Queen and $hit with you!

HOWEVER, the pro's are it makes me unique and I still feel like I'm one of a kind. My husband loves my accent and I would sooner stick out like a sore thumb and deal with the comments I get, than be apart from my amazing husband!

(Sorry about the rambling I'm good at it!)