I think some Brits do take home an American accent to irritate their friends. It doesn’t sound posh and intellectual and cute they way they sound to us. Well, some of them, anyway.
The Q in Queen is missing something. Frightfully sorry to mention it, old chap.
My parents came to Canada from Scotland, just after they got married. My mom tried to lose her accent, and effectively did; what’s interesting is that she managed to keep a lot of the British speech patterns (grammar, syntax, etc), probably unintentionally. Like she called an elevator an elevator, not a ‘lift’, but she always pronounced the T (as opposed to most North Americans, who would probably say something like “elevader”.
I lived in the UK for 6 years (age 11-17) and made sure I had no accent upon returning. But to this day I still use their idioms, folk terms and spelling.
Interesting thing I’ve noticed is that if you move somewhere with a stronger accent, most people will start to pick up on those speach patterns. People from the Americas who move to Australia will start to sound Australian, etc. I think we unconsciously immitate what we hear all the time.
That being said, as someone who lived in the US and moved to Canada, there’s no way you’re going to get me to say ‘zed’ in casual conversation. It’s zee or nothing, suckers!
My mother was really embarrassing in that regard. Never lost her Lancashire accent when we came to NZ (since 1975).
When we went back to Britain on holiday and travelled around a bit she always tried imitating the locals when speaking to them no matter where we went: in Liverpool she affected a scouse accent; some awful geordie-sounding thing in the NE; some bad brummie attempt in the midlands – and throughout it all she never seemed to realise she was doing it. After mucho facepalming from me, and looks of astounded horror from the locals around the UK I’m still glad we never went to Scotland or Wales.
I’ve quite a few Brits and even a Dane who said once they came back from a year or two in Texas where told back home some variant of, “Stop talking like a cowboy.”
I absorb accents like a sponge. Just hanging around an individual with an interesting accent for a few hours will cause me to mimic the accent accidentally. Probably because I had to train myself away from the thick West Texas accent I grew up with. I learned the accepted “middle American” or “news anchor” accent so few people will know where I’m from unless I get mad, then suddenly, I’m Festus from gunsmoke.
The other weird thing is that West Texas drawl is somehow strangely both comforting and commanding. When I was Apple, people would call up in an angry panic over a million dollar install failure of the one machine in their small business taking dead and with it all their record. They’d be freaking and I’d drawl, “Well, now… just settle on down …and I promise will get’er fixed.”And just like that, suddenly they were calm and cooperative I’d just darted them a Xanax. Guess, fifty years of cowboy movies culturally programmed us to trust that accent.
I was born in Louisiana, and raised in Texas but I never adopted either accent. I have the Midwesterner accent by accident. Unless I am forcing myself to be happy and perky. At that point I sound like a Southern Belle and it makes people happier. I do not know why.
I spend five seconds on the phone with the guy/gal at China Town and I’ve already affected the Asian accent [I’m German-Michigander w/ Polski accent].
Me [Like Arnold Schwartzenegger]: “Give me an egg roll.”
CT: “Oh. You wan egg a roo? Ok. Be redy, fi minute.”
Me: “Ya. Me wan egg a roo. I be der fi minute. Ok!”
I instantly turn from a 6ft muscular man into a 5ft cowering man.
I’m english and I don’t talk like that. The blummin’ cheek of it! I’ve half a mind to clout you right in yer lughole you cheeky blighter – now bugger off!
Fun fact:- Did you know the phrase ‘cor blimey’ is a cleaned up version of ‘god blind me’? You do now.
One of the managers at work is British, but he’s been in the US for years now. His family tells him he’s lost his accent, but he still sounds British to us.
I have dual citizenship which has meant that I’ve spent most of my life moving backwards and forwards from Canada to the Uk. Here is what I have learned. If you travel around the Uk and Europe with a Canadian accent people assume that you’re American and try to punch you in the face. If you travel around Europe and North America people assume that you’re English and try to have sex with you (especially is you went to a boarding school the way I did and have one of those accents). Personally, and obviously I can’t speak for other people, but for me when the choice is either a black eye or freaky-sweaty-border-line-illegal-jungle-mokey-sex with a whole collection of lovelies I’m going to have to go with the naked sweaty goodness every time.
I think some Brits do take home an American accent to irritate their friends. It doesn’t sound posh and intellectual and cute they way they sound to us. Well, some of them, anyway.
The Q in Queen is missing something. Frightfully sorry to mention it, old chap.
Bloody hell. Will fix.
I thought “Oueen” is actually a unique accent to call the Queen.
I noticed it too, just didn’t comment.
My parents came to Canada from Scotland, just after they got married. My mom tried to lose her accent, and effectively did; what’s interesting is that she managed to keep a lot of the British speech patterns (grammar, syntax, etc), probably unintentionally. Like she called an elevator an elevator, not a ‘lift’, but she always pronounced the T (as opposed to most North Americans, who would probably say something like “elevader”.
Well, where i’m from in the States, it’d be more like “eleva’er” but it’s not skipping over the t sound, but what wikipedia calls a “glottal stop”.
As a fan from England I can safely say I’m loving the Brit Bug! Wish we all actually wore bowler hats though.
Keep up the good work.
The only bowler hats these days are worn by orangemen in Northern Ireland. Birit bug needs a rolled-up newspaper perhaps?
Or a rolled up tablet PC?
And a brolly!
I lived in the UK for 6 years (age 11-17) and made sure I had no accent upon returning. But to this day I still use their idioms, folk terms and spelling.
Blooming ‘ell.
Interesting thing I’ve noticed is that if you move somewhere with a stronger accent, most people will start to pick up on those speach patterns. People from the Americas who move to Australia will start to sound Australian, etc. I think we unconsciously immitate what we hear all the time.
That being said, as someone who lived in the US and moved to Canada, there’s no way you’re going to get me to say ‘zed’ in casual conversation. It’s zee or nothing, suckers!
What happens if you become a fan of this guy?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zedd_(producer)
My mother was really embarrassing in that regard. Never lost her Lancashire accent when we came to NZ (since 1975).
When we went back to Britain on holiday and travelled around a bit she always tried imitating the locals when speaking to them no matter where we went: in Liverpool she affected a scouse accent; some awful geordie-sounding thing in the NE; some bad brummie attempt in the midlands – and throughout it all she never seemed to realise she was doing it. After mucho facepalming from me, and looks of astounded horror from the locals around the UK I’m still glad we never went to Scotland or Wales.
I’ve quite a few Brits and even a Dane who said once they came back from a year or two in Texas where told back home some variant of, “Stop talking like a cowboy.”
I absorb accents like a sponge. Just hanging around an individual with an interesting accent for a few hours will cause me to mimic the accent accidentally. Probably because I had to train myself away from the thick West Texas accent I grew up with. I learned the accepted “middle American” or “news anchor” accent so few people will know where I’m from unless I get mad, then suddenly, I’m Festus from gunsmoke.
The other weird thing is that West Texas drawl is somehow strangely both comforting and commanding. When I was Apple, people would call up in an angry panic over a million dollar install failure of the one machine in their small business taking dead and with it all their record. They’d be freaking and I’d drawl, “Well, now… just settle on down …and I promise will get’er fixed.”And just like that, suddenly they were calm and cooperative I’d just darted them a Xanax. Guess, fifty years of cowboy movies culturally programmed us to trust that accent.
I was born in Louisiana, and raised in Texas but I never adopted either accent. I have the Midwesterner accent by accident. Unless I am forcing myself to be happy and perky. At that point I sound like a Southern Belle and it makes people happier. I do not know why.
I spend five seconds on the phone with the guy/gal at China Town and I’ve already affected the Asian accent [I’m German-Michigander w/ Polski accent].
Me [Like Arnold Schwartzenegger]: “Give me an egg roll.”
CT: “Oh. You wan egg a roo? Ok. Be redy, fi minute.”
Me: “Ya. Me wan egg a roo. I be der fi minute. Ok!”
I instantly turn from a 6ft muscular man into a 5ft cowering man.
Ever notice how most airline pilots in movies and tv speak with a Tx drawl? I do!
I’m glad I’m not the only one to absorb accents like that. I even pick up idioms, words, and spelling from books.
Bug Queen Elizabeth is fantastic. Just fantastic.
I’m english and I don’t talk like that. The blummin’ cheek of it! I’ve half a mind to clout you right in yer lughole you cheeky blighter – now bugger off!
Fun fact:- Did you know the phrase ‘cor blimey’ is a cleaned up version of ‘god blind me’? You do now.
One of the managers at work is British, but he’s been in the US for years now. His family tells him he’s lost his accent, but he still sounds British to us.
It goes without saying that I hear panel two in John Cleese’s voice.
I have dual citizenship which has meant that I’ve spent most of my life moving backwards and forwards from Canada to the Uk. Here is what I have learned. If you travel around the Uk and Europe with a Canadian accent people assume that you’re American and try to punch you in the face. If you travel around Europe and North America people assume that you’re English and try to have sex with you (especially is you went to a boarding school the way I did and have one of those accents). Personally, and obviously I can’t speak for other people, but for me when the choice is either a black eye or freaky-sweaty-border-line-illegal-jungle-mokey-sex with a whole collection of lovelies I’m going to have to go with the naked sweaty goodness every time.