accents- turning it on and off

kelseyhere

No, it doesn't matter at all just always kinda bugged me because it seemed fake. I work in a very international office (I have co-workers from China, India, Japan, UK, Saudi, etc.) and most stick to one accent all the time. I don't hear the others Brits switching to an American accent when they talk to me, even though most of them have also lived in the States long enough to where they probably could. Mainly I was just bored today and have been listening her talk on the phone for the past 4 hours, and knew it would stir up some interesting talk on MFP

Sometimes I cant help it. Born and raised in San Diego, but I was raised by a British mum. I was brought up not really noticing the difference between the two. Both seemed natural. So, sometimes I slip and speak with a British accent or use the British terminology for things. Proud to be both. wink

^This to me is interesting though because I never considered that being a child, you don't even think in terms of "accents," you are just trying to learn the words and it is natural that you imitate the pronunciation of the person you are learning from. If you are learning from a variety of individuals, I could see how you might end up with your very own unique accent.

kelseyhere

but for some weird reason when I am around fellow Nigerians or when I am pissed off the accent comes back. In some cases I can't even speak English.:bigsmile:

^This is funny too because I've noticed the same thing with my co-worker, whenever she starts to get bad, her original NZ really strong!

mtaylor33557

I live in Southern Alabama and I have a thick southern accent. I never realized it until one day at work they let me in on the secret of how they all laughed and thought it was "cute" when I'd call for "Mike" because they all thought it sounded like I was saying "Mack".

I'm now much more aware of it, and at work I try to tone it down as much as possible. When I'm around my family, it comes out more.. and when I'm angry or drinking.. it's terrible.

runnercheryl

This makes me laugh with my fiance. He's a Geordie, and his accent is always pretty strong, but as soon as he steps off the train in Newcastle when we go to visit his family, it gets MUCH stronger. I laughed at him for it once, and he said it's not intentional and got quite offended! That said, I have heard him a couple of times say a sentence normally, and then correct a perfectly 'cromulent' word with a Geordie word. Again, that's apparently not intentional.

I have a BBC British accent so I just get comments about being posh, occasionally.

sarah44254

It's called code-switching, and sometimes it's not intentional.

Ding ding! Linguistics is an amazing field. I'm sorry you find it annoying and fake, but I doubt your coworker is trying to make her language seem different. American English, British English, and Australian are all different languages, they just feel very similar at the base. She is likely just switching to a new language in her mind when she speaks to different people.

AZKristi

Perhaps she is more comfortable speaking with her native accent but goes to extra effort to enunciate as an american would for the convenience of those she is speaking to?

I'm not a fake person, but when I talk to a person with a strong accent I have a huge tendency to change my inflection and I have no idea why. I find it very embarrassing and make an active effort not to do it, but it still happens sometimes. Cut this person some slack!

kyle4jem

I grew up in Scotland and speak Scots and English interchangeably, but during my travels I found that some non-Scots didn't always understand me, so I learnt to round my vowels more and enunciate better. I went to University in England (Hull, E Yorks) and I picked up a bit of a Yorkshire accent whist there which it still there when I speak English, but if I'm with fellow Scots or speaking to my folks, then I switch to Scots and sound very Scottish. It also happens when I say certain words like purple (where the r gets rolled) or film (where I add a schwa between the l and m.)

I have an ear for accents and languages and speak several European languages using several different languages. Dutch, which I speak as if it were my mother tongue, I naturally have a Rotterdam accent as that's where I lived, but can also speak ABNs (standard Dutch) as well as Antwerps (Flemish).

For me, it's very natural that I adapt how I speak to my audience. It's not a pretentious thing; it's just how my subconscious seems to operate :happy:

GasMasterFlash

I've noticed that when she talks to other Brits at work, the accent becomes distinctly more British. I find this behavior very annoying because it seems fake. Just talk how you talk.

Yes, always assume the worst of people. :noway:

This is pretty common when you have been away from your native tongue/accent, as you can see from the numerous responses here.

BAMFMeredith

I don't generally have much of an accent, but when I'm around my mother's side of the family I develop this THICK southern drawl. I just can't help it. And then when I visit my dad's side of the family that lives in Maryland, by the time the visit is through (usually a week or so) I start saying things here and there with that Baltimore accent. I don't do it on purpose at all, it just happens.

The southern one is worse though, since I learned to talk with a southern accent. You can always tell when I've been around the family because that drawl is outta control! But typically I don't have much of an accent at all, aside from my regular use of the word "y'all" (I can't talk without saying y'all). I don't think anybody really does it on purpose, more of a subconscious thing.

MizSaz

My Boston accent becomes outrageous when I'm drunk or mad. Or both. Otherwise, I make a concerted effort to keep it under control. I am, however, very prone to picking up inflections from people around me. I used to hang out with a lot of Irish people. My wording and tone picked up a decidedly Irish sound when I was with them for hours on end.

brattyworm

this is amusing. I do have that issue as well. It drives my husband nuts. His exwife had a heavy southern accent and he hates the way it sounds. The issue comes when we go back home for me (Texas) or another heavily southern state like Tennesee or something. The accent comes back naturally simply because its what i was engrained with growing up. you dont really notice it and he caught me a few times and got agitated just recently when we were in tenn.

that doesn't mean some people dont do it intentionally, but for some folks that no longer live in the area they grew up, while they may sound 'normal' just wait till they do get around the peeps they were raised with

impyimpyaj

I don't generally have much of an accent,

Yes you do. Everyone has an accent. Maybe you speak with a standard American accent, but that's still an accent. "Accent" simply defines the way you pronounce sounds in a given language. So unless you're not speaking at all, you have an accent.

sarah44254

I dunno about american midwest having no accent in particular, though! LOL

The midwest accent is commonly known as the "standard" or "neutral" accent. In other words, the accent that is actually the absence of an accent!

dalgal26

I am from the deep south and have the southern 'drawl'. It is worse when speaking to others with the same accent. I try to be careful, but sometimes it is just there.

My husband will not even let me leave the welcome message on the answering machine because it is so bad. :sad:

chauncyrenayCHANGED

Code switching is natural and harder for some people to switch off.

Another contributing factor could be her learning style.

I am an audio learner and no matter who I'm around I pick up their style of talking. Every day I have to work really hard to not adopt other's language style.

She may not be doing it on purpose. I would try to let this one go.

catshark209

I tend to do it as well. I grew up in the ghetto and I can throw down my ghetto when I'm home. But at work, I have no accent.

lickmybaconcakes

I do it a lot depending on who I am talking , it changes their perception of you a great deal.

Bpothik13

I've done whatever Ive could to tone down my Midwestern accent...growing up with my parents who would say things like "WaRsh" and other heavy-handed "R" words (my father would say things like "tarlet" for "toilet"...not sure where that came from!) but I think living in St. Louis, there is a good combination of Southern accents and haRder NaRthern accents so mine is some kind of blend.

But, as an English teacher to 7th graders I try to speak properly, but use all sorts of accents to make my kids laugh and keep their attention!

BAMFMeredith

I don't generally have much of an accent,

Yes you do. Everyone has an accent. Maybe you speak with a standard American accent, but that's still an accent. "Accent" simply defines the way you pronounce sounds in a given language. So unless you're not speaking at all, you have an accent.

Well obviously, that's what I meant by "not having much of an accent", by American standards, I figured that was implied. Next time I'll use text-book terminology only.

embersfallen

I tend to pick up accents VERY easily... it may be totally unconcious. When I talk to my BF in Canada... I tend to get that accent...when I talk to my family in Jersey...same thing...and being stuck in the midwest... it's a constant struggle to not sound so * minneeeehhhsooohhtaaa*. lolol.