accents- turning it on and off

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  • kyle4jem
    kyle4jem Posts: 1,400 Member
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    I've been in France for 10 1/2 years and don't speak French with the Georgia accent I grew up with. It's not intentional. But as others have said, when I get back to GA, that southern accent comes back quickly. My German was fluent when I moved here and that has influenced how I speak as well. I don't have a French accent, but my French friends say I definitely don't sound American. Most French speakers can't figure out where I am from.
    This was how it was when I lived in the Netherlands. I've never spoken Dutch with a Scots or English accent (although I can for effect, just as I can speak English with a Dutch accent). I'd meet people socially and be chatting away to them and then maybe I'd hit a word block or say something slightly odd and then I'd get asked, "so you're not Dutch, where are you from?" I'd ask them to guess and none would guess correctly first time - I was more likely to get Icelandic before Scots.

    I've been told my German accent sounds weird - it's not authentically German, but certainly sounds probably more Northern European than British. I'd love to know what my Swedish sounds like to a Swede! :bigsmile:
  • embersfallen
    embersfallen Posts: 534 Member
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    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!

    OH I beg to differ. LOLOLOL. The accents around here drive me BONKERS! ;)

    Hmmm....Why is that? :huh:

    @Dark Nebula

    Sorry if it offended you!!! :flowerforyou: I see you are from WI.. it's more MN anyhow.. ;) I live in Duluth... maybe it's the cold, but it sounds like half the time people don't open thier mouth more then half an inch. LOL .... I'm also from Jersey...... lived here 15 years now, but the first time I heard * ohhhh ferrr cute!* I almost keeled over. LOL....I work customer service too, so half the time the MN accent creeps into my speaking, and I have to train my ear out of it.
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
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    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!

    OH I beg to differ. LOLOLOL. The accents around here drive me BONKERS! ;)

    Hmmm....Why is that? :huh:

    @Dark Nebula

    Sorry if it offended you!!! :flowerforyou: I see you are from WI.. it's more MN anyhow.. ;) I live in Duluth... maybe it's the cold, but it sounds like half the time people don't open thier mouth more then half an inch. LOL .... I'm also from Jersey...... lived here 15 years now, but the first time I heard * ohhhh ferrr cute!* I almost keeled over. LOL....I work customer service too, so half the time the MN accent creeps into my speaking, and I have to train my ear out of it.

    The northern edges of the 'midwest' (Wisconsin, Minnesota, upper Michigan, Dakotas) have a scandinavian hint to the speech. I'm not sure why that area of the USA is considered midwest. It could perhaps be called northern instead. The accent in that area is definitely different from Iowa or western Pennsylvania.
  • jcriscuolo
    jcriscuolo Posts: 319 Member
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    I am from Philadelphia and I believe my accent always stays the same. Wooder=water iggles=eagles tal=towel youse=y'all
  • embersfallen
    embersfallen Posts: 534 Member
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    I am from Philadelphia and I believe my accent always stays the same. Wooder=water iggles=eagles tal=towel youse=y'all
    [/quote]

    LOL to the water!

    I went to a small music school in princeton NJ..and even though it was a mere 30 mins from where I grew up, for SOME reason... and ONLY during the years I was at school... I said it the same way!~~~~~!!! :laugh: :bigsmile:

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