Accents

[Dunx]

What are your experiences with accents? What's the worst guess someone has made about where you came from? Can anyone understand you?

[Dunx]

Here's my worst guess story.

I had been in Portland about six months, and I went to a GMC store to buy some vitamins. The bloke manning the shop was pretty chatty, but I was being a bit defensive so I suppose I was shutting down more conversational avenues than I should. Besides, I wanted to actually look at what was on the shelves rather than talk to some twit in a bad jumper.

In triumph I held up a jar of pills and said "This'll do, I reckon," with my best Yorkshire vowels.

After I handed the bloke my money he said: "I'm usually pretty good with accents, but I can't place yours. Tell me, which part of Texas are you from?"

He was more than a little nonplussed when I told he was only out by about five thousand miles.

I still regret not telling him that I was from Yorkshire, the Texas of the north, but l'esprit d'escalier often visits.

[chris]

I have a bit of a generic British accent so I actually get by reasonably well over here, but I did once have a very strange experience (much like yours) where a taxi driver in New York insisted that I was from Chicago and wanted to know which part. When I told him I wasn't from Chicago at all, he actually got a bit grumpy - he couldn't understand why this guy from Chicago was telling some story about being from Scotland instead of just admitting which part of Chicago he was from.

My name was probably mud in taxi driver bars for an evening or two...

Chris

[Louise]

I get recognised easily. But then I have to do the whole "what brought you here story" over and over again... So nice and friendly, but... Repeating yourself over and over is bloodey annoying.

[Connie]

My accent is pretty recognizable here in the Isle of Man, though I am frequently asked if I am Canadian. Nope....pure Hoosier...that's Indiana for the uninitiated. I have had guesses as strange as Australia and South Africa though. Because I work at the airport and meet a lot of people I am constantly asked the "Where are you from/What brought you to the Isle of Man?" question. I don't mind though...at least I'm not being shouted at because their flight is delayed and I don't know when the fog is going to lift...

[queenofzadezert]

I was with a friend of mine (from Leeds) who attended a PTA meeting with me. One fellow there swore she was from Virginia!!!

[lornawynn]

Although I've been in Canada for 27 years, I've kept my British accent. At least whenever I hear myself recorded it seems fully intact. I call into a few podcasts so I hear it quite frequently. And yet I'm often asked if I'm from Australia or South Africa... quite surprises me when it happens.

[pepperbasham]

You know (being from Southern America), I've noticed because of the modification of the /r/ sound in both British and Southern English, some people get confused....though I don't think your accents should ever be confused with mine - yours is way too pretty,

but I've heard that Southern Americans have an easier time mimicking a British accent and Brits have an easier time mimicking Southern American. Do you think that's true?

My British imitation is not pretty at all - but I DO love to try. I always feel smarter

[Dunx]

If I try to do an American accent (which, being married to an American, I rarely do) I usually sounds closest to being Southern. But honestly, my American accent is nearly as bad as Sean Connery's Irish or Kevin Costner's English accents.

[Cathy]

I have a British friend from London who visits here on business, and I get embarrassed sometimes when he speaks quickly and I have to go "huh?". I am sure I must sound equally puzzling to him if I speak rapidly. Also, I doubt I'd ever try to guess between Australian and British accents. I don't hear enough of them to judge accurately and would hate to offend someone!