What accent do you have?

[Irishgrrrl]

Date: 5/1/2010 6:52:47 PM
Author: doodle
I''m a sweet ole southern belle, so I have a distinct drawl. My DH is Puerto Rican but grew up in New York, so he looooves teasing me about my speech. I say ''ink pen'' because when I say ''pen'' it sounds like ''pin.'' He also laughs any time I say ''bury'' and says, ''Really? You''re going to slather berries on something?'' And the word ''beer'' has two to three syllables when I say it (depending on how many I''ve had, it''s either ''bee-urr'' or ''ba-ee-urr.''

''Aunt'' is ''ant'' (or more accurately, ''ay-unt''). I give DH crap right back though because the New Yorican is pretty funny to me. I love making him say ''Winnie the Pooh'' because it comes out as ''Winniedapoow'' really fast and ran together. For a southerner, I talk really fast, though. My friend''s mother is German, and she has a really hard time understanding me even though I''ve been around her for the past 17 years!

Doodle, you speak my language! LOL!

Pen = Pin
Bury = Berry
Beer = Beeyur
Aunt = Ayunt (What the hell is an "ont" anyway?!?!)

 

[stepcutgirl]

I''m a 5th of 6 generations in the same little town in South East Florida. I tend to think I have no accent but I bet at least 5 of my patients a week ask me where I''m from and when I tell them they say "no, originally where are you from?" and when I tell them they say they can''t believe it because I sound like I''m from the mid west. I don''t even know what a mid west accent sounds like!

 

[Shoopy]

I have a floridian accent but can''t for the life of me say water, coffee, or four without the brooklyn in me coming out lol I''ve also been told I sound very NY when I''m angry.

I have a Dominican accent when I speak Spanish. Get that from my mom

 

[ladypirate]

I have a very neutral accent, although like other have mentioned if I am talking to someone with an accent I have a tendency to pick it up a little bit in response.

 

[Echidna]

My accent is Australian, obviously

HOT, do you think there are East/West Coast differences in the Australian accent? I didn''t speak to many natives when I visited Perth but I didn''t hear anything weird when I was wandering around, either.

 

[Lilac]

I honestly don''t know. I''m from the Northeast US - New York/New Jersey area. I don''t really have a Jersey accent, but I don''t speak with a New York accent either! I have a cousin who has such a Staten Island accent it''s unreal! In 4 seconds you can tell exactly where she''s from.

For me, most people around here can''t tell exactly where I''m from because I don''t really have a distinct way of speaking. My mom definitely does! She doesn''t pronounce her "r"s (she was talking about going on vacation during my brother''s winter intercession next year, and she says "So I think next yeah we might go away and fly somewheah foh wintuh intuhsession" - it drives me crazy!) She''s from Brooklyn originally and lived in NY most of her life.

 

[katebar]

Date: 5/1/2010 9:36:46 PM
Author: Echidna
My accent is Australian, obviously

HOT, do you think there are East/West Coast differences in the Australian accent? I didn''t speak to many natives when I visited Perth but I didn''t hear anything weird when I was wandering around, either.

Hi Echidna yes definitely. I Grew up in South Australia and I have this weird sort of semi English accent. We say darnce for dance, carstle for castle and some other things which i have forgotten.
My DH is English and after 27 years I probably have picked up some of his inflections etc.
Here in QLD people think I''m English

 

[Cehrabehra]

Eeek - california ~1985 lol I still and never stopped saying "dude" and "oh man" and "totally". Yikes. I have a little bit of new york accent rarely - mostly in words that rhyme with ball. Not often, but occasionally it pops out from living there years ago. Also, more recently I lived in Ireland so there are a few things that come out with a slight irish/brittish lilt now and again. I also lived in the south for ''a spell'' way back when and that''s almost entirely gone but I can fake it pretty good lol

As you can see - it''s a mess lol

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 5/1/2010 11:28:59 AM
Author: Porridge
Irish. Southern Ireland. I have a touch of the accent of the city I''m from I guess, but in general it''s a fairly flat, generic Irish accent.

I tend to speak quickly.


I am desperate for picking up accents!! It is so annoying, but I can help it.

hehe - so you can say th

 

[arjunajane]

I, of course have quite a strong Aussie accent.
However, when I used to work in a pub I had a lot of punters ask me if I was British

So perhaps I don''t sound as Aussie as I think...maybe that''s just when I''m trying to be polite

I looked through youtube for an example, but it is all just US people doing awful Aussie accent impersonations!

I did find this one lady who is Australian, recently moved to US and has some funny observations about communication difficulties. I would say my accent is close to hers -

youtube link

 

[arjunajane]

I thought this video would be a fun addition to the thread - an actress who does 21 different accents, and imho quite well!



link

 

[justginger]

I think I sound American (midwest, so not too strong), and all of my friends in Australia think I sound American -- but when I go home, it''s always, "You sound so funny now!" So I''m officially an accent outcast.

And I reckon different areas of Australia do sound somewhat different, but not nearly as much so as different regions of the States do. Sometimes two Americans sound less alike than completely different nationalities!

AJ, the video in regards to water was spot on - unless you draw out that R, there''s some serious confusion!

However, my partner hasn''t had problems with the letter ''a'' not being understood.

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 5/1/2010 11:58:05 PM
Author: justginger
I think I sound American (midwest, so not too strong), and all of my friends in Australia think I sound American -- but when I go home, it''s always, ''You sound so funny now!'' So I''m officially an accent outcast.


And I reckon different areas of Australia do sound somewhat different, but not nearly as much so as different regions of the States do. Sometimes two Americans sound less alike than completely different nationalities!


AJ, the video in regards to water was spot on - unless you draw out that R, there''s some serious confusion!

However, my partner hasn''t had problems with the letter ''a'' not being understood.

ha ha, it''s so true - you just don''t think about these things!
Right now, if you were to ask me I would say "I''d like some wharta", right?

Nope, we do not say whart-err.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

It''s Long Island but we would pronounce it "Lawn Giland" gotta love that accent!

 

[Blackpaw]

Aussie! but im getting a bit of Canadian slang in there now too...

 

[bebe]

Texas D R A W L !!!

but I can clean it up if need be

 

[Iowa Lizzy]

Date: 5/1/2010 11:19:02 PM
Author: arjunajane
I thought this video would be a fun addition to the thread - an actress who does 21 different accents, and imho quite well!




link

And now I''ve just spent an hour watching a bunch of her videos. She''s fascinating!

 

[Amethyste]

French Canadian

 

[arjunajane]

Date: 5/2/2010 1:48:39 AM
Author: Travel Goddess

Date: 5/1/2010 11:19:02 PM

Author: arjunajane

I thought this video would be a fun addition to the thread - an actress who does 21 different accents, and imho quite well!





link

And now I've just spent an hour watching a bunch of her videos. She's fascinating!

ha ha, me too travel goddess! Isn't she?

I think she is great - multi talented and creative - alot more so than many other actors who are more famous etc. She also seems very intelligent.
I hope she gets her "big break" soon, although it seems from her website she has a few "passion projects" going on.
all the best to her!

 

[packrat]

Date: 5/2/2010 12:22:53 AM
Author: Asscherhalo_lover
It''s Long Island but we would pronounce it ''Lawn Giland'' gotta love that accent!

Oh boy, I was totally lost on that one hahahaha! I never would''ve figured that out! hahahaha

 

[elrohwen]

Date: 5/2/2010 10:18:55 AM
Author: packrat

Date: 5/2/2010 12:22:53 AM
Author: Asscherhalo_lover
It''s Long Island but we would pronounce it ''Lawn Giland'' gotta love that accent!

Oh boy, I was totally lost on that one hahahaha! I never would''ve figured that out! hahahaha

I had no idea until I said it outloud, then I thought "duh!". Haha. I hear that one all the time (since I live just across the Sound)

 

[April20]

I''m pretty southern, but not in a Paula Deen kind of way, as others have described. I really think she''s a *bit* theatrical.

My accent gets stronger depending on who I''m talking to. When I lived in the Pac NW, I was talking to another gal from the south and a co-worker walked by. Our accents were as strong as ever in that moment (we were telling some good southern story) and he looked at us and said, "Look! A hick-off!". It was pretty funny.

 

[innerkitten]

Californian I guess. I grew up in San Francisco. My mothers from New York and my husbands from England , but
I don't think I've picked up anything from them.

 

[AGBF]

Well...to people outside of the United States, I sound American. At least if I am speaking English . (When in France speaking French I no sooner open my mouth than I am asked whether I am English or German, which does nothing for my self esteem.)

In the United States I have been told that I speak, "television English". I have taken the test that was floating around here and learned that my "accent" is the kind desired by broadcasters. I pronounce words in the manner that they (broadcasters) prefer. I also have a voice with a very pleasant quaity to it, however, which is not at all to my credit. It is just an attribute with which I was born. The quality of my voice and the way I was taught to speak tend to gve me some power over audiences, even middle school students. I cannot really explain it. I do know that voice is not all about acent, however. One secretary in a psychiatric clinic met me after years of having heard my voice over the phone and she said, "I would know that cultivated voice anywhere!"

For me, voice is a tool that helps me to get what I need in my line of work (social work), by calming people.

Deb/AGBF

 

[katamari]

Date: 5/1/2010 7:40:54 PM
Author: Irishgrrrl

Date: 5/1/2010 6:52:47 PM

Author: doodle

I''m a sweet ole southern belle, so I have a distinct drawl. My DH is Puerto Rican but grew up in New York, so he looooves teasing me about my speech. I say ''ink pen'' because when I say ''pen'' it sounds like ''pin.'' He also laughs any time I say ''bury'' and says, ''Really? You''re going to slather berries on something?'' And the word ''beer'' has two to three syllables when I say it (depending on how many I''ve had, it''s either ''bee-urr'' or ''ba-ee-urr.''

''Aunt'' is ''ant'' (or more accurately, ''ay-unt''). I give DH crap right back though because the New Yorican is pretty funny to me. I love making him say ''Winnie the Pooh'' because it comes out as ''Winniedapoow'' really fast and ran together. For a southerner, I talk really fast, though. My friend''s mother is German, and she has a really hard time understanding me even though I''ve been around her for the past 17 years!

Doodle, you speak my language! LOL!

Pen = Pin

Bury = Berry

Beer = Beeyur

Aunt = Ayunt (What the hell is an ''ont'' anyway?!?!)

I am one fast talking Southerner, too. The longer I spend in the Midwest, the more "berried" my accent becomes, but I am still quite Southern when I am angry or tipsy. I have also just taken to saying ink pen around DH, because the pen/pin thing confuses him so much.

 

[LGK]

Date: 5/2/2010 12:45:38 PM
Author: AGBF


Well...to people outside of the United States, I sound American. At least if I am speaking English . (When in France speaking French I no sooner open my mouth than I am asked whether I am English or German, which does nothing for my self esteem.)

In the United States I have been told that I speak, ''television English''. I have taken the test that was floating around here and learned that my ''accent'' is the kind desired by broadcasters. I pronounce words in the manner that they (broadcasters) prefer. I also have a voice with a very pleasant quaity to it, however, which is not at all to my credit. It is just an attribute with which I was born. The quality of my voice and the way I was taught to speak tend to gve me some power over audiences, even middle school students. I cannot really explain it. I do know that voice is not all about acent, however. One secretary in a psychiatric clinic met me after years of having heard my voice over the phone and she said, ''I would know that cultivated voice anywhere!''

For me, voice is a tool that helps me to get what I need in my line of work (social work), by calming people.

Deb/AGBF

That''s pretty cool- a lovely speaking voice has got to be a really helpful asset in a lot of situations... I''ve always kind of envied people who have great voices, my sister is one. I have a really distinctive voice too, but not in a "wow what a beautiful voice" sort of way... more in a, please-clear-your-throat way. My voice is really low / alto and sort of hoarse sounding, and I''m pretty sure if I ever sang in front of another person (I don''t- ever) they''d probably offer me anything at all to shut up. My mom''s is exactly the same. I spoke to an acquaintance from about 10 years ago on the phone w/out introducing myself and he knew my voice instantly even after all that time. I''ve had several people over the years ask me if I''d damaged my voice in some way actually.

 

[Indylady]

AJ- Thanks for the link! She really is talented.

AGBF- Your writing is so eloquent that I kind of imagined your speech would be also. It was funny to read your post because it just fit perfectly.

As for me, I have a little bit of a southern drawl. Its hard for me to imagine not using "ya'll"..when I use it with my Canadian family, I get wildly arched eyebrows and snickers in response.

 

[Clio]

Date: 5/1/2010 2:55:05 PM
Author: LittleGreyKitten

My dad was always hilarious about accents. When I was a kid his best friend was Vietnamese. He would talk with him on the telephone a lot, and every time he hung up with him, I''d say, ''You were talking to Visha, huh?'' He couldn''t figure out how I always knew when he was talking to Visha. Well, it was because he''d mimic Visha''s Vietnamese accent back to him. Completely unconciously, and very very well.

Little Grey Kitten, my husband is the same way. He has a very neutral American accent (grew up in western Massachusetts), but I can always tell when he''s talking to his mother on the phone because he starts sounding Vietnamese.

Although I grew up in the South, I also have a neutral American accent. It breaks my heart; my mother has the most beautiful Mississippi accent. Sadly, I don''t sound southern at all, unless I''m back home with my relatives.

 

[Clio]

Date: 5/2/2010 10:50:25 AM
Author: April20
I''m pretty southern, but not in a Paula Deen kind of way, as others have described. I really think she''s a *bit* theatrical.

Oh, I don''t know about that. One of my mother''s closest friends is from Georgia, and she sounds just like Paula Deen. It''s freaky! She also has a very outgoing, oversized personality, just like Paula Deen. I think that''s one reason I adore Paula Deen - she reminds me so much of Sharon.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 5/1/2010 2:55:05 PM
Author: LittleGreyKitten
Pacific Northwest- which I believe is considered pretty neutral and the accent you hear most on TV?-

Same. Mine is the Pac Northwest which is neutral/TV.