British Accent

Suzanne,

In my case, perhaps just a bit. However, both of my Grandfathers were from the U.K. so I may have been conditioned to the accent to a certain extent.

Cheers!

I grew up with an grandmother from the north of England and so have the same issues that Ken mentioned. It's very, very easy for me to slide into a British accent. The cadences, even the words are in my brain. For example, I have no problem with "shedule" vs "skedule" or short i privacy vs long i privacy. I absolutely grew up saying tomahto and not tomaeto. To this day I'm a bit self conscious about how I pronounce it! I think too, that I'm a bit of an accent sponge. I lived in Indiana for 5 years and my family started laughing at my Hoosier accent. It doesn't take long for me to slide into this mode. I've had natives in Scotland look at me with a rather quizzical look and ask, "where did you say you were from?" I always just blame it on my grandmother and no one thinks anything of it. ; ) Pam

But can you do Michael Caine's cockney accent?

I spent 6 months in Britain once. I didn't think my accent changed, but my family thought it did when I returned. Because I didn't notice it, I don't know if the true Brits found it annoying or not.

"Think back to Madonna". Reminds me of one of my favorite comedy quotes- "Madonna, who is Jewish in the same way that she's British..."

When I lived in Germany, I worked at an Irish pub, and eventually, I was with Irish people all the time. I picked up on the accent so much when I was with them that an Irish guy thought I was from Ireland. It was so weird. When you are constantly in an environment where you only hear one accent, it's easy to pick up!

Now my grandmother would have been horrified if I spoke with a cockney accent! She was the daughter of the local schoolmaster who was university educated and you spoke the King's English. (Note there was a King when she was growing up.) I do that accents can be very odd. I studied French from elementary school through high school and then was paralyzed by having to read real literature and write papers in French and took up German so I could go to Europe. My German professor told me with total disgust that I spoke German with a French American accent. LOL. Pam

Thanks for all the replies! And Pam, you've had an interesting life! Well, I won't try to do an accent on purpose but I just love the way it sounds! :)

Suzanne, I find that I don't slip into the accent but rather I start using the lingo. I'm on holiday, I take the lift in the hotel. I get 100 quid from the cashpoint. I use "fancy" as a verb (as in I would fancy a coffee). And after a day of walking all over London, I am completely knackered.

Suzanne,

This discussion has reminded me of an interesting experience I had on a day tour last year in Austria. The tour guide was a very nice young lady who had an Irish boyfriend. I noticed her unusual accent immediately and asked her about it. It was like nothing I'd ever heard before, a mix of German and Irish (including some of the terminology).

The British accent must be a very powerful influence, as it seems to affect everyone to some extent!

Claudia, NO, I can't do a Cockney accent, but I sure do like listening to it! Another unusual British accent is from the Liverpool area (I believe they call that "Scouse"?).

Cheers!

I once took a ten day trip through Nova Scotia and PEI, and when I got back lots of people said I had acquired a slight Canadian accent. Many years ago I read an article in the magazine Psychology Today about the phenomena. From what I remember, if you subconsciously want to fit into to your surroundings your accent will change, if you wish to maintain your identity no changes will happen. Anyone who follows the US Soccer team can see it in action. For several years now goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Tim Howard both play for for club teams in England. Brad as a complete Liverpool accent (born and raised in Ohio), Tim still maintains his New Jersey accent.

Like Ken I seem to pick up "lingo". I even hold on to some of after returning. "One Off" is a phrase I find myself using (it means unique or one of a kind)along with "get it sorted" (figure it out). Some I find I just can't use- even in the UK. My southern US roots just can't seem to say some phrases.

I agree with Toni that there are some phrases that are really useful or just fall off the tongue very easily. I find myself saying, "right" as rejoinder in conversation, or say brilliant instead of super. It's easier to ask if this is the queue rather than its the line. I love the idiom "to get sorted." It's used to say you need to figure out to do or refer to someone who is messed up and needs to get him or herself "sorted". I grew up knowing that I was to redd (spelling!) up my room every morning before school. I knew to tidy it too. ; ) And of course the British refer to the backyard as the garden. I find this very useful. My house is on a small hill and you have to go down the hill to get to the main part of the backyard. I usually refer to it as the lower garden even though I have no flowers there sadly. LOL Pam

I've known Americans who lived for a few years in the UK and came back sporting the accent and all kinds of slang. Of course, they all deny it now.

My husband is British so on Mondays at work I sometimes catch myself speaking some words with a slight Mancunian accent(Manchester accent, north of england) to coworkers, since after spending a whole weekend with him, it rubs off on me and it is more pronounced than a London accent.. or I will say things like "Im off down the shop" instead of saying, "Im going to the store". I also find that when im in England, I dont necessarily speak with an accent but I have thought in one quite a few times. I absentmindedly will say Queue and Loo and Lift and usually end up bringing that home with me as well. I think its just a way the brain assimilates. Very interesting from a psychological standpoint!

I try not to slip into "my accent" while I'm in the UK but it's quite difficult. I am easily influenced by accents. If I have a Russian taxi driver I start using Russian accent. I promise I don't do it to make fun or be rude it just happens. Also think back to Michael Flatley from Chicago who uses an Irish accent because his grandmother was from Cork. I admit to using a lot of English "words". I try to get things "sorted", I "suss" something or someone out. I use "one off" and all the usuals plus, "I'm not bothered", I say "right" or "too right" and "Loo" I've used "Ta" for years. Thank you Michael S. for your input and the rest of you. Now I don't feel like a complete arse.

Something weird also happened after I spent 6 months in the UK... even though I've been back for years, I still unconsciously use some of the spellings, like "colour" and "labour". But luckily, some of the stranger spellings for medical terminology didn't stick, ie, no "oestregen", "oetiology" or "haemarrhage".

EDIT: Perhaps I've retained these habits because I get my news primarily from the BBC and The Economist.

If you like to listen to British accents then you will certainly like this British Library archive page. You simply click on the region of the country you want to hear and it will play some interviews with people who have the accent from that region.

Here's the page:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/

The accent that most people in the USA will be familiar with is the "Queen's English" also known as "BBC English" but the formally known as "Received pronounciation", and here's a sample:

http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/text-only/received-pronunciation/teddington/

Here's the "Hobbit" accent from Bristol:
http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/text-only/england/bristol/

And here's some Liverpool "Scouse":
http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/text-only/england/birkenhead/

And don't forget the Welsh & Scots accents.

Enjoy.
Steve.

I have appreciated reading all your replies...its amazing what the brain will do. Waiting patiently to enjoy my "cuppa" :) Suz

Your use of "cuppa" reminded me of one more... I don't use it but love hearing it. On the train the Host or Hostess often ask my husband " Want another cuppa , govenor?" (it sounds like govinna).

My only foray into British accents is when I'm imitating Monty Python skits. LOL

Great topic:
I am also an accent sponge, but hopefully it wasn't too obvious because in my two weeks in the UK I travelled from London to Northern Wales (where someone asked me if I'm Irish!) and on to Scotland (spent a wild two days at a Scottish wedding where I could have used the aid of a translator!) so I probably retained most of my Western Canadian accent.

I know I used some of the local terms when I could use them naturally. I still say "brilliant" but never say "cuppa" and the word "whilst" makes me shudder.

I should also mention that sometime during our two weeks holiday I noticed that I could no longer hear the accents of the British people which was really strange. I have no idea what I sounded like but I never "forced" my accent so I probably still sounded fine.

This is a great topic. If I have been in a destination for longer than 10 days or so I begin to change the way I speak unintentionally and occasionally I hear myself. As soon as I get home, I quickly revert back to my southern drawl. I envy the British for how they use such large vocabularies and really show their mastery of English. If I was to speak the way they do, (without the accent)I would get raised eyebrows.

I was born in England, and immigrated 30+ years ago as a kid. My English accent was beaten out of me, and it's never returned. And while I'm in England, I sound quite North American, although I choose to use the English words.

:( I'm sorry to hear that Chris....My friend also came to the States as a child from England. Her accent is gone too but she also uses English vocabulary. I love it.
Suz

When I lived in Ireland, I had quite a pronounced accent. Favorite story was as I was coming back from a trip to the Aran Islands, I met a group of older women (they were trying to set me up w/ one of their daughters). They were so sure I was born in Eire instead of outside Philadelphia. I apparently was so convincing, that they bought me pints all night long.

Don't worry about it. If you're in central London, you could go all day without ever meeting a "local". We've all left.

Just remember, when entering a tube train, to offer a cheery "GOOD MORNING!" to everyone -- you will mix in just fine! :-)

Roger Bruton

http://www.fermedecandeloup.fr

Hi Suzanne,
I make a conscious effort NOT to slip into a British Accent when I visit Britain. With British grandparents and being raised watching BBC shows and Merchant Ivory films it is easy for me to adopt the accent. At work I have had people ask if I am from London. When I tell them no, they will be shocked and noting with their surprise that I sound like I am. As to the use of Briticisms I have always used the British terms for things and, as I am Canadian, spell things such as colour and honour with the u in them.
The debate about the accent thing reminds me of a comedy sketch I saw once where the comedian said that people will go to Britain and pretend to have an obviously fake British accent to "get in" with the locals. The accent of course annoys the locals but they are often too polite to say anything. The comedian noted that nobody goes to Brooklyn or Queens or Austin and puts on a fake accent because they would be told off.

Elaine

This happened to me, except it was in Italy, and I was speaking Italian...and rather passably I thought. After 2 weeks of constantly being asked where in Britain I hailed from (Columbus, Ohio) it finally registered...my Italian teacher came from London and I apparently had learned to speak Italian with a English accent. Talk about cross cultural!

I don't slip into accents when I travel, but I do start using the lingo, and sometimes the sentence structure. But when I've returned from two different trips to Ireland (4 weeks one year, 3 weeks the next) my family said I had a slight accent. I think that had more to do with growing up speaking both English and German (my parents and grandparents came over to US in the 1950's), with Spanish thrown in occasionally (going to school and working in a Spanish speaking area). It's natural for me to be speaking southern California English, then slip into German with proper pronunciation, or use Spanish words with proper pronunciation. Like most people who have posted, I think much of it has to do with what you hear most of the time. Although the comment relating to psychology might ring a bit true for all of us with the travel bug who wonder what it might be like to be a citizen of a country you particularly enjoy visiting! :)