Speak with an Accent do you?

[Canadave]

I was referencing Monty Python, fyi (who I think were making fun of that).

And when I try to do a French accent, it's pure Quebecois, so unrecognizable to the world outside Canada.

 

[Amaris]

Hm.

I guess my accent would be a combination of Southwestern Ohio Hillbilly with the capacity for excellent diction and grammar when necessary.

J.

 

[An Officer]

Madonna's accent OTOH

I haven't really noticed her speaking strangely. You'd think it would be noticeable if she were putting it on. It's always blatantly obvious when Hollywood actors do an English accent. It might convince an American on the other hand. Since Madonna's been living here so long now, maybe she's genuinely picked it up?

 

[Amaris]

Madonna's accent OTOH

I haven't really noticed her speaking strangely. You'd think it would be noticeable if she were putting it on. It's always blatantly obvious when Hollywood actors do an English accent. It might convince an American on the other hand. Since Madonna's been living here so long now, maybe she's genuinely picked it up?

Well, to be fair to Americans, we don't have full exposure to the nuances of the English accent. It is sexy though.


J.

 

[Holdfast]

RP accent here. I can mug it up into a really plummy accent when I want to play around a bit.

Though I do have a tendency to change "o" sound in words like London, onion, monster into a flatter "u" sound. I think it comes from my mother's accent (she was Greek), but I'm not sure. I have tried to get myself to pronounce them properly, but can't quite eradicate it totally. Still, it's less prominent than it used to be.

 

[Venardhi]

One of these days we should put together a "voices of TrekBBS" map of the world, all quoting something(the same thing) from Trek in their natural voice. We've had a few "how do you sound?" threads but nothing lasting.

 

[DeafPoet]

I've heard that regardless of where you're from, a second language will often have hints of the teacher's accent . . . say if I learned spanish from a Mexican I'd have an American/Mexican Spanish accent which would be different if I learned in Spain
so the TV influence is quite plausible

I was just thinking that my French would sound damned awful to a person from France. I learned Quebecois French in an English school from a native speaker of Italian

 

[Amaris]

One of these days we should put together a "voices of TrekBBS" map of the world, all quoting something(the same thing) from Trek in their natural voice. We've had a few "how do you sound?" threads but nothing lasting.

That would be fun. I was thinking about that earlier myself.

J.

 

[An Officer]

One of these days we should put together a "voices of TrekBBS" map of the world, all quoting something(the same thing) from Trek in their natural voice. We've had a few "how do you sound?" threads but nothing lasting.

You should start that.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'm from Nebraska, so most of the time I have no accent.

I wish I did, though. As much time as I spend in NYC, I wish I could talk like that. I wish there was something like a Berlitz course for a New York accent.

 

[JonathonWally]

I'm from Nebraska, so most of the time I have no accent.

I wish I did, though. As much time as I spend in NYC, I wish I could talk like that. I wish there was something like a Berlitz course for a New York accent.

Honestly, if you want a crash course, move to Brooklyn.

 

[nevermore]

I'm from Nebraska, so most of the time I have no accent.

I wish I did, though. As much time as I spend in NYC, I wish I could talk like that. I wish there was something like a Berlitz course for a New York accent.

Honestly, if you want a crash course, move to Brooklyn.

I don't think fly-over country types* pick up accents like us East Coasters do. I had roommates from that part of the country who were completely immune, while I picked up the southern drawl in a hot second. Same thing with friends who went to school in NY. Maybe it's just because we're constantly exposed to different accents or something.

edit: * No offense...

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I'm from Nebraska, so most of the time I have no accent.

I wish I did, though. As much time as I spend in NYC, I wish I could talk like that. I wish there was something like a Berlitz course for a New York accent.

Honestly, if you want a crash course, move to Brooklyn.

I've been there. But I would have to sit down and really work at it in order to pick up somebody else's speech patterns. Closest I have as yet gotten, is the odd Canadianism from repeated viewings of The Red Green Show.

edit: * No offense...

None taken.

 

[JonathonWally]

I'm from Nebraska, so most of the time I have no accent.

I wish I did, though. As much time as I spend in NYC, I wish I could talk like that. I wish there was something like a Berlitz course for a New York accent.

Honestly, if you want a crash course, move to Brooklyn.

I don't think fly-over country types* pick up accents like us East Coasters do. I had roommates from that part of the country who were completely immune, while I picked up the southern drawl in a hot second. Same thing with friends who went to school in NY. Maybe it's just because we're constantly exposed to different accents or something.

edit: * No offense...

Tell me about it. My freshmen year of college, just about everyone on my floor was from Long Island. By Thanksgiving I was already catching their horrid accent.

 

[nevermore]

^I had a roommate from Lon Gisland freshman year too. Awful stuff. I still occasionally catch myself saying "draw" or "cawfee"...

 

[Nardpuncher]

I was born in Ottawa, lived in Margate, England for 5 years ( age 4 to 9) and moved to Winnipeg.
It took a year or so to lose the English accent. I think now that I have that very plain middle North American that may be hard to place. I don't know, watch my video here and tell me what I sound like:


http://tw.youtube.com/watch?v=GOy1owoT7Qc

 

[TorontoTrekker]

I wish I did, though. As much time as I spend in NYC, I wish I could talk like that. I wish there was something like a Berlitz course for a New York accent.

Get a co-worker from NYC. I used to work with a woman from the Bronx, and I picked up the ability to mimic her accent. Imagine someone saying, "Aww, look at the poor dog with a thorn in his sore paw sitting in a four-door car!" in a Bronx accent. Cracks her up every time.

I've been there. But I would have to sit down and really work at it in order to pick up somebody else's speech patterns. Closest I have as yet gotten, is the odd Canadianism from repeated viewings of The Red Green Show.

Note: Harold does not have a typical Canadian accent.

I'm told that I don't have a stereotypical Canadian accent, except for the way I say words that rhyme with "out". At the 2000 Worldcon in Chicago, a young woman I didn't even know would come running over every time she saw me and demand that I say the word "out". When I did, she would jump up and down, laugh in delight, and run away.

The weirdest accent-related question I ever got came when I was working in Ottawa during university - two or three times a week, I would have to take a cab to our Nepean office, and at least one of those times, the driver would ask me if I was English.

But when I was talking to my bf's parents a couple of weeks ago for the first time, they all agreed that except for the "out" words, I speak like I'm from the midwest (the aforementioned "anchorman" accent).

Then there was the time, at a party for a theatre group I was joining, I fooled an Australian into thinking that I was a fellow Aussie. After about ten minutes of conversation, he asked, "So, mate, where ya from Down Under?" I switched back to my normal voice and said, "Actually, I was born and raised in Toronto." Got a good laugh from the 10 or so people who knew me who had gathered to listen.

 

[Kestra]

I have a pretty basic Midwestern accent, with touches of a Chicago accent. I don't think I really picked up any of an Indian accent from my parents, but my perception could be flawed.

 

[Marc]

I'm told that I don't have a stereotypical Canadian accent, except for the way I say words that rhyme with "out". At the 2000 Worldcon in Chicago, a young woman I didn't even know would come running over every time she saw me and demand that I say the word "out". When I did, she would jump up and down, laugh in delight, and run away.

The weirdest accent-related question I ever got came when I was working in Ottawa during university - two or three times a week, I would have to take a cab to our Nepean office, and at least one of those times, the driver would ask me if I was English.

So there is such a thing as Canadian accent? My wife (Canadian lived in Ontario all her life) denies she has an accent.

I know Canadians do sound like those south of the boarder but I can pick the difference in isolated cases.

My own accent is definately Australian though both being from South Australian by my dad being English there's I've traces of an English accent.

In fact at a resturant in Toronto a woman I was talking to who was English thought I was English.

 

[jamestyler]

So there is such a thing as Canadian accent? My wife (Canadian lived in Ontario all her life) denies she has an accent.

I don't know about anywhere else - but when I meet a Canadian in Scotland they're always thrilled that I can identify a Canadian accent as everyone else just assumes they're American.

I've always noticed the difference, though putting it into words I fail at

On a sidenote I just watched a video of myself on YouTube trying to ham up a Scottiah accent and it doesn't quite work. I need to try harder.