My accent is "almost impossible" to master :) How about yours?

[el henry]

I love languages and accents and I would love to learn from our international community: What is your accent in your native language?

Kate Winslet worked diligently to master the accent of my youth, from Delco (Philadelphia area), evidently one of the two hardest to learn in English

Mare of Easttown HBO: How Kate Winslet nailed the near-impossible accent TV fans can't stop talking about

I actually no longer speak in this accent as it is not only geographically specific, but class specific, and in my profession, the accent would have been noticeable. I do "code switch" and fall into it when the occasion arises. So I am curious now:

Do you have an accent tied to your geographical area in your language? Is it considered difficult to adopt?

Do you still speak with it? Why or why not?

 

[lesnar001]

I have a "Boston" accent. I have always lived in the Boston area. I am 61 years old and still have the accent.
I don't think it is that noticeable (ie - I don't sound like JFK), but whenever I encounter people from out of the area, they readily notice it.

Fortunately, I've never had any reasons to try to modify or change the accent.

 

[LutzDance]

My accent sounds like this guy without his stage-trained enunciation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tK51dlpqpSE&t=213s It's pretty easy to pick up if you're a native speaker, and I can "switch it off" as to not sound too casual or lazy as he said. My English probably has a similar accent, though I do wonder if I've picked up some American regional accent through the learning process.

I wonder if you have an accent when you think. I sub-consciously code switch between two languages both when I speak and when I think. No matter which language I think in, it has a weaker accent than when I speak it and sounds more "neutral", if that makes sense. It probably has something to do with the difference between my perception of what a language "should" sound like and what the concerted effort of my nervous system and cranial muscles can produce One exception to this is if I just heard someone speaking in some extremely contagious accent. Then I can only think in that accent for the next five to ten minutes

 

[anonymoose_au]

Judging from the accents you hear on shows "Aussie specials" the Australian accent is hard to get right.

What's really weird is that when a real Aussie shows up in one of those shows their accents always sound so weird!

 

[Flying Feijoa]

I have this type of New Zealand accent (neutral urban, slightly mumbling): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GBM08xMQ44
I've never tried to change it and I don't think I can. It seems to get stronger the more I try to speak clearly

There are other sorts of accents in New Zealand too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPaU4Gymt3E (shows a range of accents that you might encounter in the average town)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHjej3RGU7o (Politicians and newsreaders often sound slightly Australian/Southern English to me...)

I've spoken Mandarin with my dad since young and initially had his accent (identifiably from China but not obviously regional), but ended up changing it after spending some time in Singapore. It was partly intentional because some Singaporeans react negatively towards immigrants from China (or who they think are from there), so to avoid that I either spoke English with my NZ accent or in Mandarin with a quasi-Singaporean accent. It started out as code-switching but I somehow got stuck and can't switch back now

 

[anonymoose_au]

I have this type of New Zealand accent (neutral urban, slightly mumbling)

Choice bro

I appear to have some sort of small-town Aussie accent, I did spend 5 years in a small town as a child, but once someone asked if I'd recently moved from the country. At that point I'd been living in Sydney for like 15 years!

 

[iluvtodd]

I guess I have a Philly accent, although I don't think it's all that pronounced. I do have some NY relatives (from Brooklyn & the Bronx), so I have probably picked up some of that. When I started studying Spanish in college, one of my professors noticed that my accent was a little "nasal." That's probably/possibly because I started studying French 4 years prior to studying Spanish (all together 8 years of high school/college French & 4 years of college Spanish).

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

There are other sorts of accents in New Zealand too:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPaU4Gymt3E (shows a range of accents that you might encounter in the average town)

I hope you are not trying to claim Sam Neill. His hometown is 25 miles from mine, and we are proud that he is a Tyrone man. (Along with his fellow Omagh man Jimmy Kennedy, he is probably the most famous person to come out of my county).

Can I just add - I can not get used to seeing Sam with so much hair! When I watched "Peter Rabbit" last year, I couldn't believe it when the credits at the end said that it was him playing old man McGregor.

But, yeah, Sam has lived in NZ for long enough to not have a NI accent. Mind you, it doesn't take long for people from NI to lose their accents. It has been known to happen to people when they just go on holidays.

Sam Neill is from West Tyrone. But, if you want to hear somebody from East Tyrone, the guy with the beard in this video is from my hometown (he was 5 years below me at school):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNNQ36xgnyQ

This guy is also from my hometown (he was 6 years above me at school. But, his younger brother was in my year):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBJu5TEiRZ0

As for me, I don't think I have a particularly strong accent. If I am totally honest, I don't particularly like the sound of my voice (especially when it is put through a machine). But, I have never actually tried to change it. At the end of the day, it's part of who I am.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Jeanie19]

I have a "Boston" accent. I have always lived in the Boston area. I am 61 years old and still have the accent.
I don't think it is that noticeable (ie - I don't sound like JFK), but whenever I encounter people from out of the area, they readily notice it.

Fortunately, I've never had any reasons to try to modify or change the accent.

I live in Massachusetts, and I agree, not a strong Boston accent.

 

[Flying Feijoa]

I hope you are not trying to claim Sam Neill. His hometown is 25 miles from mine, and we are proud that he is a Tyrone man. (Along with fellow his Omagh man Jimmy Kennedy, he is probably the most famous person to come out of my county).

Can I just add - I can not get used to seeing Sam with so much hair! When I watched "Peter Rabbit" last year, I couldn't believe it when the credits at the end said that it was him playing old man McGregor.

But, yeah, Sam has lived in NZ for long enough to not have a NI accent. Mind you, it doesn't take long for people from NI to lose their accents. It has been known to happen to people when they just go on holidays.

Sam Neill is from West Tyrone. But, if you want to hear somebody from East Tyrone, the guy with the beard in this video is from my hometown (he was 5 years below me at school):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNNQ36xgnyQ

This guy is also from my hometown (he was 6 years above me at school. But, his younger brother was in my year):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VBJu5TEiRZ0

As for me, I don't think I have a particularly strong accent. If I am totally honest, I don't particularly like the sound of my voice (especially when it is put through a machine). But, I have never actually tried to change it. At the end of the day, it's part of who I am.

CaroLiza_fan

Interesting, I could detect the trace of something vaguely British Isles-ish in his voice. One of my classmates in primary school had a grandma who emigrated from Scotland (many decades ago in her youth) who sounded a bit like him. The difference is noticeable compared to e.g. the woman playing his wife in the movie.

Thanks for the examples! I've been to Belfast once but the accent seems a bit different.

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

Interesting, I could detect the trace of something vaguely British Isles-ish in his voice. One of my classmates in primary school had a grandma who emigrated from Scotland (many decades ago in her youth) who sounded a bit like him. The difference is noticeable compared to e.g. the woman playing his wife in the movie.

That's the interesting thing. When, even though they have lost their original accent or been away from home for decades, you can hear traces coming through.

I remember commenting one time that you could hear traces of a NI accent in Kaetlyn Osmond. Of course, she isn't Irish. But, over the years, a lot of people who emigrated from here to Canada got off the boat in Newfoundland, and didn't bother to go any further! And, hence, they had an impact on the local accent on that island.

I forgot to say, thank you for providing the trailer. Going by it, that film looks like it could be good. So, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

But, it is fascinating to hear different accents from NZ. Most people I have come across from NZ sound very similar to Aussies. So, it is good to know that there is actually a variety in accents.

And that was very interesting the story you told about how you had to adjust your accent according to your audience when you were speaking Mandarin.

Thanks for the examples! I've been to Belfast once but the accent seems a bit different.

Yep. I even have difficulty understanding Belfast people at times!

I was hesitant to do this but, for comparison, this is how I sound.

CaroLiza_fan

 

[Flying Feijoa]

I forgot to say, thank you for providing the trailer. Going by it, that film looks like it could be good. So, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

It is indeed I think you can find it on Netflix or Youtube Movies now.

To my outsider's ear Northern Irish accents seem to have a Scottish influence, but yours less so than Belfast...

 

[anonymoose_au]

Most people I have come across from NZ sound very similar to Aussies.

Gasp! Never!

Next you'll be saying Aussies and South Africans sound the same

 

[CaroLiza_fan]

It is indeed I think you can find it on Netflix or Youtube Movies now.

Thank you!

To my outsider's ear Northern Irish accents seem to have a Scottish influence, but yours less so than Belfast...

Yep. When the plantation of Ireland happened in the 1500's and 1600's, it was mostly Scottish settlers that moved to what is now NI. They mainly settled in the coastal counties of Ulster. Which makes sense, as that is where is nearest Scotland.

Being further inland, Tyrone was more of a mixture of settlers and natives. But, I do actually have Scottish ancestry (they were from the Lowlands, so near England). And English (a Granny from Lancashire)... And French (if you go back far enough)...

Incidentally, the main area for the English settlers was Leinster, particularly County Dublin.

Gasp! Never!

Next you'll be saying Aussies and South Africans sound the same

Never!

Don't worry, I can tell the difference between an Antipodean accent and a South African accent. Apart from anything else, my cousin married a girl that grew up in South Africa!

CaroLiza_fan

 

[4everchan]

I am sure some regional accents are harder to achieve than others. However, I think that some people are advantaged in picking up different accents. Learning a second language early on is a big asset. Being a musician can also help, if one has strong aural skills. Of course, education is another factor. Immersion is the best way, in my experience, to pick up an accent. I watched a bit of a movie recently, and the great French actress Marion Cotillard was supposed to speak the Quebecois accent (as if there was only one... there are so many regional ones) and she was so bad at it... someone even made fun of her in this video

 

[skylark]

My native language is English, by way of being born and raised in Oklahoma. When I was a kid and first saw the movie "Oklahoma!" I was bewildered, because I'd never heard anyone speak the way they do in the 1955 movie. So, that's not my accent.

My Oklahoma accent is more a matter of inflection, rhythm and phrasing, because by the time I was twelve I'd chosen to excise any words that sounded even faintly hillbilly, as I had an aversion to being incorrect or using bad grammar.

One of the things I find interesting is that when people relocate, they either pick up local expressions and accents easily, or they stick with their "own" accent to an extent that it appears to be stubbornness. I'm one of the former group. I think it's akin to having a good ear for music. I just naturally pick up speech patterns even if only for a few days.

I've lived in Michigan for many years now, and even though my home folks think I sound like a northerner, people in Michigan still now and then will tell me they hear something southern in my voice, but almost no one identifies Oklahoma. The Oklahoma accent is a bit like Texas, but not nearly as much so! In fact, you have to cut the Texas at least in half and then cut the hot sauce and add the mild. My family's voices have echoes of Tennessee and North Carolina. And the more I've read, studied, listened to songs and watched movies, I find my accent and word choices to have much in common with modified Scottish and Borderlands or Northern English accents. Also, I listen to the Beatles channel a lot, and I hear so many words and expressions that we southerners seem to have transported across directly. One little example shows up in several early Beatles songs, when they sing "not at all" it comes out "not a-tall." Purposefully. That is what I grew up hearing.

When British actors were cast as 3 of the 4 stars of Gone With the Wind, some people grumbled, or so I've heard. Margaret Mitchell replied that British voices and Southern voices were very similar. She was very pleased with the actors who played her characters. I guess that was the end of it!

 

[skylark]

@el henry :

Do you have an accent tied to your geographical area in your language? Is it considered difficult to adopt?

The Oklahoma accent is a bit like Texas, but not nearly as much so! In fact, you have to cut the Texas at least in half and then cut the hot sauce and add the mild.

So, I'm quoting myself to (at long last!) address the OP question. It's very rare for me to hear my particular, small-city-girl, central Oklahoma accent anywhere but there. Rare? I've never heard it done right in all the movies I've ever watched. So it's like balm on my ears when I talk to my relatives, oldest friends, and even the people I talk to on the street, etc. when I visit home.

The Texas accent is the easiest of all accents to adopt. Most actors use that exaggerated Texas accent when they try for Oklahoma. It's very annoying! For the record, my relatives who've lived in Texas all their lives sound more like me than "movie" Texans.

Even in the most recent movie I've seen that took place in Oklahoma, August: Osage County, none of the actors sounded like any Oklahomans I've ever known. Even Meryl Streep. I was disappointed! But it's also possible or even likely that Osage County, while not being far from my stompin' grounds of Tulsa County, has a different regional accent. But I highly doubt it, because again, the actors seemed to be talking more like some version of Texans, which doesn't make sense, because Osage County lies slap on the northern border with Kansas!

I'm enjoying all the posts! I'm fascinated by language too. And I read the item quoting Kate Winslett that inspired this thread a few days ago!

 

[el henry]

And now the show with the Philadelphia accent has made SNL. None of the actors get the accent completely right, and they conflate Philadelphia and Pennsyltucky for background but parts are pretty funny (grizzled female detective and British actress who shows they're serious by pulling their hair back in a ponytail:

Murder Durder

In this SNL skit from four years ago,Tina Fey, who is a native, nails the accent. Jimmy Fallon does not. And apologizes for losing his accent on vacation (the basis is a political survey, but the skit is equal opportunity)

Denise McDonough and Doreen Troilo from Clifton Heights

 

[Minz]

I’m born and raised in New York City, but I don’t think I have much of an accent. At least not any kind of stereotypical New York accent...

 

[dorispulaski]

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Whit Davis in this video has the old local accent from SE Connecticut. He sounds just like my Dad. Western VT in the Champlain Islands is very similar as a lot of Western Vermont was settled by folks from Connecticut.

It is somewhat similar to coastal Maine. At least I have seen Mainers assume my dad was a local.

This is the accent I started with, and if I am speaking to anyone who still has it, that's what I sound like, only a bit less so.

I have no idea whether it is hard to learn, but it has almost disappeared.

There are 3 syllables in "cow" and in " there."

R's are much tortured.

Yes is said aayah.

Vowels are very elongated.

A salami and provolone sub sandwich with tomatoes, finely sliced lettuce, and olive oil on crusty Italian bread is a regyuhlah grindahh.