well i suppose since ive been in malaysia for almost 2 years then maybe im picking up an accent. i also think that it's impossible to not have an accent because someone else will always hear it and think, "oh, that's an irish, or american or canadian eh"
My accent is completely dependent upon those around me. I grew up in military bases, so my unaltered voice is about as "flat" as one could ask for. Sans regional color. But get me around anyone with even the slightest whiff of an accent and within minutes it starts to stick to me. I've been living in Puerto Rico now for over two years and I haven't really had any comparison, but I can only assume that speaking and hearing Spanish 24/7 has added something to the way I speak.
I find it strange when people refer to 'the british accent', but anyway i don't know about my accent, it's really strange I remember a few years ago I was living with people and they said I had a really strong Scottish accent, and most people thought i was Glaswegian, but since I have moved to St Andrews and lived here for the past 4 years I think my accent has changed and i don't really have much of a Scottish accent, which i am a little sad about. I guess it's changed because there are so many english and americans here, i have had to speak standard english and tone things down so people will understand me.
The same for most Americans when we see people refer to the 'American accent.' The New Yorker sounds nothing like the Georgian sounds nothing like the Texan sounds nothing like the Northern Californian sounds nothing like the Southern Californian. Our accents are spread over a larger geographic area, bit they are quite distinct one from the next.
That's me. But, I'm afraid to say I do have a bit of a southern accent. You can't really tell it's there, but there are spots. *blushes* I have a friend though who speaks in a very distinct manner, it's really hard to describe, but it's contagious so you end up talking like that for hours.
rofl. i'd talk about my accent but i don't even think i have one ... most perth accents are pretty weak simply due to the isolation of our capital rofl
Blimey Brits like to say "American accent", but there is no American accent; they vary so greatly, just as in the United Kingdom. I'm from Arizona, which would be considered "Midwestern" which in turn is no accent. A lot of people think there is no such thing as no accent, but there is, and general consensus is it's Midwestern.
I'm probably going to have to disagree with you. Where is this general consensus from? It's so bizarre the number of people who think they don't have an accent. I'm sure if you didn't have an accent, you'd sound like a robot.
Ive been told I sound like a robot when I speak but i'm certain that comes from being too lazy to vary the tone of my voice Lol.
On the no accent thing: As to people having "an American accent", that's a perfectly valid expression. It means they have an accent that is from the United States. It could be a Southern accent, or it could be from Boston or Chicago or wherever, but it's perfectly valid (if imprecise), to say that people have an American accent. Same goes for the Brits. Generally, however, when you say "American accent" to me, I'd think of a fairly generic sort of accent - something like Hugh Laurie on Dr House. Also, people must start posting samples of their accents, damnit!
I always wondered what American accents sounded like to people outside of the United States. Like how people think certain accents sound attractive and others not, etc.
Hehe, i like how you give the example of Hugh Laurie, when he's English (albeit doing an american accent on the show)
Imagine a really harsh, brash accent with a nasal twang. (The main exception to this is that soft Southern accent from Gone with the Wind, but I never meet Americans with that accent in real life. It sure is purty!) Yeah, I originally knew him from Blackadder. I did a real double take when I first saw him on House. His accent is flawless.
I don't have my webcam with me atm, but I'll totally post a sample when I get it back. I have a Welsh accent...not an English-sounding accent, it's quite a strong Southern-Welsh accent...haha I's a li'l bi' odd-soundin' to be honest.
You know those factoids your 5th grade teacher tells you, the ones that you continue to spout throughout your life, never actually check if they're true, and then you check if it's true, and you're wrong?
A bun down here is not a mouthful of a morsel, it's a bread roll, a bread muffin or a sweet/savoury pastry. Regional dialect pretty much ignores definitions in the dictionary alot of the time, it's just like the slang people develope. However, "bun" in the dictionary is a bread roll. Bun- "any of a wide variety of variously shaped bread rolls, usually leavened and slightly sweetened or plain, sometimes containing spices, dried currants, etc." Sorry.
LOL really? I never imagined it was harsh, I never really imagined it as anything though, obviously since I hear it constantly. But now that I listen to the TV I can understand how it sounds harsh. Glad to know I sound like that aha.
Actually, in terms of a regional accent, I don't have one. It's quite odd, really but most people agree with me on this. It's English, but that's it. Not RP, not Cornish, not Brummie, not Welsh, not Scot, not Northen and not Southern. I am a genuine example of someone Without a regional accent. How weird is that?
I don't have the technology required to record my voice, but I've heard what I sound like through a recording. It sounds nothing like I do in the real world. And no, it wasn't just the mic, because it played back my friend's voice perfectly. It's pretty weird. Anyway, having lived almost half of my life in the northern US and the rest of my life down south, my accent hovers somewhere in between the two. If I'm not in a rush to say something, I sound more northern, but when I speak quickly and my words start blurring together, I can hear a bit of a southern accent. I hate it. I really, really hate southern accents. >_<
Wrong. It's more like, "Baahstin." "Park the car in Harvard Yard" sounds kinda like, "Paahk the caah in Haahvaahd Yaahd." I don't have a Boston accent. I'm not sure what kind of accent I have.
A universal phenomenon caused by the fact that you hear a large portion of your own voice through the bones in your head, altering significantly how you hear your own voice as opposed to how others hear your voice. I have yet to see someone not pull a face when they hear their own voice in a recording.
I figured that, but even my friend says it doesn't sound the same. It's also kinda weird because, according to that mic, I sound just like someone else I know from school.
I'm not really sure of what kind of accent i have...i guess you could say an Americna Accent, more specifically a pacific northwest accent 9if there is one...probably is ) mixed with some standard american teenager lol i would record a clip but im not sure how to on my computer...or even if i can...if i figure it out ill record some Edit
