Picking up accents from other countries

[Rocket-Boy]

So I was wondering how this works out with all of the expats we have in other countries.

Do you find you pick up the local accent fairly quickly or do you keep your previous one?

 

I have been working with Aussies almost exclusively for the last 2 months and Im finding that I ask everyone "How're you going?" and call them all mate 

 

Interested to know if its just me being susceptible to the Aussie accent or if this is something others experience too. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Personal experience, I picked up an accent / accents pretty quickly when I was in the UK back in the early 2000's. 

[Patchelicious]

Personal experience, I picked up an accent / accents pretty quickly when I was in the UK back in the early 2000's. 

As did all the kids who went to London for anything more than 2 weeks. 

[Bateleur1]

I pickup accents fairly quickly.  But currently my speach is one big stew of German, Bavarian, Afrikaans (noted by the locals as a dutch accent), English (SA english and Aussie english)

[Grease_Monkey]

So I was wondering how this works out with all of the expats we have in other countries.

Do you find you pick up the local accent fairly quickly or do you keep your previous one?

 

I have been working with Aussies almost exclusively for the last 2 months and Im finding that I ask everyone "How're you going?" and call them all mate

 

Interested to know if its just me being susceptible to the Aussie accent or if this is something others experience too.

I live in Aus from the age of 13 to 15. My brother and I went full Ausie within 3 months. We also went back to full SA within less time when we got back to SA mostly due to the relentless mocking from friends.

 

My parents on the other hand kept their accents 100% when they were over there. Obviously picked up some Ausie slang and phrases, but not an accent.

 

I do think age has some impact on it... but obviously that's not the only factor - I think the people you surround yourself with does too. I don't think I would easily pick up another accent now... but I know I do pick up phrases and slang quite quickly without realising it.

[Patchelicious]

So I was wondering how this works out with all of the expats we have in other countries.

Do you find you pick up the local accent fairly quickly or do you keep your previous one?

 

I have been working with Aussies almost exclusively for the last 2 months and Im finding that I ask everyone "How're you going?" and call them all mate 

 

Interested to know if its just me being susceptible to the Aussie accent or if this is something others experience too. 

I have picked up some words and phrases, simply because its easier than having to explain the SA ones. But no, accents are not being picked up. Think that is more a things of desire than anything else.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I have picked up some words and phrases, simply because its easier than having to explain the SA ones. But no, accents are not being picked up. Think that is more a things of desire than anything else.

I think mine just changed to emphasis on different syllables and certain turns of phrase, together with either softening or hardening some of the consonants / vowels. Not a full accent, just something that's a bit closer to the local (your surrounding) accents. 

[Thorn199]

Have been in UK 2 years now, with very limited new accent.

 

My cousin who's been in the UK for over 10 years also still has his SA accent, however, he did a 6-month stint in Aus and came back full-on aussie. Something about the Aus accent that makes it easy to pick up.

[Stretch]

My sister has been in the UK for for over 20 years and hasn't picked up an accent really. My friend has.. But she's married to a Londoner. 2 of my mates who are in Aus and are married to aussies have... See the trend?..

 

We have to say certain Irish specific phrases or the Irish just don't know what you're talking about... So it's more about conditioning yourself to say "slang" that they say to be able to communicate easier. I'm finding it easier to slip those into general conversation now..i.e it's become more natural... But my accent hasn't really changed.

 

You do have to express certain words in a way they understand. Like they won't know what a "scone" is unless you say "scooone".....or cah instead of car. Etc..

 

I've been told on a number of occasions that I have a "posh" accent [emoji38]

Edited April 22, 2020 by Stretch

[Patchelicious]

Have been in UK 2 years now, with very limited new accent.

 

My cousin who's been in the UK for over 10 years also still has his SA accent, however, he did a 6-month stint in Aus and came back full-on aussie. Something about the Aus accent that makes it easy to pick up.

Yes, its like herpes. 

[Stretch]

Yes, its like herpes.

Just squeeze your nuts and shorten every word with an "ie" at the end..... And you have an Aus accent. A mullet and wife beater top makes it more convincing

[Frosty]

So I was wondering how this works out with all of the expats we have in other countries.

Do you find you pick up the local accent fairly quickly or do you keep your previous one?

 

I have been working with Aussies almost exclusively for the last 2 months and Im finding that I ask everyone "How're you going?" and call them all mate

 

Interested to know if its just me being susceptible to the Aussie accent or if this is something others experience too.

I heard that the Aussies call people they don’t know, or like, “mate”. That came from a cycling pro.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

I heard that the Aussies call people they don’t know, or like, “mate”. That came from a cycling pro.

It's all in the tone. "Mate" is sometimes used in extremely sarcastic ways. 

[eddy]

I had some mates who went to the USA on AFS or Rotary exchange programs and all came back speaking like Americans.

 

The girls all kept a twang throughout their first year of Varsity. 

 

The boys lost all trace on the second day of basics......

[popcorn_skollie]

My moms sister and her immediate family has lived in Sydney since the 80s. Their eldest daughter was born here and her sister was born there a year or so later. We visit each other every other year or so. Skype or whatsapp inbetween. My cousins who both grew up in Sydney have full blown ozzi accents. But their parents don't. At all. Speaking to my aunt. Who has lived in Sydney for over 40 years is much the same like speaking to my mom. Whats even stranger is that both my cousins also speak afrikaans. Since they grew up with their parents speaking it in their household. And you've never heard anything nearly as entertaining as a born and bred ozzi speaking fluent kombuis afrikaans. 

 

It gets even weirder. If you're familiar with the origins of the Cape Malay community in South Africa you'll know that the slaves that were brought here were originally from what is today known as Indonesia. Well some of them. They came from other places too. India, Madagascar and where ever else the Dutch East India Company decided to stop and grab more people. Now muslim households anywhere in the world throw around occasional arabic anyways. But in Cape Town there's a unique blend of arabic, indonesian and indian languages being used. I use these words VERY broadly because each of them probably have a few hundred globally recognized languages each. But thats besides the point. My ozzi cousins despite growing up there are no exception and quite often communication would involve multiple languages in a single sentence. 

 

When visiting street vendors in Indonesia my wife and I would chat to each other intermittently whilst negotiating prices with shop keepers. What we didn't realize at the time was that everytime my wife and I would 'skelmpies' have a little exchange of our own. The shop keeper could actually understand some of the words we used. Because we were using terminology that was very close to Indonesia's bahasa language. So for example, if I suggest what I think is fair price you reply with 'Oh please!' You would immediately acknowledge such a reaction as a vehement disagreement. I used the word 'kanala' when responding to my wife and the shopkeeper not only understood the word but also the context I used it in. 

 

There are some other interesting things I picked up on as well. I surfed this spot called airports. A sort of open ocean reef. A bit more remote as far as surf sports go. I had to take a boat just to get to the line up. Then wait on the next guy who comes in with a boat so I have a ride back to shore. From the beach I started walking towards Kuta. The busy city centre. I figured I'd get get a taxi along the way.

I see this open public shower on the beach. Which looks lekker refreshing after spending so much time in Bali's hot ocean and even hotter sun. The locals were charging the ozzies for using a free public shower. But since I look like one of the locals and could throw around a word or two I got my shower free of charge. It was here that I noticed how indonesian locals who use english words often sound like they picked up on the ozzie accent as well. They would pronounce english words much the same way that australians would. And even sound more 'ozzie' when speaking to one. Bali is packed with Australians. Its not far from them and flights are pretty cheap. 

 

Jeez at this point I'm beginning to realize just how long winded my post can get. Half of my wife's family are expats. My father in law has a twin sister who lived in Sweden for decades. Another of his siblings lives in Holland. So she has dutch and swedish cousins who she sees occasionally and keeps in touch with on social media. Then she also has a few uncles and aunts who spent decades teaching english in Saudi. Her cousins that grew up in Saudi also speak afrikaans. Despite being fluent in arabic as a first language they sound more like cape town locals when they speak english and afrikaans. And when I visit Saudi myself. There's a restaurant I like to visit in Jeddah. Where they serve and I kid you not. A 'kaapse roti' as a side to any curry on offer. Its even spelled that way in the menu.

[MrJacques]

I've often wondered about this with people who have lived in a country for a long time and still sound 'foreign'. 

 

A friend of mine has been in Aus (Melbourne) for over 3 years and has no real discernible Aussie accent or colloquialisms, still sounds South African. Guess it also depends on who you interact with regularly.