Picking up accents from other countries

[popcorn_skollie]

Guess it also depends on who you interact with regularly.

 

It probably exactly that. 

 

The swede and dutch family I mentioned are both examples of people who married foreigners and had kids abroad. So their offspring, the swede and dutch cousins, don't speak afrikaans or any of the other languages their parent/s grew up with. 

 

On the other hand. The cousins from Saudi and Australia grew up in households where both parents originated from Cape Town. So they grew up in a home where their parents would speak those languages to each other and I suppose by extension to their kids as well.

 

Its gets even more complicated. One of these cousins I mentioned married an american. I would chat to him occasionally at family gatherings and I would often forget he was american because he actually sounds like a saffa after being here for so long. But here and there I would be reminded he was american because of the way he would pronounce certain words. 

 

Then the younger of the two ozzie cousins I mentioned. Married an Afghan expat. Married and living in Sydney with two kids of their own. I have no idea what those kids will sound like when they old enough to speak fluently. 

[popcorn_skollie]

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

 

Jissus I'm only just realizing just how spread out my family actually is. So I have two cousins that have lived in UK since the 90s. They're both sisters around a decade older than I am. The younger sister is as pommie as one can get. And it feels strange speaking to her. I get this impression that her accent is a bit over the top and somewhat pretentious. And that she has this somewhat condescending opinion of the place and people she is originally from. Her sister is the opposite  though. Also lives in UK. But visits SA far more regularly that her sister does and sounds a lot more like we do too. But her time abroad is certainly evident in the way she speaks. They also have an older brother. Ya, ya I know. Another cousin. I'm not sure where he lives now. I haven't been on facebook in months but I remember seeing him in Alaska last. Which is about as American as Hawaii. His son who still lives here in Cape Town is pretty close with my brother. So when I see him occasionally I would ask how he's dad was and where on earth he could be right now. The answer was always different. I guess being a photographer meant he's job took him everywhere. Covering stories on current affairs. I was lucky enough to get him to shoot my wedding. Which was probably the last time I saw him if I'm not exaggerating too much. He might have spent the majority of his life off South African soil. But that guy sounds like he never left the Cape Flats.

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Jissus I'm only just realizing just how spread out my family actually is. So I have two cousins that have lived in UK since the 90s. They're both sisters around a decade older than I am. The younger sister is as pommie as one can get. And it feels strange speaking to her. I get this impression that her accent is a bit over the top and somewhat pretentious. And that she has this somewhat condescending opinion of the place and people she is originally from. Her sister is the opposite  though. Also lives in UK. But visits SA far more regularly that her sister does and sounds a lot more like we do too. But her time abroad is certainly evident in the way she speaks. They also have an older brother. Ya, ya I know. Another cousin. I'm not sure where he lives now. I haven't been on facebook in months but I remember seeing him in Alaska last. Which is about as American as Hawaii. His son who still lives here in Cape Town is pretty close with my brother. So when I see him occasionally I would ask how he's dad was and where on earth he could be right now. The answer was always different. I guess being a photographer meant he's job took him everywhere. Covering stories on current affairs. I was lucky enough to get him to shoot my wedding. Which was probably the last time I saw him if I'm not exaggerating too much. He might have spent the majority of his life off South African soil. But that guy sounds like he never left the Cape Flats.

Your family....

[Stretch]

My mother in law had a Scottish mother with a thick Scottish accent. My mother in law speaks normally (aka natal Midlands English accent) 99% time..... However.. When she speaks to her sister she sounds as Scottish as Fergus

[SwissVan]

Dont think i've picked up a swiss accent....keeping in mind they have a few languages (Italian, French) whose accents would be kind of cool and then Swiss German and its many dialects...not so cool 

 

Swiss English accent

 

 

 

 

 

[Stretch]

Dont think i've picked up a swiss accent....keeping in mind they have a few languages (Italian, French) whose accents would be kind of cool and then Swiss German and its many dialects...not so cool

 

Swiss English accent

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIEbLOvKrUI&feature=youtu.be

My mate in France has picked up an accent...I can't understand him anymore he speaks a completely different language [emoji38]. He's married to a Frenchie and been living there for about 15 years. His English accent definitely had a Frenchness about it now

[CAAD4]

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......

 

Hahahaha. K@k sal jy k@k troep...

[popcorn_skollie]

Dont think i've picked up a swiss accent....keeping in mind they have a few languages (Italian, French) whose accents would be kind of cool and then Swiss German and its many dialects...not so cool 

 

Swiss English accent

 

 

Brilliant! The 'Rr' and 'Vi' and 'Ch' rules are pretty universal though.

They can be applied to many variations of english accents.

 

Body language is also a big part of some languages.

This is especially true in the east. In China your posture speaks volumes. Especially your chin.

India is big on nodding and hand gestures. And I've definitely seen how this being rubbed off on people who've adopted the accent.

[Big Phil]

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.

Had a similar experience in Bali as I could recognize terms that my Cape Malay grandmother would use. Tera makasi translates into thank you..my grandma used a shortened version of the term to express gratitude. I don't think she frankly knows where Indonesia is.????

[intern]

Didn't really think I had a kiwi twang until I went back to SA for the first time and got relentlessly mocked for it. But the kiwi twang is a lot like south coast KZN,what with bug punk pugs, fush and chups, pork my cor in the guhroge and all that. These days I make a conscious effort to say 'ekse' 'bru' and 'kiff' etc, whereas I guess in the early days it was the other way round to try show how in choon ekse you were with the locals.

Yes, new immigrants are complete ingrates, myself included. And yes, it annoys the daylights out of everyone else when you start with some accent nonsense because the obvious explanation is pretentiousness. And yes, it probably is pretentious.

Was quite funny when we were at a game farm somewhere near Vanderbijlpark, a young Afrikaans woman working there was thoroughly enamoured with my two sons' kiwi accent. Of course to me I don't  hear an accent at all.

[Wayne Potgieter]

Similar situation to Intern. My youngest speaks fluent kiwi. In her defense, she was 3 years old when we moved and she celebrates her 8th birthday in a few weeks.

 

My wife still sounds a bit like a dutchie sometimes. But you can take the girl out of Springs but...

 

I have worked in a couple of countries, so I have this weird accent that sounds like a bit of everything but at the same time nothing.

 

Suits me fine.  

 

The traditional South African accent annoys me the more I live here.

 

Can't stand hearing saffas in the malls and stuff screaming "Jannie - go can like to fetch mamma another pack of beers" in the store.

[intern]

Similar situation to Intern. My youngest speaks fluent kiwi. In her defense, she was 3 years old when we moved and she celebrates her 8th birthday in a few weeks.

 

My wife still sounds a bit like a dutchie sometimes. But you can take the girl out of Springs but...

 

I have worked in a couple of countries, so I have this weird accent that sounds like a bit of everything but at the same time nothing.

 

Suits me fine.  

 

The traditional South African accent annoys me the more I live here.

 

Can't stand hearing saffas in the malls and stuff screaming "Jannie - go can like to fetch mamma another pack of beers" in the store.

Hahah I absolutely LOVE the classic thick Safa accent. Did you see that clip on WhatsApp 'Carte Branch' with the okes from Kommetjie in charge of load shedding? Man I smaaked the Cape Town stoner accent stukkend made me laugh.

[Wayne Potgieter]

Hahah I absolutely LOVE the classic thick Safa accent. Did you see that clip on WhatsApp 'Carte Branch' with the okes from Kommetjie in charge of load shedding? Man I smaaked the Cape Town stoner accent stukkend made me laugh.

I read your post with an accent.

[Wannabe]

In a "previous life" I worked in the Casino industry in RSA and Botswana. In the earlier days the gaming side (tables and slots) was dominated by expats from England and a lot of ex Rhodies.

 

With my mom being Scottish/English, I learned to speak English to a better level than most other Afrikaans kids, and I think my command of the language is quite good, albeit it with a very broad and flat Afrikaans accent.

 

I got teased relentlessly by the Expats because of this, being called a rock spider and a rope (thick, hairy and twisted) but all in good jest. When I left one of the Units I worked at, one of the Irish lasses wrote a Gaelic message in the farewell card, noting that "she too can speak a foreign language".

It was so funny to me. 

[Captain Fastbastard Mayhem]

Similar situation to Intern. My youngest speaks fluent kiwi. In her defense, she was 3 years old when we moved and she celebrates her 8th birthday in a few weeks.

 

My wife still sounds a bit like a dutchie sometimes. But you can take the girl out of Springs but...

 

I have worked in a couple of countries, so I have this weird accent that sounds like a bit of everything but at the same time nothing.

 

Suits me fine.  

 

The traditional South African accent annoys me the more I live here.

 

Can't stand hearing saffas in the malls and stuff screaming "Jannie - go can like to fetch mamma another pack of beers" in the store.

WHAT!? No.... can't be 5 years already, man... Jeepers. 

[Wayne Potgieter]

WHAT!? No.... can't be 5 years already, man... Jeepers.

yep. Moved in 2015.

 

Get citizenship at the end of the year.