6/8/08

Well here's a wierd thing!

The Hubster and I have both noticed that as time goes by I find it harder and harder to identify Brit' accents on TV!

I don't have any problems if I bump into another Brit', but I'm often unsure if someone on TV is a Brit' and find South African, Kiwi and Aussie accents are the most confusing. When I first arrived I was often asked if I was an Aussie, much to my surprise, but now I am beginning to understand it!

Any other expat' Brit's have this problem the longer they're here?

13 comments:

Pam said...

Oh yes, John used to get it ALL the time -- people thinking he was an Aussie. I think I am better at spotting the accents than he is though, they all just sound normal to him. Hope ya'll are having a great weekend, but I can see you have been BUSY!

Unknown said...

Good I am glad I am not alone. Yep tomorrow we attack the bathroom, Hubster is playing music and of course we have Lewis on pole for the GP!

Plus I have to be ready for work Monday!

Rhea said...

That's so weird! To me Aussies and Brits sound different. I always amazed by Hugh Laurie (Dr. House on TV) who is British but manages to pull off an American accent no prob.

Mmm said...

Yes, it's bad. People often think I'm Australian even though to me I sounds far more American than Aussie. I can usually tell though when an American is acting as a Brit and faking the accent. Certain words give it away almost every time, like the way (most Brits) pronounce "can't" is said and such. Americans have a hard time with those a's. The worse is all the radio ads with fake British accents. Why can;'t they just use American or something Western, Southern or what have you than fake an accent?

I myself have been here so long now I have become very Americanized that most Brits visiting her don't at first even pick up on what remains of my accent yet most often American do. It is the strongest when I'm with my family or in particular reading aloud.

Unknown said...

Interesting Mmmm, my family and friends think my accent has actually got stronger since I moved here. I guess I am fighting back against saying "y'all"!

Rhea I thought we sounded very different too, but it seems even I struggle to tell the difference now!

Victoria - Florence and Mary said...

Whenever I'm in America people always think I'm Australian and I've never quite worked it out but sounds like it's quite common!!

Victoria xx

Almost American said...

Yes, I've been mistaken for Australian too. In England people think I'm American, but Americans can still hear the the English sounds in my voice. I have a hard time remembering which pronunciation is which sometimes - which is not good as I'm supposed to be teaching American English.

Like mmm, fake English accents really annoy me.

Back to Sarah's original question - yes, I do find it difficult sometimes to tell if someone on TV is a Brit. OTOH, I am much better now than I was when I lived in the UK (tho' still not good) at distinguishing between Americans and Canadians, eh?

Unknown said...

Oh now I can't tell the difference between American and Canucks at all, despite having one closeby who's a friend!

Almost American said...

Gross generalization, but all the Canadians I know give themselves away when they say 'about' or 'out'. They say 'aboot' and 'oot'. They don't all add 'eh?' at the end of their sentences though.

Mmm said...

"I have a hard time remembering which pronunciation is which sometimes"

--I totally relate to Almost American here! LOL. I also forget what word is used in what country so tend to fluctuate between various words.

Anonymous said...

Interesting that the Americanization has done that to you. I am generally good enough to even figure out which part of the UK an accent is from...I wonder if you'd throw me?

G said...

I think I've retained my ability to tell, but I get asked by a lot of Brits if I'm Australian or South African. Part of it might be the slight shift in my own accent, but I think I still sound British. Ahh... who knows... it's a very interesting observation you make though.

Almost American said...

I had someone make the usual "I think I hear an accent, where are you from?" comment to me yesterday. I started my answer with, "Well, I've lived in the US for most of my life", which threw her for a loop. Then she guessed the accent was from Australia or New Zealand!