Accents - can it change at will?

I heard that a person's tone of voice and accent is set after 12-13 years of speaking a native or first language, no matter if that person is a majority or minority in that region. Have you ever heard of someone who has a mid-western accent changing their accent to sound more Northern if they move to the North, or more Southern if they move to the South?

People who change their accents, are they just gifted or have a special talent in the ability to change their vocal tone? I've heard singers who practice and actors who practice, and they can sound more American then, let's say, British, but after their act, they go back to their natural tone.

Is it unnatural to make a person change the way they sound b/c it offends someone b/c they may sound like they are from a different race or region then they appear? Would it be un-natural to mute Southern American Asians from sounding southern if they grew up here all of their life and that's the natural sound of their voice? Is it wrong to make a French-Asian change his accent or language b/c he doesn't belong (Jackie Chan movie, if you wanta know what made me think of that scenario). Even in China, as huge as it is, people have different accents and dialects, so, how could I tell a person who is Chinese or another minority which accent or dialect they should carry if they've had that same one for more then 12-13 years of their life? And wouldn't it be easier for someone who is talented like a singer or an actor to switch accents rather then a regular layperson?

And this is not just racial or regional, as there are men who have higher sounding tone then others. I recall singing at a church (not a great singer at all), it was unfortunate that the choir direction took one look at me (I was heavy at that time) and assumed that I song in a lower key (why did he make such an assumption, I don't know) but our chior group was divided by the tone that is natural for the person. Some people think that higher sounding tones is "white", why is that?

Once again your post has no point and its hard to understand what your trying to say. Anyone can change there accent consciously its not that hard. Many peoples accent will change over time if they move to a different area, not every ones accent would change I also have no idea why this happens. So no it does not require some special gift and how the hell can you make some one change there accent, any one offended by an accent is a sad individual.

Originally posted by Magee
Once again your post has no point and its hard to understand what your trying to say. Anyone can change there accent consciously its not that hard. Many peoples accent will change over time if they move to a different area, not every ones accent would change I also have no idea why this happens. So no it does not require some special gift and how the hell can you make some one change there accent, any one offended by an accent is a sad individual.

Uhm, well, why was it funny to some folks in the recent Jackie Chan movie when an Asian guy was slapped for speaking French? If he was born in France, what else is he going to speak, Portuguese? I wouldn't expect him to speak Mandarin or Cantonese, I would expect maybe French or English, but if I were in China, I would assume/expect Mandarin or Cantonese unless I was in Vietname speaking to an older Vietnamese, I wouldn't doubt if he spoke French. But that's me, and I am a bit "different".

When I visited (Zurich) Switzerland, I didn't expect Africans to speak Swahili, they spoke French or German or English, but if I were in Africa, I would assume they know some European language as well as the local language (Swahili in certain parts). And I wouldn't expect them to degrade their local language, or any other "foriegn" language, I would assume they would speak it with grace and diginity (most French are concerned with speaking it PROPERLY, moreso then the race of the person talking, but that's French culture). So, I would imagine, if an Asian person has lived in France all their life, they are part of French culture, and they probably do speak French very well, why shouldn't they?

Originally posted by Magee
So no it does not require some special gift and how the hell can you make some one change there accent, any one offended by an accent is a sad individual.

But isn't it natural, just like with singers, to carry a lower or higher sounding voice?

And what does it mean to sound "white"? Is it to carry the voice too high? Is that really racial or is it moreso upbringing and what a person is comfortable with, such as with a person's singing voice, some are more comfortable in higher ranges and others moreso in the lower/deeper sounding ranges?

Originally posted by Czarina_Czarina
I heard that a person's tone of voice and accent is set after 12-13 years of speaking a native or first language, no matter if that person is a majority or minority in that region. Have you ever heard of someone who has a mid-western accent changing their accent to sound more Northern if they move to the North, or more Southern if they move to the South?

People who change their accents, are they just gifted or have a special talent in the ability to change their vocal tone? I've heard singers who practice and actors who practice, and they can sound more American then, let's say, British, but after their act, they go back to their natural tone.

Is it unnatural to make a person change the way they sound b/c it offends someone b/c they may sound like they are from a different race or region then they appear? Would it be un-natural to mute Southern American Asians from sounding southern if they grew up here all of their life and that's the natural sound of their voice? Is it wrong to make a French-Asian change his accent or language b/c he doesn't belong (Jackie Chan movie, if you wanta know what made me think of that scenario). Even in China, as huge as it is, people have different accents and dialects, so, how could I tell a person who is Chinese or another minority which accent or dialect they should carry if they've had that same one for more then 12-13 years of their life? And wouldn't it be easier for someone who is talented like a singer or an actor to switch accents rather then a regular layperson?

And this is not just racial or regional, as there are men who have higher sounding tone then others. I recall singing at a church (not a great singer at all), it was unfortunate that the choir direction took one look at me (I was heavy at that time) and assumed that I song in a lower key (why did he make such an assumption, I don't know) but our chior group was divided by the tone that is natural for the person. Some people think that higher sounding tones is "white", why is that?

Originally posted by Czarina_Czarina
Uhm, well, why was it funny to some folks in the recent Jackie Chan movie when an Asian guy was slapped for speaking French? If he was born in France, what else is he going to speak, Portuguese? I wouldn't expect him to speak Mandarin or Cantonese, I would expect maybe French or English, but if I were in China, I would assume/expect Mandarin or Cantonese unless I was in Vietname speaking to an older Vietnamese, I wouldn't doubt if he spoke French. But that's me, and I am a bit "different".

When I visited (Zurich) Switzerland, I didn't expect Africans to speak Swahili, they spoke French or German or English, but if I were in Africa, I would assume they know some European language as well as the local language (Swahili in certain parts). And I wouldn't expect them to degrade their local language, or any other "foriegn" language, I would assume they would speak it with grace and diginity (most French are concerned with speaking it PROPERLY, moreso then the race of the person talking, but that's French culture). So, I would imagine, if an Asian person has lived in France all their life, they are part of French culture, and they probably do speak French very well, why shouldn't they?

That's nothing to do with accent though, is it? It's language.

Originally posted by Victor Von Doom
That's nothing to do with accent though, is it? It's language.

Well, you are right, it's language and also, the tone/accent that a person carries.

Ok, there is a preacher who is white, and before I knew his race, I thought he was African, turns out, he was raised in Africa most of his life, and he has a deeper voice and speaks with the same intonations as an African would when speaking English. There is another preacher from Louisiana, he sounds like southern blacks, it's distict in the tune and they way the voice drops and picks up on certain ways, it's not a singing along type of sound, he was raised around Cajuns all of his life, so he learned the phonetics/intonations and one would ASSume that he was black when hearing him talk, and he has had to explain "why" he sounds that way all the time.

What does it mean to sound white, I would like someone to help me understand this.

I think the issue began around the subject of the war on terror, as they/media or whomever, found that some of them/terrorist would sound as if they are European, sounding very much like a regular white (French, British, etc.), and this bothered people, and things just propagated from there. I am assuming this cultural attack on "sound" started shortly after the awareness that the "enemy" sounds "white".

What's the point of this thread? Is it whether or not it's possible to change your accent, how people shouldn't get offended by different accents, or some other meaning that I've missed? Because I really have no idea.

Everyone should stop calling Czarina an attension whore coz thats just nasty and mean.

my accent has changed even since i moved to London from Birmingham 6 months ago
Cockney accent sounds so much better than a Brummie accent so im so glad

listen to the voice of this guy with a cockney accent doing a review of Predator, he just so f*cking funny as hell! I sound very like him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lSC9Rvk3Sk

Originally posted by colonelf40
Everyone should stop calling Czarina an attension whore coz thats just nasty and mean.

my accent has changed even since i moved to London from Birmingham 6 months ago
Cockney accent sounds so much better than a Brummie accent so im so glad

listen to the voice of this guy with a cockney accent doing a review of Predator, he just so f*cking funny as hell! I sound very like him
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lSC9Rvk3Sk

Wow, I was always told that accents are hard to change, I've known comedians (entertainers) who can easily do this, maybe you have some sort of talent in entertainment (singing, comedy, acting)...I was told that once you know a language, if you learn a new one, you will always speak it as if you are a foreigner speaking that language, unless you learned it before the age of 12-13, maybe that was a lie, or just depends on the person.

Originally posted by Kinneary
What's the point of this thread? Is it whether or not it's possible to change your accent, how people shouldn't get offended by different accents, or some other meaning that I've missed? Because I really have no idea.

Well, pull out whatever is important or makes you laugh or makes you wonder, whatever you can add value to, it's an open discussion, if you are in Japan, how do they react to people who "sound" like a particular race or region?

I think it is by choice.I seen al ot of movies on which Actors and actess can do very good American Accents.I have no idea how but they can.Bale can do a very good new york accent that he does in the movie "Newies" and Minnie Driver(an english actess)can do a great american accent as well.So yea it is very possible!jm

Originally posted by Czarina_Czarina
Wow, I was always told that accents are hard to change, I've known comedians (entertainers) who can easily do this, maybe you have some sort of talent in entertainment (singing, comedy, acting)...I was told that once you know a language, if you learn a new one, you will always speak it as if you are a foreigner speaking that language, unless you learned it before the age of 12-13, maybe that was a lie, or just depends on the person.

Thanks Czarina, did you enjoy that vid?

Trust me Czarina a Brummie accent is the worst of all British accents and im glad i dont talk like that anymore.

The top British accents are:

Cockney - London
Scouse - Liverpool
Manchester accent
Glasgow accent
Geordie - Newcastle
Tyke - Leeds/Sheffield/Bradford

Originally posted by ADarksideJedi
I think it is by choice.I seen al ot of movies on which Actors and actess can do very good American Accents.I have no idea how but they can.Bale can do a very good new york accent that he does in the movie "Newies" and Minnie Driver(an english actess)can do a great american accent as well.So yea it is very possible!jm

yeah, but actors are trained professionals, just like a mechanic or engineer or doctor, they are very well trained in that discipline, so I expect entertainers to pull this off, but not regular folks who are busy about their life, unless they have some sort of latent gift in entertainment that they never exercised.

Originally posted by colonelf40
Thanks Czarina, did you enjoy that vid?

Trust me Czarina a Brummie accent is the worst of all British accents and im glad i dont talk like that anymore.

The top British accents are:

Cockney - London
Scouse - Liverpool
Manchester accent
Glasgow accent
Geordie - Newcastle
Tyke - Leeds/Sheffield/Bradford

That's cool. I don't know the Brit culture at all, so when I hear an accent that sounds "British" I just assume it's the queen's language, lol, sOoOo ignorant on that topic.

I listened to the clip, I didn't find the commentator's voice annoying at all, more so the presentation rather then his actual speaking voice, but maybe if I knew the "true" British accent, I would cypher it better. But I'm not a snob, so I can careless about intonations and stuff like that.

hmm... I wish I could change accents easily... well, I'm sort of trying sometimes, and I'm not even sure if it actually changed, ever for a bit.

and it has nothing to do with the talk you guys are having right now whic by the way i can't see where you are all going with it.

Originally posted by Czarina_Czarina
Well, pull out whatever is important or makes you laugh or makes you wonder, whatever you can add value to, it's an open discussion, if you are in Japan, how do they react to people who "sound" like a particular race or region?

Originally posted by Czarina_Czarina
Wow, I was always told that accents are hard to change, I've known comedians (entertainers) who can easily do this, maybe you have some sort of talent in entertainment (singing, comedy, acting)...I was told that once you know a language, if you learn a new one, you will always speak it as if you are a foreigner speaking that language, unless you learned it before the age of 12-13, maybe that was a lie, or just depends on the person.

i can sound like a mexican gangsta' if i want to....but i'd probably get shot....😖

Originally posted by Magee
You were lied to. If I moved to america chances are I would get the accent over time, some people dont though theres no real reason or at least no known reason I dont think. Also are you saying you cant put on an accent? It is really easy and requires no special talent or any thing. About the asian french speaking guy in rush hour, its just funny as you dont see many french talking japs, I doubt many people were ofended by it? Also that was language not accent.

I am talking about many things at once. Part of it has to do with identifying accent OR language with race. And as far as Frenchmen speaking Japanese, I knew plenty of whites who speak Japanese, as I wanted to learn, so I would have been a black-Hispanic (who is also mixed both East Indian and Native-American Indian),I would have been speaking Japanese. When it comes to trade/mercantile, people end up speaking each other's languages, so for upper class and educated French,I wouldn't doubt it if some families with trade/business in Asia speak Japanese or Arabic or Pharsi/Persian or whatever, it's the regular Joes that doesn't know any other language but the local regional one he or she grew up with. So, depending on the class of the Frenchman, I wouldn't find it strange for him or her to speak Japanese, unless he was speaking it with an American, which would be odd unless they too knew Japanese, and if that was the case, it wouldn't be odd at all, why not practice and enjoy speaking whatever language you know of?