Do You Like Or Dislike Your Own Accent?

Started by the ninjak5 pages
the ninjak FRINGE Division

I never thought that I had an Australian accent until I recently listened to myself on TV.

Now i know why so many girls want me.

§P0oONY Senior Member

Originally posted by majid86
Have you ever tried to change your accent to try to make yourself sound more local by any chance?
Why would I want to change my accent?... As far as getting a job is concerned there is no way my accent can effect my chances and everyone in the british isles can understand me, which is more than can be said of some local accents.

RE: Blaxican #gottem
Originally posted by Quiero Mota
I wonder why that accent was chosen to be the flagship American accent. With the exception of Chicago, St. Louis and a few other places, its a really sparse area. When I was a truckdriver I would drive through the Midwest for hours on end without seeing so much as a farm-silo.

Is there any latino stereotype you don't support?

roughrider Thunderer

Originally posted by the ninjak
I never thought that I had an Australian accent until I recently listened to myself on TV.

Now i know why so many girls want me.

I had an Aussie girlfriend two years ago, here on a work exchange, who thought my Canadian accent was sexy. (And I thought I just had a deep voice.)

Quiero Mota Member Señor
Originally posted by RE: Blaxican
Is there any latino stereotype you don't support?

Yeah: us being a bunch of illegals, who listen to ranchera music, and wear massive hats.

Originally posted by StyleTime

Also, our media heavily favors that accent. This leads to the perception that it is "normal" while other accents are "exotic."

I was just thinking about this^ sentence and it reminded me of something. I lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for a little over two years, and I can still recall that every single anchor and reporter at the local news show spoke with a Midwestern accent. That tells me that the station either went out of its way to deliberately find and hire people who talk like that, or they were a bunch of Southerners faking a Midwestern accent (not likely). Either way, its pretty sad. It just seems to me that people living in a small town would rather listen to someone who sounds like them. Since from their point of view, the Midwest would be "exotic".

Quiero Mota Member Señor

Although when I was stationed in Hawaii, I remember that those news-anchors all talked like local Hawaiians (because they all were). So I guess it would have been too much of a hassle to ship a bunch of corn-fed Kansans out to HI.

BackFire Blood. It's nature's lube

My cousins in Boston think I have a California accent, and that I sound kinda surfer dude-ish. Even though I don't surf. I don't hear it myself, but oh well.

Deja~vu Dreamer

Originally posted by StyleTime
The midwestern accent is supposed to be the "neutral/General American" accent, so our countrymen with that accent are frequently called "accentless."

Also, our media heavily favors that accent. This leads to the perception that it is "normal" while other accents are "exotic."

I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just answering the "why."

Well that is also what I've heard and when I hear people from the south or Boston, etc. they don't enunciate the same. They are pronouncing words wrong. Heck it's like the spelling is different.

Example: Toilet - Terlet
Barrett - Brett
Wash - warsh

Sometimes in the far south, I just cannot understand some fast food places..I have to resort to pointing. 😕

Sorry to people in the south or Boston and some other places. Please don't take offence.

Also at one time telemarketing companies were all stationed in the midwest for the reason that they felt we didn't really have an accent. Maybe it was just that ours was the most easly understood. I'm not sure how it was picked. Not now though.. Hello India. And we all HATE THAT. That is one that I just cannot understand.

majid86 Restricted

My accent sounds alot better now since in live in South London.
Thank God.

I can pull of a good American/Canadian accent pretty well.
I should become a voice acto.

StyleTime Senior Member

Originally posted by Quiero Mota
I wonder why that accent was chosen to be the flagship American accent. With the exception of Chicago, St. Louis and a few other places, its a really sparse area. When I was a truckdriver I would drive through the Midwest for hours on end without seeing so much as a farm-silo.

I've heard that it is the easiest to understand when compared to other regional accents.
Originally posted by Quiero Mota
I was just thinking about this^ sentence and it reminded me of something. I lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for a little over two years, and I can still recall that every single anchor and reporter at the local news show spoke with a Midwestern accent. That tells me that the station either went out of its way to deliberately find and hire people who talk like that, or they were a bunch of Southerners faking a Midwestern accent (not likely). Either way, its pretty sad. It just seems to me that people living in a small town would rather listen to someone who sounds like them. Since from their point of view, the Midwest would be "exotic".

Interesting story. It's hard to separate the illusion the media presents from reality sometimes. I played on Xbox Live one night and someone had a massive echo in their mic. I heard myself talking and was like "WTF? Is that ME?! THAT'S what I sound like?" When you grow up constantly hearing midwestern accents, you even consider your own accent weird.

Hollywood has convinced the world that we actually sound like that. 🙁

Originally posted by Deja~vu
Well that is also what I've heard and when I hear people from the south or Boston, etc. they don't enunciate the same. They are pronouncing words wrong. Heck it's like the spelling is different.

Example: Toilet - Terlet
Barrett - Brett
Wash - warsh

Sometimes in the far south, I just cannot understand some fast food places..I have to resort to pointing. 😕

Sorry to people in the south or Boston and some other places. Please don't take offence.

Also at one time telemarketing companies were all stationed in the midwest for the reason that they felt we didn't really have an accent. Maybe it was just that ours was the most easly understood. I'm not sure how it was picked. Not now though.. Hello India. And we all HATE THAT. That is one that I just cannot understand.


My sister lived in New Orleans for a bit, and she cosigned on those pronunciations. She said a woman there "corrected" her when she said "orange." Apparently, many of them pronounce it "ernge." Also, all soda is referred to as "cold drank."

I actually had an Irish woman assist me with an issue I had at microsoft. It was cool, but I did need her to repeat a lot of stuff. I think I annoyed her though.

King of Anglia Member

Yeah, it's alright I suppose. I've never really thought about it too much. I don't really have much of an accent, I'm from the South West of England but don't have that regional twang. It's always described as posh by Northerners.

I'd love to have a Woody Allen-esque accent.

Impediment Endless

I have a Texas accent, but not like Hank Hill.

StyleTime Senior Member

More like Beyonce? 131

RE: Blaxican #gottem
Originally posted by Quiero Mota
Yeah: us being a bunch of illegals, who listen to ranchera music, and wear massive hats.

You seriously don't wear the big hats? That's like, the best part of being Mexican. You're missin' out, bro.

Points for not lsitening to Ranchera though. That stuff sucks.

StyleTime Senior Member

I wear the hats and I'm not even Mexican.

Quiero Mota Member Señor

Originally posted by RE: Blaxican
You seriously don't wear the big hats? That's like, the best part of being Mexican. You're missin' out, bro.

Points for not lsitening to Ranchera though. That stuff sucks.

I really don't wear hats at all. When I used to shave my head, I'd sometimes wear a beanie or a bandana. But now, I slick my hair back.

Originally posted by StyleTime
I wear the hats and I'm not even Mexican.

On a regular basis or special occasions? During Cinco de Mayo and Mexican Independence those things are mandatory. sombrero2

majid86 Restricted

I love the Mexican American accent especially the ones in the movie called Blood In Blood Out.
Awesome film

Quiero Mota Member Señor
Originally posted by majid86
I love the Mexican American accent especially the ones in the movie called Blood In Blood Out.
Awesome film

What is it you like about the Chicano accent? I mean, other than movies or tv, I'm assuming you've never really heard it in real life.

King Castle Restricted

this video you can get a good idea of a ghetto american/mexican accent.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDvbga1Eigs
YouTube video

majid86 Restricted
Originally posted by Quiero Mota
What is it you like about the Chicano accent? I mean, other than movies or tv, I'm assuming you've never really heard it in real life.

Because it just sounds so awesome & my friend from work is a Mexican American, he's from Los Angeles and his accent is cool as hell.
I have a lot of respect for Mexico & Mexicans & i wish there were more Mexicans living in London because you guys have alot self respect, honour, self dignity & cultural pride. And that means alot to me.
I cant wait to visit Mexico next year as part of my long North American trip.

And oh yeah Mexicans look almost the same as Desi people.
So nuff respect from me.