Americans only

[Viking]

Just think how the Europeans, Canadians, Kiwis, and Aussies must feel when watching American movies and TV programs and listening to our wide variety of accents.

Yup,
I watch a lot of DVDs in the original American version, but I'm very proud that I very rarely have to switch on the subtitles to understand slang or dialects. Nevertheless it's sometimes very challenging, but as I have friends all over the USA I went through a tough school
By ze way, I haff an akzent, too

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I wish I had an accent. Instead all I have is a lisp and some strange dialect. DH likes to make me say soy, cheese, and I think there are a few others I can't remember right now.

 

[Brier Rose]

DD and I look for movies that have actors speaking in different accents..especially British!

We love them!

I have people constantly ask where I'm from because I have such a thick southern accent. DH and DS do as well, but oddly enough DD has no accent at all!

This whole thing reminds me of the time we went with freinds to Hawaii. We had just arrived, and while we were unpacking, the went down to check things out.

When they came back, we were anxious to go check things out for ourselves, but they said.."Don't bother, they have a band by the pool, but they're only playing Hawaiian music!"

BTW..yes they were serious!

 

[Froggyswife]

The most difficult accent I have ever came accross was when I live in Baton Rouge LA. The cajun accent is so different because it is part Indian/French/Southern. Anyone who has been to South Louisianna knows what I am talking about. I am from Arkansas so it isn't that much distance between where I live and South Louisianna but it is like a whole other country there.

I lived there for a year never picked up the accent (still had a hard time understanding it) But I loved to listen to people talk there it is such a pretty sounding accent to me. They thought I had a "cute" southern accent. I was a waitress at the time and it wasn't unusual for a customer to ask me just to talk so they could hear my accent.

 

[Brier Rose]

The most difficult accent I have ever came accross was when I live in Baton Rouge LA. The cajun accent is so different because it is part Indian/French/Southern. Anyone who has been to South Louisianna knows what I am talking about. I am from Arkansas so it isn't that much distance between where I live and South Louisianna but it is like a whole other country there.

Ooh..I love cajun accents!
I remember when I was like 12 watching Justin Wilson cooking shows on PBS just to listen to hear talk!


[/QUOTE]
I lived there for a year never picked up the accent (still had a hard time understanding it) But I loved to listen to people talk there it is such a pretty sounding accent to me. They thought I had a "cute" southern accent. I was a waitress at the time and it wasn't unusual for a customer to ask me just to talk so they could hear my accent. [/QUOTE]

I used to get that a lot when I would visit me Grandparents in Illinois, especially from the boys! Guess Yankee boys like Southern Belle's.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I love accents. It more bothers me when a movie has characters or a setting where they SHOULD have an appropriate accent and either they do not cast someone with an accent OR-the actor just chooses not to for artistic license.

(Leonardo Decaprio in I think "The Man with the Iron Mask"--everyone had an accent except for him--and as far as I know it didn't take place here and we've had no American princes or kings).

I love the British accent. I love all accents (as long as I can understand what they are saying--but in all accents--there are those who have a problem with this.).

Accents add wonderful color to a person and I have no issues with any character in any movie who has one generally. Now there is the occasional actor who just sounds terrible--but that could just be the fault of their acting skills and not nescessarily their accent or dialect.

I always appreciated that my mom taught me the British accent. I was able to be cast in a show once for it. We had 2 actual Brits in the cast and it was always funny--b/c you knew who had the real accent and who was the fake even though our fakes are pretty good.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

There is a difference between grammar and accents. People may not speak properly--but I think the accents are cool!

 

[KimR]

I have people constantly ask where I'm from because I have such a thick southern accent. DH and DS do as well, but oddly enough DD has no accent at all! :

My nephew is like this! Both his parents have southern accents, especially his mom, but he talks like a newscaster! It really is odd.

 

[Gonz Of Lancashire]

Speaking of butchered accents have you seen The Evil Beneath Loch Ness, Americans trying to do Scottish accents. Terrible!

When we visit the U.S., I have to give it a bit of the Queens English as some people struggle to understand my regional accent, it's easier than having to repeat myself two or three times. Dus tha no, o'er yon shop, thi can't cope wi a bit o' lanky twang. See what I mean.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

When we visit the U.S., I have to give it a bit of the Queens English as some people struggle to understand my regional accent, it's easier than having to repeat myself two or three times. Dus tha no, o'er yon shop, thi can't cope wi a bit o' lanky twang. See what I mean.

Me dear mum was a Lancashire girl from St. Helen's. The only people who understood her "lanky twang" in Canada were her Danish in-laws -- there are, so she told me, some interesting parallels between Lancashire slang and the Danish language.

As for my cousins, they do enjoy seeing the expressions on my face when they stop talking like BBC announcers and let the Scouse come through.

 

[ChrisnSteph]

Nothing against Brits, but I simply couldn't wait for Lifetime's movie of Princess Diana to end not because I wasn't interested (I Love Princess Diana) but because the accents were driving me crazy! I was like: can't...one...person...talk...normal......

They're British - they were talking normal!! In most countries we're the ones with an accent. Heck, I'm from California and if I go to Texas, I'M the one with an accent! Accents do not bother me much.

 

[CathrynRose]

The most difficult accent I have ever came accross was when I live in Baton Rouge LA. The cajun accent is so different because it is part Indian/French/Southern. Anyone who has been to South Louisianna knows what I am talking about.

I do tech support and I will agree with you. I cant understand the Baton Rouge / N'awlins callers AT ALL...

I about started laughing not too long ago with a Canadian caller... I never realized they even HAD an accent.... lots of ooooo's. Their O's are just funky.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

Funny moment.

We did England and Paris for vacation in 2004. Hubby wasn't really into Paris--but I was. We were there for 6 days. By the end he was really ready to leave. Poor guy.

We take the eurostar back to London--and when we catch a cab. The driver greeted us and asked us about our trip. We mentioned where we were and then out of the blue he says to the driver that he was glad to be back where "Y'all talk normal". Cabby laughed.

(what is additionally humorous is hubby does not say "y'all"--he leaves all that speak to me)

 

[Samar]

Crud, guess I'm in trouble being an American with a "Pittsburgh" accent My mom and I were at a layover in an airport and some lady asked me "Where are you from? You talk funny" A bit miffed, I told her I was from Pittsburgh. She told me she was from Minnesota. I should've told her she sounded like someone who belonged on the Simpsons with her accent

 

[Southern4sure]

I do not have an accent.. My dad (Native American) taught us to run around hollering and grunting with an occasional dance.

 

[PixieDust32]

OMG! Who am I?
I was born in America, but I have an accent, spanish accent and Georgia accent!!!!

 

[Gonz Of Lancashire]

Me dear mum was a Lancashire girl from St. Helen's. The only people who understood her "lanky twang" in Canada were her Danish in-laws -- there are, so she told me, some interesting parallels between Lancashire slang and the Danish language.

As for my cousins, they do enjoy seeing the expressions on my face when they stop talking like BBC announcers and let the Scouse come through.

Spent some time in Vancouver BC, where I visited my Great Aunt. She moved to Canada not long after the war with her Canadian husband. When we met she spoke with a canadian accent, but it was funny how little sayings and words kept slipping in. Her husband couldn't believe she spoke this way once.
I think the scandanavian link comes from the viking era, when most of the landings were in the north of England and Scotland.

 

[RealMickeysGirl]

When my ds was younger, he'd have the hardest time on his spelling tests, because his teacher would pronounce the words differently than I would when I was going over them--he had to get with the program. I'm still amazed that Southerners can take my name of three letters--KIM--and turn it into three syllables! And I say this with love--youse guys!

I used to teach in an adult literacy program and the instruction manuals would have some words that "they" said were suposed to sound alike that didn't when I said them.
For example, I say "on" and "own" differently - if I said "I own that book on the table," the words wouldn't sound alike.
My mom is notorious for dragging out words. My dad's name is Roy and the way she says it is something like raw-wee. Used to really bug me when I was a kid.

 

[U2_rocks]

I only hate accents when they are so thick that I can't understand what's being said! And then I hate them b/c I feel embarrassed that I don't understand - I don't blame the speaker at all! I just hate to ask people to repeat themselves.

 

[irishbosoxfan]

I grew up in Massachusetts and I have to agree that I can't stand to watch any movie that takes place in New England because they always butcher the accent. (No, we don't all talk like the Kennedy's). My best friend was from Southie (part of Boston) and that was one "wicked" accent. I even had trouble understanding her sometimes!

I grew up in Mass also and when I moved to KS people would just look at me funny then ask me to repeat what I had said plus we have a lot of different words back home for things--I was renting a house and asked the realtor if it had a CELLAR and she told me "no its not for sale just available for rent" so I said I understand that I want to know if it has a CELLAR finally my friend told her I was asking if it had a BASEMENT!!
Plus my dad grew up in Maine but from living in Mass for so long he didn't have much of a Maine accent but when we would go camping up in Maine during the summers and would go see aunts and uncles and such my mom had to translate what they were saying because dang it I couldn't understand one word!!!

And it's funny you mentioned SK movies because they're actually easier to understand than my relatives!