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Orzel
2009-09-29, 06:56 PM
Describe your accents, speech patterns, catchphrases, and other things that makes the way you talk special.

50% of the time, if I know you, I won't greet you in English. There's a very good chance it's not in a language I speak. And the there's also a slight chance it's not even a real langauge. Fortunately I can control it. It would be bad but hilarious if I somehow couldn't.

Mystic Muse
2009-09-29, 06:57 PM
I say hello in spanish and German and also say goodbye in Spanish and German.

I'm natural born american and from what I can tell in recordings I have a rather deep voice.

I also tend to use like too much.

Kallisti
2009-09-29, 07:00 PM
I'm American, but people who hear me speak keep thinking I'm English because apparently I sound English to everyone in this world except me. I have a really deep voice, which is weird, since I'm tiny. I have a tendency to use a lot of random slang and ordinary American phrases, then suddenly use a Shakespeare quote or some obscure word almost nobody knows, because netween school and the books I read I've been exposed about equally to both.

Crispy Dave
2009-09-29, 07:01 PM
I'm a American English speaking person. For some reason I tend to speak in an Australian accent a lot, it's weird because I have never been to Australia and my mother just lived there for 2 years as a child. I as well tend to greed people in other languages often.

Innis Cabal
2009-09-29, 07:01 PM
I'm midwestern, so I have that accent.

Though I say Ya'll, and often contract words that normally arn't. No real change in accent really.

Fawkes
2009-09-29, 07:03 PM
50% of the time, if I know you, I won't greet you in English. There's a very good chance it's not in a language I speak. And the there's also a slight chance it's not even a real langauge. Fortunately I can control it. It would be bad but hilarious if I somehow couldn't.

:smallconfused:

wut

Mauve Shirt
2009-09-29, 07:03 PM
I say "hon" too much. And I use the words "exactly" and "precisely" too much. My voice sounds really whiny and unpleasant.

Crimmy
2009-09-29, 07:07 PM
A weird voice. Some say it's childish, but then I start singing in really deep tones, and people say it sounds like an adult tenor's voice.

Also, I tend to laugh maniacally, and since there are words in the english language that can't really be translated to spanish (and describe perfectly what I wanna say), I sometimes use english words while speaking spanish.

My english sounds muddy.

PairO'Dice Lost
2009-09-29, 07:08 PM
I have an unfortunate tendency to make use of my excessively extensive vocabulary, not in an attempt to be pompous or anything of the sort but because I like varying my speech patterns, so I occasionally get teased for that. I'm fairly good when it comes to imitating accents and speech patterns, and having grown up an Army brat I've been exposed to plenty of Spanish, German, Polish, and Italian, so I'll occasionally pepper my speech with those or put on accents just for the heck of it. Having spend the longest contiguous period of time in Virginia, I have a very light Southern accent, though I haven't yet caught myself using "y'all." :smallwink:

The only "catchphrase" or mannerism I've noticed is my tendency to use "3 million" when I need a big number out of the blue, as in "I've told you three million times already..." or "Of course you're running out of hard drive space, you've got at least three million FLAC-quality songs on there!" and I'm honestly not sure where that came from....

Orzel
2009-09-29, 07:13 PM
:smallconfused:

wut

I'm compelled to not say the words "Hi" "Hey" or "Hello" by some unkown force. I can say "What's up." but I'm also lazy so people get "Sup" or "Soup" or "Porridge, (friendly insult)".

Yes I say "Porridge, Big butt."

Anuan
2009-09-29, 07:16 PM
Mauve is a liar, her voice is beautiful :smallwink:

Anyway. I speak fairly fast, and apparently too quietly most of the time, and most of the soft sounds (L, M, N, and short vowels connecting them) in my words blend together. I'm Australian, but my accent is a mash of other stuff, from watching too much British comedy as a kid and having more American friends than Australian ones in my youth. It's gotten me in trouble with my dad before. I shorten the ends of most of my words, and occasionally (though rarely, now) my accent will shift towards one of any, especially if the person I'm talking to has a strong accent, I'll end up mimicking them without meaning to.

I often say 'mang' when addressing a friend, I picked that up involuntarily from a friend after I moved to NSW. I shorten the ends of my words.

I swear far, far, FAR too much. It's a casual thing to me, apart from certain words, I don't find swearing offensive and so it pops into my speech too often. It's not like every second word is an f-bomb, but that's a word I use a -lot- and any time I end up forgetting a word and need to remember it it'll turn into 'um...f-ing...thing...that...f-...' Also used for even the slightest of emphasis on anything, and it's the first thing to come out of my mouth when I'm angry.
I'm a bad person :smallsigh:

The Dark Fiddler
2009-09-29, 07:18 PM
I really don't know accents or anything like that, all I know is that I often (without thinking) add some Spanish words into my English (born and raised in Pennsylvania, so no real Spanish influence, that's all from my Spanish class), and while everyone else my age tends to add "like" randomly into their speech, I tend to leave random pauses. Not quite Shatner, though.

Cobra_Ikari
2009-09-29, 07:27 PM
I say "hon" too much. And I use the words "exactly" and "precisely" too much. My voice sounds really whiny and unpleasant.

Lies. =P

Anyone who's heard me on Skype could describe me better. So, if you're curious...that's how to find out. :smallwink:

Assassin89
2009-09-29, 07:35 PM
I sometime speak in a mock-British accent or some other strange accents when I am bored. Not sure about verbal tics, not to mention that I do not know if I normally have an accent.

Surfing HalfOrc
2009-09-29, 07:36 PM
A bit deep and gravelly, mostly due to cancer treatments on my tongue. I don't have the cancer any more, but suffer from dry mouth pretty bad. I am now MUCH quieter than I used to be.

Spent the majority of my career in Hawaii, and have picked up a mix of Hawaiian pidgeon and Austrailian surfer slang. "No worries" is a common phrase for me, and also "da kine"(non-specific noun) as well as "mahalo,"(thanks) "all pau"(finished) and "aloha."

Since I'm retired military, I tend to use military acronyms and phrases as well.

TheBST
2009-09-29, 07:45 PM
I swear far, far, FAR too much. It's a casual thing to me, apart from certain words, I don't find swearing offensive and so it pops into my speech too often.

Same here, except for me all the cusses are on the table.

My accent's about halfway between Lister from Red Dwarf and Ringo Starr. Got a fairly deep voice and my verbal tic is calling everyone 'chief'.

The Extinguisher
2009-09-29, 07:52 PM
I mumble. I use filler words. I say certain words to often and not in context. I know a few, and I'm pretty sure there's more I'm not even aware of. I'm a little whiny, and I've been known to slur words together. I still have a little speech impediment, but it's better than when I was younger. Occasionally I forget to enunciate the harder consonants and I just sound stupid.

Lupy
2009-09-29, 07:56 PM
I have a fairly high voice, but no accent. I don't have any verbal tics that I can think of other than letting words run together when I get excited. My voice is changing so there's lots of ups and downs as well.

Jacklu
2009-09-29, 07:57 PM
I dun have a very strong accent. New England accent at that. But I do have a tendency to intentionally mispronounce certain words. <.< Also, I do a lot of searing in a made up language.

Solaris
2009-09-29, 08:00 PM
Pretty much the way I type, except with sound instead of pixels. I cuss more than any three of you combined when I'm angry. The most common word is the ol' F-bomb. I'll MIRV an F-bomb. When I'm not angry, I don't cuss half as much as my coworkers. I stammer, too, and I'll have to repeat words or phrases 'cause they just came out wrong.
Apparently, there's an upper limit to how many times you can hit your head on something pointy before causing damage. Whodathunkit.

Trobby
2009-09-29, 08:01 PM
My accent? :smallconfused: Well um...Upstate New York, mixed with a little downstate?

Occasionally I'll throw out a foreign phrase. I like to say "Bonjour", "Au Revior", "Dankeshein", "Nein", "Hai", and "leapchuan". For phrases, I'll say "Pardon et moi?", and "Je Mois Fou (sp?)". And if I know you pretty well, I'm not above throwing in a fake accent. Me and my cousin like to dip into a phony British accent (think of those effeminate gophers from Loony Toons) and when I speak with my parents or anybody else who might know the phrases, I'll slip in a little French.

Jalor
2009-09-29, 08:01 PM
I have a pretty thick New York accent; it's most obvious when I say things like hot dog. I pronounce it haht dawg, while most of the people here would say hawt dahg. It's kind of interesting to look at it written phonetically, because both accents use the same corruptions of the vowel, just in different places. But I digress.

I actually say things like "but I digress" out loud, and I usually follow it by lampshading the fact that I just said "but I digress" out loud. I'm also prone to similes that circle in on themselves like... something which circles in on itself. Or, you know, like that sentence there.

I also swear frequently and in creative combinations. Most people think I do it to offend people for my amusement, but it's actually just because they're very satisfying words. Few things are better for venting anger better than a well-placed f-bomb. I also like to use swear words combined with non-profane synonyms or as the wrong part of speech. Like, earlier today I called someone an "assbutt". It makes no sense at all; having an ass butt is kind of a given, and certainly beats having an ass elbow or an ass foot. A few sentences later, I somehow used "ass" as a verb.

I never really noticed any of this until I started writing about it.

Psyco Jelly
2009-09-29, 08:08 PM
I'm American, and from Alabama. I have a very mild country accent with a little Texan and Spanish thrown in there. When pronouncing a new word I tend to say it in a Spanish accent. Contrary to my less-than-intellectual ancestry, I tend to use words which no-one around me have heard. I do it naturally, so I guess you can't call me haughty or arrogant.

"What's rancor mean?" Has come up several times.

Mauve Shirt
2009-09-29, 08:08 PM
Oh, I also swear a LOT, more than any of my friends, and I will sometimes insert German words randomly, or just break into German entirely.

Oh yeah! I recorded my singing and talking voice a while back. Bees! (http://s264.photobucket.com/albums/ii197/h0wupdohighknee/?action=view&current=Mesinging.flv)

Trog
2009-09-29, 08:09 PM
Well I'm from the midwest which is generally considered to have the "standard" (i.e. Typical TV) American accent. Being from western Wisconsin I tend to slip a smidge of the "Fargo" accent but only with certain words ("WiscAAAnsin"). I'm not nearly as bad with that as others I know but I wouldn't be surprised if someone pointed out some word I said funny I guess.

Um... what else? I say "pop" and "soda" interchangeably but I only started referring to it as Soda once I had moved up to the Minneapolis area in Minnesota. So I still always call it a "pop machine" even though I get a "soda" out of it. A water fountain is a "bubbler" and a casserole of any kind is a "hot dish" - both local expressions.

I don't know that I have a catch phrase, necessarily. I tend to drop expletives when I get angry or frustrated I suppose though I try to avoid them at other times as the default "dad language" that I use with my kids. Though chances are of they learn any swear words in their life they'll learn them from me. Or maybe their mom.

I occasionally use "howdy" as a greeting despite that being a southern U.S. thing. To refer to a group of any gender I usually say "you guys" even if they are predominantly female - "Y'all" sounds too southern and is not much used around here. When I am hanging up the phone talking to friends I usually end with "Later."

For the most part, when in groups (especially groups of people I am mainly unfamiliar with) I am pretty quiet and usually only pipe up if talked to first or if I have something to interject I think is funny.

Contrary to popular forum belief I do not refer to myself in the third person. :smalltongue:

Also: My voice (http://home.centurytel.net/jeffsjunk/myvoice.wav)

DraPrime
2009-09-29, 08:12 PM
I speak English with an American accent. I slightly elongate my vowels, as that's what people from the Boston area do. I don't say Boston, I say Baaahston. I also slip into Polish if I'm spacing out. If you call my name when I'm not paying attention to anything, I'll answer with "Co?" instead of "What?". It's rather peculiar. Also, if I'm extremely stressed I slip into Polish profanity instead of the English kind.

Arachu
2009-09-29, 08:16 PM
I usually don't speak in public - I don't like people. When I do, people tell me I mumble (and who am I to argue?). I also say 'aint' all the time, I use contractions often, and I slur a little. Ironically, I try to make my words as big as I can ("Do you currently have chicken" or "I never insinuated that") due to my vocabulary.

Also, it feels more natural for me to speak as fast as I can, but I'm not a very good speaker, and I end up speaking slower to think. I also have a tendency to say the antonym of the word I actually mean - this is very annoying.

I often question whether I'm actually fluent in English, which shouldn't be asked by someone who's been speaking it his whole life. :smallconfused:

I also seem to have some odd, semi-formed accent floating about in my head that sounds almost French; it might have something to do with my Cajun roots.

Also, my voice is deeper than my beard is patchy (and boy is my beard irregular :roach:)

FlyingWhale
2009-09-29, 08:23 PM
I speak English and I speak it with a little bit of a high note. I hit puberty at 8 or 9~ so early on I started speaking in a higher tone because the bass carried across the classroom. At around 15~ when everyone else had mostly caught up, it was already too late for my voice. Now whenever I speak slowly and enunciate my words properly, it's a rather deep, resounding voice... Though when I get excited it often goes up again and I run from one word into another... Anyone have anything similar???

thubby
2009-09-29, 08:28 PM
i transition with "anyway" too often, and i tend to slip into completely out of place accents.

Yarram
2009-09-29, 08:32 PM
I am pure Aussie, but at the same time, my accent is further away from Aussie than it could be, because I use diction and don't speak through my nose.
My voice is slightly airy, and pitchwise, I can make it whatever I want, but it usually depends on my mood for how high/low I speak.

Jacklu
2009-09-29, 08:34 PM
Video! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFbxpWFs2jA) I get every reference in that video. =P Bubblers. I don't think I have ever met anyone outside of New England that calls em bubblers. Also, the capital of mah state is Concord. Pronounced kawng-kird, with emphasis placed on the first syllable, not the second.

Tequila Sunrise
2009-09-29, 08:36 PM
I have a usual upstate New York accent. Except when I get nervous; I unaccountably take on a Brooklyn tone, which is bizarre because I've never lived there and nobody I know speaks that way.

I had the misfortune of discovering this quirk of mine when I asked the parents of my first love for a glass of 'waudda' instead of 'water.' Yeah, they loved me. :smalltongue:

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll
2009-09-29, 08:39 PM
I have a speech impediment which won't let me say the letter "r". I avoid every saying 'rug', it's a carpet. This sometimes makes me sound English.

I say 'eh' at the end of every other sentence.

My 't's are more like 'd's.

I say 'scuse moi' when I sneeze, "scuzzi" when I'm passing someone on the street, or in a crowd, and I say "gesundheit" when somebody else sneezes. I almost never say Excuse Me in English.

Perenelle
2009-09-29, 08:42 PM
I have a normal Northern United States accent I suppose. I pronounce words very crisply, pronouncing ever letter in the word with the exception of the silent ones.
when saying "both" I pronounce it like "Bowl-th"

Orzel
2009-09-29, 08:48 PM
Accent...
Well I have a BROOKLYN! accent with a hint of Southern and Carribean.
Just said
"Iffin you gonna be Deadpool fo 2 mo secon' you gonna 'afta learn to start walkin' and stop teleportin' ev'where, mon."

Dragonrider
2009-09-29, 08:55 PM
Video! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFbxpWFs2jA) I get every reference in that video. =P Bubblers. I don't think I have ever met anyone outside of New England that calls em bubblers. Also, the capital of mah state is Concord. Pronounced kawng-kird, with emphasis placed on the first syllable, not the second.

My grandparents are from Massachusetts (my ancestors founded Beverly, MA in 16-something and lived there till the mid 1900s...and my entire family went to Amherst or Mt. Holyoke. It's crazy) and even though they left it in the '60s they still have the accent. So even though I've never lived in Mass., I still have this weird sort of identity crisis where I'm solidly Pacific Northwest and yet if you ask me where my family is from-from, it's Massachusetts.


As for my own accent - I've lived in three countries and four states, which I'd like to think has a leveling effect (although my two youngest brothers have distinct rural Oregon tones). I have a tiny lisp sometimes, though. Decide for yourself what kind of accent I have.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWd9YcVxfw) (filmed for the You thread in April 09)

Jacklu
2009-09-29, 09:27 PM
Soda is not soda. It is tonic. =P Picked that one up from mah Grammy. Also, bowlth(both), newkewler(nuclear), yer(your), are(our), and Nah Hampsha. =P

Dragonrider
2009-09-29, 09:33 PM
Soda is not soda. It is tonic. =P Picked that one up from mah Grammy. Also, bowlth(both), newkewler(nuclear), yer(your), are(our), and Nah Hampsha. =P

I've got "bowlth" but it's definitely POP.

How about the word "Dandelion"?

I say "DAN-dee-lion", but my history prof said "DAN-daline" today. Which is it to be?

Thatguyoverther
2009-09-29, 09:33 PM
I'm not sure how to describe it. People say I sound like that guy fro Everybody Loves Raymond.

I also like to add sauce to things. Cool becomes Cool sauce. Awesome becomes Awesome Sauce. **** becomes **** Sauce. I also say "vaguely" allot, usually as an answer to questions. "Have you eaten yet?" "Vaguely."

I have a tendency to scream obscenities when I'm bored and in a crowed area, just to see what happens. But I don't think that counts as a mannerism.

You can listen to me here. Don't watch the hole thing, it's quite boring. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qcmqts_RAk

Jacklu
2009-09-29, 09:51 PM
I've got "bowlth" but it's definitely POP.

How about the word "Dandelion"?


DAN-da-lion for me.

Anuan
2009-09-29, 10:45 PM
My voice (http://home.centurytel.net/jeffsjunk/myvoice.wav)

This is almost -exactly- how I expected Trog to sound :smalleek:

Edit: I've tried to make a recording for the thread, but I don't know anywhere to upload a plain audio file and if I take a video on my webcam it's huuuuuuuuuge ._.

BizzaroStormy
2009-09-29, 10:47 PM
The only noticable thing I can think of is the fact that my typical greeting is am irate "What!?!"

Mando Knight
2009-09-29, 11:08 PM
I'm midwestern, so I have that accent.

Though I say Ya'll, and often contract words that normally arn't. No real change in accent really.
Pretty much the same here. I only use y'all because it serves a purpose that "normal" English can't: differentiate between "you" singular and "you" plural.

As for my own accent - I've lived in three countries and four states, which I'd like to think has a leveling effect (although my two youngest brothers have distinct rural Oregon tones). I have a tiny lisp sometimes, though. Decide for yourself what kind of accent I have.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWd9YcVxfw) (filmed for the You thread in April 09)It's not a lot different from a basic Midwest accent, especially compared to Boston's or the South's quirks....

Jacklu
2009-09-29, 11:29 PM
Decide for yourself what kind of accent I have.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWd9YcVxfw) (filmed for the You thread in April 09)

O_o

Dragonrider, you have a very lovely voice.

KataraAltinaII
2009-09-29, 11:36 PM
I've got a very low mumble of a voice.
of course, when I want to be heard, I am. I shout somebody's order in the middle of a crowded Sonic Drive-in (with about 6 or 7 cars that have their motors running, and a crowd of about 10 people at the tables I was heading out to) and everyone hears me.

Dallas-Dakota
2009-09-30, 12:44 AM
My grandparents are from Massachusetts (my ancestors founded Beverly, MA in 16-something and lived there till the mid 1900s...and my entire family went to Amherst or Mt. Holyoke. It's crazy) and even though they left it in the '60s they still have the accent. So even though I've never lived in Mass., I still have this weird sort of identity crisis where I'm solidly Pacific Northwest and yet if you ask me where my family is from-from, it's Massachusetts.


As for my own accent - I've lived in three countries and four states, which I'd like to think has a leveling effect (although my two youngest brothers have distinct rural Oregon tones). I have a tiny lisp sometimes, though. Decide for yourself what kind of accent I have.... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZWd9YcVxfw) (filmed for the You thread in April 09)
Dragona has a lovely voice.

As for myself, at first I sound like I have an australian accent, but then it changes into something unknown.

Tharivol123
2009-09-30, 12:52 AM
Well, I'm from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so I have that distinct accent (or so I'm told). 'Th' sounds more like a 'd', the 'ou' sounds are more like a 'oo', etc...
I also greet people I know in something other English (usually hola or shalom, sometimes aloha) or with something phonetically similar to hello, like yellow.

EndlessWrath
2009-09-30, 01:33 AM
I'm from virginia, USA, Born and raised. Though I don't really have much of an accent thats noticeably distinct to virginian.

I'm either speaking english in an :
Irish
cockney
British
Russian
German

Dialects... or i'm in my normal voice. Semi deep I suppose, but not in bass range. Eloquent and polite. My friend says you can tell my current emotion on the phone because my voice shows a lot of detail into how I'm feeling. I'm not usually angry, so I suppose its soft, but loud enough for people to hear. Unless I'm in a crowd, then everyone is gonna hear me. :smallwink:


Edit: Dragon, you have a beautiful voice. I give you props. also, I don't say that a lot.
-Wrath

Erothayce
2009-09-30, 04:10 AM
I speak American English with a massive amount of slang and swearing thrown in if I'm around friends. If I'm not around friends I tend to speak more sophisticated and actually use my vocabulary. I don't think I have an accent as I'm from Northern California. Although I do, like many Northern Californians, say Hella. Like a lot. I think it's genetically programmed into us.

Dihan
2009-09-30, 04:54 AM
I'm Welsh and I've lived in Wales all my life but I don't have much of a Welsh accent. I do tend to use some Welsh phrases in my spoken English though, such as "da iawn" (very good) and "os gwelwch yn dda" (please). I've been told that my voice is deeper than people would think when they have seen how I look but not heard me speak.

banjo1985
2009-09-30, 05:04 AM
I'm English, and have a deeper voice than anyone expects me to have. To anyone who lives outside the Birmingham area I sound like I have a thick Brummie acent, while anyone who actually lives here will tell you I don't have much of an accemnt at all.

I'm a rather considered speaker, due to a tendency to stutter when I was younger, now I'll often take a second to start replying to you while I work out what I want to say. I use big words unneccessarily, I like to vary my vocabulary, and get picked up on it a fair bit. I laugh well and often, I probably find too many things funnier than I should.

Jack Squat
2009-09-30, 06:13 AM
I don't know. I mean, I can say that I speak fairly enunciated (due to speech classes at a young age), and that I grew up in Cincinnati. I've also been mistaken for being European. Most commonly urban Irish (to most people I guess this means a light accent as opposed to speaking in brogue).

But I never find recordings of myself to give that impression. I may stick one up for you all at some point if I can find my microphone. (since far as I know all the times I've had a camera stuck in my face are now offline)

Morty
2009-09-30, 06:16 AM
I used to speak too lound, too fast, and generally too hard for everyone else to understand, and I pronounced various syllabes, such as "r", "sz(sh)" and "cz(ch)" way too much or in a wrong way. I got better though.

charl
2009-09-30, 06:22 AM
I speak with a boring "rikssvenska" accent in Swedish. In English I lean towards the Queen's English, but with a weird accent that doesn't sound anything like what Swedish people are supposed to sound like when speaking English. "Generic European" if you will, despite the absurdity of such an expression.

Galileo
2009-09-30, 06:48 AM
I speak with a Kiwi accent. That means if there's a t in the middle of a word, like 'battle,' it gets turned into a d if I'm speaking fast. I also use a lot of exclamations and curses from my favourite shows, so you'll probably hear me say at least one of the following in any given conversation: "Shiny!" "Fantastic!" "Gorram" "Ruttin' mudder" "Who the hell do you think I am?!" "Teriyakiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!"

(The last one's not a quote from anything, it's just a damn fine war cry.)

darkblust
2009-09-30, 07:02 AM
I speak english,with a bit of french mixed in.I have a deep voice,and everyone says i have an accent,dot know what kind.For some reason,people like my voice,but unluckily for them i never do.Suckas!I cant pronounce 'R',but its usually okay cause my accent covers it(i hope).

Anuan
2009-09-30, 07:18 AM
Ooh, another verbal tic of mine. I often omit T's from being pronounced in certain words, almost as if I had a Scots accent. Almost, mind you.
So, "That's" becomes "Tha's" or "Thahss," I often cant say the T in Scotland even if I try...Blargh. T's hate me.

Freshmeat
2009-09-30, 07:18 AM
I have a fairly deep voice, although somewhat nasal. I have a tendency to be rather lengthy at times and go out of my way to use fancy words, and use a ton of foreign languages when I speak, particularly French, German, Spanish and English. I also speak rather fast and use the word 'obviously' far more than ought to be reasonable but, in my defense, I happen to meet a lot of people in real life who would put Captain Obvious to shame.

Yora
2009-09-30, 08:17 AM
Being from the northernmost parts of germany and now living in the southernmost area for 4 years, I realized what a funny dialect we have at home, even though it's very close to standard german. And we always think it's practically identical to standard german. :smallbiggrin:
For one thing, we put strong emphasis on vocals, mostly a, e and o, and draw them out to the point of being rediculous.
Also, we don't finish a lot of words. With lots of words, the last syllable is barely pronounced or completely left out.
We used to make fun of the countless other german dialects all the time, but I only recently realized how cool our own is. :smallbiggrin:

Also, my family is from an area that lies right next to the old homelands of the original anglo-saxons, so our dialect really DOES have a lot in common with english.

Trog
2009-09-30, 08:44 AM
Bubblers. I don't think I have ever met anyone outside of New England that calls em bubblers.
I believe there is a small spot in New England and a slightly larger spot in Wisconsin that does and that's about it. I remember seeing a map that indicated the use of that word somewhere on the net.


This is almost -exactly- how I expected Trog to sound :smalleek:
Huh... First time I have heard this on the forums. For some reason most people seem to think I will talk like Cookie Monster. And we all know that that's how DD sounds, not me. :smalltongue:


Well, I'm from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, so I have that distinct accent (or so I'm told). 'Th' sounds more like a 'd', the 'ou' sounds are more like a 'oo', etc...
I also greet people I know in something other English (usually hola or shalom, sometimes aloha) or with something phonetically similar to hello, like yellow.
Frum Da Yooper Penninsula?! :smallwink::smalltongue:

Also: I do the Yellow instead of hello often too. Must be Wisconsin/Yooper thing.

Anuan
2009-09-30, 08:48 AM
Ooh, just for interest's sake, everyone in Australia (that I know of) says 'bubbler' if it's one of those ones where you press a button and water comes out and you drink from it, but some say 'water cooler' if it's one of the ones with the big blue bottles of water on top that you put a cup underneath and stuff.

Also, I just imagined Trog talking like the Cookie Monster and had to bite my lip to keep from laughing cause everyone is asleep. As I should be. Blargh.

Telonius
2009-09-30, 08:49 AM
My accent is about halfway between Pittsburgh and Canadian. Which makes sense, since my hometown is about halfway between Pittsburgh and Canada. For some reason (no idea why) the Great Lakes vowel shift skipped Erie, so we don't have all aspects of that dialect.

Kcalehc
2009-09-30, 09:02 AM
British English, but with a mix of accents. Lived up to 15 in N. Yorks, then 10 more years in Dorset and 2 years in London (and all my relatives are from Liverpool, yes they're scousers). So my accent has picked up traits from all these places. I have also lived in the US (Virginia) for 3 years now and have picked up a few things from here too (mostly just the wrong words for things - silly americans). Many people seem to like my voice, mosty the ladies for reasons incomprehensible to me.

Middle "t"s in words come out more like pauses/short stops. So "water" becomes more like "war-er" and "turtle" becomes "tur-le."
I contract 'the' before objects or places, and drop the end sound on some words. So "going to the car" becomes "goin' t' car."
I often roll an r between words ending in a vowel and begining with a vowel. So "Pizza and Beer" sounds more like Pizza ran' Beer."
I use short "a"s in words in the northern English style (as opposed to the longer style more used in the south). Hard to put examples on this one.
I say "ta" instead of thank you, a lot; which confuses people here (British informal, thank you; lit. "Thanks Awfully")
I also use a vast array of british slang and colloquialisms that I often end up having to explain.

TheBST
2009-09-30, 09:06 AM
Middle "t"s in words come out more like pauses/short stops. So "water" becomes more like "war-er" and "turtle" becomes "tur-le."


Oh, those glottal stops... or 'glo-al' stops. Always makes were you're from a dead giveaway.

Jack Squat
2009-09-30, 09:09 AM
Also: I do the Yellow instead of hello often too. Must be Wisconsin/Yooper thing.

Nah, I do it too. Picked it up from my dad and he grew up in several places, but mostly Tacoma, Washington.

Kcalehc
2009-09-30, 09:20 AM
Oh, those glottal stops... or 'glo-al' stops. Always makes were you're from a dead giveaway.

Glottal stops! I knew there was a word for it; just couldn't think of what is was.

B-Man
2009-09-30, 09:21 AM
I speak with what can be described as an Eastern Ontario accent, despite growing up in Southern Ontario. There's a bunch of weird ways that I pronounce stuff, so I'll just link this (http://bman777.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!8FA53FC58574C2E2!309.entry).

Also, I do tend to use "eh" quite frequently.

Dragonrider
2009-09-30, 09:24 AM
That means if there's a t in the middle of a word, like 'battle,' it gets turned into a d if I'm speaking fast.

This is something that pretty close to all Americans do. :smalltongue: As a matter of fact, most Ts are Ds. :smallamused: People who actually pronounce them the way they're 'supposed' to be pronounced sound like they're being overly formal.


And apparently I have a nice voice? O.O

Zanaril
2009-09-30, 09:38 AM
I pronounce 'L's as a a kind of click, moreso than is usual. No idea why. I also can't pronouce 'R's properly; they ususally come out as 'Uh' or 'Wuh' :smallfrown: It's annoying.

Green Bean
2009-09-30, 09:44 AM
Another Canuck here. I used to think "eh?" was one of those American stereotypes, right up until I listened to myself talk one day. Accent-wise, I'm Southern Ontarian, but not that strong, as I've moved a lot. Speech pattern-wise, I've got a nasty habit I'm trying to kick, where I trail off the moment it looks like whoever I'm talking to understands what I'm saying. Sure, it saves time, but it isn't great when I'm talking to more than one person, or when something can have more than one interpretation.

Castaras
2009-09-30, 10:04 AM
I apparently have a posh voice. Probably due to being an East Anglian girl.

I also use long words quite a lot. However, I use that more when writing.

I dunno what else that's special about my voice though...

AslanCross
2009-09-30, 10:06 AM
My mom was an English teacher and so am I, so among my countrymen I have a decidedly neutral accent. Typically, however, our English here is based on American English, so we inherited most of the mannerisms thereof.

Filipinos tend to have rather heavily-accented English, though: Some people, especially from certain provinces, mix up their fs and ps, as well as their bs and vs. "Fifty pesos" could be pronounced "Pifty fesos" or "Fipty pesos" depending on whom you're talking to, and could sometimes even vary with the same person on different occasions. "Believable" could become "Veliebavle."

In some cases, "ble" is just approximated by "bol." Believable would be commonly pronounced "bilibabol."

Many people here have trouble pronouncing "th" and end up just making it a "d"---"the" very easily turns into "da" or "dee."

Our vowels are also pronounced differently sometimes: Water, for example, would be usually pronounced "wahddur" by Americans, but might be pronounced "wohtehr" or "waatehr" here, with the accent on the second syllable. We also usually draw out our long a sounds. "Baking" would be like an exaggerated "Beyking"---in fact, that's exactly how we spell some loanwords in our native language. Cake=keyk, for example.

Our native language is a pretty WYSIWYG language. It only rarely has alternate pronunciations of letters (mostly from Spanish loanwords), but we often just spell such words with the Roman alphabet directly. The Spanish "Viaje" became the Tagalog "biyahe." It's pronounced exactly as it is read: "bee-ya-heh."

This video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrOnaHUrG4U) is a good example of how people here speak.

I speak most similarly to Kim (the guy with the Crocodile Dundee hat). Willie (the guy with glasses) is about average. The contestant is an example of how bad it can get in this country.

evisiron
2009-09-30, 10:28 AM
I am apparently a bit of an accent chameleon.

Even before going to Texas (I live in Northern Ireland) I had a slight American accent for some reason. While in Texas if I was nervous (eg: meeting new people) I would have a very American accent, then as I relaxed, it would slide back into a NI accent. Also, apparently when talking on the phone to someone in America if I talk to someone over here, my accent flips back and forth rapidly.

I have no idea this is happening and only know about it because people point it out.

Tharivol123
2009-09-30, 10:32 AM
Another Canuck here. I used to think "eh?" was one of those American stereotypes, right up until I listened to myself talk one day.

Not just a Canadian thing, we use it a lot in the UP and northern Wisconsin as well. So much so that our unofficial slogan is "Say ya to da UP, eh." People from outside the midwest usually think we're Canadians, and when you consider our own state forgot us on a map of Michigan on the state assessment test it probably isn't that far from the truth.

Nameless
2009-09-30, 10:57 AM
Bleh, I hate my voice. :smallyuk: It's quite low and some friends say I shouldn't have it. (:P)

Accent wise... I have a non-cockney London-ish accent. So I pronounce all of my T's. :smalltongue:

PairO'Dice Lost
2009-09-30, 11:08 AM
Bleh, I hate my voice. :smallyuk: It's quite low and some friends say I shouldn't have it. (:P)

So they'd prefer for you to be mute? Some friends! :smallwink:

SDF
2009-09-30, 11:09 AM
I pronounce things phonetically. It's a Pacific Northwest thing. There are few quirks at all.

Froogleyboy
2009-09-30, 11:15 AM
I have a very high voice and I say "Like" alot and use old/proper terms frequently (i also reference to Mythology :smallbiggrin:)

Lady Tialait
2009-09-30, 11:15 AM
I speak fast, and slightly whiny. I have a tenancy to break out in a language I don't speak.

My accent is American, however it twitch between phrases like "How yah' doin' ya'll?" and "Howareyoudoing?" I guess Pennsylvania and Oklahoma have controlled my voice.

Jacklu
2009-09-30, 11:55 AM
And apparently I have a nice voice? O.O

If a bunch of creepy internet people are to be believed. :smalltongue:

I feel like I should add in here that I consciously try to keep verbal "fluff" words out of my speech. Words such as "like" "uh" "um" "you know" ect... the ones you throw in while you talk to take up space while you think about what you want to say.

Also, I mentioned earlier that I tend to intentionally mispronounce certain words. This is generally done in the form of sounding out words phonetically as if I was trying to spell them out. For example, I might say con-see-us-ly instead of consciously in conversation. Or say terrible as tir-able. Or sorry as sore-ey.

In addition, just about every time an word contains the phonetic group "ion" used such as in Condition of succession, I sound out the "(t)(s)ion" as See-on instead of the usual shun sound. It makes the words longer and role pleasantly off my tongue. =P

Dragonrider
2009-09-30, 11:57 AM
I pronounce things phonetically. It's a Pacific Northwest thing. There are few quirks at all.

Well, I don't know about that...the PNW has some interesting vowel problems. Like...switching E and I - pillow as "pellow", penny as "pinny". Tends to be more rural than urban, though.

Nameless
2009-09-30, 12:01 PM
So they'd prefer for you to be mute? Some friends! :smallwink:

xD Not quite. They just told me that it doesn't match my face. :P

Jacklu
2009-09-30, 12:12 PM
Not sure if this counts as speaking, but acronyms are the bane of my existence. It is impossible for me to figure out what any given acronym means. Mainly because I read them phonetically as they appear. FTW is read Fftwah. NSFW is read Nns-fwah. BRB is berb. ect... >.< It gets very frusterating when I can't for the life of me figure out what a kotor is or why people love them so much. T_T

loopy
2009-09-30, 12:12 PM
Okay... Speech mannerisms I can recall (Thanatos, arguskos, HellFireLover and others could probably fill you in on more).

Commonly greeting with:
'Rawr', 'Meow', 'Pants', 'Whats cracking / crackalacking'

Adding extra suffixes (especially with compliments)
"Hallo there gorgeousnessment!"
"How's things in Irelandland?"

Sprinkling my sentences with out-of-date/archaic slang or expressions of excitement, or stealing from other cultures.
"Huzzah!", "Top o' th' mornin' to ye, whats craic?"

Using a bunch of words from the various subcultures from which I belong.
"Heh, that munted lad obvy failed his dex check, what a nub."

Rarely referring to Aussieland by its official title.

Abbreviating words (this is generally more of an Aussie thing though)

Stealing individual words from other languages.
"Que?"

Making up random new phrases off the cuff.
"Ah, he's got F***ley's Chance of getting her number."

Being quite over the top.
"I'm going to invent a time machine, travel back and high five me of 30 minutes ago."

Gratuitous use of the words 'awesome' and 'amazing', generally in relation to myself.

Quickly switching from amazingly cocky to neurotic and insecure and back again with little to no warning.

All these things can make it quite difficult to hold a conversation with me if you don't have a good grasp of the English language, cos I tend to talk quite fast, in a very stream-of-consciousness manner.

Anyone notice me using anything that I haven't mentioned here?

Supplementary list:
- My mate just said "you tend to throw in big or obscure words to see if the person you are talking to is on the same level as you." I assume she meant intellectually.
- Thanatos "You do tend to use the word 'Righto' a lot."

Jack Squat
2009-09-30, 12:36 PM
Rarely referring to Aussieland by its official title.

Yeah, but how many people call it "The Commonwealth of Australia"? That'd be like us referring to Rhode Island as "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" :smallwink: yeah, yeah; I knew what you meant

Nameless
2009-09-30, 12:38 PM
Not sure if this counts as speaking, but acronyms are the bane of my existence. It is impossible for me to figure out what any given acronym means. Mainly because I read them phonetically as they appear. FTW is read Fftwah. NSFW is read Nns-fwah. BRB is berb. ect... >.< It gets very frusterating when I can't for the life of me figure out what a kotor is or why people love them so much. T_T

I do hat too! :smallbiggrin:
Only I say brub for brb. :smalltongue:

SDF
2009-09-30, 12:38 PM
Well, I don't know about that...the PNW has some interesting vowel problems. Like...switching E and I - pillow as "pellow", penny as "pinny". Tends to be more rural than urban, though.

That seems odd to me. I don't ever remember encountering that when in Boise or Seattle.

Then again, Sarah Palin was from Sandpoint, and I still have no idea where she got the Midwest accent.

Jacklu
2009-09-30, 12:39 PM
That'd be like us referring to Rhode Island as "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations"

Wait wait wait... That's not how it's usually done? <.< >.> No wonder people give me strange looks all the time. :smalltongue:


I do hat too! :smallbiggrin:

Hey now. I never said nothing about "doing hats." >.>

Only I say brub for brb. :smalltongue:

See, I place the grouping of the represented syllables so that the rb are connected with each other. erb You're linking the br. bruh =P Not to over-analyze it or anything.

loopy
2009-09-30, 12:51 PM
Yeah, but how many people call it "The Commonwealth of Australia"? That'd be like us referring to Rhode Island as "The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations" :smallwink: yeah, yeah; I knew what you meant

I probably would refer to Rhode Island by that moniker if I lived there, because I am a pain. :smallbiggrin:

HereticNox
2009-09-30, 01:00 PM
I,myself, try normally to speak with halfway decent pronunciation. Though when I start to speak quickly, and I end up with 'muddle' mouth. Another tendency I have is to use simple words, even for drawn out and exceedingly complicated ideas. Even if the situation calls for more exact language, I rather explain myself in length than become particularly verbose on a subject.

As for accents, I come from southern heritage...Very southern...Half my relatives seem to not speak english, more like 'country bumpkinese'. One that sticks in my mind was 'fur' for fire:smallsigh: Luckily my southern drawl wasn't nearly as thick, growing up in Florida. In fact I try my best to repress any drawl or country expressions that infiltrate my speech.

It is somewhat disheartening to have your ideas not given any thought because of a southern accent. I can remember many instances where I was called a 'hick', or as one particularly crude northern gentleman, if you could call him that, put it, "a swamp rat".

Jacklu
2009-09-30, 01:05 PM
It is somewhat disheartening to have your ideas not given any thought because of a southern accent. I can remember many instances where I was called a 'hick', or as one particularly crude northern gentleman, if you could call him that, put it, "a swamp rat".

Gah. That would... >.< Kiiiill. :smallfurious: Excuse me. This kind of stuff infuriates me to no end. If anyone needs me, I'll be in the angry dome (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_QfefSY0yrwg/R-rGtSAgkoI/AAAAAAAAAGg/i_YCiSQ36KE/s400/angry_dome.jpg).

FlyingWhale
2009-09-30, 01:07 PM
I was born and raised 17years in Florida... One neighbor spoke 0 English, all Portuguese, and a little bit of Spanglish. Other neighbor spoke ebonics and the adults spoke Jive. Folks across the street spoke "Yawl go git chyeh sem powes n git chyeh sem fisch"... I just smiled and waved and went to my friends neighborhoods. :smallredface:

Jinura
2009-09-30, 01:14 PM
I'm danish and has been so for the last... Well for a lot of generations.
I sometimes say thank you in french even though I don't speak it very well. I think my english accent is way less "danish" than most danes I've heard, more true to the original.

TheThan
2009-09-30, 01:39 PM
Coming from California I speak with that “California accent” which is basically Midwestern English. Only you tend to run your words together, which makes them come out slurred. Also a lot of people here mumble when they talk, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine so I don’t have that particular habit.
[edit] also I don't slur my speak that much, only when i start talking quickly or i have a lot to say.

I don’t sound like a mall rat (“like, totally”) nor do I sound like bill or Ted (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAVdPJwYGwQ&feature=related). That’s more of a coastal thing, and in the case of bill and Ted, it’s an exaggeration (though I’ve known people who speak like that, though the mall rat speak is more common).

There’s also a heavy Mexican population here, and a lot of Mexican words and mannerism get mixed in as well.

Hyozo
2009-09-30, 01:45 PM
I can't really describe the sound of my own voice, but I really don't like hearing it.

TheBibliophile
2009-09-30, 09:35 PM
I have a crazy-mixed-up accent, since my mum's English, my Dad's Texan and I lived in China for most of my life. Also, my voice is breaking at the moment (puberty! Yay!), which causes me to squeak a lot.

I have a tendency to switch to Chinese for some words, at which point everyone stares at me blankly. I also swear by the Greek gods, (meaning I would say "Go to Hades" instead of "Go to hell"). "Damn" is the only swear word I use, apart from "dang", "darn", etc., which don't really count.

Let's see, what else... I love to use complicated words, and people often reply to me by saying, "What does that even mean?".

That enough for you?

skywalker
2009-10-01, 12:21 AM
I am from Tennessee (see location bar) but I have been told that my normal English voice is a "voice from nowhere." When I speak to those I know, I can rapidly shift between accents, from "urban" latino and african-american accents, to a Scottish/Irish (I know they're not the same, I cobble them up) brogue. About the only accents I don't normally affect are Asian (way too derogatory the way Americans do it, IMO) and Southern, which of course I already possess.

When I speak with my Southern family, however, my accent becomes pronounced and I use words I would never or rarely use in my day-to-day life. Words like "ain't" and non-agreeing pluralization become commonplace without me even realizing it. Supposedly, this is a sign of being multiculturally compatible, or so I've been told. I've forgotten the technical term for it.

When I speak Spanish, I speak with a melange of Mexican/Central American/West Indian accents, which I think would make me sound terrible. However, it appears as tho it is just another "voice from nowhere," since my Spanish professor last semester was convinced I had studied somewhere in the Latin American world, but could not ever figure out where. The answer, of course, is that I've never been out of this country.

KuReshtin
2009-10-01, 05:58 AM
I have a hybrid accent of somewhere between American and Scottish. Well, at least that's what people have told me. My mom claims that whenshe hears me speak English with someone I don't know (like a shop assistant or the like) I have a totally different accent to when I speak with my friends.
She mentioned that to me because she says that she can hardly understand a word of me speaking to my friends whereas she says I speak a whole lot clearer when speaking to other people.

A lot of people who I don't know have commented that I have more of an American twang to my accent that they can't place, and they usually figure that I've lived in the US.
Truth is that I've only ever been to the US for 3½ weeks, about 11 years ago, on a vacation trip.

Since I'm Swedish, I also (obviously) have an accent when speaking Swedish as well. Again, people have said that it's very non-descript, and they have a hard time trying to place it, and very few people ever guess where I'm from just from hearing me speak. I guess that's from working in a call centre environment for too long, and kind of integrating certain parts of certain accents into my everyday accent.


Best thing to get forumites' opinions on my English accent is to check with the UKitPers (Glug, LR_33, Archonic Energy, Castaras, Lensman and the rest of the crew)... They've met me. They've spoken to me. They know.

Totally Guy
2009-10-01, 07:02 AM
When I first met you you were with a work colleague and I thought you sounded a bit Swedish because he sounded Swedish. On other occasions you've sounded full scottish.

I ought to be careful as there is more than just the one scottish accent.

I sometimes worry that my voice is too similar to David Mitchell of the comedy duo Mitchell and Webb. So I speak lightly to avoid sounding like the characters he tends to play.

loopy
2009-10-01, 07:36 AM
My friend, a Scot who has lived in Aussieland for about 3 years now, commonly gets mistaken for American or Canadian. Quite odd, I picked her accent up straight away. Our very first conversation was about Irn Bru, actually.

Jack Squat
2009-10-01, 07:54 AM
Our very first conversation was about Irn Bru, actually.

Good stuff, that is. I've got to remember to order a case sometime.

KuReshtin
2009-10-01, 08:04 AM
Good stuff, that is. I've got to remember to order a case sometime.

I was just about to offer to get a case brought down to the UKitP meet if you were atending, then I remembered that you're in the US, so that would be pretty unlikely.

Jack Squat
2009-10-01, 08:19 AM
I was just about to offer to get a case brought down to the UKitP meet if you were atending, then I remembered that you're in the US, so that would be pretty unlikely.

Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to make that one :smallwink: Thanks for the offer though.

It's about $30/ 12pk case here (shipped), so I can't exactly keep my fridge stocked with it, else I would. It's the only soft drink able to rival my Mountain Dew addiction.

KuReshtin
2009-10-01, 08:33 AM
Yeah, I don't think I'll be able to make that one :smallwink: Thanks for the offer though.

It's about $30/ 12pk case here (shipped), so I can't exactly keep my fridge stocked with it, else I would. It's the only soft drink able to rival my Mountain Dew addiction.

Most likely because of the high caffeine content. Great hangover cure, though.

Jack Squat
2009-10-01, 08:39 AM
Most likely because of the high caffeine content. Great hangover cure, though.

Nah, I'm actually pretty caffeine tolerant. I like it because it uses actual sugar as opposed to our normal corn syrup, it has a nice crisp carbonation (probably due in part to the whole sugar thing, as Mountain Dew Throwback had the same thing over conventional MD), and it tastes like orange soda and bazooka gum.

Fiery Diamond
2009-10-02, 02:06 AM
I'm from southwest Virginia (2 hours South of Roanoke, which is somewhat near Virginia Tech). When around my hometown and speaking to others with a southwest Virginian accent, my accent gets thicker. The thicker the accent of the person I'm talking to is, the thicker my accent becomes, and I don't even notice it. When I'm talking to people not from that area, people can't even tell I'm from the south from my accent...it's sort of locationless.

I use a fairly elaborate vocabulary, with simple words and less frequently used words side by side. I've often had difficulties with others not knowing what words I use mean. I talk fairly quickly, and I tend to use filler words a lot in addition to repeating myself (you can see that in some of my posts - I may say something at the beginning, say it a couple times in the middle, and say it again at the end when saying it once would have sufficed). I'm very laid-back when I talk unless I'm nervous (in which case I stumble over my words, am overly wordy, repeat myself even more, and generally make a fool out of myself) or engaged in a philosophical conversation/thoughtful discussion/debate (in which case I pause a lot to consider what I'm going to say and tend to speak more slowly).

Ironically, even though I grew up in "Sao'wehst V'rjinya," I tend to have difficulty truly respecting those with really strong accents. I think it makes them sound uneducated and unintelligent. This may be related to the fact that the people with the strongest accents in my area are the ones who do, in fact, tend to be the least educated.

Oh, one last thing. I grew up in a rural setting. Cities...*shudder*

Ah'm frum sao'wesht V'rjinya, an' ah'm praod uv it!
*shudder* I don't talk like that, but many people from my area do. I can imitate it. It drives some midwesterners crazy.

Vortling
2009-10-04, 10:19 PM
I'm from the midwest and speak with that specific lack of accent. I'll sometimes use 'Aloha' instead of 'Hello'. However years and years of watching Dr. Who has conditioned me to the point that I can speak with a flawless British tv accent, good enough to fool people who haven't heard my normal speech patterns into thinking the accent is how I normally talk.

KerfuffleMach2
2009-10-04, 10:36 PM
I am from the Detroit area. And I have the normal accent for this area. Which includes not actually pronouncing the letter "t" when it's at the end of the word. And sometimes in the middle.

Examples:

interstate - innerstay'
at - a'
international - innernational
note - no'

It's not people around here would notice unless they knew it. Well, I guess that's kind of the definition of an accent.

Lioness
2009-10-05, 04:00 AM
I think I sound Australian, because no-one comments on my non-Australian accent. However, it's not a strong one. It probably has a slight English flavour to it, but that's because I actually enunciate my words.

I've had people comment on my accent though, and ask where it's from. I have no idea, because I've been in Australia my whole life.

As for speech patterns, I use fancyish phrases, like I'm speaking an essay. I also tend to lapse into Japanese occasionally. I get odd urges to yell out 'Arigato!' to the bus driver instead of 'Thankyou!', and my boyfriend and I regularly converse in a mix of French, Russian, Japanese, and English.

Castaras
2009-10-05, 10:13 AM
After an evening talking to some finnish and american friends of mine, I say "no" and "do" as if there's an extra u on the end, apparently.

Starshade
2009-10-05, 10:41 AM
After an evening talking to some finnish and american friends of mine, I say "no" and "do" as if there's an extra u on the end, apparently.

Brittons do that, yes. Dont know if all the dialects do, tho, but the brittish speakers ive heard do, ppl from the southern england, as in london area at least do.

vollmond
2009-10-05, 01:21 PM
"Morning" is the only greeting I use, regardless of the time of day. I tend to mispronounce words, since most of my vocabulary is from reading and not conversation. I know just enough German to be dangerous (despite my degree in the language), so I'll randomly spit that out in conversation - to the great annoyance of my wife.

Fifty-Eyed Fred
2009-10-05, 02:53 PM
Brittons do that, yes. Dont know if all the dialects do, tho, but the brittish speakers ive heard do, ppl from the southern england, as in london area at least do.

Ah, you mean "No-ah". It's something considered pretty childish/chavvy and best avoided, especially since you just sound like you're quoting the Bible silly :smalltongue:.

I have a pretty standard (though with upper-class leanings, I've been well-educated) south-eastern English accent (no, not a London one, London's like a different entity altogether :smalltongue:).

Amiel
2009-10-25, 09:28 AM
I speak with a mild Aussie accent, although more accurate would be calling it the general Australian accent.

I can speak Australian, along with the slang fair dinkum.
Wo hui shuo putong hua. 我会说普通话.
Ich kann Deutsch gesprechen
I used to speak Italian and French, mostly forgotten now, although I'm still capable of holding simple phrase conversations in Italiano.
I know some simple Japanese, mostly through watching anime and friends who did study the language teaching me. O genki desu?

Latin is largely unfortunately.

Partof1
2009-10-25, 08:22 PM
I somehow switch between voices. Usually I have a relatively high voice, easier for being heard in crowds, but I can deepen it to almost baritone, when I'm being serious, or in a quieter place. my voice also sound ridiculously deep on the phone, or at least MY phone.

As for sayings, when I haven't heard someone clearly, I ask something between "Aye?" and "eh?". My angry spouting of the month is "bloody damnation!", and my laugh Is like an incredibly evil chuckle, "Ah Hah Hah haaah, or an almost obnoxious guffawish thing, depending on the situation.

Blue Ghost
2009-10-25, 08:29 PM
It's my policy never to say "good afternoon". Before 6pm, I say "good morning," and after, I say "good evening." When questioned about this, I generally say, "It's morning any time of day where I come from."
I like to liberally sprinkle my speech with "wot"s. I also like to say "Have fun" whenever someone says they're leaving to do something.

I think that about covers my speech quirks.

Fostire
2009-10-25, 09:06 PM
I'm like some sort of accent slut. It takes me on average 5 minutes to pick up an accent (a bit more if I've never heard it before), and by pick up I mean I start talking and even thinking with that accent.
The only exception to that is when I'm nervous and I default to a spanish accent.

Nomrom
2009-10-25, 09:11 PM
I'm from Texas, but I don't speak with any sort of Texas accent, though I do use the word y'all. I don't really speak with any sort of accent in English. I just have that no accent thing that a lot of people have from watching American TV and movies.

In Spanish, I have a really weird accent. I first spoke with a Texas accent in Spanish, but since I learned Spanish in the Dominican Republic, I kind of picked up a Dominican accent. I guess I speak with my own weird accent, but at least I pronounce everything right. Also, in Spanish I speak really, really fast, so sometimes I stumble over difficult conjugations and words.

Nano
2009-10-25, 09:12 PM
Sometimes I try and shove all the words out at the speed that I'm thinking of them. That doesn't end well.

"Well, I'm gonna play on the computer some tonight," becomes "Well, 'monnayoh -" *Cough, cough.* "Sorry, I'm gonna play on the computer some tonight." :smallannoyed:

Krimm_Blackleaf
2009-10-25, 09:16 PM
I have a very very slight surfer socal kind of accent. It isn't really noticeable unless you look for it, too. It's just that the occasional half-a-'y' will slip in. I'll be speaking and say 'dude' and it'll side like dyude. Also I say 'dude' and 'like' a lot. This is of course if I'm not intentionally speaking ridiculously.

I've also been spending more and more time with my leprechaun friend, Kettle so I've starting using some of his sayings.
"What the devil?"
"Mother bi:smalleek:hes!"

Belkarsbadside1
2009-10-25, 09:16 PM
I have a New England accent (thats in Northeast America).

My catchphrases are:
What a shame- when something bad happens
I completely understand- when tuning out someone
indubitable-when I answer a question where the answer indubitable will work.

I also tend to go 'umm' a lot of the time.

AtomicKitKat
2009-10-25, 09:20 PM
Where I work, I have a decent level of exposure to tourists, as well as people who are apparently locally-born, but have since returned from studies/work overseas(along with their accents). I also have a strong urge to say "Goodbye" or "Thank You" in whatever language they're speaking, if I know it(well, Goodbye and Thank You are usually the only words I know of most languages...). Among my colleagues in sales, we converse in the local patois of English, Mandarin, and Mandarin dialects, sprinkled with borrowed terms from Malay. I too am apparently a language slut, being able to slip into an accent within 5 seconds of meeting someone(although if I choose to, I can usually speak with my "neutral" accent, which is not the same as the "Singaporean" accent). When speaking to others, I don't seem "low-class", but I don't seem "high-class" either. One of these days, I'll post a proper voice clip for you to judge.:smallbiggrin:

Alteran
2009-10-25, 09:21 PM
I also like to say "Have fun" whenever someone says they're leaving to do something.


I do this all the time!

I'm not sure how I would describe my speech, really. I use words and phrases that you might not hear very frequently, but I don't think I could come up with a list off the top of my head. I try to be precise in my speech, I suppose? I like to say exactly what I mean, so I try to use exact language and sometimes I'll go back and clarify things that I've just said. However, at other times I totally subvert this by using a lot of insinuations and references that some people won't get, so I really don't know. -.-

golentan
2009-10-25, 09:32 PM
I tend to speak with a long winded, long worded sort of Midwestern/California mix. I can't do accents generally.

I also tend to imitate the motion ticks and phrasing of whoever I'm speaking too. So I'll phrase things the way they would and throw in gestures the way they would. It's small when I've just met someone, and grows as I become more used to them and can start imitating more effectively. Occasionally this has gotten me into trouble with people claiming I'm mocking them, but I'm not.

My one individual tick is that when I'm focused on things, I throw in gratuitous german. Usually turn of the 20th century, Imperial Germany phrases. "Hallo" as a greeting "Jah" in agreement, "Jahwohl" or when I'm self mocking "Jah mein Kaiser" in confirmation. Nein, Bitte, Was, and Naturlich also make there way into my phrasings.

Pyrian
2009-10-25, 09:42 PM
I had a friend who would start using idioms to see if he could get everyone using them. He eventually stopped because he was depressed at how easy it was.

zeratul
2009-10-25, 09:46 PM
I'm American and have no regional dialect so I guess I have a normal American accent, and people always think I'm older than I am if they just hear my voice so I guess it's fairly deep? I swear gratuitously and have a rather expansive vocabulary that I like to use.

Alteran
2009-10-25, 09:46 PM
I had a friend who would start using idioms to see if he could get everyone using them. He eventually stopped because he was depressed at how easy it was.

What sort of idioms did he spread? Now I'm curious to see if it'll work for me. :smalltongue:

golentan
2009-10-25, 09:53 PM
I'm American and have no regional dialect so I guess I have a normal American accent, and people always think I'm older than I am if they just hear my voice so I guess it's fairly deep? I swear gratuitously and have a rather expansive vocabulary that I like to use.

I refuse to accept that you don't have an accent. You may have a midland accent, which is what most people think of as "unaccented american.

You can confirm or deny that here. (http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have)

zeratul
2009-10-25, 09:59 PM
I refuse to accept that you don't have an accent. You may have a midland accent, which is what most people think of as "unaccented american.

You can confirm or deny that here. (http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have)

Hmm, yup it looks like I have a midland accent, although they do say in the quiz that that's just another way of saying "you don't have an accent" :smalltongue:.

Em Blackleaf
2009-10-25, 10:36 PM
I have sort of a midland accent with a surfer-valley girl hint to it. I say 'like' a whole lot, as well as 'dude.' I tend to call my mom 'dude' without realizing it, until she tells me not to call her 'dude.'
To add emphasis to a phrase, I'll throw "freaking" and "friggin'" around.

Example: "Dude, that was like, freaking awesome!" I'm sure I've said those words before.
Some of my other favorite words include, "fabulous," "chill," "fantastic," "wonderful," "zany," and "wacky."
I am glad that I have the ability to clean up my speech and sound dignified, though. :smalltongue:

Nomrom
2009-10-25, 11:19 PM
I refuse to accept that you don't have an accent. You may have a midland accent, which is what most people think of as "unaccented american.

You can confirm or deny that here. (http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_accent_do_you_have)

Well, after taking this quiz it appears that I also have this midland American accent.

Alteran
2009-10-25, 11:46 PM
Well, after taking this quiz it appears that I also have this midland American accent.

So do I, apparently. I'm from southern Ontario (Toronto), so this isn't really surprising.

HellfireLover
2009-10-26, 03:37 AM
I think I have a fairly mild and non-geographic Scots accent, although I do have a tendency to 'chunter on' or speak too fast, particularly when I'm excited or uncomfortable. Apparently when I'm upset, I get a Fife accent (I spent the first five years of life living there). People generally can't place me (someone even asked if I was from the Highlands, and I didn't think my speech pattern was that sing-song) but then I have made a habit out of being a stranger wherever I am, so no surprises, really. Oh, and I use a lot of Scots idiom. So much that it's probably annoying in general conversation. :smallwink:

Anuan
2009-10-26, 05:41 AM
...I request that HFL posts a recording of herself in the You thread >.>
*Adores Scottish accents...*

Ikialev
2009-10-26, 08:48 AM
I also like to say "Have fun" whenever someone says they're leaving to do something.
I say "Good Luck". ^
-I'm going to bar/toilet/dinner/whatever.
-Good luck!
I don't have any speech patterns except the above, accents or anything.
I can't say 'r', though.

Fiery Diamond
2009-10-28, 12:31 AM
Interesting, my result on that test was "the west." This is somewhat amusing, because I'm from hillbilly Virginia.

edit: I went back and changed the one answer I wasn't quite sure about and got midland.

EleventhHour
2009-10-28, 12:34 AM
I completely understand- when tuning out someone


When tuning people out, I just smile at them, and plan a dozen ways to escape dramatically from the room, before turning and walking away as if they weren't trying to have a conversation with me.

...I ignore people a lot, in other words. I also like the words Anyway, and Honestly. They get put into my sentences almost whenever possible.

>.>