Your (Fonetic) Accent

[Science Officer]

TvTropes!

*Ahem*

I fought it would be interesting to have a fread where posters would post in vair own accents. And ven maybe others would guess what vuh accent is. Or somefing like vat. I haven't really fought vis one frough.

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Vis one is kind of a trick.
I can't really tell a mild American accent from a mild Canadian accent, so I went with my particular speech impediment ("th"? never heard of it) ravver van attempting to describe an accent I can't really recognise.

[Heliomance]

This probably won't work terribly well, because most people don't recognise their own mode of speech as an accent - to them, it's normal. The only way it could possibly work is to transcribe everything in IPA, and most of us don't know that.

[Fiery Diamond]

This probably won't work terribly well, because most people don't recognise their own mode of speech as an accent - to them, it's normal. The only way it could possibly work is to transcribe everything in IPA, and most of us don't know that.

This is true. Won't work.

[factotum]

Plus, if I were to write how I pronounce the word "fast" phonetically, it would be "fast"...not "farst". This would probably cause some confusion.

[Castaras]

And what of us that speak properly and pronunciate with reasonable accuracy? My typing isn't much different to my speaking.

A better one would be to record us saying all sorts of silly things.

[Feytalist]

To paraphrase Jimmy Carr: "I don't have an accent. This is how English sounds when it is pronounced properly."

[Asta Kask]

My problem is not so much the pronounciation of single words as the word melody - prosody. That's not easy to represent in print.

[Serpentine]

A better one would be to record us saying all sorts of silly things.

We could do that... Is there a particular type of phrase that's extra-good for teasing out accents?
People who don't speak English as their first language can do it twice - once in English, once in their native

[Yora]

Mai quite heavy accent is mohstly in the vowels I gess. End those are sounds thet mostly just don't ixist in english.

My problem is not so much the pronounciation of single words as the word melody - prosody. That's not easy to represent in print.

Oh, someone who knows what he's talking about. Prosody is always difficult, mostly because it is rarely taught. And I guess Swedish is similar to northern German dialects in that it makes very little use of such thing when spoken by native speakers.
I'm currently learning Japanese where you often put extremely heavy emphasis on some sounds. It's really funny.

[Fifty-Eyed Fred]

We could do that... Is there a particular type of phrase that's extra-good for teasing out accents?
People who don't speak English as their first language can do it twice - once in English, once in their native

For English there's always the Grandfather passage:

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You wished to know all about my grandfather.Well, he is nearly ninety-three years old. He dresses himself in an ancient black frock coat, usually minus several buttons; yet he still thinks as swiftly as ever. A long, flowing beard clings to his chin, giving those who observe him a pronounced feeling of the utmost respect. When he speaks his voice is just a bit cracked and quivers a trifle. Twice each day he plays skillfully and with zest upon our small organ. Except in the winter when the ooze or snow or ice prevents, he slowly takes a short walk in the open air each day. We have often urged him to walk more and smoke less, but he always answers, “Banana Oil!” Grandfather likes to be modern in his language.

[The Succubus]

Slightly off-topic but I find accents really sexy in a girl, especially Danish and South African ones. English just sounds....flat and dull in comparison.

[Orzel]

I don tawk wita axcent. People from Brooklyn Noo Yawk speak regula English, na' meen.

(I don't say "fugetatboutit".... Okay sometimes I say it but only as a joke.

It's hard to phonetically write my accent because it's heavy on vowel changes. Also as it is a mix of a Southern American, African American, New York City, and Grenadian Carribean accents (which shift left when calm and right when upset) it would take forever to write correctly.)

[Eldan]

For English there's always the Grandfather passage:

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You wished to know all about my grandfather.Well, he is nearly ninety-three years old. He dresses himself in an ancient black frock coat, usually minus several buttons; yet he still thinks as swiftly as ever. A long, flowing beard clings to his chin, giving those who observe him a pronounced feeling of the utmost respect. When he speaks his voice is just a bit cracked and quivers a trifle. Twice each day he plays skillfully and with zest upon our small organ. Except in the winter when the ooze or snow or ice prevents, he slowly takes a short walk in the open air each day. We have often urged him to walk more and smoke less, but he always answers, “Banana Oil!” Grandfather likes to be modern in his language.

Oof. Parts of that would kill me. I have a lisp and, as a native German speaker, I don't get the difference between English "Z" and "S" anyway.

I repeat: "S" and "Z" are pronounced exactly the same, and all English people claiming otherwise are part of a conspiracy to annoy me!

[The Succubus]

I repeat: "S" and "Z" are pronounced exactly the same, and all English people claiming otherwise are part of a conspiracy to annoy me!

I think he's on to us.....

[Serpentine]

I repeat: "S" and "Z" are pronounced exactly the same, and all English people claiming otherwise are part of a conspiracy to annoy me!

Z tickles my tongue and makes it itch. S doesn't

[Orzel]

The Grandfather passage spoken quickly so I wouldn't drop the accent (unaffected words remained the same):

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You wishta no a' abow my gran'fadda. Well, he is ne'le nin'ty-three years o'. He dress himself in an ancient black frock co', uzaleh minus severoo buttins; yet he still thinks as swiftly as eva. Ah long, flowin' bed clings ta his chin, givin' those who observe him ah pronounced feelin' ah da utmost respeck. Wen he speaks his voice is jus' a bit crackt an' quivers ah trifle. Twice each deh he plazes skillfully an wit zest upon owah small orgen. Except en de winta when da ooz o' snow o' i'ss prevents, he slowly takes ah short wawk en da open eh each day. We hav oftin urgetim to wawk mor an smoke less, buh he always ansaz, “Banana All!” Gran'fadda likes to be moden en his langwich.

[Mastikator]

And I guess Swedish is similar to northern German dialects in that it makes very little use of such thing when spoken by native speakers.

Exshully prosody is used a lot in Swidish, most who don't learn Swidish from a young aigh never learn it.

[Mono Vertigo]

How could you tell Englitsh wazn't my first langwayge? Dood, all zese efforts for noffing
Now, siriously, my French accent is pretty haynous. And I don't iven know how to say everyfing I reed.

[Castaras]

For English there's always the Grandfather passage:

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You wished to know all about my grandfather.Well, he is nearly ninety-three years old. He dresses himself in an ancient black frock coat, usually minus several buttons; yet he still thinks as swiftly as ever. A long, flowing beard clings to his chin, giving those who observe him a pronounced feeling of the utmost respect. When he speaks his voice is just a bit cracked and quivers a trifle. Twice each day he plays skillfully and with zest upon our small organ. Except in the winter when the ooze or snow or ice prevents, he slowly takes a short walk in the open air each day. We have often urged him to walk more and smoke less, but he always answers, “Banana Oil!” Grandfather likes to be modern in his language.

There, I'll start off.

And someone else can transcribe what they hear and tell me that I'm completely wrong and I sound very different to how I type.

[factotum]

You seemed to be speaking a lot slower there than I remember you in person, Cassie...

[Castaras]

You seemed to be speaking a lot slower there than I remember you in person, Cassie...

'tis my reading voice. Comes from doing amateur dramatics for a large proportion of my life. ^.^

[Dogmantra]

I repeat: "S" and "Z" are pronounced exactly the same, and all English people claiming otherwise are part of a conspiracy to annoy me!

S is typically unvoiced while Z is nearly always voiced. There are exceptions (e.g. -ise words like realise have voiced Ss) but this is English we're talking about. If it was consistent in any way it wouldn't be fun. Same difference between P and B except more subtle and clearly more annoying.

[Yora]

Oh, there are some nasty ones in there:

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You wisht to no all about mai grendfather. Well, he is nearly ninety-three years old. He dresses himself in an anshnt black frock coat, usulli mainus several buttns; yet he still thinks as swiftly as ever. A long, flowing beard clinx to his tshin, giving those who observe him a pronounct feeling of the utmost respect. When he speaks his voice is just a bit crackt and quivers a traifle. Tfvice each day he plays skillfully and with zest upon or small orgen. Ekscept in the winter when the ooze or sno or ice prevents, he sloly takes a short wok in the open air eech day. We have often urgt him to walk more and smoke less, but he always answers, “Banana Oil!” Grandfather likes to be modern in his languitsh.

[Mauve Shirt]

ai doʊnt hæv æn æksɛnt. Soʊ ðɜr.

[Altaria87]

Honestly, this paragraph doesn't show the Lancashire accent much (there's only three 'the's! Yes, they have been replaces by an apostrophe. That's actually how we speak oop North). The only noticable difference is the ommiting of all 'h's.

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Yer wished to know all about mah grandfather.Well, he is nearly ninety-free years old. He dresses 'imself in an ancient black frock coat, usually minus several buttons; yet e' still tsinks as swiftly as ever. A long, flowing beard clings to 'is chin, giving those 'oo observe 'im a pronounced feeling of ' utmost respect. When 'e speaks his voice is just a bit cracked an' quivers a trifle. Twice each day 'e plays skillfully and wiv zest upon our small organ. Except in the winter when ' ooze or snow or ice prevents, he slowly takes a short walk in ' open air each day. We 'ave often urged 'im to walk more and smoke less, but 'e always answers, “Banana Oil!” Grandfather likes to be modern in 'is language.

[Heliomance]

What's so special about the grandfather passage, anyway?

[Mando Knight]

This probably won't work terribly well, because most people don't recognise their own mode of speech as an accent - to them, it's normal.

What's worse are people with neutral accents, i.e. the accents that are adopted by national news, since then not only do their accents sound normal to them, it's considered a national norm.

(BTW, I pronounce most everything as according to how it's written in the dictionary. I literally can't tell you what I pronounce differently enough to make a note of.)

[ric0]

Ah just cannae do it captain!

[CynicalAvocado]

ah think ah have an acksent lahk this.

either that er ah jus tahk weird

[Elder Tsofu]

Heh, well I think I remember a thread where people were recording themselves and you got to guess where they came from. I'll just follow Castaras lead and upload the result.

Elder Tsofu reads the Grandfather Passage
Btw, if you use the "direct link" rather than the "download link" the file starts to play directly on the web-page.

... now I'll worry about the fact that I've given the computers a voice-print which they can use against me in the future.