What is your Accent like?

[T-Pac | 7,590]

We communicate with each other on VGS all the time, but I have no clue what most of you sound like.

I have a boring Midwestern American accent, with a subtle Chicago whine. (In the 6 years I've lived in Canada, only one person has picked-up on that - most people can't even tell I'm not native to Ontario).

So what about you?

-CasualCart

[Brickman | 4,017]

 

[Reed Rothchild | 9,588]

I have no idea.  I know our general area has a tendency to say things like "crick" (creek), ruff (roof), and I think there's something about "bhag" (bag?), but I don't think I do any of those things.  The guys I know from smaller Montana (or Idaho or Washington or Oregon) towns also have very clear "rural" (hick) accents.  But I don't think I have that either.

@Murray or @JamesRobot could tell you.

[Kguillemette | 1,547]

Hints of Boston with a smattering of southern inner city creeping in.

[ZeldaFan042 | 1,181]

Nort Dakooota

(think of the movie Fargo)

[ZeldaFreak | 3,619]

56 minutes ago, CasualCart said:

I have a boring Midwestern American accent, with a subtle Chicago whine Texan tinge.

Born and lived in Texas until 2012 when we moved to Missouri. My Texan accent is now mostly gone with only a slight hint of it remaining, and usually only other Texans can pick up on it.

[Deadeye | 1,596]

NJ / NY accent. 

Dog = Dwag

Drawer = Draw

Coffee = Cough-ee

Water = Wad-er

Here I am with M-Tee (character logo by @CasualCart)

 

 

[SailorScoutMandy | 782]

In Michigan all our "tt" become "dd". To say little would sound like liddle. 

 

Also, 

 

[Gloves | 11,841]

I'm from Ontario Canada, so I do not have any accent at all.

The rest of you, however...

[MrWunderful | 2,927]

Hella from Cali the most tubular state bruh surfing is like radd to the max

[DefaultGen | 5,436]

It’s a 2012 Hyundai Accent SE, 6 speed hatchback. I love that it’s small but spacious and the interior was slightly nicer than other cheap subcompacts. It’s been reliable for at least 110,000 miles. It sure lacks acceleration but my car before this was a Mercury Mystique so I’ve literally been to the bottom of the barrel and can only go up.

[Famicuber | 54]

As a guy with some speech problems and grew up with a disability, A lot of my accent is picked up from watching cartoons that come from the US or Canada. I never really picked up an Aussie accent as everyone else within my area or lost it over the years because of it, only it's slangs is what I have left of it.

When I had this discussion with one of my friends who also picked up an accent from cartoons, she described my accent as New York-ish at best.

Edited June 27, 2021 by Famicuber

[ZeldaFreak | 3,619]

1 hour ago, SailorScoutMandy said:

 

I didn't realize it until just now, but I say this all the time, hahaha.

[Strange | 1,701]

I have no clue. I’ve lived in Nashville my whole life, recently moved to Auburn, AL but I don’t have a southern accent. It kind of comes out if I’m shooting the shit with someone who does have one, but I get told all the time I don’t “sound like” I’m from the south.

[Abelardo | 154]

No idea at all, lived all my life in the same city in northeast Mexico, took English class as second language from kindergarten up to and including 9th grade (TOEFL was high enough at that point so I had to take a 3rd language from 10-12).

Most likely the the actual accent I must've picked it up watching cartoons and tv shows on cable television, I did read quite a bit in English from video games, books and music, and later the internet, not much chance to actually speak it until I started working for foreign companies about 12-13 years ago.

Once a university English professor from the US kind of made a comment on my accent but all he said was basically that he couldn't quite pinpoint it, so still pretty clueless about it.

As far as my Spanish accent it's pretty much typical northern Mexico accent, pretty punchy, strong pronunciation, southerners often think we're angry lol.

[Tanooki | 4,952]

Grew up on the west coast, went back for a 3 year stretch too, so I don't have one.  That said I'm also a mimic when it comes to accents.  I can copy them very easily and fast, some points in my life I did it subconsciously and got crap from family when I did it and didn't realize it.

It happened on a trip when I was like 12 and the staff had british accents and I started sounding like that so I've been conscious of it since.  Given I'm in the edge of the south here now once you go rural you hear it, and I can do it quite easily.

[fcgamer | 4,754]

I'm like @Tanooki in the sense that I subconsciously will start mimicking the accents and word choices/patterns of those around me. It's gotten me in trouble a few times, as some people think you're trying to take the piss, even if you're not.

English accent: A lot of people think I'm from Europe, I've even met some folks from England who swore I was also one of them. A lot of people place me as having connections to Ireland, the Netherlands, or Germany.

German accent: Whilst living in Germany, on several occasions people thought I was Polish, based on my accent.

Chinese (Mandarin): Some of my pronunciations definitely lean closer towards Taiwanense language pronunciations, or local rural regions, likely stemming from me spending numerous years in those parts and examining the way people spoke. If I talk with people on the phone, they can't tell my ethnicity, even if they suspect that I might not be a native speaker. The gig's up though if they see me in person.

That brings me back to my personal thoughts on accent / pronunciation for languages that aren't you're first tongue: communication is first and foremost, so if you can do that, I think it's fine. I don't see any need to sound like a native Chinese speaker, for example, as people will suspect otherwise as I'm walking down the street. On this end, I think it's best to aim for an accent that masks your original nationality / origin, rather than aiming for a native accent. I'd personally rather have people thinking I'm Polish, when speaking German, than knowing that I'm American.

 

[Tabonga | 2,344]

Upper midwest - what used to be considered the neutral of the various US accents.

I can do a mean Scandinavian-American accent too dontcha know. 

Edited June 27, 2021 by Tabonga

[SailorScoutMandy | 782]

8 hours ago, ZeldaFreak said:

I didn't realize it until just now, but I say this all the time, hahaha.

It's subconsciously ingrained into those from the Midwest haha. 

[fcgamer | 4,754]

@Deadeye Thanks for the video, nice to see the face and voice with the name!

I didn't listen to the video you linked fully, about ten minutes, but your accent really isn't too strong imo. Maybe I'm just used to it being from the east coast. 

[twiztor | 855]

fully midwest "accent". quotation marks because, like @Tabongamentioned, it is very neutral.

100% guilty on the "ope" tho. use it all the time. didn't realize it was a thing until the meme showed up a few years back. now it bothers me every time i say it, but it's impossible to stop

Edited June 27, 2021 by twiztor

[Sumez | 2,995]

 

[Tabonga | 2,344]

15 minutes ago, twiztor said:

fully midwest "accent". quotation marks because, like @Tabongamentioned, it is very neutral.

100% guilty on the "ope" tho. use it all the time. didn't realize it was a thing until the meme showed up a few years back. now it bothers me every time i say it, but it's impossible to stop

This is kinda odd - I grew up in the Minneapolis area (left there in 1970 to go to college).  Not only did I never use "ope"* but I don't remember anyone ever using it. 

Since I didn't live in a vacuum sealed cave whilst in Minnesota I wonder if "ope" is a fairly recent inductee into the midwestern vernacular.  

*We did have the very ubiquitous  Uff Da though.

[LifeGame | 760]

French Canadian so yeah...but my spoken english is pretty good (i think) so most people dont even notice

[doner24 | 1,197]

32 minutes ago, Tabonga said:

This is kinda odd - I grew up in the Minneapolis area (left there in 1970 to go to college).  Not only did I never use "ope"* but I don't remember anyone ever using it. 

Since I didn't live in a vacuum sealed cave whilst in Minnesota I wonder if "ope" is a fairly recent inductee into the midwestern vernacular.  

*We did have the very ubiquitous  Uff Da though.

As a lifetime Minnesotan, it’s definitely been said around me my entire 40 years. It’s more likely that you didn’t notice someone using it, as it’s not said in normal conversation, rather used as a replacement or addition to “excuse me” when walking around someone in a crowded situation.