Does your accent change?

[paddy01]

Yup, I'm dreadful for it. It drives the wife up the freakin' wall too... which is fun.

Worst was chatting to a guy in an airport bar in the US (having been there 2 weeks) and being mistaken for a US serviceman on the way home on leave.

It was a brutal haircut I had at the time though

 

[barq]

I slide between Brummie and Surrey/home counties quite easily. Since I currently live in Guildford the latter is my default but there is the odd word that still comes out Brummie. e.g. I pronounce 'bus' more like 'buzz'.

Otherwise I pick up (to me) distinctive accents and intonations very quickly (e.g. Edinburgh, New Jersey). Generally it is funny but occasionally I cause unintentional offence.

 

[Bromptonaut]

Like Yorkshiregoth said.

I have a yorkshire accent all the time but it's much stronger when striding God's own acres. Colleagues can also tell when I'm on the phone to Leeds or Bradford.

 

[Bollo]

As a service kid, picking up the local brogue was a matter of survival when entering a new school. The worst I had to deal with was a move from suburban London to darkest Northumberland. On Monday - Jimmy Greaves, by Friday - Jimmy Nail. Still, came in handy recently for a p1ss-taking session after Newcastle got relegated.

 

[HLaB]

I lived in Ireland for 5years and it was often commented I never lost my Scottish (Fife) accent. I never actually noticed I had an accent til I moved to Ireland You can take the boy out of Fife but you can't take the Fife out of the boy!

 

[snorri]

Mrs B has got me into watching repeats of Monarch of the Glen, a rather genteel and enjoyable hour-long drama series. It's set in Scotland (no? - yes! ) and features several Scottish actors and actresses. Strangely, last night, I noticed that when I went to bed straight after watching it, I was thinking with Scottish accent. Bizzare or what?!

Can't say I've ever met any Scots who speak with an accent myself., well apart from these Lowland actors on Tak' the High Road.

 

[Bodhbh]

Yep. There used to be an ozzie at work, on odd words I'd sometimes end up mimicing him and sure he thought I was taking the piss but it was not deliberate. I'll get more northern if speaking to anyone from up there, but as I moved away from the north in the early 20s it always feels like I'm taking the piss but it's not deliberate either.

My dad moved from Ireland when young and has no trace of the accent anymore, but he often reverted talking to his parents (tree hundred and tirty tree).

 

[Fnaar]

I'm a bit of an accent tart, but my sister is the worst. The parents were Irish, but we were brought up near London. Zillions of rellies live in Dublin. Whenever we see them, you'd think my sister had grown up in a Dublin housing estate.

 

[got-to-get-fit]

apparently when i have had a few drinks i swear in my sleep in a scottish accent ......it really freaks my wife out. She thinks she has a cross between william wallce and billy connoly in bed with her.

im begining to think im regressing to a past life.

 

[Jim_Noir]

My Glasgow accent seems to get stronger when there is an argument in the air, people seem to back down from it... well not in Glasgow mind!

 

[zimzum42]

I do it all the time, it really helps when dealing with lots of different Englishes all the time. it helps show solidarity with people around you, and is a well documented phenomenon. It certainly helps me get what I want when I order food out here!