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[guest of Japan]

Every time I try to fake a British accent I sound Scottish. My accent skills used to be quite good. I spent several months working on a private yacht. My fellow crew members were Canadian, American, Scottish, British, and NZ. I used to be able to tell the any native English speakers country, but alas, that skill has faded.

[dduck]

Okay, as I explain it these days. The name of the island is Great Britain - everything on it is British, that is, it comes from that island. On that island you find three nations: the English (largest group), the Scots (next largest), and the Welsh (often confused with sheep).

Iain

[schminken]

I have a American Southern Accent. Not a "Gone with the Wind Scarlett" accent, more of an Applachian one. It's not very thick though.

A funny thing happened in class the other day. A student was talking about a video clip I had shown them and said, "Yes we need practice listening to other accents and not yours because you speak so slowly and clearly for our sake." Tee hee. I was shocked. It was my normal speaking voice and I have never "dumbed it down" for them. Oh well.

My grandparents lived deep in the Appalachian mountains and spoke a really interesting dialect. I usually never understood them. It was something close to Elizabethen English spoken with a thick southern twang. I wish I had gotten it on tape, because the dialect is slowly on its last legs.

[ha'anala]

schminken, where in the south did you grow up?

I was thinking I was the only American Southerner here...I usually don't admit where I'm from. The tendency here in the states is to assume anyone from the south is a little slow and far from intelligent. (but I guess the slow speaking does help out the students, eh?)

I grew up listening to my mother constantly butchering the English language...

It wasn't "argue" it was ar-gee.

wash became warsh (our president lives in Warshinten,DC)

There were no words ending in -ing in her vocabulary, everything was just -in:

fishin, warshin, pushin, etc...

Listening to this everyday was a constant reminder for me to work on my pronunciation. I sometimes like to speak with my version of a British, Irish or Scottish accent (nothing like the real thing), but if I do it regularly it helps to drive the southern drawl out of my regular speech.

Right now I'm living in the south, and most people around here will tell me that I have no accent. Of course if I go anywhere above the Mason-Dixon Line they can pick up my accent. Also if I hang out with people from work much (mostly good ole southern boys), then my drawl comes sneaking back in.

One of the biggest complements I ever received was when my former boss who grew up in Minnesota thought I was from the North.

[Capergirl]

[dduck]

[FGT]

Question: How many islands make up the British Isles?

Britain and Ireland, obviously. Then there's the Isle of Man, the Isle of Wight, the Hebrides, Orkneys and Shetlands. Am I right in thinking that the Channel Islands are not included?

[dduck]

Here's some more info:

British Isles

Iain

[schminken]

ha'anala Born in southern georgia and raised in Tennessee:)

Yes,I know all about warshing and taking a shure. My dad actually says I holped him instead of I helped him. My mom says "eye-talian food". That drives me insane. I love my accent and have never been ashamed of it. I do get tired of repeating things for yankees while they squeal with delight and say, "oooooooo how cute!". I also find that when I am in a group of other foreign teachers, I get singled out as "the southern one." But hey, it's all good:)

I was once asked if I would consider taking accent reduction sessions. I thought about it for a while and then declined. I think accents make people unique and I love all of them. They are all interesting. It would be a boring world if everyone spoke the same way.

I notice with my students, I try to speak more "correctly". But if you heard my weekly phone call to my mother, I sound as if the south had risen again:)

That's all y'all.

What's on the go, buddy wah? Did ya go after?

[Snoopy]

Clearly articulated Educated Cheshire English (and they say I'm posh).

[Guest]

I suppose after 56 years I must have a real Australian accent.

I have noticed that the kids seem to understand me but the Chinese English teachers have trouble understanding some of my words - I have no idea why. The other day we were talking and I said the word "doll" and not one of the 8 teachers understood me.

I think it must be hard for the children. One year they get an Aussie, the next someone from the U.K., then someone from the U.S.A and everyone sounds completely different.

In one of my older classes they did a "word search" puzzle from America and out of the 15 words, I had to explain 4 of them were different in Australia i.e. Crib (bassinet), Diaper (nappy), Pacifier (dummy) Stroller (pusher). It is ridiculous when you think about it.

In Australia, words for things even change between the States - b****y ridiculous!

[Minhang Oz]

I can speak Aussie English when need be, but several years of enunciating clearly for Chinese and Japanese students, and some time in the UK mean that a lot of native speakers don't pick an accent. We get regular Australian short-term [5 weeks] teachers coming to deliver units, and their accents are STRONG, especially as they're teaching tech. subjects and have blue collar backgrounds. "Royce" [rice], "Choyneez" [Chinese] and so on.
As for the vocab differences.....mei you ban fa. Just teach the variations as with the spelling. It's a big English speaking world.

[dduck]

[guest of Japan]

"different types of anglo-saxon culture." Is this irony?

[dduck]

I thought irony was something you did to your clothesy.

Iain