Job Discussion Forums

[Sashadroogie]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-22183566

[timothypfox]

In North America, you don't need to bother with this accent changing BS. If it exists, it is far more subtle.

[MotherF]

Actually I've personally known several North Americans who have actively worked at taking on a different accent. They were primarily people from the deep south who felt that their accent would cause them to be discriminated against. I've also know a few from the upper midwest (Minnesota and Wisconsin) who worked in broad cast journalism so worked to lose the distinctive vowel sounds of the accent they grew up with.

And then of cousre there are a lot of us (myself included) who have unintentionally changed out accent by living away from our home communities and among a mix of English speakers from many different places. At one point I was working with 15 native English speakers from 7 different countries, while cut off hearing from the speakers I grew up with. This had quite an impact on my accent to the point when I returned for a visit, people asked me where I was from and when I said I was from there, they said I certainly didn't sound like I was from there.

[Teacher in Rome]

My accent also changes depending on who I'm with (or on how "tired and emotional" I am, as the euphemism goes.) But I haven't gone the whole Beckham transformation - we're talking slight changes in twanginess rather than the great vowel shift. But I imagine that's pretty normal.

[kpjf]

I wonder was Beckham taught grammar whilst being taught how to change his London accent

One thing that surprised me was that there was a comedy called Only fools and horses on in the UK which was very popular and one character called Rodney had a strong cockney accent and I always assumed this was his real accent, but one day I heard the actor in an interview and was shocked that his real accent wasn't like this. His real accent is really quite posh! Maybe not so shocking for anyone but it surprised me.

Example in the programme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXgxyqo2_mc

Real life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz0Ug6GEpRs

[johnslat]

I haven't been living in Boston since 1967, so over the decades my "Boston accent" has deteriorated.
However, on the rare occasions when I go back there, it returns in full force without any conscious effort.

Even stranger. my ancestry is Irish, but I have no "brogue." Yet, on a visit to Ireland some years ago, I found myself speaking with one, again without a conscious effort to do so.

I rather surprised myself.

Regards,
John

[kpjf]

My accent has gradually changed after living abroad, but I think this is natural. I come from Northern Ireland and our accent can be quite strong and I think for foreigners it can be difficult to understand so I tried to speak more clearly. Also, I have done language exchanges with people and so to make them understand I try to speak clearly - through this I have gradually developed a less regional accent. I actually prefer this accent now; however, once I go back to my family my accent almost immediately reverts back (a bit like John I guess)!

Incidentally, I found strange: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBgKudlYhJE - Joey Barton, an English footballer adopting (or trying to adopt) a French accent. He normally speaks like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnfq0Qd2Xx4

[Shroob]

My accent's changed. I also speak slower in 'regular' conversations apparently. After returning to my hometown quite a few people commented about the change in my voice.

Not sure how I feel about this as a lot of a person's identity is linked how they speak and the words they say.

[HLJHLJ]

When I was a kid I had a really strong northern UK accent. After I left school I had to move south to find a job at a time when there was a lot of prejudice and animosity between The North and South of England. Two potential employers told me outright that they wouldn't employ a northerner. I eventually got a job working as a clerk in a big pension company. After a couple of months I got called in by my boss and was told they had had complaints about me from several brokers (part of my job was making routine follow up calls to brokers). They wanted someone else assigned to their cases because of my accent.

It was purely about having a northern accent, not just a regional one. I was working in Bristol, and the regional Bristolian accent is just as strong and distinctive as any from The North, but that wasn't considered a problem. Anyway, the upshot was I was given one month to lose the accent or lose my job. I basically spent a month doing everyone else's filing because I wasn't allowed to make or receive calls. I had a few weeks of sounding like my voice was breaking, and by the end of the month I had, for the most part, lost my accent.

Most people who know UK accents can still place me approximately, but generally not with much confidence. My accent is a lot stronger when I talk to friends and family at home, and comes back pretty much completely if I am in a blazing row with my sister. Other than that I still speak fairly neutrally.

In the long run it's probably been a benefit because it's much easier for my students to understand me now than it would have been otherwise. However, it was quite a big deal for me at the time, and I was very unhappy about it. It was all tied up with being homesick and other insecurities, but I needed the job, and I was too young and inexperienced to fight my corner.

I'm pretty sure an employer wouldn't be allowed to do that now anyway.

[simon44]

On another forum, I recently posted a thread on the subject 'Can you switch off your regional accent?'.

I had (wrongly) assumed that people who have a strong accent could simply 'switch it off' at will and speak in a neutral accent. At least that is how my parents brought me up - I can switch between my Midlands UK accent and a clear, 'Oxford' accent, depending on whether I'm teaching or whether I'm chatting with friends.

Now I discover from that other thread that apparently I'm almost unique Other posters cannot understand how I can switch between 2 completely different accents at will. They don't possess this ability.

So I'll raise this question here. If for example, you speak in a strong, Scottish accent, can you switch over to a "Queen's English" accent at will?

Simon

[scot47]

Code-switching. We do it all the time !

[kpjf]

[Teacher in Rome]

[kpjf]

[it'snotmyfault]

I'm aware how my northern English accent sounds and I make an effort to speak a lot more neutrally. It definitely changes when I'm talking to a native speaker

As mentioned above, actors make a living out of doing this don't they. Some are better than others. You wouldn't guess that Hugh Laurie in House was British.
And Peter Sellers used to do a very authentic French accent.