Do you think you have an accent?

[Omnispeak]

I do have an accent. I grew up in Australia and you can tell the way I speak. It's difficult getting rid of your accent later on in life.

[wwalford]

No accent I don't have an accent. People say that I do but it does not seem like it to me. Saying that people put an accent on for no reason. So I think it depends on the person and how they learn a language. You get taught structure and pronunciation. The accent is how you put it together.

[Wanderer]

Accents are inserting. From Atlanta to Boston to Seattle, the English language sounds a little different. I imagine the same could be said for the various regions of Russia as well. Where it really gets interesting though, is when a Russian starts speaking English, or someone with a strong southern American accent starts speaking Russian. 

[JessiFox]

I always think of accents as some distinguishing feature of 'other'....in the same way that you wouldn't consider your native food 'ethic' even though others might. I don't think most people consciously consider their own speech as heavily accented, unless they've moved around a lot or really TRIED to develop a certain accent. I know just traveling from different parts of the States I'll get told that I have an accent frequently...and people usually don't know exactly how to place it either. I'm from Pennsylvania, so it's not as thick or recognizable as NY or Boston but people in the South especially will insist there is a decidedly 'Northern' accent. I know it's silly and even a bit petty, but I worry when I want to travel internationally that people will have no trouble distinguishing my accent as very American.

[Channa]

I always wonder if people who are foreign think that I have an accent when I speak English. I'm Canadian and there is an obvious English accent when I think of people in other countries speaking it such as in Australia and in Britain. However, I do not think I have an accent when I speak at all. I wonder if Australians or British people for example think us Canadians/Americans carry an accent as well. Or better yet, if they themselves (Australians and the Brits) think they have an accent when speaking.

yes i do have an accent , base on my country Jamaica we speak English and Potois , like we sometimes say in English ( where are you ? ). And in Potois we say.. ( weh yuh deh ?). so when tourist comes to our island its very hard for them to understand what we say. so yes i have an accent.

[Kotro]

When it comes to my native language, I actually grew up in a region famous for not having a specific accent, or being the one closer associated with "standard Portuguese pronounciation", whatever that may be.

When it comes to English, I really don't carry anything from Portuguese. Hearing me speak English you wouldn't be able to guess my origin from the accent. However, my natural English accent is quite non-descript, somewhat of a mix between British English and maybe New England.

[lizbeth19hph]

I do have an accent but it is a neutralized one and not American nor British. I need not sound like native speakers in my line of work as long as I am fluent in the language and my  manner of speaking is well understood. I learned to have a neutralized accent from the call center trainings I had before.

[Aishe]

I'm currently living in a really diverse area with people from all over the world, so I am usually very aware of my own accent as well as others'. I grew up in New Zealand so there's that bit of Kiwi twang as a base, I would say, but being exposed to American and British media has led me to pick up certain quirks from their accents. Also, being in an Asian country (this may come off as a bit racist), I've also developed an almost cliche Asian accent when speaking to someone whom I'm not sure would completely understand me. I think I do it because I just hope it makes it easier for them to understand me if I sound at least a bit familiar. So yes, I do have an accent, and it's a huge mess of things!

[Amalia]

I also have an accent in my native language but that I can hide very well when I want to. That doesn't happen a lot because I am proud of it and of the region I'm coming from.

[Carneita2000]

I always wonder if people who are foreign think that I have an accent when I speak English. I'm Canadian and there is an obvious English accent when I think of people in other countries speaking it such as in Australia and in Britain. However, I do not think I have an accent when I speak at all. I wonder if Australians or British people for example think us Canadians/Americans carry an accent as well. Or better yet, if they themselves (Australians and the Brits) think they have an accent when speaking.

I know I have an accent. It's only natural for me to not hear the accent in my own voice; but I know that others listening to me can immediately identify the accent. I think everyone in the world has an accent, but some are more honest about and recognizing of it than others.

[sidney]

Every country has their native accent, like the Filipino, Indians or Chinese, you can distinguish them when they speak English. I can also distinguish an Australian accent from a British accent, but I don't think that Canadians sound different than Americans, except for the fact that Canadians can speak and understand French.

[Alrikidokie]

I live in the part of the US that doesn't have a recognizable accent save for the fact that people know where I'm not from. To my knowledge anyway so I don't think I have an accent. It's like an anti-accent.

[True2marie]

I know I have an accent although I (personally) can't hear it.  In the past, I have worked in customer service and callers have mentioned my accent to me. A few attributed "my sound' to people in the Asia-Pacific region.

Considering that I was born in America and English speaking, it's funny.  I did live in the Philippines and also Puerto Rico for a few years as a minor.  So, I am assuming my accent is a meld of three different regions.

[Rosa]

I would have to say everyone does have an accent. You just never realize it until someone points it out to you and even then some of us still disagree :confused:. In my country,members of each parish do have separate accent so evidently different countries would.

[sillylucy]

I know I have an accent when it comes to speaking Spanish.  :cry: I have people tell me all of the time that I sound like I am not from Mexico. A lot of Mexicans in my area will correct me too. As a child, that made me embarrassed and that's why I never tried to learn Spanish, but now as an adult, I take it as constructive criticism.

[PSLoveCharli]

Yes I think so. Even with other languages, those have different accents. For instance, there are many different European accents that Americans notice. And with English, there are also different accents in America.

[dorannmwin]

For the longest time, I really didn't think that I had an accent. I thought that most everyone sounded the same when they were speaking English. However I started to travel more outside of my own geographical area and I started to realize that I do in fact have an accent.

I grew up in Kentucky and though when I am around people that are from the same area that I'm from I don't recognize that I have an accent. Most of my family is from Cincinnati and north of there and my accent really does stand out like a sore thumb when I am around those people.

[rosacrux]

I am a Spanish native speaker and when I speak in my own language I have a neutral accent. I am from Mexico City, and people there do not have an accent. I have been told this by other Spanish speakers and foreigners.

When I speak in English it is quite obvious I have an accent. Despite I have practiced for years, I cannot sound like a native speaker.

[Antiquarian]

Sometimes I can distinguish between an Australian and British or between a Canadian or American. Each nationality has their own unique style of speaking, and it is these styles which enables me to tell who's who. However, as far as regional accents are concerned, that one gets a bit tricky - especially if I am not a resident in their country who hasn't experienced their lands.

For instance, I haven't lived in the United States so I won't be able to distinguish between a Philadelphian accent, a Floridan accent or even an Oregonian accent if there is such one. However, as I have grown up with both Canadian and American peers, I can tell who's who by hearing them. As far as Canadians go, they have their own way pronouncing the words about, aloud or out. Not to mention the trademark "eh?" 

Between British and Australians, I find British English more mild in tone and tempo while Australian English is more vibrant and upbeat. I also have fun mimicking both British and Australian English (gotta love Aussie slang). When speaking in a British accent, the speech is almost harmonized while when speaking in Australian English, I often get a feeling of excitement.

If a country has different peoples and cultures such as China or India, then there is bound to have different accents even if they speak a common tongue. When I lived in China, I spoke Mandarin but I lived in Guangdong where Cantonese is predominant. In that area, I encountered both Northern Chinese migrants and local Cantonese. I spoke Mandarin to them and they spoke Mandarin to me. I can distinguish who's who by the way they talk and certain mannerisms.

Sincerely,

The Antiquarian.

[invictus]

I have an accent; however, I only know this because a teacher told me. I always thought that I had the "typical" American accent. According to one of my teachers, I don't. Turns out, my accent is a slue of different things that not even she can figure out. I assure you that I don't sound like an alien or anything, but I suppose there are different influences that have caused me to say things differently. I was born in California then moved to Washington and eventually Arizona. I grew up with two Tagalog-speaking parents with decently heavy Filipino accents. Maybe this is all why my accent is a crockpot of different things.

[Petar Petrov]

I definitely have an accent. I was born in Bulgaria and moved to the USA when I was 10 and I have an accent so thick that sometimes people can't understand me. Also, when I go back to Bulgaria, people say that I have an English accent speaking Bulgarian because I have been here so long.  :cry:

[Hedonologist]

I live in one of the few areas of England without a specific regional accent, so I assume I as close to standard English as you can get. I suppose if anything I have a mild London accent, but not as strong as a native Londoner.

[LivetoErr]

I have an accent, apparently. I am Canadian (from the west) but I have been told by many people from all over the US that I have an accent. Obviously, not as heavy as those in Eastern Canada but it's there. It's worth a mention that I do say "eh" quite often too.

[htr693]

Everyone has an accent. As others have already said, just because you can't hear it doesn't mean it's there. Accent is defined as a distinctive way of pronouncing a language, especially one associated with a particular country, area, or social class.

Since we are all from a country, area, and social class, we all have an accent. There are many small differences between places, even if you don't hear them necessarily. Words will be different, slang terms, intonation, cultural speech patterns.

It's all fascinating!

Check out www.dialectsarchive.com.

[dapapas]

My mother has an accent. But only when she's angry. We're 3rd & 4th generation Americans. I never really paid to much attention when I was younger to her accent. It wasn't until I was in high school that I really noticed it. She and I sound like any other Californian. But for some reason, whenever she would yell at me, she would do so in English, and I could really hear her Spanish accent. It was pretty funny! So much so, I would try to upset her purposely so I could hear it again! If she was really angry she would yell straight Spanish to me.