Do you think you have an accent?

[Chris_A]

I definitely have an Eastern-European or even Russian accent when I speak English. But I like to think that is not a bad thing at all. As long as people understand what I want to say, it is fine by me.

[angie51]

I certainly have an accent. I reside in the UK, however I am Scottish. To be precise I stay in Glasgow.therefore I have a strong Glaswegian Accent. Although English is the "mother tongue" of the UK, The accents vary from different regions, as do the pronunciation of words.

[DDavies]

I actually just read something on this topic. No one actually thinks they have an accent in their native language because everyone thinks they speak in the standard and correct way. I don't know if I entirely agree with this statement, but I can see some truth to it.

I believe it's more along the lines of you are used to the way people surrounding you sound, so you don't notice an accent. I don't necessarily believe people think their way is the correct way. Then again, maybe they did believe that before people traveled so much, TV entered the scene and the Internet made the world a smaller place. I grew up in an exceptionally diverse city (long before the Internet), so I was exposed to a lot of accents from birth.

As for American accents, they differ according to where you grew up. Someone from Chicago has a completely different accent than someone from any other city. People who are highly trained can even detect the difference between what "side" of the city you come from. I'm from the south side of the city. Apparently, our accents is thicker than people from the northside.

[Elly]

I think that everyone has an accent, but it just doesn't become apparent until you move away from people who speak the same way--unless you have a speech quirk such as lisping or something.

I can't hear when mine changes, though, and apparently I pick up on accents quickly without noticing it. I don't know how long they stick around, though, because as I said I can't really hear the difference.

[skywatcher]

I have the classic Filipino-English accent, which is something I kind of don't want to grow up with since I want to be able to say words with the proper diction and pronunciation the way a lot of people normally say them. Not that I hate the accent, but because part of my course is being able to speak on-cam, I have to learn how to make myself understandable for everyone, haha.

[trenchant]

I'm certain that everyone has an accent, no matter where you live. Actually, even my friend who lives barely three hours away from my location claims that I have an accent, despite me not being able to tell any difference between my speech and hers, haha.

I find accents fascinating. It's quite neat listening to them.

[GingerSpice]

I'm sure I do! I'm from the Midwest USA and people from New York have asked where my accent is from. Obviously I don't hear it, everyone in this area sounds the same to me, but it just shows that everyone has an accent! I also pick up on accents- I went on a trip to Spain with my school, and our tour guide was Australian. It was really hard when talking to her not to mimic her accent- not on purpose of course, I just pick up on them, but I was afraid she'd think I was making fun and I had to try really hard not to do it!

[Rosyrain]

I live in America and there are certain words that Canadians say different than Amercians which makes you sound like you have a bit of an accent.  In America we say "about" and when Canadians say it, it sounds like "aboot."  There are a couple of other words, but they are not popping into my mind right now.  Depending on where you live in America, there are different accents here too.  In the South, there is the southern drawl, and in the upper east coast, there is the "Boston" "New York" accents...hard to explain unless you know what I am talking about.  I live on the west coast, I don't think we have any sort of accent...correct me if I am wrong here.

[003]

Yea, sure I have. But not the one people are familiar with. It is not the one they could not classify. I guess it is the accent that my native language and speaking a foreign one produced. 

[Lasonax]

I think we all have accents, I don't think there is such a thing as "universal-english" or "national-swedish" or whatever. There are people who claim that they speak the "correct" one, and all other ones are accents to the accent they are speaking... But really, all ways of speaking are accents.

When I speak swedish there is a clear accent, and if I would go to some other place in the country people would clearly hear where I am from. When I speak english however, I have a relatively british accent, sometimes it's quite extremely british, and sometimes it's less british. But for the most part, people very easily notice my british accent in english. The swedish accent that some people have when speaking english is just hideous, and it really just makes people sound uneducated. British english is the way to go, atleast if you're living in Europe.

[Felicity]

When i am angry i have Western Anatolian accent but while i am singing i have Balkan accent. :amazed:

[Trellum]

I definitely have an accent when I speak German. A lot of folks I've talked to have told me I sound like a British person attempting to speak French but German words are coming out of my mouth. Simply put, I am near-unintelligible when I speak German, and probably more unintelligible when I speak Dutch. I have been trying to eliminate my accent by listening to songs in German and I tend to watch German movies without English subtitles. I also practice German phonemes on a regular basis; native German speakers situate their tongue in their mouth differently as they speak so I am trying to imitate their mouth movements with phonetics lessons. I know I won't be able to get rid of my distinct accent, but here's hoping I sound more 'normal' the next time I try to explain a thing or two to native German speakers.

I don't blame you at all for having issues pronouncing dutch!  Man, that language is way harder that German (both pronouncing and the spelling).  I'm having such a hard time trying to learn dutch, the pronunciation is so hard for me, I'm sure a lot people will have such a hard time trying to understand whatever I try to say in Dutch.  Ah well, at least I will be doing my best   I think I will do the same you are doing: study the phonetics of the language and watch their mouth movements.

[hoodoowytch]

Oh yes.  I have a very southern accent as I was born in Savannah, Georgia, U.S.A. as well as a "deafie" accent. Because of the two accents colliding I have been told I actually sound a bit English. Not sure exactly how that could possibly be, but that is what I am told.

I am a fair bit hard-of-hearing and that is with my hearing aids, without them I am deaf. I went for sometime before I got them and so my speech had somewhat deteriorated because I really couldn't hear myself. I've had some speech therapy but it seems the ' deafie accent' has sort of stuck.

[CrystalMarie]

I think whenever you are listening to someone from a different place, you think they have an accent. I know I can tell if someone is from England or Australia base off of their English. I actually love people who seem to have an accent, it seems authentic.

[hoodoowytch]

Oh I just LOVE a British and Aussie accent! I think they just sound incredibly sexy and when you get someone like Hugh Jackman, (WOOF!),  talking in his native Aussie accent it just makes me go all weak and quivery inside. 

I think one of the prettiest accents I ever heard before my hearing went was a woman from Africa actually singing in Swahili. She knew English quite well, but would sometimes sing in her native language and it was absolutely beautiful.

[wander_n_wonder]

Different places have different accents, that is for sure.  I also notice that accent is very easy to adapt to, especially when you hear it so often.  I have been living in a foreign country for quite some time now and when I do go back to my home country, people make a comment that I sound a bit different now.  So I guess I have adapted a bit of the accent in the place I live in.

[Canadien]

To each person, their own accent is the norm. I don't think anybody feels they have an accent, only that everyone else has one. I'm Canadian, and I suppose my accent isn't very distinguishable, and follows the North American norm. Funnily enough though, someone did say there was a slight Australian twang in my voice, even though I've got no familial roots outside of Scotland, haha 

I think that accents are easily picked up subconsciously when you visit a foreign country for an extended period of time. A friend of mine went and worked in Australia for 6 months, and when she came back she spoke some of her words with a noticeable Australian accent. But after a few weeks it was gone again, so I think that your accent can change fairly quickly depending on your travels.