Have you intentionally changed your accent?

Not intentionally, but I get a lot of guff for enunciating the second T in Toronto.

 

Intentionally, no. I tend to mimic the accents of people I'm around, though. This got me in trouble a few times when I worked at a restaurant by the highway, where we'd get a lot of travelers...I had one table from...Mississippi, I think? Anyway, they thought I was making fun of their accent.

When I get drunk, I have this weird hybrid of a lake accent and a southern drawl. I'm not sure how that happened.


I do remember, in fifth grade, I made a very specific decision to stop saying "ain't." Took me a few weeks, but I haven't said it (other than jokingly) since then.

 

Do you you combine them?

/would be awwwsome

 

This should be a thing.
Can you dub videos, @Baraka_Guru?

 

It wouldn't have worked. You would both want to be Matrix.

 

I grew up in an area know for a certain kind of accent, but I never really adopted it. However, I have noticed that when I spend time around people with that accent, I start to adopt it.

 

I've been told that I don't have much or any accent. Normally that's true, but the more crap I talk, the more Southern I sound. I definitely know the dialect.

I didn't do it on purpose, but when I was hanging out with a bunch of Northern fellers( New Jersey and Pennsylvania ) in college I started sounding like them. I do a pretty good Deniro now, if I do say so myself.

 

Same here, but my pitch goes up when I get really angry. Kind of sucks because I'd rather have my Johnny Cash voice rather than my Richard Simmons voice when I'm telling folks off.

 

I make an effort to not sound like I come from Southern Ohio. Mostly I try not to talk how my mother's side of the family talks. They're from Kentucky.

It comes out when I'm tired, drunk or excited though.

The colloquialisms are the best. My friends here in Oregon like to make fun of me for saying things like, "You can't sling a dead cat without hittin someone 'round here," or "I'll slap a wart on you that'll wiz like a wire nail."

 

I still use ain't, but intentionally for emphasis.

"My boss is hosting the Christmas party at her house."

"Sure beats buying y'all a nice dinner at a restaurant."

"I know you don't like her, but I want you to go with me."

"Ain't gonna happen."

 

Werd.

 

I have the typical southern drawl. I wouldn't change it for anything

 

You can't hide that southern Philly boy accent, lol.

I'm working on my north philly accent with a little British to go along with it. I love the the way Zen says garage!

 

I don't really try to hide it, but it's not at all pronounced. Most people are surprised when they hear that I came from South Philly.

After working with Brits for years, I found myself picking up their pronunciations sometimes. GAR-age, no-MEN-clature, etc.

While you're over there, ask @Zen to take you for a good Sticky Toffee Pudding. It may be one of nature's most perfect desserts!

 

Thank you, Hamsterball. Your having tagged me, I searched for and found some ... I'd not heard of it and was looking amongst the treacle/golden syrup puddings and suddenly ... sticky toffee. So we'll try that in a few days. She and I were on Skype at the time, and I had become one of those people I used to laugh at ... at the shelves on headset, holding food aloft and talking about it.

When I was 15 I intentionally altered my handwriting. One evening, I came across 'simple modern script' and it looked and felt so much better than what they taught me at school that BOOM I learnt it and never looked back. With spoken language, 'matching' is part of my training. Change language -> change thinking/perceiving -> add understanding-choice beyond own traditional map = get to know/respect the other person better. Converse holds true and I assess people on how flexible they are willing/able to join me in my present 'default' language.


General note to TFPers

These last few months I have not been active online because I've been turning into a cleaner/handyman, transforming my place into something fit for @Freetofly to live in.
But I think about y'all often and often pop in to catch up on the blogs. For now, though, have a very happy Christmas!

"What is best in life?"
"Parrot. Dead Parrot."