Ask a foreigner

[Rose White]

Here (American Southwest) fireworks are legal and sold in stores and pop ups. People start setting them off around sunset and they go until after midnight. I thought the rain would slow them down but apparently not! Also I thought the shops would be closed the next day and some were but most were open!

 

[Rose White]

This is a post about accents.

I live in Southwest USA. Here there is no accent, except maybe among rural people. I guess we would call it a generic American accent? My question is, if you have an accent other than average American (I realize this is open to interpretation) do you hear your own accent?

My ex MIL grew up in the Deep South and said she made it a point to lose her accent when she moved out west, due to discrimination.

I heard that accents are being lost or diluted as kids grow up hearing American accent on TikTok, social media, and streaming.

 

[In the weeds]

I have lived numerous places in the US and it's fun for me to guess where someone is from by their accent. Boston, Philadelphia, deep south, I've lived in them all and adjusted quickly to their accents. Here in Florida there is such a mix of people I don't think it has a distinct accent of it's own lol. Funny that the "deep south" accent isn't heard here from Floridians. It's like it doesn't have it's own accent.

 

[user27357]

listening to people that i have known forever develop the new accents from where they moved to is funny to me. A cousin is speaking full on Australian g’day and all now, just cracks me up, after 20 years she cant even speak ‘merican anymore.
i notice my syntax changes when i am working with engineers everyday, its not the same as my normal blue collar roughneck, and thats different from my north california hippie that comes out when i am in the company of musicians. Its a tribal thing I think, most everything is. left over from the days when our caveman ancestors had to fit in or find another tribe.

 

[Freddyt]

listening to people that i have known forever develop the new accents from where they moved to is funny to me

Yeah, took me less than 6 months to pick up a So-Cal twang after my cornea transplant.

We often think we don't have a local accent until say things like, watching the TV Show SCTV. It was made here, where I live. First time I ever saw it was st my uncles in southern California after Saturday Night Live (John Belushi and that bunch), Suddenly it's like - hey we do have an accent.

 

[Rose White]

Apparently there’s something called TikTok accent! Characterized by uptalk and vocal fry.

 

[LuckiLee]

Anyone in the UK on Facebook follow Josh & Jase? They're Brits on a road trip through the U.S and right now they're in Michigan. I have lived my whole life here. The U.S is more than what tv and msm show. Check them out.

 

[Freida]

Anyone in the UK on Facebook follow Josh & Jase? They're Brits on a road trip through the U.S and right now they're in Michigan. I have lived my whole life here. The U.S is more than what tv and msm show. Check them out.

Not in the UK but I love them! Their version of what Michigan is like has cracked me up

 

[Freddyt]

What really throws people from Europe about the Americas is distances. We were talking about it at my sisters birthday party.

About 2.5 hours drive takes you from London to Scotland.

From where I am to the US Border takes 6.5 hours driving.

To the border of either neighbouring province? 4 hours.

Halfway to Toronto from where I am, is the Ontario border.

Los Angeles is closer than Toronto.

The best way to see Canada - the Via Rail Canadian, from Toronto to Vancouver or vice versa. The Rocky Mountaineer is a great way to see the Rocky Mountains with the Rogers pass being the most spectacular route from Vancouver to Calgary. The Yellowhead pass is still spectacular.

The best way to get from Banff National Park to Jasper National park is the Banff/Jasper Highway, where you see sights like this, about every kilometre or two....

 

[Chris-duck]

About 2.5 hours drive takes you from London to Scotland.

Um no. Its 5 hours driving.

Yes the uk is smaller but its roads are windier. So a thing the usa doesn't understand about the UK is that it can take me (in glasgow) over a day to get to another area of scotland

 

[Teasel]

(6 hours from london to scotland)
But yes, distances are very different in UK compared to US / Canada

 

[FFnerd]

Yes traveling over there (Europe) was a fun change for me when I visited - in general I loved how easy and efficient it was to get everywhere on public transport. Only places we had a bit of issues getting around were Iceland and the Treviso, inland Venice area of Italy - missed the last train out of Venice once and had to wait and pay for a very expensive taxi back to my airbnb lol
Iceland nearly took my friends ID for following my poor driving directions and getting us pulled over in a rental, they (understandably) had a zero tolerance for driving impaired, she blew something like a .02 or less and they forced us to do the 50 min walk of shame through empty streets back to our airbnb that night
Even in the pitch black, that was still the safest walk we've ever had around 1am lol Unthinkable here in the US.