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changing accent and tone of voice
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
i change my accent according to whom i am talking to. for example, i put on a more spanish accent when talking to spanish people, for them to understand better. also, i change the tone of my voice, such as a higher softer unthreatening voice when talking to a superior (in the most general sense) and, likewise, a deeper stronger voice when talking to subordinate (in the most general sense.) is that usual?
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Yes.
I do have a "phone voice", and I also have a "angry, make kids cry voice". But I certainly don't put an accent on lol.
Hhhhhelllo, hi wheel tell joo someting, theese beers harr too hwarm Manuel.
And so on. Think Rafa Benitez.
I lived in Yorkshire until I was 5 but there are certain words I say now (I'm almost 25) which come out in a broad yorkshire accent. It's weird cos I can be talking normally then all of a sudden a word comes out in a completely different accent, certain words I have to pause before I say them so I pronounce them normally! I still get asked where I'm from as my accent must stand out in Plymouth, even after all these years.
If I'm talking to any of my spanish friends (in spanish) and i don't know the word, i always just say the english one in a spanish accent, in the hopes that they will understand better.
Also, I've roomed with two chinese girls for 5 years, and i started saying things like them, like 'close the lights' and other stuff like that.
and whenever i see my new zealand family i get my accent, but normally i talk quite posh english xD
I do talk differently around everyone, though. So does everyone I know. Mostly the "friends/family you like", "family you don't like," "strangers," "children" and "keep the crazy person calm" voices. The last one and the second one are often the same.
"Well I dinna abot midneet angen... Yes flower I would love a cup of tea... and a dinnow abot tis" - it was amazing to behold!
I have non accented english for use abroad and thickly accented at home!
Nothing wrong with a good durham accent
Me (broad yorkshire), an Irish, Northern Irish, Welsh, 2 Brummies, 1 essex lad, 1 south african, 1 kenyan and a scouser...all in one flat. Some conversations were interesting to say the least.
On another note has anyone ever felt any embaressent over their accent?
Yes!! When I was a kid, I went to the local country primary school, where almost all of the kids had actual Devon accents, and stuff, but if I ever spoke like that at home, my mother would tell me off so bad, so I learnt to speak like the others at school, then all posh at home, but sometimes I'd accidently let the posh english voice out at school, and everybody would laugh at me. Or hit me.:impissed:
They still differ. I grew up in Minnesota, now live outside Chicago and get made fun of for my pronunciation of words, especially bag, tag, lag, anything that rhymes with that... and as if Chicagoians have any place to make fun of accents! Some of my family live in Wisconsin and I notice an accent with them as well.
As for changing, can't say I do, though I do have the phone voice, which is very similar to the "oh hi, nice to see you!"... oh I really don't want to see or speak with you. About an octive higher and much more peppy than my low and depresed sounding voice.
O ja, they do talk funny up North, don'tcha know.
I'm in that little chunk between where it starts changing to Northern or Southern or Eastern or Western accents. *can't actually think of what a "Western" accent would be*
My mum sometimes shifts into her professional voice. It makes me criiiiiiinge and she hates it when I point it out.
My accent has deffo been diluted since moving down south, Ive slowed down and dont speak quite as thickly as I did before.
Not embarrassed about it at all. If people want to pre-suppose things merely based on what I sound like, I think that reflects more on them than it does on me. I am proud of my accent.