Can you recognize accents?

shiradye

Thu, May 13 2010, 3:00 pm

Yes, I can.
I am from the US of A and I can tell if s/o is from the midwest/ south/ Boston/ Brooklyn.
And I can tell from what area of England they are.
And I can tell if you are from South Africa.
And Australia, too.
And if you are speaking Hebrew, I can tell if you are French or if you are Russian.

To add some content here: I once heard a tape where the speaker stated that the different accents we have we picked up from the non jews in our surrounding culture. I wonder what she would say: where did my kids pick up their accents, when they are growing up in E"Y? (Probably she would say, from us, who picked it up from the non jews.) So, while diversity is great and accepted, we should realize that the accents come from non jews.

Rodent

Thu, May 13 2010, 5:22 pm

Who cares if accents come from 'non jews'? And I hate that term for the record. I don't care that it has honest meaning, it is often not used that way and it's unnecessary to use it.

Stick 2 groups of Jews who have never spoken to non-Jews or each other in 2 different places and over time they'll have 'accents' too. The fact that instead of that example the accents of Jews have come to reflect that of everyone around them, Jewish or not, is a "whatever". It's not a good thing, it's not a bad thing, it just is.

louche

Fri, May 14 2010, 1:47 pm

tryinghard wrote:

hadasa wrote:

No idea how to differentiate Canada from US.

Canadians often talk "aboot" the 7th day of the week which is "Shubbis". We follow the laws of the "Tawra", and I am really "soary" if I am generalizing here.

I love it! I wouldn't have known how to write it but you are spot-on.

louche

Fri, May 14 2010, 1:53 pm

Nuts wrote:

I love this topic! Accents a always fascinated me. I think the British and Aussie accent are quiet similar. Am I wrong?

It's all relative. Brit and aussie are more like each other than they are like American, but they're quite different even so. And within each of those categories there are many, many sub-accents. london is nothing like York is nothing like Edinburgh, and New York is nothing like Chicago is nothing like Dallas.

louche

Fri, May 14 2010, 1:57 pm

imamama wrote:

I can hear a French accent in someone speaking Hebrew, but in English (don't shoot me, Ruchel!) I have a hard time differentiating between a French and Israeli accent!

Simple: the French "R" is more like a weak "chet", they're fchom Fchance, you know, and the israeli "R" if it isn't rolled, comes from deeper in the throat. Unless they're trying really hard to sound American, and then the R is veRRRy haRRRRd.

MrsDash

Fri, May 14 2010, 1:58 pm

During a routine physical the doctor asked my VERY Polish grandmother where she was from. To which she replied (in a HEAVY Polish accent), "Chicago." The doctor let out a little chuckle, and asked, "Chicago, POLAND?"

chaylizi

Sun, May 16 2010, 8:06 pm

yo'ma wrote:

Rodent wrote:

I don't care if people get my accent wrong (everyone in NY kept asking me if I was English...). But you would be surprised how common the following conversation is in the US:
Person - So where are you from?
Me - Australia
Person - Oh really. What language do you speak there?
Me - English.....does it sound like I normally speak something else?
Person - Oh I just thought you spoke good English for a foreigner

Rolling Eyes

Gee, such a compliment...

That's just pathetic!!

At BY convention 2 girls (at 2 separate times) came up to me and asked me where I was from. When I told them- one asked me if that was in South America & the other asked me where in New York that was Rolling Eyes

Some people need to pay more attention in Geography.

chaylizi

Sun, May 16 2010, 8:09 pm

Rodent wrote:

Who cares if accents come from 'non jews'?

Actually, I think the opposite. I think you can usually differentiate a Jewish accent.