Does anyone's accent in English impact your impression of them?

[SangasCoverDrive]

I don't know whether it's just me because I am young but in my friends, accents play a huge part when you are trying to make new friends and if you don't have a posh accent in English, you are looked down upon. I don't think it would have been the same case back in the day but the obsession with accent is something that I find really jarring.

What are your opinions on this?

 

[Halaribo]

I don't have an issue with accents, but admittedly I do find some of them jarring to listen to.

I wouldn't rule out friendship because of it though, that's just silly.

 

[MenInG]

As long as its grammatically correct, I am fine.

Bad grammar delivered in any accent bothers me to no end.

 

[Tubs]

My Birmingham accent certainly doesn't sound intelligent, haha. But it is no big deal really. When I have to teach undergraduates as a postgraduate TA, they seem to listen all the same.

I think that when you hear foreign-accented people speaking articulate English, it makes them seem more intelligent, as it's obviously not their primary language, but they express themselves so well.

 

[Giannis]

Yeah, accents and how someone speaks does shape your impression of them and it's not just in English but in every single language in the world, you should try to speak Urdu with a British accent in Pakistan and see if anyone takes you seriously.

 

[Bi_Jamalo]

My Birmingham accent certainly doesn't sound intelligent, haha. But it is no big deal really. When I have to teach undergraduates as a postgraduate TA, they seem to listen all the same.

I think that when you hear foreign-accented people speaking articulate English, it makes them seem more intelligent, as it's obviously not their primary language, but they express themselves so well.

Brummie accent is very cool. I ve family in small heath and Alum rock and love the fact that i dont always understand what they are saying (esp when they are talking to each other)

 

[golagunda]

Generally, no. But at least in the sub-continent English is more than a language. It is also an indicator of status and educational background. What annoys me most is when people who have spent their whole life in Pakistan speak in an obviously fake American/British accent. It certainly affects my opinion of them.

 

[Giannis]

Generally, no. But at least in the sub-continent English is more than a language. It is also an indicator of status and educational background. What annoys me most is when people who have spent their whole life in Pakistan speak in an obviously fake American/British accent. It certainly affects my opinion of them.

Your accent will always shape peoples impression of you, go on ratemyprofessor and see the reviews of any foreign professors in America - it's usually negative and the most common comments are on "not understanding" how the Professor speaks. I'm sure it's the same in Pakistan, if Bilawal spoke Urdu without a British accent would he be subjected to the same mockery that he currently experiences? I don't think so, people treat you differently based off how you speak and that holds true all over the world.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Any chav accent is unbearable otherwise even Midlands is tolerable if legible

 

[Saj]

I hate it when desis try to put on those fake American accents when they are attempting to speak English.

Why not just talk normally.

 

[Vegitto1]

I hate it when desis try to put on those fake American accents when they are attempting to speak English.

Why not just talk normally.

Lol it’s not fake. In Pakistan we are not taught the Queen’s English. It is very much American as are majority of the shows we watch on TV.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

I hate it when desis try to put on those fake American accents when they are attempting to speak English.

Why not just talk normally.

Tbh if they talk normally, people from English-speaking countries make fun of them.

 

[golagunda]

Your accent will always shape peoples impression of you, go on ratemyprofessor and see the reviews of any foreign professors in America - it's usually negative and the most common comments are on "not understanding" how the Professor speaks. I'm sure it's the same in Pakistan, if Bilawal spoke Urdu without a British accent would he be subjected to the same mockery that he currently experiences? I don't think so, people treat you differently based off how you speak and that holds true all over the world.

Didn't disagree with any of that. Just that English is more than a language in the sub-continent. It is also an indicator of your social class. Bilawal's Urdu wouldn't be subjected to any mockery if he interacted exclusively with the elite. It is just that his job requires him to put on the act of being connected to the masses which causes him problems. He could live his whole life in the posh areas of Karachi or Islamabad without any issues. Also in the case of Bilawal neither his English nor his Urdu accent are fake. They both reflect his upbringing. Fake accents are obvious to spot and those are the ones I feel more strongly shape my opinion of people.

 

[golagunda]

Lol it’s not fake. In Pakistan we are not taught the Queen’s English. It is very much American as are majority of the shows we watch on TV.

Agree with the part about American tv shows but schools in Pakistan teach British rather than American English. They follow British spelling and pronunciation. Not to mention most private schools follow the O/A-Level curriculum.

 

[Saj]

Lol it’s not fake. In Pakistan we are not taught the Queen’s English. It is very much American as are majority of the shows we watch on TV.

The American accent is put on. It's obvious. In fact people who can barely speak English put on this stupid American accent to impress people it seems.

Makes me laugh when some can barely speak English but they want to say their words in a fake Newy York accent.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Mocking of accents - do you think its funny?

Mocking of accents which usually comes from Brown people living in the West or developed countries. Do you think it's funny? I have endured a lot of accent discrimination especially from the Pakistanis who would make fun of my accent because they think it's fresh and other Asians usually join in too. The funny thing is that they make fun of my English even though my grammar is almost perfect but I have never seen any white person do that and in contrast, they are actually impressed by my proficiency in English given that its not my first language.

Why do you think such things exist? Especially among the brown people because I never see any white people making fun of Eastern European or German's accents in English.

 

[gani999]

A lot of white people make fun of other accents too. I think it can be hilarious.

You should check out this show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1weSwmEs18

I love the impersonation of Barack Obama here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmVMlL5J35c

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Was it a brown person who wrote The Simpsons?

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

A lot of white people make fun of other accents too. I think it can be hilarious.

You should check out this show

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1weSwmEs18

I love the impersonation of Barack Obama here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmVMlL5J35c

It's not funny or hilarious when you are at the receiving end and making fun of French, German etc accents is different from making fun of Indian, Pakistani or Chinese accent.

 

[SangasCoverDrive]

Was it a brown person who wrote The Simpsons?

The difference is that The Simpsons realized that they were wrong and dropped the character but brown people use it as a tool to look down on people from the poorer countries.

 

[ElRaja]

i was mocked for my accent when i moved over to the UK, i made an effort to change my accent, i dont remember when i lost my original accent.

making fun of accents to humiliate people is wrong, but imitating accents is ok. i like doing loads, and just makes stuff funnier if ur making certain jokes or copying famous people.

also, truth is some accents are just painful on the ears

 

[gani999]

It's not funny or hilarious when you are at the receiving end and making fun of French, German etc accents is different from making fun of Indian, Pakistani or Chinese accent.

I admit that it is sometimes not funny if one is at the receiving end.

But why should making fun of the French or German accent be different from making fun of Indian, Pakistani or Chinese accents? At the end of the day it's making fun of a certain way of talking and the rules applied must be the same.

Are you suggesting that it's ok to make fun of French or German accents while Indian, Pakistani or Chinese accents shouldn't be made fun of?

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

The difference is that The Simpsons realized that they were wrong and dropped the character but brown people use it as a tool to look down on people from the poorer countries.

You are generalising far too much here. I have never personally seen brown people making fun of desi accents, but then I don't have one so maybe can't relate. In the same way you obviously don't interract with white people much so don't have any experience of being mocked for your accent.

Individual experiences are obviously going to differ.

But yes, white societies being far more experienced with generations of multiculturalism behind them are quite far ahead of third world countries in dealing with racism. It's self-explanatory really.

 

[silentkiller187]

making fun out of someones accent says more about you than the person speaking.