I've been out of Sheffield since 1991, and have lived in the States for 10 years. Every one here says I have a British accent, But I noticed my kids have a hard time understanding thier grandparents on the phone and when I go home my mates laugh at some of the words I use and someone in a pub actually refered to me as a "Bloody southerner". It usually takes me about a week to get back into the swing of things. Then when I get back here for about a week or two people will say "What did you say?" when I talk to them.

StJohn

StJohn I've lived in Canada almost 35 yrs and I'm in the same boat as you. When I go home they think I'm putting on an accent, then back here they think I've just stepped off the plane. Even though people say I haven't lost my accent, these days I have a hard time understanding them on Coronation St. So in answer to your question, no I guess I haven't lost my accent.

I've been out of Sheffield since 1991, and have lived in the States for 10 years. Every one here says I have a British accent, But I noticed my kids have a hard time understanding thier grandparents on the phone and when I go home my mates laugh at some of the words I use and someone in a pub actually refered to me as a "Bloody southerner". It usually takes me about a week to get back into the swing of things. Then when I get back here for about a week or two people will say "What did you say?" when I talk to them.

StJohn

I've lived in the States about 40 odd years now, everyone here hears my yorkshire accent, they say it's still there, but when I go back to Sheffield to visit my family thinks I speak American :huh: I don't hear it at all, in fact my Yorkshire accent gets even stronger (I think) after being back in Sheffield just a few days.

Even listening to my answer machine I don't hear a trace of an American accent one bit, but a Brit would :huh:

Im in Leicestershire and although my OH and her family dont think I have much of an accent anyway, I still notice the differences between my accent and the Leics one.

Ive been here since 2002 and Im losing what bit of accent I had, Im not speaking in a leic accent though, I just appear to be becoming more slack with my words.

for instance, Instead of saying "Weather" Im catching myself saying "Wevver" so its more of a case of turning into a chav rather than a Leicester lad.

whenever i go back to my dads, he says im losing my sheff accent :(
people round here definitely notice it tho

I have lived up north since i was 6 and still haven't lost my southern accent but my sister who has lived down south all her life says my accent has some sheffield isums!!

I'm like Joto. Been over in Canada 39 years. When I go over to UK people think I'm "from America," as the distinction between Canada and the US is blurred among the folk I know in Sheffield. Over here, people immediately recognize my accent as British. Then they ask where I come from. When I say Sheffield, they'll say something like: "I know somebody in Manchester. Her name's Aggie Bloggins." Like I might know her?

When I'm in Wales, people say I have a Yorkshire accent....

When I'm in Sheffield, I'm told I have a Welsh accent...... :help:

I'm totally confused!!!! :huh: :hihi: :hihi:

I have lived up north since i was 6 and still haven't lost my southern accent but my sister who has lived down south all her life says my accent has some sheffield isums!!
Are you from darn sarf, teeny? I never noticed that! :o Maybe because I lived down south for a long time I only really notice it when someome is definitely Estuary and can't pronounce their words correctly, a generalised southern accent must just wash over me!

I'm inadvertently using a few Scottish words, especially local ones, sometimes people here have to ask me to repeat what I say, back in Sheffield with family, I slip back into sheffieldish!!

I still have my Sheffield accent after over 24 years in Germany,still sound the same to my mates back home too.
Germans,if recognising that I'm not German when speaking German,usually think I'm Dutch or Scandinavian.

Im in Leicestershire and although my OH and her family dont think I have much of an accent anyway, I still notice the differences between my accent and the Leics one.

Ive been here since 2002 and Im losing what bit of accent I had, Im not speaking in a leic accent though, I just appear to be becoming more slack with my words.

for instance, Instead of saying "Weather" Im catching myself saying "Wevver" so its more of a case of turning into a chav rather than a Leicester lad.
born in Sheffield moved to L:thumbsup::thumbsup:eicester at the of 11 in 1946, been in Canada 40 yrs & I still get O and what part of Yorkshire are you from

Ditto Flyer..been In Ontario Since 1965, But Always A Yorkshire Lass At Heart!

No bugger understands "ey up mucker. ars tha diddling" over here so I have to speak propper england like what you does. :)

I didn't so much lose my Sheff accent as get rid of it.I arrived in Japan in'71 with just 17 quid and I needed a job in a hurry.The only work going was English teaching and there was no way I could get a job with my real accent so I had to standardise it a bit.As regards the foreign community here, everybody realises that I'm a Brit and a lot of the Brits realise I'm northern but can't tell exactly where I'm from.My vocab is definitely American though as is the vocab of most long term Brits here,mostly because there are so many American words used in the Japanese language.Gasoline,elevator etc.The only words the Brits hang onto are 'knickers'(woe betide anyone who uses the P word) and the part of the body covered by knickers which,of course,we pronounce to rhyme with 'farce' rather than 'pass'.In the UK I have been taken for North American but the only comments I ever get are when I'm in Sheffield where,at various times, I've been described as posh,lah di dah,foreign or talkin like a bleedin' news reader.As my American friends would say,'Go figure!'.

I have lived in Cyprus for 20 years. I work in the travel industry amd many of my customers ask me where in Yorkshire I come from.
The best thing is my Cypriot Partner speaks english with a Sheffield accent
Carol

Lived in OZ for 35 years & still have my Yorkshire accent. When visiting the UK I had a bit of trouble with getting the money right as our20 cent coin is the same as the 10 pence & I kept giving everyone the wrong money which was quite embarrassing because with my accent they didnt know I have not lived in the UK for 35 years. Durex has a totally different meaning in OZ as well ....ask any pommy who now lives in OZ

My Oh informed me that although my accent is going, when Im on the phone to someone from Sheffield, it returns with a vengeance and she can barely understand what Im saying.
Odd really when she says tthat I didnt have much of an accent to begin with, I wish she`d make up her mind.

I've only moved about 60 miles but the locals sometimes don't understand what I'm saying, and vice-versa. It isn't so much the accent as different words - here in Lincolnshire a "gennel" is a "snicket", "tranklements" are "kelter", "clumsy" is "unepp'n", "to hurt" is "to come sharp" etc. etc. So sometimes I'm "smockraffled" or "cross 'oppled" (that means "baffled").

Been in New Zealand for fifty years and still called a Pom,and proud of that, but horrors of horrors, when I'm back in Sheffield they say i sound like an Aussie,(yuk) lol.

I lived in South Africa for five years and had to alter my accent - just to make myself understood - although I still had the p*** taken for my "northern" vowels.

When I got back to Sheffield and heard the Sheffield accent again I cracked-up because it sounded so funny.

I never spoke like a South African but you can't help picking up words like mulk = milk, mealies = sweetcorn, braai = barbecue, bio(scope) = pictures (movies) and many more. I also picked up a few scouse words, as many of my mates out there were from Liverpool.

Ditto Flyer..been In Ontario Since 1965, But Always A Yorkshire Lass At Heart!

thats the year I came over on the "Arcadia"could you've been that pretty girl sitting at the next dinner table?:hihi::hihi::hihi:

I lived/worked on Merseyside 1978-1994. Friends and work mates thought I had a Yorkshire accent yet when I met up with old mates in the York, Broomhill in 1985 they accused me of having a scouse accent. As I worked in the Thames Valley and Devon in the 60's the Sheffield accent did get toned down a bit and is now quite a mild version. I do notice, however, that when I meet up with the Sheffield crowd at the races, my Yorkshire accent comes back in all its glory as I tend to mimic those around me.

When I was about twenty I new a Glaswegian who had lived in sheffield for about 25 years, I couldn't understand a word he said.

got a part pakistani accest and part yorkshire mix sounds more welsh than anything else

you think it's bad for your accent being in oz, or america, or japan what about me having to resist cornish.

I'm like Joto. Been over in Canada 39 years. When I go over to UK people think I'm "from America," as the distinction between Canada and the US is blurred among the folk I know in Sheffield. Over here, people immediately recognize my accent as British. Then they ask where I come from. When I say Sheffield, they'll say something like: "I know somebody in Manchester. Her name's Aggie Bloggins." Like I might know her?


Brits can't tell the difference between an American and Canadian accent, they think it's all the same country too :hihi:

I am from Sheffield. I was once on an Engineering course down in Southsea, with group of people from all over the UK - Manchester, Liverpool ( Scouser ), two from Wales ( North & South ), Bradford, Leeds, Newcastle ( Geordie ), Glasgow, Middlesborough, London ( Strong Cockney accent ), Belfast, etc., etc.
Amazingly the only one I couldn't understand was the guy from Bradford !!! A 'Fellow Tyke' !!

GLOS

Brits can't tell the difference between an American and Canadian accent, they think it's all the same country too :hihi:

You probably know the difference though poppins.

The Candians pronounce words like "House" and "About" as "Hoose" and "aboot" and finish every sentence with "eh" otherwise there's not that much difference but the Nova Scotian accent sounds a bit Irish.

I've lived in the US for 43 years but the Yorkshire is still there although I use American words a lot. My wife says I still talk like "a bloody Limey" anyway.

When I was serving with the US Marines there was a platoon sergeant in my company who was from London with a very strong cockney accent. Apart from myself and another bloke from Carlisle none of the other grunts could barely understand a word he said when he spoke in his normal way. However this sergeant could put on a flawless American accent with a slighlt southern touch and he spoke like this whenever he had to brief the platoon or address them in military matters.

He told me that he had inherited this "gift" (for want of another word) from his dad who had been a comedian in the old music halls.

Brits can't tell the difference between an American and Canadian accent, they think it's all the same country too :hihi:I think we know it's a different country, pops, but where it begins and ends is a moot point ... somewhere around the Great Lakes and Niagara Falls? is that right? :D

And I can tell the difference between a Canadian accent and a Southern Yank accent, but as for the more Northern Yank accent and Canadian, problematic!

Brits can't tell the difference between an American and Canadian accent, they think it's all the same country too :hihi:

Hi Poppins,

I have been to America and Canada many times on business over several years, and the main difference that struck me was that in Canada, particularly the Ontario - Toronto down to Niagara area, I was frequently being asked the questions - "How are things back HOME ?", and " How are things back in the OLD COUNTRY ?" - Many times by Canadians who had never even set foot in the UK !! The current Generation of them obviously retain strong links with their heritage. Some of these Canadians even associated themselves and supported UK football teams ! Made me feel quite proud and closer to Canada as a Nation.

GLOS

Hi Poppins,

I have been to America and Canada many times on business over several years, and the main difference that struck me was that in Canada, particularly the Ontario - Toronto down to Niagara area, I was frequently being asked the questions - "How are things back HOME ?", and " How are things back in the OLD COUNTRY ?" - Many times by Canadians who had never even set foot in the UK !! The current Generation of them obviously retain strong links with their heritage. Some of these Canadians even associated themselves and supported UK football teams ! Made me feel quite proud and closer to Canada as a Nation.

GLOS

Nowhere is the connection with "the old country" stronger than in Newfoundland, Glos. I spent 26 years there. Until the late '70s the provincial flag was the union jack. They tend to have a distorted view of the size of the place though, as I'd often be asked if I knew an acquaintance of theirs living in London, Manchester, or wherever.

Now, to correct Harleyman. Nova Scotians don't have an irish accent. You are probably thinking of Newfoundlanders and only then in certain regions of the province, such as the "southern Shore" immediately south of the capital St John's. As for the other pronounciations, 'aboot" etc., never heard of the likes of them either, eh. Whoever told you that must have been pulling your boot, I mean leg, "me boyo." Now that really is a Newfie expression.

Brits can't tell the difference between an American and Canadian accent, they think it's all the same country too :hihi:

It's mostly American shows which portray Canadians negatively - The Simpsons is the worst.

I can assure you that we certainly don't think it's the same country, after all Canada is a commonwealth country (so therefore ours!). Not like the nasty "Mexico Toucher" America!

My uncle went to Australia in the early 70's, he came back quite often. When he would arrive here he would have a quite strong Australian twang it would only take him the time it would take to drink about four pints to start talking sheffield again :hihi:

Nowhere is the connection with "the old country" stronger than in Newfoundland, Glos. I spent 26 years there. Until the late '70s the provincial flag was the union jack. They tend to have a distorted view of the size of the place though, as I'd often be asked if I knew an acquaintance of theirs living in London, Manchester, or wherever.

Thanks rogG,
I acknowledge your better experience. My visits to Canada have always been in the area of Ontario mentioned, particularly Toronto, Hamilton, Welland, St. Catherine and Niagara. Fabulous people ! Had some good friends and great times. I too was frequently asked if I knew particular people 'somewhere' in the UK. Being a Yorkshire man ( Sheffield ), married to a Yorkshire lass ( Sheffield ), I can well understand that feeling of belonging. I'm not in Yorkshire now, but the next best thing - I live on a road called 'Yorkshire Way' !!, and I still have and am proud of, 'the accent'.

alchresearch :
The Americans portray everyone negatively when it suits them !

GLOS

You probably know the difference though poppins.

The Candians pronounce words like "House" and "About" as "Hoose" and "aboot" and finish every sentence with "eh" otherwise there's not that much difference but the Nova Scotian accent sounds a bit Irish.

Vermont accents sound Canadian too, well the ones I know do, they live near the Canadian border, that could account for it.

But most Brits don't even know that Hawaii an American state either

Might be a bit off topic here, but somethings bugging me here. I watch Coronation St, we are way behind, but in ours Audrey's son Steven has been visiting. So why is he suppose to come from Canada when he sounds nothing like the Canadians I know, in Ontario :suspect: His he just bad at accents, or tell me friends is there another part of Canada where I haven't been, speaks like that :huh:

Are you from darn sarf, teeny? I never noticed that! :o Maybe because I lived down south for a long time I only really notice it when someome is definitely Estuary and can't pronounce their words correctly, a generalised southern accent must just wash over me!


Yes hun I am southerner born on the good old Isle of wight lol

Might be a bit off topic here, but somethings bugging me here. I watch Coronation St, we are way behind, but in ours Audrey's son Steven has been visiting. So why is he suppose to come from Canada when he sounds nothing like the Canadians I know, in Ontario :suspect: His he just bad at accents, or tell me friends is there another part of Canada where I haven't been, speaks like that :huh:

Here in sunny B.C. we don't sound like that, think probably just a Limey trying to effect a Canuk accent

But most Brits don't even know that Hawaii an American state eitherHopefully, we 'Brits' aren't quite as thick as you hope we are ...I think we know more than you think ... I thought everyone knew that about Hawaii ... and Alaska too!

Anyway, was I right about the American border? You're allowed to google if you're not sure :D

Brits can't tell the difference between an American and Canadian accent, they think it's all the same country too :hihi:
We all know over here that a house in Canada is a hoose, and they say "eh" at the end of every sentence. Many Americans think I'm Irish, though I still have the Sheffield accent I left with 40 years ago. Maybe my wife's County Clare accent got into my voice a bit. My cousin Ernie came to visit a while ago and his accent was pure Attercliffe. A waitress in a local restaurant asked him if he was Norwegian!!

Vermont accents sound Canadian too, well the ones I know do, they live near the Canadian border, that could account for it.

But most Brits don't even know that Hawaii an American state either

A lot of Vermonters are of French Canadian descent also. I had a girl friend who lived in Burlington who also spoke French.

Hawaii? Where's that? :hihi::hihi:

We all know over here that a house in Canada is a hoose, and they say "eh" at the end of every sentence. Many Americans think I'm Irish, though I still have the Sheffield accent I left with 40 years ago. Maybe my wife's County Clare accent got into my voice a bit. My cousin Ernie came to visit a while ago and his accent was pure Attercliffe. A waitress in a local restaurant asked him if he was Norwegian!!

Americans are very poor at detecting the origins of accents. In my time I've been asked if my accent is Irish, Scots, Australian:huh: and one guy even flat out said I was German (sounded like one and looked like one he said)

I was in a JC Penny store a couple of years ago and asked a salesman where the sports department was.
"What part of Sheffield you from?' He asked He was from Frecheville and picked up the accent after I had spoken less than 6 words. Quite amazing I thought.

Nowhere is the connection with "the old country" stronger than in Newfoundland, Glos. I spent 26 years there. Until the late '70s the provincial flag was the union jack. They tend to have a distorted view of the size of the place though, as I'd often be asked if I knew an acquaintance of theirs living in London, Manchester, or wherever.

Now, to correct Harleyman. Nova Scotians don't have an irish accent. You are probably thinking of Newfoundlanders and only then in certain regions of the province, such as the "southern Shore" immediately south of the capital St John's. As for the other pronounciations, 'aboot" etc., never heard of the likes of them either, eh. Whoever told you that must have been pulling your boot, I mean leg, "me boyo." Now that really is a Newfie expression.

You're quite right rogG about the Newfoundland accent. My mistake. But I do remember that Canadian way of saying "aboot" or "hoos" during the time I lived in Montreal for "aboot" one year

The French Canadian way of speaking French sounds nothing like the French spoken in France. I was told that the Canadian French was the way it was spoken in Brittany and Normandy back in the 16th and 17th centuries.

I've lived in the States about 40 odd years now, everyone here hears my yorkshire accent, they say it's still there, but when I go back to Sheffield to visit my family thinks I speak American :huh: I don't hear it at all, in fact my Yorkshire accent gets even stronger (I think) after being back in Sheffield just a few days.

Even listening to my answer machine I don't hear a trace of an American accent one bit, but a Brit would :huh:

Yes, youve still got an American accent dear !!:rolleyes:

You're quite right rogG about the Newfoundland accent. My mistake. But I do remember that Canadian way of saying "aboot" or "hoos" during the time I lived in Montreal for "aboot" one year

The French Canadian way of speaking French sounds nothing like the French spoken in France. I was told that the Canadian French was the way it was spoken in Brittany and Normandy back in the 16th and 17th centuries.

I'd forgotten about Quebec, Harleyman. Quebecois pronounciation of English can be strange because their first language is French. And you're absolutely right that they speak an ancient variety of French quite different from that spoken in Paris. They also have a mix of anglo words scattered in there. They like it if you try speaking to them in French first. Most times when I tried it, they'd speak back to me in English, appreciating the effort I'd made but being tactfully honest about the quality of it. A bit off the Sheffield track, but just commenting on a point made.

Regarding this question of accents. When a person moves away from Sheffield it becomes clear that he can't 'thee and thou' as he once did. So, he has to modify his way of speaking a little. That means South of Sheffield I might add, or another English speaking country.
Then after a while comes the big test. Do you want to retain your original way of speaking(minus the 'thee and thouing') or do you want to aquire your adopted country's/other place in England's, way of speaking. I found that a lot of people who move to the States or Canada go for the second option intentionally. A girl I once went out with moved to the States, lived there for 6 months and came back sounding like 'Mama Cass.
Two other people I know have lived in Canada for 40 years or more. One of them sounds Canadian, the other sounds like the Scot he is.
So I think it's a question of choice, do you want to lose your mother accent or aquire another. Somebody's going to kill me for this.

That's partly true, Texas. Some people lose their accent intentionally. Some accents are more difficult than others to lose though. I've not met too many folk from Glasgow who have lost their accent. It's so ingrained and you can spot it a mile away. I also think that with some folk losing an accent is at least part unintentional, the ear picking up the sound and tuning the voice accordingly. In my case, like you say, I had to drop the thees and thous or people would have thought I was from a different century. Beyond that, the sharp edges wore off effortlessly.

I have lived in Australia for thirty five years & still have my yorkshire accent & most other Yorkshire people I have met in Oz also still have their accent. You do have to adapt to some extent but only in actual words for example imagine my horror when at work one day someone (an Aussie) asked me to pass them the DUREX. When I recovered my composure and said I could see any durex they informed me I was looking at it.....turned out to be the cellotape. Another Queensland word I think is the word duchess meaning dressing table.
I have trouble making people understand if it is Ham or Lamb I am asking for & I remeber asking for a CD once by a band called DRAGON & after about the 5 th time of her trying to understand what I was saying my daughter intervened & pronounced the word DRAGON in the Aussie wasy which appeared to be DRAAAAAAgon.
So you do learn to adapt a little
There are other funny things that can happen as well which I wont go into too much but my mother on arrival here stated she would have to root through her handbag to find something & was very quickly advised rooting here most certainly had a different meaning & to be carefiul how she used the word.

That's partly true, Texas. Some people lose their accent intentionally. Some accents are more difficult than others to lose though. I've not met too many folk from Glasgow who have lost their accent. It's so ingrained and you can spot it a mile away. I also think that with some folk losing an accent is at least part unintentional, the ear picking up the sound and tuning the voice accordingly. In my case, like you say, I had to drop the thees and thous or people would have thought I was from a different century. Beyond that, the sharp edges wore off effortlessly.

I think the Amish in Pennsylavania still use the thee and thou don't they?

On a previous mention of Quebec I once came across a character named Angus MacFarlane who was from up north in the Gaspe area. He could only speak French. Didn't know a word of English.

I've noticed that there is a difference in accents between English speaking Canadians from the eastern provinces and those from British Columbia. It's very slight but it's there.

It can be said of the British too. They think all Americans sound the same. It's taken me a few years of living here in the States but now I pick up on the State differences, I live in Ohio and can tell a person who is from Kentucky only 15 miles away.

So sometimes I give the yanks a bit of leyway unless they ask if I'm from London then they recieve a swift lesson in geography

My wife is originally from Georgia (USA that is)) and although she's been in California for over forty years she still has a bit of that southern twang.

We sometimes kid each other about our accents. She likes to say that I still speak like a bloody limey and I tell her that she's beginning to sound more and more like a damn Yankee every day which really sets her off lol

Hey Harleyman, your mention of the Amish really sets me off. I heard them once on a visit to Pennsylvania. Any Sheffielder could've given them lessons, it was like listening to Compo in 'Last of the Summer Wine. They got it all wrong, they said things like 'thee doesn't' and 'thee does.' Regarding accents though, my grandma came from the Cheshire/Staffordshire border and when we were in Sheffield she spoke normally (like a Sheffielder). When we moved to Cheshire just after the blitz(WW2), she really turned it on. 'Conna',for Can't you', 'Dust?' for Do you? 'Wit'? for Will you? And my favorit, 'Weeter' for water. I loved it. It's an accent that doesn't get a lot of press. But speaking of the french Canadian accent(notice the small 'f ') always makes me wonder how a french Canadian would get on talking to a real 'Cajun' speaker.

Hey Harleyman, your mention of the Amish really sets me off. I heard them once on a visit to Pennsylvania. Any Sheffielder could've given them lessons, it was like listening to Compo in 'Last of the Summer Wine. They got it all wrong, they said things like 'thee doesn't' and 'thee does.' Regarding accents though, my grandma came from the Cheshire/Staffordshire border and when we were in Sheffield she spoke normally (like a Sheffielder). When we moved to Cheshire just after the blitz(WW2), she really turned it on. 'Conna',for Can't you', 'Dust?' for Do you? 'Wit'? for Will you? And my favorit, 'Weeter' for water. I loved it. It's an accent that doesn't get a lot of press. But speaking of the french Canadian accent(notice the small 'f ') always makes me wonder how a french Canadian would get on talking to a real 'Cajun' speaker.

They cant get their "thees" right Texas cos they're all of German descent and of course they managed to screw up their adopted Olde English accordingly

I took some French classes in Montreal to try and learn some of the lingo. The teacher was from France so we learned his French but it didn't do me any good because I still couldn't understand a word of the Canadian French.
It's sort of guttural sounding but I wasnt completely lost because every fourth or fifth word they used was English

I found that if you tried to speak French to them they'd answer in English anyway.

They cant get their "thees" right Texas cos they're all of German descent and of course they managed to screw up their adopted Olde English accordingly

I took some French classes in Montreal to try and learn some of the lingo. The teacher was from France so we learned his French but it didn't do me any good because I still couldn't understand a word of the Canadian French.
It's sort of guttural sounding but I wasnt completely lost because every fourth or fifth word they used was English

I found that if you tried to speak French to them they'd answer in English anyway.

Several of my friends are French Canadians. They have difficulty being understood in France. As part of its bilingual upgrade program the Public Service commission here offer courses in conversational French. But, it's the Quebecois variety that is taught. I took several courses but unless you use it, you lose it and that's what's happened. Btw., French is not only spoken in Quebec. New Brunswick is a bilingual province with a high proportion of francophones, as are parts of Ontario (Ottawa region, parts of northern Ont) and Manitoba. Even in PEI we have a very small French (Acadien) speaking enclave living toward the western end of the island.

Many times, in the U.S., I've gone into a store, made my purchase,and the girl assistant has said 'Oh', I love your accent'. I mean give me a break, I've not lived in Sheffield or the North for nearly 50 years, but my accent is still as strong. It's in the vowels I guess.
Speaking of U.S.accents, apart from the obvious North and South differences, I think the Eastern seaboard accent is quite distinctive too. I mean the basic Maine/Massachusetts way of speaking. Remember the guy who played the mailman in 'Cheers', he'd got it down to a 'T'.

Many times, in the U.S., I've gone into a store, made my purchase,and the girl assistant has said 'Oh', I love your accent'. I mean give me a break, I've not lived in Sheffield or the North for nearly 50 years, but my accent is still as strong. It's in the vowels I guess.
Speaking of U.S.accents, apart from the obvious North and South differences, I think the Eastern seaboard accent is quite distinctive too. I mean the basic Maine/Massachusetts way of speaking. Remember the guy who played the mailman in 'Cheers', he'd got it down to a 'T'.

I've still got my Yorkshire accent after 43 years Texas. I never tried to lose it anyway.

Dont much fancy the Eastern seaboard accent but I love the way the southern girls talk. Still do, listening to my wife after being together 37 years

Several of my friends are French Canadians. They have difficulty being understood in France. As part of its bilingual upgrade program the Public Service commission here offer courses in conversational French. But, it's the Quebecois variety that is taught. I took several courses but unless you use it, you lose it and that's what's happened. Btw., French is not only spoken in Quebec. New Brunswick is a bilingual province with a high proportion of francophones, as are parts of Ontario (Ottawa region, parts of northern Ont) and Manitoba. Even in PEI we have a very small French (Acadien) speaking enclave living toward the western end of the island.

When I arrived in Montreal in 1965 I worked as a carpenter for a construction company. The foreman's name was Joe Robitaille. New Brunswicker and fluently bi-lingual. Later on after I had been studyinG French for a few weeks I spoke to him one morning in my amateur French.
He gave me a big grin and said
"Dont practice your French on me. Let's just speak English so you'll know what I need you to work on today. Get yourself a nice French speaking girl to practice on. You'll have a lot more fun too"

Very funny I thought at the time and still do after all these years :hihi:

When I arrived in Montreal in 1965 I worked as a carpenter for a construction company. The foreman's name was Joe Robitaille. New Brunswicker and fluently bi-lingual. Later on after I had been studyinG French for a few weeks I spoke to him one morning in my amateur French.
He gave me a big grin and said
"Dont practice your French on me. Let's just speak English so you'll know what I need you to work on today. Get yourself a nice French speaking girl to practice on. You'll have a lot more fun too"

Very funny I thought at the time and still do after all these years :hihi:

Hope you took his advice, Harleyman. When I started studying French,a colleague at work asked me, "Why don't you take a French mistress?" My wife wouldn't go along with it.:hihi:

Hope you took his advice, Harleyman. When I started studying French,a colleague at work asked me, "Why don't you take a French mistress?" My wife wouldn't go along with it.:hihi:

Had to move to other places rogG as the construction industry was seasonal in that part of Canada so French went by the wayside. Still have fond memories of Montreal though.

Over the years I've learned spoken Spanish (as spoken in Mexico) due to owning a construction company and many in that industry are ethnic Mexican in this part of the world.

Few years ago we went to visit some friends who live in a small town just across the border in B.C. First day there I was walking along the main street when an elderly woman passed me and said something about Loony.
Loony? Me? Why? I thought:hihi:

Found out later from our friend that she had probably asked me to spare a dollar. When I lived in Canada the dollar bill was paper and I hadnt been aware of the change to a coin

There must be something distinctive in the Sheffield accent. While looking for a particular hotel in Brighton, I asked a chap who was in a yard behind a shop, he said "Which part of Sheffield are you from", he was'nt from Sheffield or Yorkshire so how he knew I have no idea especially since I left Sheffield in 1949.

we were in kusadasi in turkey in 1993,a pair of australian girls had overheard us talking and asked if they could just listen to our conversation,i asked why,and was told we sounded like the gardener in the tv adaptation of lady chatterlys lover,one sean bean...for two overweight 30 somethings,it made our day.

We moved down to Hertfordshire in 1970. For years I tried to loose my Sheffield accent but it was so hard. Now I'm much older I dont bother anymore. I never have to give my name over the phone as people reconise my accent. I seem to laugh more and take great plesure in shouting "ay up" if someone trips up etc. Just last week someone said to me "you from Sheffield". Feels good!!!

I was in an open air market on the island of Samoa about 6 weeks ago when I heard this Sheffield voice discussing fish with a stall keeper. Had to go up and down three aisles to find him but sure enough he was from the old place , now living in Scarborough.

I moved from Sheffield in 1982 to join the RAF. I still go back to visit my parents and I live in Blackpool now. I think I have pretty much lost what accent I had - my mother, although born in Sheffield, expected us to speak 'properly', so I only had a slight one anyway. I work in a call centre and occasionally some one will mention my Yorkshire accent, though I was once asked if I come from the same place as that broad accented girl from 'Absolutley fabulous'! As if!
I love the accent and always chuckle when I think of that blood donor advert that was voiced over by Sean Bean - 'Do somthin' amazin' today.'

I think I've mentioned this before somewhere, but there's a famous tourist destination in Arizona, the Petrified Forest. Slap bang in the middle of desert country, it consists of very, very, ancient trees which have been buried so long they've turned to stone. Anyhow my wife and myself were there a few years back and while quietly discussing the various chunks of tree/stone, this guy approaches and asked what part of Sheffield we came from.
His parents had moved to the U.S from Worksop. I tell you, if your not an actor or something like that you'll never lose it.

I live in Scotland and most people here say I sound English but back in Sheffield people think I'm Scottish.Suppose after 26yrs away you do change .My kids born in Sheffield sound scottish you would not know they were originally from south of the border

I left Sheffield in 1981 and lived all over the place and still have my Sheffield accent which gets stronger after a visit. My daughters have always adopted the accent of where we were living at the time. They are now very firmly Notts (unfortunately).

The funniest was when my girls were little and my mum came to stay with us in Germany, my youngest daughter who was about 4 years old asked me "what language does Gramma speak?"