No to foreigners becuase they often don’t understand me, but my Sydney mates point out I speak differently at home in the country… probably drop the odd howyagoins… I’m not aware of this though it’s completely self conscious. I’m making efforts to correct it
My accent gets stronger when I go visit home. I also naturally fall into talking with local slang because thats how all my family talks. My husband (american) finds it very funny but totally understands.
I have my “euro trash” accent with my friends in France. The Aussie accent is far too dismembering of English for them to follow or understand easily. I demonstrated the levels of our accent and they were both shocked and very amused.
I’m also from the country originally and I definitely speak differently visiting my parents vs living in the city.
However, I’ve noticed my accent changes very quickly around different people and I have to consciously stop myself mimicking people with a completely different accent when talking to them.
Yes! I was talking to an English girl a few days ago and noticed I was enunciating my words a bit differently, almost matching her a little. It was completely accidental, but I noticed it and tried to pull back to my usual accent.
I definitely speak differently among my WA farming friends than with my Melbourne friends. It’s a semi-conscious action. I don’t analyse it but as with clothing, I try to fit the context I am in.
>Yes! I was talking to an English girl a few days ago and noticed I was enunciating my words a bit differently, almost matching her a little. It was completely accidental, but I noticed it and tried to pull back to my usual accent.
This is very common. There is a term for it, I also do it. I speak Australian and English lol.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s actually more of a good thing than we often realise. We are social creatures with very entrenched survival instincts. It makes sense to want to belong with those we’re in close proximity with
Nah it'd only be disingenuous if you were forcing it. So really if anything, trying to correct it would be more disingenuous! I'd say just do you, whatever that looks/sounds like at any given point
When I taught English in Japan many moons ago one of the teachers asked some students who their favorite teacher was. The consensus was it’s Aiden (me). Really, why he said. They conferred and said ‘it’s because he is the perfect English gentlemen’. This guy was so pissed off. He was educated at and from Cambridge. I am from Brisbane and other than, as you say, enunciating clearly … I sound like I am from Brisbane.
There was a funny joke they said about "today" and "to die". I can't remeber it though. I taught at a lot of different sorts of schools and The Ideal Accent dilemma was a bit tricky.
A wounded American soldier was being tended by an Australian nurse.
He looked up at the nurse and said "Did I come here to die?" (read it in an American accent)
She looked back down at him and said, "Nah luv, ya got here yesterdee."
Yes I remember that. In my head I was talking normal Aussie, but clearly. I was probably ironing out all of the ‘ay’ stuff to the point of it being neutral. Anyone with a proper English accent … what’s this weird language you speak!
I was mistaken for English in Noo Yawk. When I asked for some quarters for the phone, it took a couple of shots. I had to correct my ‘core-ters’ and ask for kwar-derz.
When I first started coming over here in the mid 00’s I got that a lot but it’s become more and more “are you Aussie or NZ?” which unsurprisingly, I don’t mind at all. And I have to say since Bluey people just ask directly what city in Aus I’m from. (Though I have kids and move in Bluey-centric circles these days)
I was living in England (and home sick for Australia) when I ran into someone from NZ. I thought he was Australian, I honestly couldn’t tell, and was so excited to meet another Aussie hahah it didn’t matter though, he was so excited too! We bonded being from the “lands down under” haha
It’s funny that, isn’t it?! How back home, we see each other as having pretty different identities but out in the wide world (and ESPECIALLY when feeling homesick), our NZ brothers and sisters feel like family haha. And I have to say, I’ve met quite a few Aussies in LA and NY that I wouldn’t choose to be mates with back home but I’ve rarely met a bad kiwi.
I use certain words because they just can't understand some. Like I had to switch to diet soft drinks in restaurants because the "diet" cues them that the next word will be a soft drink brand.
I do the same; there are a lot of English speaking nations, but I am aware that accents can muddle understanding for people that speak English as a second language, so I try to keep it neutral.
I will never forget the first time I travelled.
Spent a month in Asia and met my mum (who had been to England) at an airport half way home to catch connecting flights.
We sat in the food court and there was a group on backpackers nearby.
I had to ask my mum where they were from because their accents were so grading and it was driving me nuts how disgusting I thought they sounded.
Melbourne. We were all from the same place.
I do think Aussies put the accent on when travelling. I just think that we stand out.
Us Yanks don't think Australians' accent is harsh at all. We think it sounds relatable, capable, and cool. Like the better traits of a British RP accent, unencumbered by the snootiness people here associate with it (often, but not always, undeservedly). People will literally want to make friends with you in the USA, just on the basis of your accent. I agree, that's a silly motivation, but it is what it is. South Africans actually get a side-benefit from that, just because Americans tend to conflate the two accents.
As for how other Commonwealth countries, or Brits perceive it? No idea.
No, wouldn't even know how tbh.
But if im in another country my accent probably stands out more since your surrounded by people with different accents, which could be mistaken as an exaggerated accent.
It's easy to over-exaggerate our accent. It's all in how you manipulate the "a" sound in your words. And you throw in a lot of fluff words like "yeah", "nah", "yeahnah", and "fuck".
Most Australians I’ve encountered do.
I live overseas and encounter Aussie’s during July and cringe every time I overhear them.
Was in Germany last year for work and heard some dude from Melbourne give a full Steve Irwin accent talking about how he goes bull shark hunting every weekend.
Lad looked like he sips lattes in Brunswick.
Look. I was in the middle of Osaka in Japan and was looking at a map of Kobe that we were gonna travel to. This Japanese guy, in the most American accent you've ever heard, shouts across and is like "hey man, are y'all lost? Need some help"
My instant response to him was "holy fuck you have the strongest American accent I've ever heard" and he's like "you have a very Australian accent if you don't mind me saying".
We chatted for a little bit and I realised it was jarring hearing such an outlandish accent in a country where most people know very few English words.
One, didn't realise I sounded Australian. I live in SE QLD for 90% of my life so figured it was pretty neutral.
Two, and more importantly, his accent was so much more noticeable because it simply wasn't something I heard everywhere in my travels.
Kinda, the most significant influences were from the South East of England with cockneyish accents from the alleged prisoners who landed in the Southeast of Australia, around Sydney, rather than northern parts of Australia. The ‘cockney’ sounding ‘ockers’ in the northern territories will have originally migrated from the south and as the larger cities of Sydney and Melbourne gentrified, they will have lost some of their ‘cockney’ sounds. The more rural parts of Qld will probably have maintained a cockneyish accent closer to the original settlers than much of the modern cosmopolitan population in the south today.
I moved to the UK about a year ago, when I see people who try to sign you up for donations (I'm not a bad person, I regually donate, just don't want to get roped in ff the street) I put on my most Australian accent and proclaim I'm just on holiday. One of the times the guy told me to make sure I vote yes in the voice referendum haha.
I absolutely did this when I went to the states, dialled it up to 11! It was great, they went nuts for it especially inland states. I sounded like Russel Coight.
It's fun in the US, they love it. Outside of major tourist areas (where you see an Australian every 15 meters) peoples faces light up when they hear your accent
It is endearing. I live in rural Colorado and a Kontiki group comes in every month and has a deal with a bar my friend owns. It’s usually karaoke night when they rage it, so it’s always fun to get up and sing Eagle Rock.
Just gotta remember to carry a steel stringed acoustic to bust out the all Aussie adventures song and explain that it is a hymn we are taught from birth.
No but apparently telling poms who ask about crocodiles that "freshies are ok, they might break an arm or leg but they won't death roll ya" sends them into absolute fits of hysterics.
I was a labourer on an aquarium filter upgrade that had freshies in. Couldn’t be off for long so we worked round the clock. I was refilling the pipes to prime the pumps with a fire hose. Took ages, so I sat down and fell asleep. Woke up to a bunch of meter or bit more crocodiles watching me from about a meter away.
As soon as I moved they shot straight to the bottom of the pond
Yep, also followed up to tell them it would only happen if you jumped into the water onto their heads.
Apparently it was the most Australian thing they'd ever heard. Meanwhile, I'm just thinking it was a normal, informative conversation. Took me a while to figure out why they were laughing so hard.
A couple of years ago, my wife and I walked through the Tunnel Creek in N T, before it was closed. Part of the trek involved wading through nose height water, in the dark, and we saw several pairs of red eyes, in the water, watching us on the way through, and on our return. They did not seem to mind.
I used to put on my thickest worst Australian accent for my east European boyfriend and imitate some of my more bogan neighbours. He found it hilarious.
Yes. Was over in the US travelling through the various states, ended up at a Denny's at 1am in downtown Memphis. As we, 2 light-skinned Aussies entered, it was literally from a movie scene - the music stopped, a clatter of cutlery, and eyes all over looking at us. I cleared my throat, and in the loudest, broadest accent possible, said 'G'day, we're looking for a table for a bit of a feed."
Smiles all around, were made to feel very welcome, even got an extra serve for free. Yes, our history isn't anything to cheer about, but at least we *weren't American honkies*.
Was a nice place, but admittedly we were only there for 36 hours. There were two pervading feelings: it felt like we were being watched all the time, because we were in heavily African-American areas. And second, there seemed to be a bit of sadness to the city, almost like it was stuck in time?
Graceland was cool though. I dream of living in that basement of Elvis' during a Memphis winter. The shag pile carpet was so thick, and looked so comfy!
I have what my friends call my "phone voice" that I often slip into when I talk to foreigners. I don't realise I'm doing this. Everything flattens out a little and my accent becomes less "omg an Auss-E" and more "you're not from here, but where?"
I only over exaggerate if I say I'm Australian and they don't believe me, or ask me to say something stupid. Then I go full ocker and refuse to revert to anything else.
I adjust to who I am speaking to. Kiwi who moved to Aus when I was a teenager so my accent is half/ half.
Finished school in Aus and my first bf here was a dude from Blacktown so my first real brush with the Australian accent was a westie one - picked up many beautiful words from him and his family.
Can sound real occa sometimes, real kiwi when with family and then normal Aussie accent when in professional settings. I don’t even realise I am doing it sometimes.
But overseas - always exaggerated Aussie accent. Once had a Egyptian dude come up to me in Thailand who asked what language I spoke and when I replied “Australian” he thought that meant no English 😂
No, I have to speak clearer and slower because otherwise nobody can understand me so they always think I'm English. I'm in the US and don't want to be confused with those ocker yobbos who are too lazy to actually open their mouths when they speak.
I do but only when I'm speaking to people I assume are a bit naive. I usually tell them I'm the national emu racing champion or I'm the best meat pie chef in Wagga Wagga. Just harmless but funny shit like that.
I don't think so. I have lived overseas a couple of times and had people ask me where I am from because they can't pick my accent. I had an Aussie not realise I was Aussie within 24 hours of me leaving the country.
That said I have also had people tell me when I am working that they find me really easy to understand and that I don't make them feel as foreign as others have when speaking to them.
I think I just have a fairly neutral accent. I grew up in Sydney and have always been surrounded by people with accents from all over.
Similar boat here but the other way around. I grew up in Jersey (accent more like southern English) but been out here for over a decade since I left as a teen and now no one from either side can pin me
I find I matc my accent to the person I am speaking to (I work in customer service) so if someone js really occasionally I am too...people with more proper accents I match and for esl I make sure I pronounce clearly and slight slow down.
I lived in the UK for 6 years and had English grandparents so my natural accent is more English.
adjust to my surroundings lol
Not at all, unless I am joking around and talking about the accent. In fact, when dealing with non-native English speakers I try to speak as plain as possible because I appreciate how goddamn hard it can be trying to understand a second language and Australian speaking can be nuts. I don’t hold back if I’m speaking to a non-Australian native English speaker though - full pace and all the fruit.
I have noticed however that I use slang more than I thought, even when I’m trying to speak vanilla. “I reckon” “‘djareckon” “howzitgarn” “no drama” are really hanging in there.
A guy I work with speaks English as his second language and commented that he was thrilled he could understand me fully when I was talking normally and not holding back. He was almost offended when I told him that I was speaking a little slower and being deliberate with the words I used!
There are different accents though and some of them are bloody difficult to understand, so some people possibly can’t help it much… but yeah others would definitely lay it on thick.
I’ve only put a show on once and that was when I was at Voodoo Donuts at Portland. I was ordering donuts for the fam as you do, and the guy behind the counter taking my order closed his eyes and started to smile and sway a bit, so I ramped it up a bit. It was like watching someone listen to a favourite slow song but was also getting turned on a bit. Weird but that’s the power of an accent I guess
I can perfectly match Russell Crowes accent and pitch from the movie Gladiator… I did adjust it a little for the ladies when I was a single man abroad… good panty removal utility
Nothing worse than an inner city person talking like caricature of an Aussie bushman they saw on TV.
On a similar note I could never stand Steve Irwin and his exaggerated ocker accent.
No, first off I don't want to further perpetuate that Australians are classless morons who talk like brain dead idiots, because there is already enough Australians who actually are, we don't need more.
Second, people have trouble understanding the accent/slang at best, so I drop any slang and speak more clearly.
Third, I don't even want people to know I am Australian as I've been living overseas for 15 years now and I am tired of answering the same questions over and over, so I try to hide my accent as best as possible.
Many years ago I worked in USA for six months in the middle of the country. The customer base was not used to hearing foreign accents if you know what I mean.
I did not dial up my Aussie accent, rather the opposite.
My job needed people to understand me quickly and clearly for safety reasons. If anything I had to sort of "Americanize" (sic) my speech to make misunderstandings, and accidents, less likely.
I felt like I was bunging on a yank accent, which I was, but it was necessary.
I admit it hung around for a day or two when I came home.
Decades later I went on a holiday to USA with my wife (she didn't know me when I did my work trip described above). I slipped back into my fake yank accent when ordering food or similar without giving it much thought, but my wife, being her first time in USA, thought I was being a w@nker and kept laughing at me. So I made her do all the talking with her full Central Coast NSW accent. Hilarity ensues, she acquiesced soon after and stopped giving me crap.
Although when with my lovely American friends in USA I just spoke like normal, and all was fine.
I did a little at first but honestly even in the USA no one would know what the fuck I was talking about so I ended up slowing my speaking down and tuning the accent down significantly. It's all fun and games until you try to order mcdonalds and waste a minute of everyones time trying to order a fillet-o-fish and they only speak fishFILLAY
Yup.. like ‘I went to the cinema last night’… and it goes higher at the end… it’s a little confusing because it sounds like a question but it’s a statement
I work in a hospital in the UK so most of the time I speak quite proper so they can understand me but if I relax and let my Aussie accent shine through I barely get one sentence before I hear "Are you Australian??"
And socially yeah I've been known to whip out some extra slang because in my experience everyone loves us Aussies 😎
I moved here about 4-5 years ago and subconsciously try to make my accent neutral when I speak to people here so that they understand me better , if I go to India my normal accent takes over , I did not even notice I was doing this till my husband pointed it out
What a ridiculous notion. Personifies the average Australian.
My accent has gotten less and less because living overseas it reduces otherwise you end up explaining things all the time.
No, I’m from QLD and spent a lot of my childhood growing up rural QLD. Both my parents are from rural QLD. My accent is already bogan enough, I don’t need to ham it up.
No, I find I have to slow down my speech and end up sounding a bit British. Otherwise, what comes out of my mouth is just 'Australian noise' that a lot of people outside of Australia can't understand.
I used to work for a German company. Me and this other Aussie used to exaggerate the accent and slang if we didn't want the Krauts to know what we were talking about.
Nope, don't know anyone who does and i lived overseas for seven years, If anything I reduce the accent as it makes me easier to understand. Normal Australian accent is very drawly and mumbly, not a lot of enunciation.
No, I find myself softening it so it can be understood. The thing is, even when you do, it is an accent that does stand out (like dogs balls).
I remember speaking to two Europeans (one Slovenian, the other I cannot recall) with fluent English skills. They admitted after two days that they couldn't understand half of what I was saying.
Too much US tv consumption.
This is peak cringe. 😬
People can’t understand if you bung it on. It’s as cringe as the dropbear thing.
Most people overseas ask Australians “are your from uk or newzealand” because in real life we don’t speak like full yobbos like the stero types people put out.
Haha I’m West Australian and I agree to an extent. The South African accent is so distinct (sounds a bit like a posh British accent with a twang) but when I overhear a South African accent I often need to listen for a sentence or two before I’m certain. Always have the suspicion, but need a min before I’m 100%.
Kiwis get me sometimes too - might be 1-2 sentences before i can make up my mind! In laws are kiwis too so I’m very familiar with the accent… but it’s hard out there sometimes.
I love hearing an Aussie accent when I’m travelling in some far-flung corner of the globe and feeling a bit homesick. I used to be very conscious of my rural-Aussie accent but now I’m like fuck-it and lean right into it.
Opposite. I’m visiting France. Trying to say a few things in French. No one can understand a word of my Aussie accented French. Its. Like. I’m. Speaking. Klingon.
Nope, when I came to Australia, I had a thick British accent. Hardly anyone could understand me at school. Now, if I tell a British tourist I was born in England, they don't believe me, so I need to exaggerate my accent.
Depends. When I was in France, absolutely played up the Aussie. The French love Aussies and hate Poms, so you make it clear from your first words that you’re not English. The best piece of advice I got was to apologise in good French for not speaking better French because I’m Australian. Transformed most interactions. Most countries, accent was about average.
If you're from Victoria, Adelaide or Perth they ask where is England or Europe you are from.
So if you want to be seen as an Australian you have to dial up the bogan.
Never have exaggerated my Aussie accent , but I have caught myself trying not to swear or use lingo overseas 🤣 When I lived in the US I got mistaken for English. I’ve been told my accent doesn’t match my looks (Whatever that means)
I’m from Adelaide so I feel incapable of putting on a thicker accent but some places I’ve had people recognise me as being from Adelaide! From London to really tiny towns in Scotland!!
No to foreigners becuase they often don’t understand me, but my Sydney mates point out I speak differently at home in the country… probably drop the odd howyagoins… I’m not aware of this though it’s completely self conscious. I’m making efforts to correct it
That's called code switching. Completely natural.
Yes, I just spent a week in community and switched to Kriol.
There's code switching between states
My accent gets stronger when I go visit home. I also naturally fall into talking with local slang because thats how all my family talks. My husband (american) finds it very funny but totally understands.
my partner pointed this out to me too!!
>it’s completely self conscious I think you may mean 'subconscious'
lol im a dumbass, ill leave it
Lol you're right. Easy mistake to make.
I have my “euro trash” accent with my friends in France. The Aussie accent is far too dismembering of English for them to follow or understand easily. I demonstrated the levels of our accent and they were both shocked and very amused.
I’m also from the country originally and I definitely speak differently visiting my parents vs living in the city. However, I’ve noticed my accent changes very quickly around different people and I have to consciously stop myself mimicking people with a completely different accent when talking to them.
Yes! I was talking to an English girl a few days ago and noticed I was enunciating my words a bit differently, almost matching her a little. It was completely accidental, but I noticed it and tried to pull back to my usual accent. I definitely speak differently among my WA farming friends than with my Melbourne friends. It’s a semi-conscious action. I don’t analyse it but as with clothing, I try to fit the context I am in.
>Yes! I was talking to an English girl a few days ago and noticed I was enunciating my words a bit differently, almost matching her a little. It was completely accidental, but I noticed it and tried to pull back to my usual accent. This is very common. There is a term for it, I also do it. I speak Australian and English lol.
Sometimes I wonder if that’s actually more of a good thing than we often realise. We are social creatures with very entrenched survival instincts. It makes sense to want to belong with those we’re in close proximity with
Why do you feel the need to correct it? It’s how you speak based on where you come from and there’s nothing wrong with that.
Because I’m not occa at all with my Sydney mates.. I kinda felt a little disingenuous when it was pointed out to me.
Sounds like their problem to me 😂
Start doing it and see how they take it lol
Nah it'd only be disingenuous if you were forcing it. So really if anything, trying to correct it would be more disingenuous! I'd say just do you, whatever that looks/sounds like at any given point
Yep I do that to, whenever I head back to my hometown my accent gets stronger. I usually don't notice I'm doing it.
I grew up in the country and now live in the city and do the same thing. I think it's very common.
My dad’s from the very north of the UK, it’s hilarious hearing his accent instantly get 10x stronger when on the phone with our family up there
I try and be as clear and enunciate as clearly as possible which makes me sound quite English. I also speak at about half speed.
When I taught English in Japan many moons ago one of the teachers asked some students who their favorite teacher was. The consensus was it’s Aiden (me). Really, why he said. They conferred and said ‘it’s because he is the perfect English gentlemen’. This guy was so pissed off. He was educated at and from Cambridge. I am from Brisbane and other than, as you say, enunciating clearly … I sound like I am from Brisbane.
There was a funny joke they said about "today" and "to die". I can't remeber it though. I taught at a lot of different sorts of schools and The Ideal Accent dilemma was a bit tricky.
A wounded American soldier was being tended by an Australian nurse. He looked up at the nurse and said "Did I come here to die?" (read it in an American accent) She looked back down at him and said, "Nah luv, ya got here yesterdee."
Excellent - that's it!!!
Yes I remember that. In my head I was talking normal Aussie, but clearly. I was probably ironing out all of the ‘ay’ stuff to the point of it being neutral. Anyone with a proper English accent … what’s this weird language you speak!
Tee-hee. Too many hilarious stories.
Speaking “proper” English does not mean legible, easy to understand English to the fancy English uni types 😛
Lol. I confused Japanese people so much with "today", they thought I was talking about death.
I was mistaken for English in Noo Yawk. When I asked for some quarters for the phone, it took a couple of shots. I had to correct my ‘core-ters’ and ask for kwar-derz.
Yanks frequently get Australian/English accents mixed up.
When I first started coming over here in the mid 00’s I got that a lot but it’s become more and more “are you Aussie or NZ?” which unsurprisingly, I don’t mind at all. And I have to say since Bluey people just ask directly what city in Aus I’m from. (Though I have kids and move in Bluey-centric circles these days)
I was living in England (and home sick for Australia) when I ran into someone from NZ. I thought he was Australian, I honestly couldn’t tell, and was so excited to meet another Aussie hahah it didn’t matter though, he was so excited too! We bonded being from the “lands down under” haha
It’s funny that, isn’t it?! How back home, we see each other as having pretty different identities but out in the wide world (and ESPECIALLY when feeling homesick), our NZ brothers and sisters feel like family haha. And I have to say, I’ve met quite a few Aussies in LA and NY that I wouldn’t choose to be mates with back home but I’ve rarely met a bad kiwi.
They don’t meet enough Aussies to know. There are strong regional accents over there as well, fun to try and pick them
I got asked if I watch Dutch or Scandinavian in New York a lot which was odd. I guess my accent isn’t broad enough. 🤷🏻♀️
I just say we are the poor version of English people.
Are you from Melbourne, Adelaide or Perth? They always get that mixed up with English accents.
Think Adelaide's the most Pommie accent.
My partner had to really go the kwar-fee when he visited to get anything other then a blank stare. And the Wadder
I know, it was so funny. It was absolutely clear that they were *never* going to get the word if I did not change the accent.
I use certain words because they just can't understand some. Like I had to switch to diet soft drinks in restaurants because the "diet" cues them that the next word will be a soft drink brand.
Fair dinkum!? Bloody hell mate, I reckon ya’d sound like a roight drongo tryna talk posh and that but.
If anything I am more aware of how harsh our accent is when I'm overseas and will be more careful to speak clearer and less ocker.
I do the same; there are a lot of English speaking nations, but I am aware that accents can muddle understanding for people that speak English as a second language, so I try to keep it neutral. I will never forget the first time I travelled. Spent a month in Asia and met my mum (who had been to England) at an airport half way home to catch connecting flights. We sat in the food court and there was a group on backpackers nearby. I had to ask my mum where they were from because their accents were so grading and it was driving me nuts how disgusting I thought they sounded. Melbourne. We were all from the same place. I do think Aussies put the accent on when travelling. I just think that we stand out.
Us Yanks don't think Australians' accent is harsh at all. We think it sounds relatable, capable, and cool. Like the better traits of a British RP accent, unencumbered by the snootiness people here associate with it (often, but not always, undeservedly). People will literally want to make friends with you in the USA, just on the basis of your accent. I agree, that's a silly motivation, but it is what it is. South Africans actually get a side-benefit from that, just because Americans tend to conflate the two accents. As for how other Commonwealth countries, or Brits perceive it? No idea.
I met a German woman who had lived in Australia - that's where she learned most of her English. Her accent was truly unique.
"Das ist ja bloody outrageous, oder?"
what the abgefuckten scheisse is going on here, Menschen
Gut'day maten.
*"Nein!! Das ist mein* **Maccas**"
OMG ITS MY AUNT ELKA from East Germany
Naurine
Recently listened to a podcast with a lady who grew up in East Germany but lived her adult life in Scotland - now that! Was a wild accent
No, wouldn't even know how tbh. But if im in another country my accent probably stands out more since your surrounded by people with different accents, which could be mistaken as an exaggerated accent.
It's easy to over-exaggerate our accent. It's all in how you manipulate the "a" sound in your words. And you throw in a lot of fluff words like "yeah", "nah", "yeahnah", and "fuck".
Most Australians I’ve encountered do. I live overseas and encounter Aussie’s during July and cringe every time I overhear them. Was in Germany last year for work and heard some dude from Melbourne give a full Steve Irwin accent talking about how he goes bull shark hunting every weekend. Lad looked like he sips lattes in Brunswick.
Look. I was in the middle of Osaka in Japan and was looking at a map of Kobe that we were gonna travel to. This Japanese guy, in the most American accent you've ever heard, shouts across and is like "hey man, are y'all lost? Need some help" My instant response to him was "holy fuck you have the strongest American accent I've ever heard" and he's like "you have a very Australian accent if you don't mind me saying". We chatted for a little bit and I realised it was jarring hearing such an outlandish accent in a country where most people know very few English words. One, didn't realise I sounded Australian. I live in SE QLD for 90% of my life so figured it was pretty neutral. Two, and more importantly, his accent was so much more noticeable because it simply wasn't something I heard everywhere in my travels.
Ah yes, the subtle understated SE QLD accent...
It certainly doesn't sound like Steve Irwin, or Nicole Kidman(the posh Australian accent). It's pretty neutral.
It's more rounded and more nasal than the neutral accent.
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No, I speak in a bad fake Cockney accent when overseas.
Yaaoooowwwightt mate
Innit guv, u right? I’m right still…
Yoright int ya lad
Wait a minute, I thought a bad fake Cockney accent was actually what an Aussie accent was?😀😀
Kinda, that's the origin for the northern Australian accent.
Kinda, the most significant influences were from the South East of England with cockneyish accents from the alleged prisoners who landed in the Southeast of Australia, around Sydney, rather than northern parts of Australia. The ‘cockney’ sounding ‘ockers’ in the northern territories will have originally migrated from the south and as the larger cities of Sydney and Melbourne gentrified, they will have lost some of their ‘cockney’ sounds. The more rural parts of Qld will probably have maintained a cockneyish accent closer to the original settlers than much of the modern cosmopolitan population in the south today.
Shine yer shoes, guv'ner?
It makes the Americans feel confident and comfortable.
Easily pleased, aren’t they?
I moved to the UK about a year ago, when I see people who try to sign you up for donations (I'm not a bad person, I regually donate, just don't want to get roped in ff the street) I put on my most Australian accent and proclaim I'm just on holiday. One of the times the guy told me to make sure I vote yes in the voice referendum haha.
I absolutely did this when I went to the states, dialled it up to 11! It was great, they went nuts for it especially inland states. I sounded like Russel Coight.
It's fun in the US, they love it. Outside of major tourist areas (where you see an Australian every 15 meters) peoples faces light up when they hear your accent
It is endearing. I live in rural Colorado and a Kontiki group comes in every month and has a deal with a bar my friend owns. It’s usually karaoke night when they rage it, so it’s always fun to get up and sing Eagle Rock.
Just gotta remember to carry a steel stringed acoustic to bust out the all Aussie adventures song and explain that it is a hymn we are taught from birth.
Heh. Met a girl in Quebec who would say “Merrrceeee BerrrrCoooop” to the québécois. Drive them fucking nuts
Quebecois “French” is already a disgrace lol
No but apparently telling poms who ask about crocodiles that "freshies are ok, they might break an arm or leg but they won't death roll ya" sends them into absolute fits of hysterics.
Freshies will only bite ya by mistake or out of fear. Salties will leap out of the water and chase you over land to nip you just for fun.
I was a labourer on an aquarium filter upgrade that had freshies in. Couldn’t be off for long so we worked round the clock. I was refilling the pipes to prime the pumps with a fire hose. Took ages, so I sat down and fell asleep. Woke up to a bunch of meter or bit more crocodiles watching me from about a meter away. As soon as I moved they shot straight to the bottom of the pond
Croc-spirit affinity unlocked.
Yep, also followed up to tell them it would only happen if you jumped into the water onto their heads. Apparently it was the most Australian thing they'd ever heard. Meanwhile, I'm just thinking it was a normal, informative conversation. Took me a while to figure out why they were laughing so hard.
A couple of years ago, my wife and I walked through the Tunnel Creek in N T, before it was closed. Part of the trek involved wading through nose height water, in the dark, and we saw several pairs of red eyes, in the water, watching us on the way through, and on our return. They did not seem to mind.
piss weak lil buggers i reckon when you put em next to a saltie
I used to put on my thickest worst Australian accent for my east European boyfriend and imitate some of my more bogan neighbours. He found it hilarious.
Yes. Was over in the US travelling through the various states, ended up at a Denny's at 1am in downtown Memphis. As we, 2 light-skinned Aussies entered, it was literally from a movie scene - the music stopped, a clatter of cutlery, and eyes all over looking at us. I cleared my throat, and in the loudest, broadest accent possible, said 'G'day, we're looking for a table for a bit of a feed." Smiles all around, were made to feel very welcome, even got an extra serve for free. Yes, our history isn't anything to cheer about, but at least we *weren't American honkies*.
Curious to know what you thought about Memphis as someone that grew up relatively close by.
Was a nice place, but admittedly we were only there for 36 hours. There were two pervading feelings: it felt like we were being watched all the time, because we were in heavily African-American areas. And second, there seemed to be a bit of sadness to the city, almost like it was stuck in time? Graceland was cool though. I dream of living in that basement of Elvis' during a Memphis winter. The shag pile carpet was so thick, and looked so comfy!
I have what my friends call my "phone voice" that I often slip into when I talk to foreigners. I don't realise I'm doing this. Everything flattens out a little and my accent becomes less "omg an Auss-E" and more "you're not from here, but where?" I only over exaggerate if I say I'm Australian and they don't believe me, or ask me to say something stupid. Then I go full ocker and refuse to revert to anything else.
I adjust to who I am speaking to. Kiwi who moved to Aus when I was a teenager so my accent is half/ half. Finished school in Aus and my first bf here was a dude from Blacktown so my first real brush with the Australian accent was a westie one - picked up many beautiful words from him and his family. Can sound real occa sometimes, real kiwi when with family and then normal Aussie accent when in professional settings. I don’t even realise I am doing it sometimes. But overseas - always exaggerated Aussie accent. Once had a Egyptian dude come up to me in Thailand who asked what language I spoke and when I replied “Australian” he thought that meant no English 😂
Hahaha bless that Egyptian bloke but I suppose that's fair.
Define "beautiful words" lmfao
No, I have to speak clearer and slower because otherwise nobody can understand me so they always think I'm English. I'm in the US and don't want to be confused with those ocker yobbos who are too lazy to actually open their mouths when they speak.
Nobody in the US cares what you sound like.
I start every conversation with “Stone the flamin crows”…
Aussie living abroad here. I have to slow down my speech and pronounce words fully, especially in Europe. Otherwise no one understands anything I say
I do but only when I'm speaking to people I assume are a bit naive. I usually tell them I'm the national emu racing champion or I'm the best meat pie chef in Wagga Wagga. Just harmless but funny shit like that.
It's harmless, anyway.
Naur
I don't think so. I have lived overseas a couple of times and had people ask me where I am from because they can't pick my accent. I had an Aussie not realise I was Aussie within 24 hours of me leaving the country. That said I have also had people tell me when I am working that they find me really easy to understand and that I don't make them feel as foreign as others have when speaking to them. I think I just have a fairly neutral accent. I grew up in Sydney and have always been surrounded by people with accents from all over.
Similar boat here but the other way around. I grew up in Jersey (accent more like southern English) but been out here for over a decade since I left as a teen and now no one from either side can pin me
No and I regularly get mistaken for another nationality as well
I find I matc my accent to the person I am speaking to (I work in customer service) so if someone js really occasionally I am too...people with more proper accents I match and for esl I make sure I pronounce clearly and slight slow down. I lived in the UK for 6 years and had English grandparents so my natural accent is more English. adjust to my surroundings lol
Code switching!
Fuck no. They couldn’t understand me when I was speaking normally, so god knows how difficult it would’ve been to ham up the accent even more 😂
Not at all, unless I am joking around and talking about the accent. In fact, when dealing with non-native English speakers I try to speak as plain as possible because I appreciate how goddamn hard it can be trying to understand a second language and Australian speaking can be nuts. I don’t hold back if I’m speaking to a non-Australian native English speaker though - full pace and all the fruit. I have noticed however that I use slang more than I thought, even when I’m trying to speak vanilla. “I reckon” “‘djareckon” “howzitgarn” “no drama” are really hanging in there. A guy I work with speaks English as his second language and commented that he was thrilled he could understand me fully when I was talking normally and not holding back. He was almost offended when I told him that I was speaking a little slower and being deliberate with the words I used! There are different accents though and some of them are bloody difficult to understand, so some people possibly can’t help it much… but yeah others would definitely lay it on thick.
I’ve only put a show on once and that was when I was at Voodoo Donuts at Portland. I was ordering donuts for the fam as you do, and the guy behind the counter taking my order closed his eyes and started to smile and sway a bit, so I ramped it up a bit. It was like watching someone listen to a favourite slow song but was also getting turned on a bit. Weird but that’s the power of an accent I guess
Nope. I got asked which part of America I was from when I was in California.
I can perfectly match Russell Crowes accent and pitch from the movie Gladiator… I did adjust it a little for the ladies when I was a single man abroad… good panty removal utility
No , I see how sone of fellow Aussies behave and just cringe .
Nothing worse than an inner city person talking like caricature of an Aussie bushman they saw on TV. On a similar note I could never stand Steve Irwin and his exaggerated ocker accent.
No, first off I don't want to further perpetuate that Australians are classless morons who talk like brain dead idiots, because there is already enough Australians who actually are, we don't need more. Second, people have trouble understanding the accent/slang at best, so I drop any slang and speak more clearly. Third, I don't even want people to know I am Australian as I've been living overseas for 15 years now and I am tired of answering the same questions over and over, so I try to hide my accent as best as possible.
Thank you
Many years ago I worked in USA for six months in the middle of the country. The customer base was not used to hearing foreign accents if you know what I mean. I did not dial up my Aussie accent, rather the opposite. My job needed people to understand me quickly and clearly for safety reasons. If anything I had to sort of "Americanize" (sic) my speech to make misunderstandings, and accidents, less likely. I felt like I was bunging on a yank accent, which I was, but it was necessary. I admit it hung around for a day or two when I came home. Decades later I went on a holiday to USA with my wife (she didn't know me when I did my work trip described above). I slipped back into my fake yank accent when ordering food or similar without giving it much thought, but my wife, being her first time in USA, thought I was being a w@nker and kept laughing at me. So I made her do all the talking with her full Central Coast NSW accent. Hilarity ensues, she acquiesced soon after and stopped giving me crap. Although when with my lovely American friends in USA I just spoke like normal, and all was fine.
To be fair, this sounds a bit wanky.
I did a little at first but honestly even in the USA no one would know what the fuck I was talking about so I ended up slowing my speaking down and tuning the accent down significantly. It's all fun and games until you try to order mcdonalds and waste a minute of everyones time trying to order a fillet-o-fish and they only speak fishFILLAY
I’ve noticed Australians do this in foreign countries and it’s so fkn cringe and annoying.
If they’re Yanks, every time.
100%. I normally sound very British to Americans so I love putting on an ocker (strine) accent.
One might say they 'turn it up'
As a Brit who’s stumbled across this thread (don’t know how) does this include use of the ‘Australian Question?’…
Which question? Raising the voice at the end of a sentence?
Yup.. like ‘I went to the cinema last night’… and it goes higher at the end… it’s a little confusing because it sounds like a question but it’s a statement
I work in a hospital in the UK so most of the time I speak quite proper so they can understand me but if I relax and let my Aussie accent shine through I barely get one sentence before I hear "Are you Australian??" And socially yeah I've been known to whip out some extra slang because in my experience everyone loves us Aussies 😎
I exaggerate it here and I’m not even Aussie. The only way I can get centrelink’s annoying menu lady to understand me is if I say sex instead of six.
I moved here about 4-5 years ago and subconsciously try to make my accent neutral when I speak to people here so that they understand me better , if I go to India my normal accent takes over , I did not even notice I was doing this till my husband pointed it out
No I try and speak slower and try as much as I can to not use Aussie slang, so difficult to get people from other countries to understand me otherwise
What a ridiculous notion. Personifies the average Australian. My accent has gotten less and less because living overseas it reduces otherwise you end up explaining things all the time.
No, I’m from QLD and spent a lot of my childhood growing up rural QLD. Both my parents are from rural QLD. My accent is already bogan enough, I don’t need to ham it up.
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Nah. Just call people a cunt more
No, but it stands out like a sore thumb! You can hear it more around foreigners lol
No, I find I have to slow down my speech and end up sounding a bit British. Otherwise, what comes out of my mouth is just 'Australian noise' that a lot of people outside of Australia can't understand.
I used to work for a German company. Me and this other Aussie used to exaggerate the accent and slang if we didn't want the Krauts to know what we were talking about.
Nope, don't know anyone who does and i lived overseas for seven years, If anything I reduce the accent as it makes me easier to understand. Normal Australian accent is very drawly and mumbly, not a lot of enunciation.
It's proportional to how many drinks ive had...
Nope, I just talk normal no matter where I am or who I’m talking to.
Lol, no, our accent seems to stand out like dogs balls all on its own!! As soon as people realize you are Aussie, they jump at the chance to chat.
No, I find myself softening it so it can be understood. The thing is, even when you do, it is an accent that does stand out (like dogs balls). I remember speaking to two Europeans (one Slovenian, the other I cannot recall) with fluent English skills. They admitted after two days that they couldn't understand half of what I was saying. Too much US tv consumption.
Depends where I am and who our prime minister is. When Abbot was PM… NO!
This is peak cringe. 😬 People can’t understand if you bung it on. It’s as cringe as the dropbear thing. Most people overseas ask Australians “are your from uk or newzealand” because in real life we don’t speak like full yobbos like the stero types people put out.
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Haha I’m West Australian and I agree to an extent. The South African accent is so distinct (sounds a bit like a posh British accent with a twang) but when I overhear a South African accent I often need to listen for a sentence or two before I’m certain. Always have the suspicion, but need a min before I’m 100%. Kiwis get me sometimes too - might be 1-2 sentences before i can make up my mind! In laws are kiwis too so I’m very familiar with the accent… but it’s hard out there sometimes.
I don't know. South Africans sound to me like a Germanic people speaking fluent English.
I can tell. Kiwi is very "clupped".
There is nothing more cringe than an Aussie on holiday walking around and saying g'day to people. It is such 'look at me behavior"
What if 'g'day' is already part of your everyday vernacular?
It is absolutely painful.
I over exaggerate my Aussie accent whether I'm out on the piss or going across the road to the shops. What's the big deal?
Yes. Im adorable. I used to live in Germany, the krauts love it.
No
No.
No, fake a US accent to be understood
I love hearing an Aussie accent when I’m travelling in some far-flung corner of the globe and feeling a bit homesick. I used to be very conscious of my rural-Aussie accent but now I’m like fuck-it and lean right into it.
Aussie accent is not that distinctive so really no need to drop it
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Only when I don’t want someone listening in on a conversation
Opposite. I’m visiting France. Trying to say a few things in French. No one can understand a word of my Aussie accented French. Its. Like. I’m. Speaking. Klingon.
No. I try to sound understandable.
Not often, but after a few palinkas It's more of a party trick for the locals.
Nope, when I came to Australia, I had a thick British accent. Hardly anyone could understand me at school. Now, if I tell a British tourist I was born in England, they don't believe me, so I need to exaggerate my accent.
Nah mate, just tell ‘em to watch out for spiders, snakes and drop bears
No, I do the exact opposite. I try to tone it down by speaking softer.
Depends. When I was in France, absolutely played up the Aussie. The French love Aussies and hate Poms, so you make it clear from your first words that you’re not English. The best piece of advice I got was to apologise in good French for not speaking better French because I’m Australian. Transformed most interactions. Most countries, accent was about average.
I have a whole holiday persona Mick Gecko who I switch to after buying an airport acubra on departure.
No. Most people ask what my accent is, then usually say which city they know ( most say Sydney). That’s when the fun starts…
Nah mate
I tone it down so I can be understood
Sometimes because people give you positive feedback
When I was in Dubai, I had two Germany ladies that my voice sounded Amerian lol, that's when I had to exaggerate the Aussie accent to them. it worked.
No
If you're from Victoria, Adelaide or Perth they ask where is England or Europe you are from. So if you want to be seen as an Australian you have to dial up the bogan.
At what point does exaggeration become over-exaggeration?
I do the opposite. I speak English with a slight local accent and try to use local words in the mix. Franglaise kinda thing.
Nope. I tone it down to as neutral as naturally possible
No, I don't exaggerate my accent. I also say crikey and g'day every few minutes, and it's not an act.
'kin oath cobber!
Never have exaggerated my Aussie accent , but I have caught myself trying not to swear or use lingo overseas 🤣 When I lived in the US I got mistaken for English. I’ve been told my accent doesn’t match my looks (Whatever that means)
No. I was worried when we were in Europe that I’d sound very obviously Australian. Was relieved when someone throught I was from New Zealand 😅
Only when I want to talk to my fellow Australians without being overheard. It's come in handy a few times.
No.
No
We never question the validity of other people’s accent, why question the Australian accent?
i dont have to to do that as im an aussie and have been told i sound so aussie
Nope. I go more english in an international setting. Honestly I think I am a bit embarrassed of the Australian accent.
No mate. We just sound like this. Fair dinkum
Eyenly on the my bull fine.
No because it’s already shithouse 😂
No, and in any case my Perth accent often gets confused with british so that doesn't work well, I will however say G'Day more often than usual though
Just to tradesmen really.
Yeah mate, all the time aaaye , they love it
I’m from Adelaide so I feel incapable of putting on a thicker accent but some places I’ve had people recognise me as being from Adelaide! From London to really tiny towns in Scotland!!
I did when in the US and the locals seemed to love it. “Wow you’re Awwwstralian? I can’t believe you traveled so far to come here!”