Odd Question

[mariner]

Watching an old Whicker's World show on QE2 and I've noticed seemingly American passengers are affecting a bit of an English accent. Does this seem to happen on long Cunard voyages? There's one woman who is clearly from NYC and yet, to an American ear, she has a touch of the Queen's English. I can just imagine what this must sound like to a British passenger!

[bluemarble]

I was intrigued by this question since I had not seen the show under discussion. In fact my only previous exposure to Whicker's World was the Monty Python spoof about "Whicker Island".

 

I have just finished watching the first Whicker's World QE2 episode and I think I see what you mean. I'm an American who might fit that mold in one sense. I don't think I affect any sort of British accent per se, but I do find myself adopting a bit of the Queen's English by using some British vocabulary/expressions/idioms instead of their American equivalents. For example, on a Cunard voyage I'll soon be talking about lifts, queues, holidays, biscuits, chips and crisps instead of elevators, lines, vacations, cookies, fries and chips as I would at home. I'll leave it to our British contributors here to say whether that sounds at all odd or artificial coming from an American.

Edited July 16, 2022 by bluemarble

[PORT ROYAL]

Not odd at all

 

Interesting comparison regarding English/American vocabulary, as there is a definite “shortening” of an English phrase when transposed into American.

An Englishman would say…. Excuse me my good fellow, one did not fully comprehend what you just said, as it was possibly of great interest, would you be so kind and repeat it?

In American this is… Ughh?
😉😊

 

Americans who cruise on Cunard with English guests, not only could they have a wonderful cruise experience, in addition they will have free access to English lessons. 😉. A win, win for Americans?

[BouncingWheel]

To be fair I have been to America and found myself accidently adopting an American accent and phrases. I have also had to stop myself, in France, doing a French accent and sounding like Pink Panther's Closeau or, for UK colleagues, someone from Allo Allo. 

I believe naturally adopting local accents is a very common occurrence.

[alc13]

2 hours ago, BouncingWheel said:

To be fair I have been to America and found myself accidently adopting an American accent and phrases. I have also had to stop myself, in France, doing a French accent and sounding like Pink Panther's Closeau or, for UK colleagues, someone from Allo Allo. 

I believe naturally adopting local accents is a very common occurrence.

Clouseau's accent is irresistible for us, even here at home in Maine!  

[Mosttoyswin]

As George Bernard Shaw said: "England and America are two countries separated by a common language"

[Tonopah]

Many upper class people in the 50s-60s had a “mid Atlantic” accent that sounded sort of English. Mister and I lived in England for several years when our kids were little. We still use a lot of English terms (ie. we take out the “rubbish” and use a “wheelie bin”)  and our youngest (now 40!) slips into a Peterborough Cambs accent when he’s around British people. I don’t know what it is like now, but when we lived there, accents changed every 20 miles or so. 

[Dthomas1]

1 hour ago, Tonopah said:

Many upper class people in the 50s-60s had a “mid Atlantic” accent that sounded sort of English. Mister and I lived in England for several years when our kids were little. We still use a lot of English terms (ie. we take out the “rubbish” and use a “wheelie bin”)  and our youngest (now 40!) slips into a Peterborough Cambs accent when he’s around British people. I don’t know what it is like now, but when we lived there, accents changed every 20 miles or so. 

I totally love hearing the British accent.

[kshannon5]

8 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

In American this is… Ughh?
😉😊

 

Americans who cruise on Cunard with English guests, not only could they have a wonderful cruise experience, in addition they will have free access to English lessons. 😉. A win, win for Americans?

 I'm assuming by the emojis that this is tongue in cheek, but may I add that some English don't sound so posh either. Innit right luvvie/bruvva? Please don't perpetuate the stereotype that Americans are so linguistically inferior. Especially ones that would want to sail on Cunard.

[Victoria2]

14 minutes ago, kshannon5 said:

 I'm assuming by the emojis that this is tongue in cheek, but may I add that some English don't sound so posh either. Innit right luvvie/bruvva? Please don't perpetuate the stereotype that Americans are so linguistically inferior. Especially ones that would want to sail on Cunard.

I'm sure Port Royal's post was t in c.

 

We used to spend six or seven weeks a year in the US on holiday and  without exception I was always asked at least once if I knew [insert  Princess of the moment here] xxx  and many times  'I just lurve your accent'.

 

The Americans we met as friends were well travelled, well educated and most definitely, 'well' spoken so I completely understand your post.

 

 

[jimdee3636]

I think the "American inferiority complex" regarding accents---at least for people my age (I'm 74)---is due to the fact that when we were young and impressionable the only English accent we'd hear on TV or in the movies was an educated one---a BBC accent, basically. It wasn't until I started watching a lot of English football and I would hear players and managers interviewed that I realized that the vast majority of English people don't sound like Lawrence Olivier, John Gielgud, or the art historian Kenneth Clark.

 

For me, the only truly impenetrable U.K. accent is the Scottish one. Most of the time, I can only guess at what they're saying.

[PORT ROYAL]

35 minutes ago, jimdee3636 said:

For me, the only truly impenetrable U.K. accent is the Scottish one. Most of the time, I can only guess at what they're saying.

No need to worry, because Scottish people have the identical problem when talking to other Scottish people.😉😊

[mariner]

It dawned on me today that when the Whicker program was shot that most of the crew was British so passengers would be interacting with English stewards, waiters and bartenders. The accent would prevail. I'm not sure that's the case these days.

[ronpes]

11 hours ago, PORT ROYAL said:

No need to worry, because Scottish people have the identical problem when talking to other Scottish people.😉😊

LOL,.......My wife and I are both Scottish and we live in Scotland and you are correct. 

When some people from other areas speak fast, then even we have a struggle to understand them. However, I would say that is probably the same for most regional areas around the UK. 

 

My wife's family are from up near Inverness where they were recognised as having a lovely soft lilt of an accent and it very clear and lovely to hear.

I say that even when my wife shouts and swears at me (not often!) it sounds nice ...LOL.

 

We have many cruising friends both English and American and yes I agree that perhaps after a refreshment or two and we speak a tad too fast, we start to get the glazed look in the eyes and the nodding head, and we realize that they haven't a clue what we are saying. 

 

I worked for many years in an international company and travelled all over the world and also conducted regular international calls and learned to slow it down a bit and speak a bit clearer and as far as I know, it was never a problem and occasionally I was complemented on my accent. 

 

My favourite accent is Australian. I think it is wonderful and I love to hear / converse with them when they are full flow. Lovely people as well. 

[PORT ROYAL]

One’s wow factor, how did they do that, is a very strong Irish accent in an excited full flow.  No commas, no full stops, no paragraphs and no breaths taken. Incredible! 😊
 

[MJC]

What a great thread!

 

In the ESL world we talk about the world's Englishes. That spoken in America is different from Britain's, which is different from Singapore's, which is different from Australia's, and on and on. People may communicate better if they adapt to the English being spoken where they are, though clearly it's not always necessary. Even within a country there are regional, racial, and class differences. I'm originally from the American Midwest, and sometimes I would have my students sit with a Bostonian, a Southerner, and me, and ask them to listen for the differences. Often they could not hear them yet. But we certainly do.

 

When people adjust culturally and linguistically to their environment, that is called code switching. Some do it to be polite or fit in, but whether one can do it or not, or wants to do it or not, I don't see it as a reflection on them personally in any kind of way.

 

To ronpes: I used to use Scottish English as an example of how hard it can be for English speakers to understand each other sometimes. 😁

 

America is a fast moving country which is reflected in how we shorten everything, including our English. Now with emojis and ttyl, everyone is doing it, it seems.

 

I am looking forward to our first QM2 cruise this fall. I will have fun listening to everyone!

 

Edited July 17, 2022 by MJC
Spelling

[alc13]

22 minutes ago, MJC said:

What a great thread!

 

In the ESL world we talk about the world's Englishes. That spoken in America is different from Britain's, which is different from Singapore's, which is different from Australia's, and on and on.

 

I have a foot in the ESL world, too; I tutor adult immigrants.  Many of the other tutors I've met came from the UK or Australia, and the people they tutor have no problem understanding their accents.  Likewise, lots of audio material is created for British learners, and that's also useful with US learners without any apparent problem.  That continues to surprise me.  I guess speaking the words slowly and clearly is more important to comprehension than the accent. 

 

And to your point about American's shortening everything - I always enjoy teaching gonna, hafta, wanna, etc.  And the learners have fun using them.

[ronpes]

I had to laugh just a few moments ago as my wife asked “Alexa” a simple question and Alexa couldn’t understand her. 😂

[ronpes]

Some 40 years ago on our very first trip to London to visit another Scottish friend, I was constantly met everywhere I went with the response of “you wot love”?

I then had to repeat everything again more slowly. 

I asked my friend “why is it that I can understand strong regional English accents no problem but yet they can’t understand my accent”?

 

My friend offered a simple explanation.

Television and movies. 
 

Where we were constantly exposed to a variety of accents from all regions of the U.K. and North America, therefore we were used to hearing them.

Whereas a scottish accent was a fairly rare occurrence in the TV and films.

That made sense to me at the time. 

Edited July 17, 2022 by ronpes

[sfred]

11 hours ago, ronpes said:

My favourite accent is Australian. I think it is wonderful and I love to hear / converse with them when they are full flow. Lovely people as well. 

 

Thank you @ronpes for the compliments!  🙂 

 

Mrs sfred and I also like the scottish accent, and generally have no problem understanding.  Years ago in the 1990s we lived in London for several years, working with British Telecom.  One of our work colleagues (a wonderful fellow) was from Glasgow, and we couild understand him easily from Monday to Friday afternoon, but after several pints at the usual Friday evening pub drinks, he became absolutely Indecipherable.  I wonder how much was due to the accent, and how much was beer.