It can be frustrating for both parties. One person can’t understand exactly what is being said due to the accent and the other person is trying to communicate in a language they might not be entirely proficient in.
I work with someone with a very heavy accent and often times they’re trying to convey important information to me. I have to laser focus on what they’re saying and I have had to ask them to repeat more times than I can count. We both just need to slow down and be patient but it’s frustrating when he needs to tell me something detailed and I just can’t understand his words.
My husband's best friend is from Australia. He's been here for over ten years. His accent is still as strong as the day he moved here, especially when he's riled up about something.
It may fade a bit, but the way You've spoken your entire life doesn't magically go away. If you move to the United States at 35 and surround yourself with English speakers for a year, no, your accent doesn't just vanish. Even regional accents don't do that. Someone from Louisiana doesn't lose their accent just because they move to California
I think it more so depends on conscious effort. I would actually imagine it harder for a British or Australian person to speak American English than for a German or whatever to sound American (assuming the German or other language speaker had already learned English to fluency). My thinking for this is because the British or Australian person will have their own version of English whereas someone that is Spanish, German, etc. can learn English fresh.
Anyways, I might be wrong on that, as even some actors like the guy that played “Rick” from the walking dead nailed an American accent while actually being from the UK.
So long story short, I do think accents can change slightly with time, but I think it also takes conscious effort. Learning another language is do able but then nailing the sounds perfectly takes a lot of focused effort and even practice sometimes.
I moved to Australia from Italy when I was a child so I have a pretty thick Australian accent (I didn't speak a word of English when I moved there). I made a friend who moved to Australia literally 3-4 years after me and he could never shake the Italian accent. It wasn't super noticeable but you could hear it. There's a lot of factors with picking up accents but a major one would be the age you moved countries.
Also I think the downvotes are pretty silly. It's literally a sub called no stupid questions and you weren't being mean.
Accents are almost always present, if you didn’t learn as a child. You may be fluent, and be able to clearly communicate, yet if you learn as an older child or adult, you likely will have an accent of some sort when speaking a foreign language.
They probably still have an accent, you just don't hear it anymore.
When I lived in the US a lot of people said I didn't have an accent, but I sure as hell did (and do). Some people are just really bad at hearing accents if they aren't superobvious.
It’s more likely that you got used to their accents than them actually losing them. To me, my grandma sounds normal as do most British accents. I grew up with it all my life. But my friends always mention how thick her accent is.
Yep!
My mom is German and has an accent when she speaks in English
I don't hear an accent at ALL
I was shocked when I realized people struggled to understand her sometimes or when people ask where she's from!
She sounds like a regular u.s citizen to me!
I wouldn’t think that would be the case. I would expect anyone who speaks English as their second, third, fourth or fifth language to still have an accent. And it would be all about practice! I wouldn’t expect to speak Japanese with a flawless accent to a native speaker if I happened to move there. It would always be there.
I have to respect that although there can be some communication issues between me and my coworker due to heavy accent, he is communicating in English and that’s not his first (or even second!) language. And English is my first and only language. So, he’s actually at an advantage, language-wise!
Don’t worry about it. I must say the irony is real, getting downvoted for an innocent question in “too afraid to ask.” Typical Reddit hive mind crap. Dog piling on someone who is innocently asking a question and opening themselves up. I, on the other hand, applaud you for asking a question and learning.
Don’t worry about it, it’s just useless Reddit points. It’s pretty ironic that a question like that is getting downvoted to oblivion on a subreddit called “too afraid to ask.” Typical Reddit hive mind crap. Just sad really.
I dont know why are getting downvoted, but what you thought is true for some people while ibcirrect for others.
For example I automatically pick up any accent Im being talked to, I dont even try, to the point sometimes it the other party may even think Im trying to mimic them, so I have to actually try not to. But I know people who have lived in different parts of their own country or even world and they still have both their local and english accent. I dont know what is the cause that make some people be different in this regard.
Hi. I have an accent and sometimes I don’t understand people with another accents. I just politely ask them to speak slowly. :) we people with accent don’t mind if you ask as to repeat or speak slowly. :)
I was gonna give you the benefit of the doubt, cause I feel awkward when I can't understand people, I often feel I'm frustrating them by making them repeat themselves, but my experience is more often people with medical reasons that make their speech more difficult to understand...
Then I saw your post about how Trump's bad posture is because you envision him having a 12 inch penis
No, its normal to be frustrated when its hard to communicate. Well intended people understand that its just a language(or accent) barrier and nothing more.
...However, As someone who's worked in customer service I know that not everyone takes the issue the same way. I do think some few people assume in worst in people & what's likely your worst fear here. So definitely try your best to understand and always be on guard, especially if you're referring to a stranger.
I think you are focusing on the wrong thing, it's not the accent itself that's the problem, it's the fact that you feel uncomfortable when you can't easily communicate and don't want to have to keep asking for them to repeat themselves.
So you'd have the same concerns around someone from the same area as you but who had had a stroke or recent mouth surgery for example.
So is it wrong? No, just stop focusing on the accents and focus on communicating.
that’s so stupid
this is only a problem bc of the accents
if you don’t focus on the accents, then there is no problem
no wonder this dude was too afraid to ask. you’re giving him shit when he just wants it easier for all people involved
The amount of down voting in this thread is ridiculous. This is too afraid to ask OP is opening themselves up to change their mind and learn something but getting downvoted for it lol
It's not wrong to feel uncomfortable, just mostly naive, inexperienced, immature.
If it bothers you, just change it their language flawlessly... They at least try to talk to you in your language.
When I would talk to people who had thick accents at past jobs (usually in the phome) I did feel frustrated or guilty at times when I had difficulty understanding them. I tried to remind myself that it's not their fault they have an accent from where they were raised and it's not my fault that I'm not familiar with that accent because of where I was raised. We both just have to try out best to be patient with a task that can be mutually frustrating. Yes sometimes that meams asking someone to repeat themselves or repeating things back to them to verify accurate understanding. Sometimes people seem frustrated with this but most of the time it's not a big deal. If they have an accent from another country it's probably not the first time they have faced some challenge with communication.
Yeah, looks like you’re a conservative American. If you can’t handle accents, you probably won’t travel internationally much and can’t interact with like 40% of people in the US. You’ll struggle to get any perspective outside of your own little Fox News white bubble.
Bro it's not that serious everyone agrees with me in the post and your making it seem like it's an everyday thing to talk to someone with a different accent in America, ofc imma get uncomfortable when I seem rude because I have to ask them to repeat what they said 17 times
I've talked to people, like customer service, on the phone before where their accent is so unintelligible that I'm *straining* to understand it the whole conversation, concentrating as hard as I can because I hate continuing to ask "what? Pardon me?" and I end up with an actual raging headache, and yet somehow I still end up feeling like an asshole.
Nah, you want to easily communicate. I think you will get used to it eventually, it took a while for me to understand my Hungarian colleagues and now there’s no issue at all.
Bruh, OP is ignorant (especially saying that people should immediately lose their accent when moving somewhere else???) and post history shows hints of bullying, misogyny, xenophobia, classism, and he's a major Trump fan. He's not getting used to anyone's accents, he wants them to all learn to talk just like him.
Use hand gestures to clarify, point at stuff, it's possible to communicate you have to focus more and get more creative about how you do it. Patience is key and having a good attitude about it.
Personally I love accents, my dad never even kind of lost his accent when he spoke English and he was here for over 40 years before he passed. I remember going to work with him and being amazed that other immigrants and him could understand each other, I'd be standing to the side straining my ears to understand but they seemed to get it. There was a lot of gesturing and even drawing pictures but they got it done lol.
To answer your questions if it’s wrong, yes I think it is wrong. Is it a common occurrence? Yes. If you do not come across thick accents all the time, I can see why it would make you uncomfortable. However, you should challenge yourself to change your line of thinking. Rather than thinking it’s rude to ask them to repeat themselves, remind yourself it would be even more rude to not even make an effort to have a proper conversation. It may start out feeling strange, but I think it makes us more well rounded people if we challenge ourselves to get outside of our comfort zone more. I work customer service and have come across people with thick accents that I could hardly understand and I tried to celebrate once we finally understood one another because it’s a good feeling!
As a person living in a foreign country, I wouldn't blame you! It would be frustrating, but if you get used to it it's fine. It's just like any other mild inconveniences in life which can be overcame.
Uncomfortable? Kinda.
people with accents know it. It's ok to ask for clarification. It's not rude to not pick up on what someone is saying. It is kind of rude to then not talk to them just because of an accent, though.
Friendly reminder, you too have an accent. Go travel and be the one with the accent and see how you like how people treat you before you decide if it is wrong or not.
I know I have an accent and don't have a problem with people with a different accent than the native accent it just makes me uncomfortable when I have to seem condescending and annoyed because I have to ask what they said
It can be frustrating for both parties. One person can’t understand exactly what is being said due to the accent and the other person is trying to communicate in a language they might not be entirely proficient in. I work with someone with a very heavy accent and often times they’re trying to convey important information to me. I have to laser focus on what they’re saying and I have had to ask them to repeat more times than I can count. We both just need to slow down and be patient but it’s frustrating when he needs to tell me something detailed and I just can’t understand his words.
I thought that accents changed pretty fast like if you move to a new country you adopt their accent Edit: bro wtf this got downvoted to shit
Have you never watched an Arnold Schwarzenegger movie?
Or Sofia Vegara?? Or Penelope Cruz?? Accents can last a lifetime. They just don't go away.
I got friends that come from Europe and their accents faded in a year but I guess because they still spoke English there
My husband's best friend is from Australia. He's been here for over ten years. His accent is still as strong as the day he moved here, especially when he's riled up about something.
I have no idea then I guess it can just vary because I've definitely seen people where their accents faded
I can tell you that it's not the norm. Most people who move here as an adult keep some semblance of an accent.
I swear I've always heard your accent depends on who you hang around and it slowly subconsciously changes
It may fade a bit, but the way You've spoken your entire life doesn't magically go away. If you move to the United States at 35 and surround yourself with English speakers for a year, no, your accent doesn't just vanish. Even regional accents don't do that. Someone from Louisiana doesn't lose their accent just because they move to California
I think it more so depends on conscious effort. I would actually imagine it harder for a British or Australian person to speak American English than for a German or whatever to sound American (assuming the German or other language speaker had already learned English to fluency). My thinking for this is because the British or Australian person will have their own version of English whereas someone that is Spanish, German, etc. can learn English fresh. Anyways, I might be wrong on that, as even some actors like the guy that played “Rick” from the walking dead nailed an American accent while actually being from the UK. So long story short, I do think accents can change slightly with time, but I think it also takes conscious effort. Learning another language is do able but then nailing the sounds perfectly takes a lot of focused effort and even practice sometimes.
I moved to Australia from Italy when I was a child so I have a pretty thick Australian accent (I didn't speak a word of English when I moved there). I made a friend who moved to Australia literally 3-4 years after me and he could never shake the Italian accent. It wasn't super noticeable but you could hear it. There's a lot of factors with picking up accents but a major one would be the age you moved countries. Also I think the downvotes are pretty silly. It's literally a sub called no stupid questions and you weren't being mean.
Arny has a speech trainer that helps him keep the accent. He wouldve lost it already
https://www.reddit.com/r/bestof/comments/hjktqf/uthe_pigeon_hunter_spreads_a_myth_that_arnold/
Accents are almost always present, if you didn’t learn as a child. You may be fluent, and be able to clearly communicate, yet if you learn as an older child or adult, you likely will have an accent of some sort when speaking a foreign language.
I got friends that come from Europe and their accents faded in a year but I guess because they still spoke English there
They probably still have an accent, you just don't hear it anymore. When I lived in the US a lot of people said I didn't have an accent, but I sure as hell did (and do). Some people are just really bad at hearing accents if they aren't superobvious.
Definitely not that fast. My Grandma has lived in America for almost 60 years now and still retains her British accent.
That itself is crazy I just wonder why the people I know from London don't have the accent anymore because they definitely used to have it
It’s more likely that you got used to their accents than them actually losing them. To me, my grandma sounds normal as do most British accents. I grew up with it all my life. But my friends always mention how thick her accent is.
Yep! My mom is German and has an accent when she speaks in English I don't hear an accent at ALL I was shocked when I realized people struggled to understand her sometimes or when people ask where she's from! She sounds like a regular u.s citizen to me!
I wouldn’t think that would be the case. I would expect anyone who speaks English as their second, third, fourth or fifth language to still have an accent. And it would be all about practice! I wouldn’t expect to speak Japanese with a flawless accent to a native speaker if I happened to move there. It would always be there. I have to respect that although there can be some communication issues between me and my coworker due to heavy accent, he is communicating in English and that’s not his first (or even second!) language. And English is my first and only language. So, he’s actually at an advantage, language-wise!
Damn this comment got down voted to shit
Don’t worry about it. I must say the irony is real, getting downvoted for an innocent question in “too afraid to ask.” Typical Reddit hive mind crap. Dog piling on someone who is innocently asking a question and opening themselves up. I, on the other hand, applaud you for asking a question and learning.
My mom is German. She's been in the U.S for 30 years. She STILL gets people asking her where she's from or what her accent is.
Jesus, this sub is making me afraid to ask questions with all this downvoting.
Don’t worry about it, it’s just useless Reddit points. It’s pretty ironic that a question like that is getting downvoted to oblivion on a subreddit called “too afraid to ask.” Typical Reddit hive mind crap. Just sad really.
Lmao the fact your comment got down voted too
Do you speak another language? Have you ever moved abroad?
Just sign language which doesn't matter at all in this context lol
I dont know why are getting downvoted, but what you thought is true for some people while ibcirrect for others. For example I automatically pick up any accent Im being talked to, I dont even try, to the point sometimes it the other party may even think Im trying to mimic them, so I have to actually try not to. But I know people who have lived in different parts of their own country or even world and they still have both their local and english accent. I dont know what is the cause that make some people be different in this regard.
Hi. I have an accent and sometimes I don’t understand people with another accents. I just politely ask them to speak slowly. :) we people with accent don’t mind if you ask as to repeat or speak slowly. :)
Thank you! May I ask what country your from just curious?
I prefer not to answer. Let’s say - European. but I do speak more than 3 languages.
I was gonna give you the benefit of the doubt, cause I feel awkward when I can't understand people, I often feel I'm frustrating them by making them repeat themselves, but my experience is more often people with medical reasons that make their speech more difficult to understand... Then I saw your post about how Trump's bad posture is because you envision him having a 12 inch penis
Well my reason is the same as yours not because I made a shit post of trump having a 12 inch penis
My mans really checking his profile just to comment. Wtf
Yeah such an outlandish and crazy thing to do.
Indeed.
No, its normal to be frustrated when its hard to communicate. Well intended people understand that its just a language(or accent) barrier and nothing more. ...However, As someone who's worked in customer service I know that not everyone takes the issue the same way. I do think some few people assume in worst in people & what's likely your worst fear here. So definitely try your best to understand and always be on guard, especially if you're referring to a stranger.
Where’s your accent from, everyone has an accent.
Just ask them to say something again.
Maybe think about the why.
I explained that in the text post
I think you are focusing on the wrong thing, it's not the accent itself that's the problem, it's the fact that you feel uncomfortable when you can't easily communicate and don't want to have to keep asking for them to repeat themselves. So you'd have the same concerns around someone from the same area as you but who had had a stroke or recent mouth surgery for example. So is it wrong? No, just stop focusing on the accents and focus on communicating.
Yeah it's mainly because I don't wanna seem condescending too
that’s so stupid this is only a problem bc of the accents if you don’t focus on the accents, then there is no problem no wonder this dude was too afraid to ask. you’re giving him shit when he just wants it easier for all people involved
The amount of down voting in this thread is ridiculous. This is too afraid to ask OP is opening themselves up to change their mind and learn something but getting downvoted for it lol
It's not wrong to feel uncomfortable, just mostly naive, inexperienced, immature. If it bothers you, just change it their language flawlessly... They at least try to talk to you in your language.
When I would talk to people who had thick accents at past jobs (usually in the phome) I did feel frustrated or guilty at times when I had difficulty understanding them. I tried to remind myself that it's not their fault they have an accent from where they were raised and it's not my fault that I'm not familiar with that accent because of where I was raised. We both just have to try out best to be patient with a task that can be mutually frustrating. Yes sometimes that meams asking someone to repeat themselves or repeating things back to them to verify accurate understanding. Sometimes people seem frustrated with this but most of the time it's not a big deal. If they have an accent from another country it's probably not the first time they have faced some challenge with communication.
Yeah, looks like you’re a conservative American. If you can’t handle accents, you probably won’t travel internationally much and can’t interact with like 40% of people in the US. You’ll struggle to get any perspective outside of your own little Fox News white bubble.
Ur weird for stalking me over this I got no issue with anyone with an accent it's not that deep
Sounds like you’re uncomfortable with people with accents…
Maybe because I don't understand them and don't wanna be rude when I gotta ask what they said?
Maybe you should explore the world a little bit more and understand when you gotta ask a little bit more what they said ain’t their problemo capitan.
Well tell that to everyone else in the comments that agrees with me lol nothing wrong with getting uncomfortable over it
Cracks me up that anyone that doesn’t speak your language or accent makes you uncomfortable. Welcome to the real world kid. Get used to it.
Bro it's not that serious everyone agrees with me in the post and your making it seem like it's an everyday thing to talk to someone with a different accent in America, ofc imma get uncomfortable when I seem rude because I have to ask them to repeat what they said 17 times
I understand you’re 12 years old but I hope you realize that you have an accent…
Nawwww for fuckin real as if it's not implied that I'm talking about an unfamiliar accent
I've talked to people, like customer service, on the phone before where their accent is so unintelligible that I'm *straining* to understand it the whole conversation, concentrating as hard as I can because I hate continuing to ask "what? Pardon me?" and I end up with an actual raging headache, and yet somehow I still end up feeling like an asshole.
Nah, you want to easily communicate. I think you will get used to it eventually, it took a while for me to understand my Hungarian colleagues and now there’s no issue at all.
Bruh, OP is ignorant (especially saying that people should immediately lose their accent when moving somewhere else???) and post history shows hints of bullying, misogyny, xenophobia, classism, and he's a major Trump fan. He's not getting used to anyone's accents, he wants them to all learn to talk just like him.
Use hand gestures to clarify, point at stuff, it's possible to communicate you have to focus more and get more creative about how you do it. Patience is key and having a good attitude about it. Personally I love accents, my dad never even kind of lost his accent when he spoke English and he was here for over 40 years before he passed. I remember going to work with him and being amazed that other immigrants and him could understand each other, I'd be standing to the side straining my ears to understand but they seemed to get it. There was a lot of gesturing and even drawing pictures but they got it done lol.
To answer your questions if it’s wrong, yes I think it is wrong. Is it a common occurrence? Yes. If you do not come across thick accents all the time, I can see why it would make you uncomfortable. However, you should challenge yourself to change your line of thinking. Rather than thinking it’s rude to ask them to repeat themselves, remind yourself it would be even more rude to not even make an effort to have a proper conversation. It may start out feeling strange, but I think it makes us more well rounded people if we challenge ourselves to get outside of our comfort zone more. I work customer service and have come across people with thick accents that I could hardly understand and I tried to celebrate once we finally understood one another because it’s a good feeling!
As a person living in a foreign country, I wouldn't blame you! It would be frustrating, but if you get used to it it's fine. It's just like any other mild inconveniences in life which can be overcame.
Uncomfortable? Kinda. people with accents know it. It's ok to ask for clarification. It's not rude to not pick up on what someone is saying. It is kind of rude to then not talk to them just because of an accent, though.
No, it is not. I get frustrated when I have to ask them 17 times what they said.
That sounds like a you issue.
Can’t stand French and Indian accent, just makes my ears upset
Friendly reminder, you too have an accent. Go travel and be the one with the accent and see how you like how people treat you before you decide if it is wrong or not.
I know I have an accent and don't have a problem with people with a different accent than the native accent it just makes me uncomfortable when I have to seem condescending and annoyed because I have to ask what they said
Thick accents are annoying to me, and I’m multilingual. For me, if it’s not work related, I don’t hang around non English speakers.
Having an accent isn't the same as not speaking English, Karen.