Most people I encounter in the USA think I am British when they hear my dulcet tones, or should that be cacophanous prattle? It seems that the Crocodile Hunter is their reference for how Australians should sound. If anything, puzzling as this is, my accent has become more ENGLISH sounding since being here. It seems a silly affectation indeed, but truly it's not.
Perhaps it is due to the fact that I really don't like American television, as referenced in a previous and rather cantankerous post. I have always much prefered British film and television and continue to watch it over here instead of the indigenous productions.
English Literature is also a favourite. I did a semester of American Literature at University and found it a complete bore, and have since tended to avoid American authors.
I had to read Henry James, 'Portrait of a Lady' and 'Washington Square' at University and considered going the way of Sylvia Plath with my head in the oven, just to escape the drawn out suffering of actually finishing the books. On the other hand, when I read 'Catcher in the Rye', I was hoping Holden Caulfied would make good on his suicidal longings and top himself quick smart because he was such a frightful deadhead, particularly of note considering he was constantly ranting about everyone and everything else being a bore.
Another factor could be that in fighting the battle against sounding American and short of being surrounded by Australian accents, I am accentuating one that I hear more frequently, on the telly anyway, and one that is familiar. The remedy it seems could be to watch more Australian productions. I wonder if viewing 'Chopper' will cause more of that Aussie accent to surface, or just scare the neighbourhood kids, especially when I accost them in the street with a kooky wave and by saying...'hello, hello kiddies, say hello to your Auntie Chop chop'. I might start spouting memorable Chopper quotes like, ' I'm just a bloody normal bloke. A normal bloke who likes a bit of torture', which will not keep me in good standing with neighbours. Perhaps I should stick to the 'Carry on' films, 'Carry on Matron' is my favourite, Hattie Jacques was brilliant as Matron.
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Eric Bana as Chopper, A most unsavoury character indeed.
My mother was very much a Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet), 'If you have to perspire, I wish you'd go into the back garden, so as not to disturb the people who respect us socially', type of person and told us children to watch the ABC when growing up so we could listen to BBC English being modelled with the hope we would sound like that instead of the grubby little bogans we really were.
Hyacinth.
I have one Australian friend here who speaks with an Aussie twang and we sound nothing alike, but when I am around her I find that the inner Aussie accent within starts to rear it's true blue head. Once, after eating Tim Tams, the Colonel said I sounded more Australian. What is it about Tim Tams, aside from their delicious chocolatey goodness, that can conjure up one's Aussieness?
Despite my best efforts, some words are dissolving into the turbid whirlpool of multi-accented confusion. I sometimes forget how a word is pronounced back home. I'm not always sure if my way of saying the word is correct in Australia, or if I have just got it wrong. In my ADHD addled mind I tend to get a lot of things wrong.
Over here the word Mauve is pronounced 'Maw ve.' I had to spell the word to my Aussie friend and ask her how she said it. Fortunately she said 'Mow ve' so I then knew that my way was indeed correct, as I had become confused and wondered if my pronunciation was just a product of my imaginings.
I have been saying the word OMEGA, 'Ohm ay ga' instead of 'Om ee ga' and caught myself out on that one. The Home Depot store is pronounced 'dee poh' instead of 'dep oh'. I had been saying it the American way and quickly corrected it, but sometimes it's just easier to say it their way, so they can understand me.
Oh weird and peculiar accent of mine, how long before you change into something even more nauseating.
Ugh, at least people don't accuse you of being Canadian!
ReplyDeleteMum did have a cultured 'english' accent. I often get mistaken as English by exchange students. Theorists often say that accents define a social group as much as the vernacular does itself. No wonder we are lone rangers! Most Aussies don't have a crocodile Dundee Steve Irwin accent but the typical Aussie accent is non-rhotic. Instead of saying wateR they say wata. The non acknowlegement of the 'r.' Americans have a rhotic accent and accentuate the 'r.'
ReplyDeleteI cannot understand a lot of heavy Aussie accents as the pronunciation confuses me. I am around Michael and Lily who both have American accents. I also do not understand Australian slang, not that it is used much anymore. It is dying along with the older generation and this is a shame.
I will send you a rescue pack! In it you will find recordings of Aussie slang, DVD's of shocking Australian series (neighbours comes to mind) packets of Tim Tams, Wagon Wheels, and the Happy Little Vegimite ditty.
ReplyDeleteDo not succumb to the American drawl. It's bad enough our television programmes are slowly being infiltrated with foreign commercials dubbed over with an Australian accent.
It's rubbish not trash, footpath not sidewalk, bonza not neat and it's G'day not how you doing?
Remember: pie floaters, footy, beauty mate! If in doubt, watch an episode of the Wiggles!
I too grew up watching the ABC and prefer to watch a British series/comedy over an American one.
Bless This House, Carry On Nurse, Robyn's Nest and Sid James (RIP) Dave Allen etc were my childhood television influences.
Do I need to fly over there and slap you?
xx
Funny Lynnie! My husband is American. He has an American mother but a Canadian father. His father was from a border town and had basically an American accent. Boy did he flip his lid when Australians called him an American! Canadians are just the poorer brothers with a chip on their shoulder.
ReplyDeleteI am an advocate of the Aussie slang! And I am always correcting my children on their speech and pronunciation on certain words. Right, walking away else I could bleet on this forever. Now all this excitement has caused my milk to come in.
ReplyDeleteAw STRUTH!!
Mary, you could fly over here and slap me but I might enjoy that. :)So glad to have you met a good Aussie like you in this wonderful online world. I always enjoy reading your contributions, and personally I am very glad you are not very strict with your keep away from blogs rule!
ReplyDeletePatrizia, Mum was very Hyacinth. We really had the whole English manners thing growing up. I still think we were snotty little bogans and didn't really soak all of that up. :)
I remember being told to speak correctly and not to sound like an 'Aussie' but to sound like a presenter on the ABC.
Sometimes when I am lazy I drop the 'r' and say wawta, but then no one over here gets it and I have to say..'war tur' to be understood, it's painful.
I was out having a coffee today and I said that I was 'spewing' about something. My friend laughed, (she has been living here for 10 years) and said she had not heard that for a long time. I am fighting to keep the aussie words alive, however, I did say that buying her coffee was my treat...arrggh. I quickly corrected it by saying, 'my shout'!
I think I do need to watch some more Aussie TV. Maybe neighbours instead of Chopper, I'd rather talk like Charlene Robinson, (but never Madge) instead of Chopper Read. We watch Kath and Kim often, but then I end up talking like Prue and Trude, "I hope he's surba. Oh, we've got stacks of hoihurba left urva from Octurba!", that does not impress anyone.
I started saying the English word 'Cheers' for thankyou. Crikey, I have to get back to say 'Ta'.
Lynnie, you don't sound Canadian at all, what is up with that?
Patrizia, I am of Maltese heritage, both my parents were born in Australia and I was born and raised here in Melbourne my entire life (23 years). I barely watch any TV so no accent-influences there, however, on a daily basis, I am asked if I am either from Canada or America. When I tell people I was born and raised here and I'm a Maltese/Australian, they refuse to believe me! It's insane. I know I sound Australian though. When I travel over to the US or Canada they can pick up the Aussie accent right away on me.
ReplyDeleteFerrari, thanks for clarifying that I don't sound Canadian lol.
ReplyDeleteI remember when I said to my American mate, "Let me shout you a movie tonight." She was all, why are you shouting at me? Haha. She didn't understand, it was slightly amusing on my part.
I seem to emphasise on the Aussie slang when I'm in the US. I love throwing any bit of it in where ever I can. Makes me feel patriotic haha.
I think that we were not brought up using Aussie slang. I must say that I prefer it to the US gangsta accent and language which is epidemic in Australian contemporary society. Darn wiggers, you just want to slap them silly and tell them to fuck off ya bunch of wankers.
ReplyDeleteIf there is one thing I hate it's gangsta language. The next time I hear 'Fo' shizzle' there will be carnage. That is not a threat, it's a promise.
ReplyDeleteThe ghetto's here are terrible, why would kids in Australia who have so many benefits the ghetto kids can only dream out, pretend to be from such poverty?
Fo shizzle.....am waiting!!
ReplyDelete