What do you sound like ?

I speak Estuary English
When I went to college my roommate, who was from the East End of London thought I sounded posh! We are still best friends.

I was born in West London to Irish parents in the 1950s, who were very over protective because of the racism shown towards us at the time. Therefore my sister and I have english refined accents from nowhere in particular, but my baby brother has an irish accent. All our friends who had more freedom than us had London accents bordering on cockney. It also depends on who you associate with on how your accent changes. My sister married a South London boy so now has a completely different accent from me. I associated with the "upper echelons" for almost 40 years through work, so speak with what would be classed as a BBC accent. Strangely I haven't taken on my husband's North East accent. My brother still speaks with an Irish accent because most of his freinds and aquaintances are Irish and does all things Irish.

People do make fun of southern accents and perceived behaviours-look at Harry Enfield's Loadsamoney or Tim Nice-But-Dim characters for a start. Never mind us Scots being seen as Begbie (Trainspotting), or Mel Gibson Braveheart types....and that accent was atrocious! Second only to Dick Van Dyke's cockney!

Brought up in the Midlands by a mother who spent her first 8 years in London and the next 8 in Suffolk. Before we went to school we obviously sounded like Mum but gradually assimilated to sound more like our classmates. We'd say, 'we can't come out to play on Sunday as it's 'barth night' and this pronunciation was obviously questioned.
At various places I've been asked where I come from (even my home town) as I evidently don't sound 'broad' enough to be local. When I recorded my voice I thought that I sounded like Su Pollard.

I have a broad Brummie accent It is considered by some to be the worst accent ever. We moved nearer to the Black Country (but still in Birmingham) not long after we married and I couldn't understand a word anyone was saying!

Born and raised in Nor'n Arland, lived in england for the last 20 years though, so sadly I've really lost the accent. Everyone thinks I'm Scottish now. I love it when I hear a good strong Northern Irish accent, it reminds me of my roots and childhood.

Still a proud Scouser although I have'nt lived in-Liverpool since 1964(I married into the sevices so have moved aroud a lot)Most people can detect I am from the north but hesitate to say Liverpool,sometimes I wonder if they are reluctant to say Liverpool in case they upset me or do they expect me to "duff " them up for daring to say I sound Scouse.I now live in Norfolk.Hmmm!!

Although I moved away from Glasgow many years ago, I don't think my accent has ever changed. I don't have a musical ear and so don't seem to pick up other accents. Some folk seem to have picked up a different accent after a week's holiday.

My accent is not broad Glaswegian, but it never was. I probably sound more like Kirsty Wark than Billy Connolly.

Sometimes people are surprised when I tell them I grew up in Glasgow and say they thought I came from Edinburgh. I can tell I'm supposed to take that as a compliment. I don't!

I sound like me. Someone, comparatively recently, said I sound like Jenny Agutter but as I think she sounds like Theresa May I would rather I didn't. There is a short video tutorial I made which is on my blog but I had the end of a cold - just a sore throat - and I have just listened to it, but again, I think it just sounds like me.

I do use the odd Yorkshireism after living here for 45 years but haven't acquired any accent and don't think you hear such strong accents these days. My father had a slight Norfolk accent and mum had a slight Wiltshire one but they seemed to disappear over time and you could only hear them just a little on the phone.

Kate's, can read it, understand it, but can't speak it without sounding stupid lol. I have trouble nowadays understanding my grandchildren sometimes lol!

Katek, computer changed name!

All I can say is that I have a 'Northern' accent having been born in Northern Ireland, lived in Cumbria, Geordie family, then lived in North Wales and different parts of Lancashire,and spent time in Essex and the Midlands. Accents fascinate me and I am amazed by the differences between even two nearby places. I can now identify the accents of different towns in Lancashire. I'm sure the same is true of every part of Britain.

That's so true Greandma2213. It's possible to identify which town in Lancashire/gtr Manchester the speaker comes from. I also agree with GG that the very strong local accents and sayings we heard regularly in childhood are slowly disappearing. I still love , pop my clogs, well I'll go to't'foot o our stairs and trouble at mill.

There are several distinct differences in accent within our city and I can generally pinpoint where they live by listening.

Well, today I am working on my 'No bulls***t sounding voice, ready to take on the world of inadequate mental health care again.

katek I've had the same experience. Being told I sound as if I come from Edinburgh and not Dundee is apparently a compliment.
You'll probably agree with me that there is no definitive Scottish accent and the attempts by some actors to achieve that are dreadful.
Listening to a R4E programme recently I heard an appallingly awful 'Scottish' accent which really grated.
I was surprised to hear the actor was Nina Conti who, although born and brought up in the south, is the daughter of the lovely Scottish Tom!
Should've asked dad for advice.

What you sound like .. sounds more like .. Where do you come from

I'd never really analysed my voice. Of late I've being taking short video clips of the grandchildren on my phone often I'm talking to them in the background, it's always a bit of a shock to hear your own voice I think. I was born and brought up in Surrey, two of my closest friends have Irish parents, we went to school together, they both have cut glass English accents, not put on, they always talked that way. I don't perceive my accent to be the same as theirs, I think I had the influence of my father's London vowels , who grew up in Wimbledon, that London accent came through in a perculiar way in my heavily accented paternal grandfather who came to this country as an adult. My mother was also in London in early childhood, then her family moved to Kent, her accent was imo quite classless, she was a mixture of English, Irish and French so maybe she escaped the over riding London accent. A friend recently told me I sounded like Jenny Bond, I don't necessarily agree with that.

We recently came back from Northumberland, I like the accent up there it's very attractive, other favourties southern Irish and Welsh. I like a lot of regional accents. I'm not keen on Cockney, Glasgow Scottish, or the Scouse accent, but I like the Liverpudlian accent of the Beatles.

I'm Devonshire and sound it. I don't like my voice at all.
I enjoy other accents, but not my own.

Does anyone else associate particular accents with personalities? or is it just me?

Without upsetting anyone, I can hear a particular accent and my mind immediately imagines their personality.

I love all the different accents we hear around us whilst hubby hates them. However, after reading this thread, I did have a bit of a chuckle when my DIL and I were discussing my DGS's speech which is a bit lacking. She is a Yorkshire lass who moved down south to be with my son and her family say she sounds like a southerner when she goes home. To us she sounds very northern. Anyway, I was saying about how DGS seemed not to hear certain sounds when we were trying to get us to emulate us. She fell about laughing and then said the same words...sounding exactly like her son!

I've lived in Essex all my life but have never been accused of having an Essex accent whatever that is. When abroad and other English people ask where I come from and I tell them they invariably reply that I don't sound like it - it seems that a certain programme has a lot to answer for. ?

Varian even Billy Connelly doesn't sound Glaswegian nowadays ...lol.And dont get me started on Lulu.she turns on a version of Glaswegian to suit herself when she deems it necessary.I am also born and raised ,until I was 12 in Glasgow ,we never had strong Glaswegian acccents and no one we knew did either .When we moved the new school refused to believe we were weegies.Shame really I've very proud of my roots

I've been told I sound like Katie Price

Both Nina Conti's parents are Scottish so she certainly should have a better accent. I remember her mother, Kara Wilson, who is Glaswegian and was at Glasgow University in the early 60s. She was a leading light in the Dramatic Society and also became an actor.