Why do people mimic accents?

[Dotdashdottinghell]

Just that really, it winds me up.

People say to me often "Oooh, you're proper Welshy aren't you?" In the most really over exaggerated Welsh accent. I just say "Yes, it's because I'm Welsh, would that be hard to work out?" Then they get the hump.

I've seen it when people meet someone from the North East and star with all the Way Aye Man shit.

Just why do people do it? It just makes them look and sound so stupid, like they'd never expect to meet someone from outside of their town, ever.

Yep, see also

"Och aye the noo"

Oh, yes, I'm half Scottish but live in SE England, visiting Scotland regularly. We used to stop over to see my late MIL (who was lovely in just about every other way) en-route and she always did the "och aye the noo, are you off to Scottishland" thing, which was really irritating.

I am Scottish. My accent is fairly mild and easy to understand but it is obvious from the moment I open my mouth - think Judy Murray if you have ever heard her speak, that is basically my voice.

I’ve lived in England for decades, mostly London.
When I gave birth to my son in 2016 a Consultant with a cut-glass RP accent assisted with the delivery. As he was stitching up my torn vagina, he suddenly piped up, in full See You Jimmy Mode “Oh aye so you’re Scoa’ish are ye fae Glesga then?” from between my legs. Apparently this was OK because he went to medical school in Edinburgh and therefore had first hand evidence that we are “lovely lovely people”.

From that day forth I have never ever smiled indulgently again at anyone who mimics my accent (except my son, who is hilarious😀).

That is so annoying!

I'm a Mexican-American from Texas and am married to an Englishman. I have a subtle Texan/ Hispanic accent. My brother-in-law, my husband's brother, does a "yee-haw" and an over-the-top southern American accent, which incidentally is not Texan or tries to talk like Cheech and Chong.

I have no idea why he does it but I'm guessing it's because he thinks he is oh, so funny. I think it makes him a jerk.

Yep I also develop a limp when walk along side someone limping. I find it really embarrassing. It also terrifies me when I'm talking to someone who stutters and keep conversation to a minimum because of this.

On the accent side there is nothing worse than being told to "Calm down, calm down!" by someone who thinks it's hilarious and you've never heard it before.
Or the braver ones who ask you to say 'chicken' then are surprised you don't have a really thick Scouse/ Liverpool accent.

Mimicry and mirroring are very different and I think fairly easy to distinguish.

I'm from the West Country and the "Ohh Arrr" is a common thing. I like my accent so sod them.

I'm broad Barnsley. I hear nar then, tha what, heyup etc every time I ring our Scottish head office and I really couldn't care less if someone takes the piss out of my accent/dialect, it's a bit of fun for them, not that funny really but it's not really offensive or anger inducing.

Or human ?

"Unconscious Accent Mimicry"

seems to be a thing. A housemate at Uni came from Northern Ireland, and every holiday when they came back from visiting home they relayed tales of being called out for "sounding too English". And indeed, on the phone home their accent became stronger by the minute.

That’s not mimicry though. It’s them having to soften their accent/avoid dialect words to be understood while in England but relaxing back into it when speaking to fellow NI people. (Though their families still detect a vestige of the adaptation).

Thing is, after a term together, I was picking up some distinctly un-Home Counties twangs.

Accents seem to exist in nature and are part of the complex us/not-us world we have to navigate

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001b8b

Oh that’s normal. My husband says some words in a Scottish way now after living with me so long.

My in-laws do this to me because I have a northern accent and they're southern. I can't say it really bothers me, I suppose my accent is quite funny to their ears. They try to bring the conversation round to me saying 'pub' or they'll point at a duck and ask me what it is! It's their unworldliness that makes them find something very mundane so interesting I think.