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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be soooo irritated by step kids new accent?

130 replies

wishingonastar9 · 16/04/2014 18:05

I know I'm going to offend some people here but I'm just being honest...
My step kids (8 & 10) have recently moved to Liverpool and within weeks DSS8 has developed a full on scouse accent and I'm finding it sooooo bloody irritating!!
DSD10 isn't so bad, she just says the odd word with a bit of a twang, I can cope with that but I'm sure DSS is 'putting it on' possibly just to annoy us, surely it's not really possible to completely change accents within such a short space of time?

What I find most annoying is that DSS has even changed the words and terminology he uses.
Sometimes it even seems that he says certain things on purpose just so he can say it the scouse way.
It's not just the accent it's the way they don't say a lot of words properly, eg instead of saying ''something'' DSS now says something that sounds like ''sut'en''.

They stay with us during most school holidays so so far I've had over a week of it constantly and I want to scream...I hate it!

Admittedly I am pregnant, hormonal, stressed and very tired after running around after 4 kids for 1&1/2 weeks so I know I am more irritable than normal.
But when I look ahead 10 years down the line, I just can't imagine that there will ever be a day that I won't be annoyed by it.

And before anybody questions my own accent...I don't have much of one...yes people can probably tell what region I live in from speaking to me but it's not a strong accent. And I say words as they should be said.

OP posts:

mamicar · 16/04/2014 23:01

I grew up in bootle. im proper scouse me.

Martorana · 16/04/2014 23:02

My children have always been trilingual- Yorkshire, Esturine Kent and Posh. They can switch between them mid sentence.

maddy68 · 17/04/2014 08:25

When I was young I lived in Wales, my dad lived in Lancashire and my step dad was Scottish, within 10 seconds of being with one of these relatives my accent morphed into theirs, still does!

I pick them up easily, it's no biggy. When I go to work on a Monday my colleagues can tell exactly where I've spent my weekend!

maddy68 · 17/04/2014 08:25

Oh and I'm married to a scouser and his accent gets right on my tits at times :)

Ploppy16 · 17/04/2014 08:34

I.spent 2 months travelling round NZ in my early 20's and came back sounding like a native
yABU and quite mean. And a snob as well. It's a great skill to be able to adapt and blend in, especially at this age. You should he proud of him not irritated by his very presence!
Am interested to know where you live now, what accent do you have (and yes you will have one) that makes you so entitled to criticise the Scouse accent?
(please be a Manc and sound like Bez..)

Glitterandglue · 17/04/2014 08:58

Many of the people at his school probably tell him he speaks 'wrong' when he uses any hint of his original accent.

You think he speaks incorrectly when he uses this new accent.

You're all being intolerant and need to get a grip.

If he can modify his speech enough to be understood by others speaking the same language, that's enough. It doesn't matter if they like his accent or not. You can't please everyone and there's no reason you should have to.

TheFarceAndTheSpurious · 17/04/2014 09:03

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

FrigginRexManningDay · 17/04/2014 09:23

I think the Scouse accent is held in the same light as a north/west Dublin accent in Ireland. I live in the inner city, I sound like I live in the inner city (oi souw loike oi livf in d innur si'ee)

fromparistoberlin73 · 17/04/2014 09:49

the poor children have started a new school, and are trying to make new friends. thats a massive big deal. and all you give a shit about is the fact that their accenhts annoy you!!! YABU

stopfuckingspraying · 17/04/2014 09:54

I moved to Liverpool about 5 years ago and within the first 6 months my accent had changed! I found myself having to alter the way I said some words (I worked in customer services) Just so people would understand me.

I haven't lived there for about 4 years and I still have a scouse twang.

For a child it is very easy to repeat other peoples slang

ApprenticeViper · 17/04/2014 10:29

YABU

I was seven when my parents moved us from a "naice" Cheshire town to a town about eight miles south of Manchester. Within a month I was dropping aitches left, right and centre and constantly being told at home to speak properly and stop being lazy. My great-grandmother was horrified by how much my accent had changed in such a short space of time.

At my new school I was bullied for six months, mostly for "talking posh" (even though I really didn't, and even less so after about two months).

Please give your DSC a break and let them fit in with where they've moved to.

Am at Ploppy16 "please be a Manc and sound like Bez..."! Lmao!

Fizzybangfanny · 17/04/2014 10:51

marorana I'm glad you got much amusement out of my post! but would you like to say why?

The way we use our language absolutely has an impact on how others perceive us.

I moved about a lot while I was younger so didn't really acquire a broad accent. How ever, where I settled and dd1 grew up, tough council estate. The accent was quite strong. Which in its self is inevitable, but it's the use of the language that can have a negative effect.

My aunt who is a couple years older will say ..
' oRRRRRRR get on this ,yeah.... Instead of 'oh yes, listen to this...
' eeeR instead of 'here you are.

It doesn't sound articulate, educated.

When dd1 started saying

'Shurrup! Shut up
'Wa'er - waTer
'My head was goofed out man' - after a very long IT session.
Innit - isn't it.

She got told about it.

She deals with important clients every day in barristers chambers and there is no way on earth she would have got the job is she sounded like a 'proper manc'

I also did send her to a different secondary school in year 9 in a more affluent area and I think that helped too.

Copying accents to help fit in and dumbing down to fit in are two totally different things.

mrstigs · 17/04/2014 11:07

I'm an unintentional mimic too. To the point where a door to door salesman once started asking me questions as to where I came from as I sounded like I came from his hometown (born and live in Yorkshire with a very definite Yorkshire accent normally, this salesman came from Liverpool), I ended up going along with it as I was so embarrassed. I only have to speak with someone for five minutes and I ape their accent and sentence structure, often catching myself mid sentence and panicking that they think I'm being rude. Was useful when my last job which involved visiting people in a very diverse area of Sheffield, I used to flip between common as muck broad Yorkshire to sounding quite middle class in minutes. So don't discount the fact that he may be doing it quite genuinely and not winding you up on purpose.
And even so, I imagine you want him to feel comfortable and at home in your house, so you should let him speak how he likes without making him feel awkward and hyper aware of his voice. Let him be.

moldingsunbeams · 17/04/2014 11:15

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OTheHugeManatee · 17/04/2014 11:51

YABU, they're just trying to fit in. I imagine your DSC probably had their Southern vowels promptly kicked out of them at their new school, much as m DH had his Scouse twang mocked to nothing when he went to Oxford.

farnywarny1192 · 17/04/2014 12:11

bit against the scouse accent are we op? (proud scouser here) He is a child, they adapt very quickly and he will be trying to fit in at school too

ithoughtofitfirst · 17/04/2014 12:55

I remember getting extremely pissed off at some tosser acquaintance from the Shires for thinking the he 'didn't have an accent' because he spoke in RP like a fucking BBC newsreader 'eeeoi heeelllo haaaaa aaaaah yooooooo?'

YABU

People have accents. I bet you do too OP. DEAL.

NewtRipley · 17/04/2014 12:58

As others have said - he's 10 - it's all about fitting in for lots of DCs this age. He's being very pragmatic in gaining an accent so quickly. MY dH was bullied at Secondary for not having the local accent.

The fact it winds you up may be a bonus for him

Deathraystare · 17/04/2014 13:04

That is how kids adapt and survive. I noticed in London that as well as white kids pretending to be 'straight outta Compton', even nicely brought up Indian girls were speaking /acting the same!

It was not deliberate but I must have changed from a normal (not posh) speaking Kent girl to speaking with a 'Croydon' accent when I moved. It is almost unconsciously done but is a must for you to fit in and not get duffed up for being 'posh'/having a 'wierd 'accent.

Deathraystare · 17/04/2014 13:06

It is hysterical though hearing 'naice' boys pretending they are African Americans living in a ghetto. I can't stop from laughing as I pass them by.

NewtRipley · 17/04/2014 13:07

Round here there's a weird Turkish/Jamaican/posh London hybrid.

MamaMumra · 17/04/2014 13:50

YABU and lacking in imagination. and empathy for your DSC.

Jerboa · 17/04/2014 13:58

YABU. My DC have a strong inner London accent and my sister is snobby about it (she grew up in a naice posh area years after I was born, I was born and raised here and have a slightly softer similar accent to the DC). He's trying to fit in, that's not wrong or stupid or annoying. I love the Scouse accent though!

shanghidawn · 17/04/2014 14:19

Just chill....its not all bad if they get a full on scouce accent, remember only dogs and dolphins can hear things at that pitch so you'll be fine!

shanghidawn · 17/04/2014 14:20

Scouse*

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