To get annoyed when people say you don't sound like you're from X

[plebblep]

My area has a well known, parodied accent, that is usually quite strong.

I do not have this accent, I sound "plain", but certainly do have hints of the local. I went to Oxbridge and now live in London.

Both my parents were educated, and only some older members of the family have the accent. Otherwise, my family is very upper middle, and so for historic reasons do not possess the accent.

Am I being unreasonable to get annoyed when people say "You don't sound like you're from ...." It is as if people don't believe I'm from that area! Or as if one is expected to be a walking caricature!

How do you react to similar comments?

Pie rolls are the dug's baws.

BumDisease I’m right in the mood for one now!

@JennyOnAPlate
I get exactly the same. It's not because I'm posh or anything. Just that my parents didn't grow up in Wales so don't have a Welsh accent and my mum corrected any pronunciation that was different to her own so I never developed a local accent.
Then I moved so SW England and I've lost even the merest hint of a Welsh accent that I might have once had.

I HATE being told I don't sound Welsh. I know it's true but it's as if people are questioning me. I loved there for 18yrs until I went to Uni. I know where I'm from. Those who say it (which are most of them) have never even heard of my county, which is not a particularly "Welshy" area anyway, so it comes across as ignorant to the fact that there are several accents in Wales, not just The Valleys one they were expecting.

@yetalkshitehen meat and potato usually or there is butter pie in other parts of Lancs which is potato basically. Barm must be buttered. Maybe some brown sauce.

Jeanclaudejackety I’m not keen on meat and potato but the buttery one sounds lovely! Is it Lancs wide or do I need to go to Wigan specifically? (We go to near Preston every year on holiday I’m not actually going to travel just for a pie )

People tell me I don't sound like I'm from Essex, I usually just reply 'oh what would you assume someone from Essex sounds like?' , that's usually enough to make them realise their faux pas, if not I point out I know a number of people from Essex and none of them sound like the cast of towie, and that I'm surprised that show was their kind of thing.
I've met more people in Essex with neutral or London accents than the abominations trotted out in the media. I also object strongly to the Essex girl stereotype, I saw more white stilettoes and orange tans in the four years I lived in the North East than I've ever seen in the thirty years I've lived in Essex.

“My parents were from the area, went to grammar school and uni. Dad is from immigrant parents so they didn’t have the local accent and they both worked in professional roles where perhaps they mixed with more people from other cities?”

You are Posh! Certainly middle class.

I get the same and was also teased for being “posh”. But I truly am common as muck. Parents didn’t go to university or grammar schools, both from large city council estates. And they were not especially supportive, partly due to illness, partly due to being an abusive arsehole. I’m lucky to have done well and not picking up an accent has probably helped. I take it as a compliment.

I went to Oxbridge [...] My family is very upper middle

And yet you chose a username with 'pleb' in it for your first MN post.

Nice of you to signal that you are totes cool with the lower echelons of society

I really want a pie on a roll now

I get this but it's because I tone down my accent & slow down when speaking to people not from here because I usually talk really fast & have a strong accent

People know im english but not which region

Cos ive moved around uk and world and lost my local accent innit

I get people saying they can't place my accent and I put it down to moving around in the RAF when we were young so never in one place for a long time. Settled in Lincolnshire / Humber region and I don't think there is a particularly strong accent here till you go north of the Humber so haven't picked anything up other than dropping my 'T's' which I believe is common for this area (so we'll say 'I'm going to a par-e' instead of party)

People often tell me I'm Australian and have an Australian accent. Do they think I don't know? Sometimes they tell me to my face how horrible the accent is. So much for the famous British reticence.
The best was the new colleague who did a sort of "welcome, let me know if there's anything I can help with" speech, then, as I was turning away, hissed after me : "I know you're Australian. I can detect your accent. But it's not too-"
She got no further. After the dust had settled another colleague "explained" that they'd an Australian once before and they hadn't liked her, so they weren't too keen to have another. After my rant I doubt they'll ever have another. Because, you know, we're all the same.

That’s fucking awful CoalTit! All of it.

I've moved so much I don't sound like I'm from anywhere, nor does my dh, one dc sounds like is, the other sounds like she's from here (odd). People are confused when I say "the world" as the answer "to where are you from?"

I work in a shop in Chelsea.
I get asked quite often where I am from.

They always guess I must come from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa, but no, I come from South London, all my life.

I have no idea why they think this, but I just find it funny.

I am from Glasgow - the east end so I am most definitely not posh ! I have lived here my entire life yet outwith Glasgow most people can’t place where i’m from. I don’t sound Glaswegian unless I am very angry and ranting .

I have also never had a deep fried mars bar or know anyone who has!

I travelled up and down the country a lot when I was younger for my hobby so perhaps that has something to do with it. It doesn’t offend me at all but I generally don’t care what strangers think of me .

I'm in Liverpool OP and have to tell people everyday that yes, I am scouse, and no I'm not visiting for business, and yes Mr Taxi Driver I really have been here for all 30+ years of my life so please go the way I bloody ask you to go! Sorry if I don't sound like a wool from Kirkby or like I'm from under the bridge in Garston 😏 etc... etc...

It gets bloody boring!!!

As a family, we all had different accents!

My mum was Devonshire, completely out there if she was talking to relatives; dad was Cornish - completely different ... My bro pure 'Ampshire; me, vair RP at my grammar school..

Since then, I went Aussie for quite a few years, which took me ages to 'lose'.

Accents are funny old things! But I do get the loss of regional accent if you 'go posh'. It's social camouflage.

Thanks @ShastaBeast for echoing my school bullies.

You are Posh!

I think our definitions differ! To me having teacher/childminder parents, living in a 2up 2down, all hand me down clothes (because you can’t afford all new, not because you love the rustic look daahhhhrrling) no overseas holidays, going to state comprehensive is not posh. But yes I would say we were middle class because of the parents jobs and owning the house and we did have a little car (and read The Guardian....)

Anyway, the point wasn’t about what class I technically fell into. For the classmates who liked to point it out ‘you’re posh!’ Meant ‘you have a different accent so you’re different, you’re not one of us, you think you are better than us.’

I never did think I was better. I can only imagine I was shy and awkward and came off with a bit of resting bitch face?! I am a pretty open minded person and have lots of lovely friends now (including my neighbours in housing association homes and a couple who have pretty much a country estate each - and I wouldn’t even call them posh because they are so lovely and down to earth and ‘posh’ has always meant a negative, snobby attitude to me).

And admittedly maybe I should check my privilege. Possibly things have been easier for me since I left that town because of having a less distinct or placeable accent. And that is not fair either. It just all pisses me off!

I sort of understand, because I live in a different plave to where I grew up, and people often want to ask where I'm from originally (though less and less often, I guess I have more of a hybrid accent now). It gets a bit boring having the same conversation whenever you meet people and I'm pretty shy so it makes me feel a bit self-concious having to give a bit of my life story, even if people are only being curious in a friendly way.

But I don't like the snobby overtones of your post, so YAB if that's why you don't like it.

I don't know how to respond to this entirely-not-problem.

Wish I had an accent. It's a good conversation opener. I was brought up in Hampshire and live in Essex for the last 40 years, but no accent, sadly.

I get told 'You have such good English' when I tell people where I'm from. I've lived here since I was five but for all they know I could have come over in my teens/twenties.

CatOwned I'm too pale to look Italian.