To hate my accent?

[sensodyne]

Are you local? Asked the dentist.
Where are you originally from? asked my dog groomer

I am Cardiff born and bred. My parents are both from here for generations, speak welsh but don’t sound welsh when they speak english. My mum does a bit, like noticeable but my dad sounds southern english.

AIBU to hate my horrible, boring, southern english accent. When really I should sound welsh.

I only lived in the south for 3 year at cambridge for uni and 2 years then in london. Someone even thought they could tell I was from hertfordshire. Not sure if I’ve ever been there in my life.

Could be worse! I have an essex accent (people think they're being very funny to imitate it ) though if I was you I would just say yeah, are you?

lInome I’ll see your Essex accent and raise you a Birmingham one. Horrific. I hate my accent so much - would rather have yours, OP!

Most places are made up of people who come from all over, especially cities, so does it really matter?

My DH is from a northern city but has never had a strong accent even though his siblings do. They mock him and no one believes he's not from the south.

I AM from Hertfordshire, and fairly well spoken - I love my "boring" southern accent My work involves public speaking and being on the phone, and I have been told a number of times I have a lovely voice so, you know, it's not necessarily such a bad thing.

You could try to cultivate a welsh accent if you wanted, but if you're not very good it might sound like you're taking the piss.

@sensodyne would you like a welsh accent? or a Cardiff accent? 🙈 I ask as they are two very different things lol.

I am twenty minutes down the road from you and I have a strong Welsh accent (or so I am told by the English/Scottish Colleagues I have) and I can absolutely tell when I'm talking to someone from Cardiff. They sound totally different to me and those who are from Newport etc

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I'm from Essex - when I used to visit Manchester with an ex I constantly had people saying "can you say water" or "you sound like the girls from towie"

Only realised how bad my accent was when I sent a voice note on WhatsApp recently to my friend and played it back - in my head my voice sounded different - I'm utterly appalled at my voice now

Try a broad as Kiwi accent. Although the other day someone asked me if I was South African. . .

mbosnz, someone asked me the same last week. When I said ‘no...’ they replied with ‘Australian?’. I’m actually from a non-English speaking country. Maybe South Africa is people’s go-to country when they can’t place an accent?

@SouthwarkSkaters I think it is too!

So many people struggle with a SA accent - even when it's on TV i have friends who are perplexed as to what accent it is and they always suggest NZ first.

It must be something to do with the sounds and pitch changes? 🤷🏼‍♀️

I'm a Geordie born and bred but strangers always ask me if I'm Welsh!

I am a qualified accent and dialect coach. This training teaches one to look at accents scientifically: what are the vowel and consonant sounds that typify it; where is it placed in the mouth?

What is it specifically about your accent that you don’t like, OP? That it is too near to “Received Pronunciation” and so not “exotic” enough?

Did you ever have a welsh accent? Did you consciously change your accent when you studied in Cambridge, to “fit in” perhaps?

I have a Norfolk accent and I attended the University of East Anglia which is very proud and very loud about being in Norfolk and loving everything Norfolk. They were obsessed with embracing accents and dialect. Apart from my one! I was sent to elocution lessons by my tutor to the and lesson my accent! What a cringe.

I'm Welsh, but have list my accent unless I'm talking to another Welsh person.
I've been in England too long. Time to go home..... 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

I'm from South Africa and lived in the UK for nearly 20 years, when I say 'hi' people can tell I have an accent. Michael McIntyre has a great bit of show where he says the SA accent is basically syllables that does not follow each other. Would love a soft Welsh accent!

@sensodyne would you like a welsh accent? or a Cardiff accent? 🙈 I ask as they are two very different things lol

explain!?

Cardiff is in Wales, so is a welsh accent, yes??

horrible, boring, southern english accent

Did you mean to be so rude

@Jessikka there are umpteen Welsh accents. I'm from near Cardiff and can distinguish between a Kairdiff accent and a Barry accent. Newport is different again, and it gets more and more different as you go further west. Mid Wales accents are different again, and as for North Wales! A different country I tell ye! And I'm sure a Gog will be along soon to explain the local peculiarities

Saying a Cardiff accent is the same as a Welsh accent is like saying a Manchester accent is the same as an English accent. It isn't, there are more than one Welsh accents!

OP I feel your pain, I'm from the South Wales border area and my accent was never that strong to start with (apart from the odd word like tuth/tuthbrush and cwtch) but having lived away for so long, it's now gone completely. People can never place me either and also assume I'm from the Home Counties. It makes me sad as it's like part of my identity isn't there anymore.

Fellow Cardiffian here. I have to be honest I'm not a huge fan of the cardiff accent. Its definitely not 'Welsh' I'm always asked where I'm originally from too. Roath always makes them

@jessikka Strong Newport accents sound West country/Bristol to me.

LOL, I'm glad I'm not the only one getting the Saffy question? People are always so worried when they ask if I'm Australian, and I say, 'no, Kiwi'. I am so way over taking offence - it can be very hard for people to tell the difference! (Good ol' fush and chups. . .)

I get this OP, I'm from a town with an accent but my parents weren't from there and they sent me to a school in south Dublin. Now I'm ''accused'' of not being local! ha! It is annoying. It's like there's an insinuation that you're trying to pretend you're better.

It really is very tedious. Some people just ask once out of curiosity but some people can imply you're faking your own accent.

[YAWN]

I hate mine too.
I was born in the U.K. and grew up flirting between here and my mum’s home country and speak both languages fluently. I have a East if England accent when I speak english, but certain words just don’t roll off my tongue very well in English so come out with a strong accent from my mother’s country. DH always takes the piss out of how I say “dual carriageway” Twat

"Roath" 😂😂😂😂😂

Barry myself. Tidy like. I loves it but dont live by there now.

I am from Cheshire. Have moved around a lot since leaving home for uni at 18 in the South. Now I am an expat. My accent was never very strong and my brother used to take the piss that I was Southern. Now it is only recognised as English. I know that I still say bath right though

Liverpool here though 16yr old ds says I sound "posh"

How on earth does that make sense?