Friend and her accent

[ByKindLilacFinch]

Not an AIBU, just interested if anyone else has experienced this.

my friend has never had any kind of accent (well spoken, sounds like a news reader). Over the last few months has started pronouncing words differently. She sounds a bit like she’s from Russia but has been in the UK a very long time and the accent is subtle but it’s there.

I’ve asked her why she is speaking with an accent and she just looks at me blankly. I know I’m not imagining it as we both met someone new last week and they asked where she was from as she didn’t sound British.

I’m curious as to whether anyone can shed any light, just really curious.

Sometimes we change as we interact with people or hang out with them but if nothing else has changed I would be somewhat worried. Have you heard of foreign accent syndrome? People often joke that the people who have it are speaking with a foreign accent but what is actually happening is the way their brain controls their muscles in their mouth has been impacted causing them to no longer speak properly. Absolutely not saying she has this but I'd be worried if it persisted that it could be a potential neurological problem.
I'd bring it up once and if she doesn't listen, I'd just be aware of it and if it got worse revisit.

As a few posters have suggested........

She is definitely a spy! 🕶🕵🙊

Some people start speaking like people they’re with.

Does she speak any other languages? Wondering if she's maybe switching in and out of languages (e.g. when speaking to relatives/friends abroad) then it's influencing her accent in English?

This is interesting - no idea if she is autistic. She doesn’t have any typical ASD traits but it’s such a wide spectrum which of course affects people in different ways it’s not necessarily obvious is it? She’s very pragmatic, and smart - maybe she’s an Aspie who’s been watching spy movies? Who knows? I want to broach it with her again but really don’t want to piss her off

She could have, every stroke / TIA presents differently and changes can be subtle. It might present as 1 symptom or could be more ( it depends what area of the brain and for how long it was affected) I would suggest she gets checked out by her GP. It's very possible a sudden change like this could be due to something neurological.

My sister might say the same of me. I was brought up somewhere with a strong regional accent but for my whole adulthood have lived and worked in a professional career in London. I now sound generic educated southern English. But when I visit my family my accent slips back into regional. It is totally unconscious and most of the time I only notice if I hear myself recorded speaking. I’m not “fake”, “conflicted” or trying to be something I’m not, it’s just a natural human process to pick up the speech patterns of those we spend most time with.

I think this is very likely as well

Another erring towards sleeper agent.

Would it happen suddenly after so many years of an "ordinary" accent?

I was at school with a girl who some days she’d be Italian some days Deep South some days New York. She’d blank you if you said anything. She was very bright as well. I’m guessing your friend isn’t 16 though.

You're friends with a beautiful Russian spy. It's like a James Bond movie 😱

But seriously, can you ask to record her to see if she can hear what you can hear. I'd go down the route of saying you're worried about foreign accent syndrome and would like her to get checked because you're worried about her.

Don't pack anything belonging to her in your suitcase if travelling abroad. 😊

I pick up accents if I have been in a place for more than a few days or so. It's really odd and even I catch myself doing it but that doesn't sound like that's what's going on here. Learning a different language maybe?

Only read page 1 so not sure if this was already suggested, but has she had her teeth done or any oral surgery? It's amazing how even a tiny change to someone's teeth can impact how they pronounce some words.

It sounds like a strange accent to fake. It would be different if she was trying to sound more posh, or conversely less posh ("mockney").

She's probably just got into a good TV show, something nordic maybe.

If you know her name and date of birth you can look up where she was born- get a trial of Ancestry or FindmyPast. If you can't find her she might not have been born in the UK.

Does she respond to the name Grey Squirrel?

Sorry but I think it's a bit of a rude assumption. People don't usually consciously copy an accent/ try to be something they aren't.

Shakira fo example has had periods of speaking both with an Argentine and Catalan Spanish while living in those areas.

I started off with an American-ish accent with a Scandinavian flavour. I'm not exposed to the US and Scandinavia anymore so my accent is more British. However, I spend most of my time around Italians and Spanish at work, so I pick up how they speak, and body language. I also mirror the accent of who I am talking to, so if I am speaking to someone that speaks very informally, I won't speak back to them in perfect RP. If I am speaking to someone that speaks very formally, I notice myself speaking formally.

None of this is conscious, it just happens. I mirror people.

It's a trait that's hard to control. My best friend is the same, she is British but her pronounciation can be a bit foreign at times when she's around foreigners a lot.

My bf's mum is British but living long-term in Australia. She can sound British or Australian depending on the environment, her accent switches.

Talking of other reasons, she could be having some dental work done, etc, etc. I really wouldn´t think about it too deeply unless it impacts you.

Either that or she is secretly Elizabeth from the Americans and is tired of faking it :)

What on earth does she say when you or anyone ask her why she’s doing it?

Don't accept a cup of tea from her unless she's already taken a sip and make sure she doesn't poke you withe the tip of her brolly.

Yes this is possible. I quite often develop a slight American accent, and use American words if I've been on my own for a few days, and I assume it's due to TV shows. I'd try to persuade her to go to her GP though, just in case.

Everyone has an accent. The "newsreader" one is RP (Received Pronunciation).

This could very well be a neurological issue. You need to really spell it out for her: "Your voice has changed. I think you should see a doctor, because sometimes you sound Russian. No, you do not sound the same as you always did". Record her and play it back if you have to.

We went to Malham on a school trip, geography A level. . We decided not to go to the pub with everyone else so we went to a more local pub. After talking to the local lads I developed a Yorkshire accent and it took me a fortnight to get my normal accent back