AIBU to find it odd my children sound English?

[brawst]

Neither of my kids have Scottish accents. Both DH and I have Scottish accents and have never lived outside of Scotland. I have a Glaswegian accent and DH has a very soft Edinburgh accent.

We live and the kids grew up in Fife, but both of them sound English. They both moved to England at 18 for studies (over a decade ago now) and people will ask them if they have Scottish family or links because they’ve very Scottish names, like Angus McLeod etc.

They only used to have a very slight accent, but DD said she put this on so she wouldn’t get teased at School

My MIL left Fife nearly 70 years ago - she’s never lost her accent. Went to teach in a school in Turkey in the early 60s and found her class spoke English with a posh Edinburgh accent because that’s where their previous teacher was from.

Some people are chameleons when it comes to accents, my sister's voice has changed since she moved up North but mine hasn't. My children all have southern accents despite living up north for a few years. DH's accent changed after living in the South for a few years, he doesn't sound much like the people in his home town.

Some people put on an accent in order to fit in. My Grandad moved from Ireland to East London aged 7 (same age DS1 moved north) He quickly learned to put on an Eastend accent to avoid being chucked out of shops etc.

That's fighting talk, that is!

My dad was an Eastern European Displaced Person. My mum used to contrast Dad's English with that of one of his pals who honed his pronunciation in Morningside.

Ma faither learnt his English doon the Peweep [Peewit] pin in Lumphinnans. Tae the end o' his days, he spoke Fife dialect - ma maternal grandmither wiz aye his "guid mither".

My DH has quite a posh english accent, RP would be going too far. His parents and friends have strong regional accents and he went to quite a rough school. Not sure where he got it from.

Likewise, I was always accused of being posh at school. It is really strange. Our DC have all been accused of being posh, despite living in the same place as their classmates since birth.

That’s brilliant.

My darling husband came from Aberdeenshire. As a point of honour, he spoke Doric outside work at every opportunity. However, after he died I found a tape recording he'd made for me and I realised that after living in Fife for 50 yrs, his accent had indeed been tainted by Fife.

He'd have been really annoyed to realise that.

@WearyAuldWumman that really reminds me of my grandad, would be pushing 100 this year if still with us.

I grew up in in the East Neuk, neither me nor my peers had a fife accent, though I do sometimes here it in them if tipsy but that's more just the odd word. moved to Glasgow just before turning 16 then down to the Borders at 25/26. I have no accent. My eldest has a vague English accent, the other 3 have no real accent either.

I was accused of being posh at high school in Fife.

I then went to Glasgow Uni, where I was accused of being a Teuchter. I took Drama as my third subject in first year. I attended the optional Voice Class and was surprised when I was told by the tutor to read a recipe in my best accent.

I did so. "Weah you trying to read that propehly?"

I was then made to practise: "He whooo woooould know aught of aaaaaht must leeeeeeahn to take his ease."

To my mother's delight, I went home at the weekend attempting to speak RP. This lasted right until I answered the phone and got my Aunty Peggy at the other end of the line: "My Weary, that's fwiiiiiightfully posh!"

@WearyAuldWumman I remember having a client from Peterhead and it was incredibly difficult to catch what he was saying - I think I’d get about one word in three.

DH became broader any time we visited Crathie/Ballater.

Recently, I've noticed that youngsters there sound as though they come from Edinburgh. I think that this is largely because they now all attend Aboyne High School - Ballater no longer has its own secondary department - and there are many 'incomers' at the school.

However, I recall hearing a teenage girl talking in the high street one time and while her accent sounded Edinburgh, the content was pure Doric.

My DS is 14, he has always had a posh English accent - despite only ever living in Scotland and like you I’m west coast and my DH has a gentle Edinburgh accent. No idea why - I blame Thomas the Tank Engine, which he was obsessed with when he was little, but my 11 year old DD was obsessed with Peppa Pig and still sounds Scottish!

Can’t help OP but I definitely understand!

I'm not British but when I talk to English people my accent tend to be British. And when I talk to Americans I sound like a yankee. Very embarrassing but my only defense is that English is not my mother toungue and I started to learn it in school at 9: British English while also watching American soaps like 90210. My dh thinks that me switching accent is very annoying- like a lack of personality- but he only knows his mother toungue so how could he get it.

My cousins spoke broad Doric at home . They moved to Lincolnshire when they were 12 and adopted the local accent to fit in at school but reverted to Doric at home.

They're now in their 60s and still code switch.

Any time I want to cheer myself up, I listen to Scotland the What:

My cousin picked up a Scottish accent as an adult living in Edinburgh. Prior to that he grew up in London with one Scottish parent, think he was over 21 when he moved so had a full southern accent.

I have some lovely friends from the black country. They're proper yam yams and I love their accent. Their 6 year old DC however, despite living in the heart of the black country, has a very RP accent. It's really odd!

Footnote

DH's dad worked on Balmoral Estate, as did DH for a while. (DH was in the forestry division and sometimes worked as a ghillie or a beater.)

Whenever DH had a complaint that a Fife couldn't understand his accent (not the Doric), DH's retort would be "Weel, the Queen nivver had ony bother wi ma accent."

Interesting thread.

They say that certain accents are dying out due to globalisation such as cockney & New York. I think you notice these accents more if you watch older films.

In my own case, people I work with often assume I’m English despite growing up in Scotland. In fact, some nutter challenged me to a fight on a bus when I was a student in Glasgow because he thought I was English.

My Auntie moved from Stirling to Falkirk and she had a Falkirk accent, so you dont have to move that far 😀

I was going to mention Peppa Pig. One of my grandsons has an accent a shade posher than the rest of the family due to this although nobody has a very strong regional accent.

Have you seen Scottish Peppa Pig?

It’s a bit <ahem> sweary.

Ditto Scottish Aladdin.

I have a Scottish accent, DH an Irish one. DC born in England and has a very generic London accent. We lived abroad and I thought he might adopt that American twang expat kids sometimes have. Nope. Has never lost his accent at all. He can't even fake a Scottish or Irish accent. He's 💯 English.
I love accents. And I love speaking my local dialect when in Scotland.

I have a colleague I assumed was from somewhere down south. Couldn’t quite place the accent but it sounded south east sort of region. She’s from the north east! Said she lost it when she moved away for uni… I honestly thought accents mostly stuck after a certain point in childhood but there you go!

It depends. If they are in Fife they'll no be wanting tae speak weedgie, Ken.

one of my DD’s sounds like me (Home Counties rp) the other did sound like her dad where she grew up too, but now sounds like me. Rp is dominant I suppose hence moving towards it