People 'doing' your accent

[Topofthemornintoya]

If you live outside Ireland, do people do your accent after you speak?

I live abroad and work with expats from many English speaking countries. From time to time, I will be speaking and the other, non Irish, person will repeat what I said in my accent. Maybe I'll say 'do you know if there's paper in the photocopier?' And someone will imitate me and put on my accent saying 'paper in the photocopier!' like it's hilarious.

I never know how to respond because my first thought is 'oh, you've noticed I speak differently to you and you think its comical. Right' but I never really know how to articulate this. I always feel like our conversation is pretty much over when this happens. I can't explain why.

It never feels like a compliment and I normally respond with blank silence as I don't know how I'm supposed to say. The other person will then note the lead balloon and say 'ooh I just love your accent!'.

I spoke to another expat (but not Irish) friend about this. She hasn't done it to me but said that everyone has an accent and a bit of teasing about accents is ok and nobody means any harm.

I couldn't put my finger on why it annoyed me so much. It used to happen a lot when I lived in Emlngland and it always felt very 'othering' so maybe I am overreacting and it's my issue.

Does it happen to you and do you mind? Am I being very over sensitive? It always makes me feel self conscious. As I said, I've worked with a lot of people from other countries. Scottish, Welsh, English, Kiwis, Australians, Americans, Canadians, Indian people and people from African countries. I would never dream of parroting something back to them in their accent because I found it funny. It's rude, isn't it? What do you think?

I am English, live in a completely different part of England than where my accent is from. People do it ALL the time to me. Daily. And yes It’s rude and yes It’s annoying.

Sorry to barge into your thread, didn’t realise what category it was till I opened it and really needed to get that off my chest because it gives me the rage when it happens.

OhAmIreally, I wouldn't be too hard on yourself. Language evolves and all of us don't use words/terms that would have been ok 10 or 20 years ago... even in Ireland in the 90s we used to sometimes call the gardai (police) riot van the paddy wagon, for example.🙂

I'm Welsh (waves nervously as I'm aware this is the craicnet board), and from the valleys and I get mocked by my fellow Welshies because I work in Cardiff so I have every sympathy OP. It's horrible to be stereotyped because of where you were born and how you speak.

I would absolutely pull people up on it - mostly people aren’t being deliberately offensive - but it IS offensive

I would just give them a hard stare and say ‘don’t do that - imitating someone’s accent is really rude’ leave a pause and then carry on with the conversation you were having.

If they do it again, report.

I just do a PA smile and say “that was funny the first 15,000 times I heard it. Now? Not so much!” And move on. I have even stopped saying the actual place I’m from because hearing it repeated back in “the accent” now makes me want to scream.

It's just so annoying when you're having a perfectly nice chat with colleagues and then they repeat something you said. I always feel like 'ah, the fun's over'. I don't think I'm brave enough to tell them to stop but I do like the idea of following it up with a pause and changing the subject.

Waves back 👋 😃
I'm sure Welsh expats get an awful time! It's such a distinctive accent that I imagine uou guys get it a lot (along with a lot of the other boring stereotypes 💤 😴)

It gives me the rage too!

Urgh! There's something so utterly tiresome and predictable about it.

Solidarity from this Australian, OP. In England I think some people mean it as a 'joke' but for others there is an unpleasant undertone towards accents from Ireland, Australia, Wales and I suspect parts of England that they consider 'lesser' - almost like we've got too big for our boots and need taking down a peg or two, and that's where you get the convicts/potatoes/sheep nonsense.

I tell myself it's a way for the hopelessly insecure to deal with the end of Empire. Or something.

I have been asked to say particular words in my NI accent. It all depends on the context. Some people love to hear how other accents sound and differences are discussed with interest and warmth. But then there are the people, as mentioned in OP, who just repeat words after you in an exaggerated mockery of your accent. It's very demeaning and often comes from a position of arrogance. I think the fact that the NI accent (in particular our intonation) is difficult to mimic, it ends up sounding even worse. There are some English regional accents I could listen to all the live long day😆 So I listen and enjoy, but I don't comment.

It's very demeaning and often comes from a position of arrogance

demeaning.

This is the word and I soon as I read it thought, yes this is how I feel when people don't. Demeaned.

I think I could tell someone that I find it demeaning when they mock my accent rather than threaten them with HR. I definitely feel like I need some kind of response.

I've a Northern Irish accent too and people either do a really cringey Jim Mc Donald or a Southern accent. When they do the southern accent, I say 'what's that accent because I don't come from that part of Ireland'. They frequently say 'Oh, you all sound the same to me'.

Rage! Rage! Rage!

I once went to visit my friend and her husband and family when they just moved into their new house. We live in the North and they're all from England.
Her mum was there. I walk in, hug my friend and sit down and chat. The mum goes to her 'Ohh I love her accent, isn't it so cute'. She literally said this speaking OVER me. And this was the first time I'd met this woman!

I worked in London for a year and because I am from somewhere further north one colleague found it hilarious to keep chirping "ee bah gum " on a regular basis when talking to me. Despite explaining that it wasn't a phrase used in my home town they persisted. Boring!

This is all too common and while not the worst thing to endure it's bloody irritating.
I met and worked with many people with cockney accents but never thought of imitating them in their presence.

I haven't lived in Liverpool for nearly 50 years but still have my accent, as people never cease to remind me!

Sometimes this is followed by a little mimicking e.g. 'lorra lorra laffs' 'scouse & spouse' (yawn).

The worse thing is people assume I'm going to be super friendly and become over familiar treating me like their best mate!

I'm sure Welsh expats get an awful time! It's such a distinctive accent that I imagine uou guys get it a lot (along with a lot of the other boring stereotypes 💤 😴)
There are different accents in Wales. I'm from NE Wales and sound nothing like someone from the Valleys. I sound faintly scouse and faintly welsh.
The comments about liverpudlians are negative, but definitely not on the same scale as the anti-Welsh comments.

Scottish and now in Aus. It's almost daily, but has never really bothered me. I usually have people take the piss because of how I pronounce certain words, but have never had an issue with that.

They're rude and ignorant OP; they're saying it to diminish you.

Happens to me too and I’m Scottish but they always for a teuchter comedy accent. I don’t think it’s all accents but I think strong. accents like Irish, Geordie, Scouse. Funnily enough the ones I think it are done with are all my favourite accents 😂 My family are Irish and although I have a slight twang I can’t do an Irish accent to save myself, it’s a running joke because if I try I sound Jamaican 😬 I often hear people say things to them like ‘to be sure to be sure’ or ‘begorrah, begorrah’ brave move with my gran as she just tells them to fuck off 🤣

I'm not Irish but from the UK, living in the US. People do this all the time with both me and my kids and it drives me mad 😂 It sounds like you've had some really awful stuff said to you though - I'm really sorry. Some people can be so rude.

Ugh this is so annoying. I'm Irish in the UK but I've lived in a few other places. I usually respond with 'fuck off' but I'm old and don't give a shit.

For the record - it is almost IMPOSSIBLE for other nationalities to do a decent Irish accent. It's so fucking embarrassing to listen to. It weaves all about from Antrim to Cork via Darby O'Gill. If someone does it I usually say something like, what accent was that supposed to be? Cos it definitely wasn't Irish. Is that what I sound like to you? Cue embarrassment and backtracking and 'oh I love your accent'. Well why are you murdering it then?!

I love listening to welsh accents and also Indians speaking English. I could listen to those all day but I wouldn't dream of doing a shite impression of them! cos I'm not a savage

I tell myself it's a way for the hopelessly insecure to deal with the end of Empire. Or something.

Possibly, @JassyRadlett , but then some Americans try to imitate my English accent and also my Australian neighbors accent….and America broke away from the empire 250 years ago!😂 I think it’s just ignorance and an undeveloped sense of humor, tbh.

Spooky, I'd go even further and say most of us Irish aren't even great at mimicing other Irish accents, different from our own!😆
Off the top of my head, I can't even think of any non-Irish actor who can do a decent Irish accent!

Daniel Day Lewis!

I actually thought Kate Hudson's Irish accent in About Adam was OK too