Not picking up British accent - is that normal

[MommyG]

We are originally Asians, but both my DS's who are now 8 and 5, were born in London and have been in London most of the time. Even the 2 years that we were not here, they still went to an English school.. But still they have an Indian accent, like how I or DH speak. All my friends who are Asians who have kids, their kids have always had the English accent. Even kids who moved here after 4 years or so, picked up the accent instantly..

Actually, its not that I want them to pick up the British accent - that is not my concern at all.. What I always wonder is WHY is it that they want the Asian accent.. is that normal for kids ? Dont kids always try and be like their friends or teacher? But they are very friendly and adaptable kids, and dont have any problems socialising at all..

My American friends (in London) have 2 children with American accents, of primary school age. It's not that uncommon. And bear in mind your dcs may have London accents when talking to their peers in your absence - also not that uncommon.

Are you sure they are not just speaking differently with you? I have an adult Nigerian friend who speaks completely differently when speaking with his parents compared to when speaking with his friends.

I think it varies a lot & maybe also depends on the accents of the people they spend time with outside school apart from you.

At my dcs school all the kids seem to have what to my ears is quite a standard "posh" English accent, even though the families are from all sorts of backgrounds & quite a large proportion of recent immigrants.

I also know a family where the dcs have quite strong Irish accents though they have never lived in Ireland - but their father is Irish and they used to live abroad so I guess only used to speak English with him & hence picked up his accent...

Runoutofideas also has a point - do you get to hear them speak in school plays/assemblies - how do they sound then?

We're American and have lived outside the US for 10 years - my youngest son was born here. Both of the boys still have American accents to British ears but have a British accent (not a strong one) to American ears. They're developing that mid-Atlantic American expat accent.

My uninformed guess is that if kids have to learn a different language, they'll learn it in the accent they are taught / exposed to it. But if they already speak the language, changing the accent doesn't happen so readily. My sons' accent is most noticeable on the words which are different in American English and British English.

(Waffling now but we were discussing this just yesterday!)

it varies - I went to a welsh school and still picked up my mums english accent, my borther and sister kept her english accent until secondary when it became much more welsh - though they lost it after leaving wales again.

My mum had two different accents - one cockney accent at home and one posh RP accent in her school (scholarship girl)

I have an english mum but lived in india all my life (till few years back). So I have the lapsed english accent that my mum has (watered down english accent with overlying tones of indian accent - she's been in india for almost 50 years now).
Ds has picked that up from me. All my Indian friends think he has a brit accent - but all my brit friends think he has an indian accent. Nobody of my generation can understand him - thankfully, his friends have no problems whatsoever... (Goes to school in london)

JJ love the "mid-Atlantic American expat accent". lol
I am somewhere in the Mediterranean!

Decorhate/ JJ, that was exactly what I was saying too.. since my kids were born in London, and we speak a different language at home, their English has come mainly from school and friends from London.. thats what puzzles me..

But yes, it may be that they are switching their accents when they are with peers.. if that is the case, then its actually a good thing, bcos they are really adapting themselves to the surroundings..
Both of them have not yet been involved with any plays with actual dialogues in them for me to judge that.

Don't you have school friends around to play? How are they with them?
It won't be a conscious put-on accent.

Maybe it's because you speak a different language at home? If that was their first language and they still speak it regularly, they have the accent associated with it?

I'm american, DH is british, we have lived in both countries. We're in London now and my 4yo has a half & half (or harlf & harlf) accent but my 2yo is definitely british with only a few americanism. Funny isn't it?

No idea if there is any truth to it, but I read somewhere that children with a 'ear' tend to pick up accents (sounds, cadence, etc), while children without musical leanings, don't (or at least take much longer to - especially if they hear/speak a different accent at home).

It might be that they have a different accent at school? My dn lives in Scotland with English parents, and has a Scottish accent at school, when speaking to Scottish friends and about school, but an English accent with us!

left out a crucial word in my 12.23 post.

Should read ' children with an 'ear' for music tend to pick up accents'....

DD has a friend whose parents are Australian but she was born here. She has a strong Australian accent and it shows no sign of fading.

I think its normal

My DC have what my cousin described as a "Elite European Expat Accent" (which thrilled my mum) and I would call American-English-Scottish-German accent. We live in Geneva and due to the different nationalities the children pick up bits and pieces of accent from different friends.

I think it is normal for children to use different accents depending on who they are speaking to. And it is lovely that they imitate your accent.

Earlybird our house could be a case in point. Dd1 definitely has an ear and I can hear Dh's West Indian accent in her in terms of the lilt etc. She also takes great pleasure in 'perfecting' his accent out loud.

Dd1 I think is not as musical and shows no such tendencies but I'll watch to see how she develops.