Is it normal to have a different accent than your imediate family?

79% Normal
8 Comments

I was born and raised in Bronx, NY. My mom, brothers, classmates, and almost all teachers i ever had spoke with have a New York accent, yet i speak with a neutral accent. By neutral, i mean i have a midland accent or "no" accent. I don't know why my accent is different since you supposedly pick up the accent from the person who taught you to speak. Any ideas? Thank you.

Voting Results
79% Normal
Based on 29 votes (23 yes)
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Comments ( 8 )
  • Emyte
    5 years ago

    It is very possible for a person to develop a different accvent then their immediate family and region. If your differences in the throat can be a factor, but it can also be picked up too. Example, I am a singer and had a lot of professional help as well as English influence. I live in the Midwest (Michigan specifically) and I begun to speak in a more English accent uncontrollably.

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  • Defkiller
    11 years ago

    I have a southern accent polluted by other regional accents due to the media.

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  • flax
    11 years ago

    I'm an Aussie but I lived and worked in America for about 6mths a fair few yrs back. My roommate was from Boston and because I was with no other Aussies the whole time there and then went to Chicago for a while before coming home I came back with a really weird thick American but mixed accent. I lost it about a month after coming home, but I sounded really odd cos some words were quite typically Aussie and other American. It was kinda cool.

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  • Pisslan616
    11 years ago

    I am from Yorkshire and all my family speaks with a yorkshire accent but I speak with a kind of neutral accent. It's weird but it happens sometimes.

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago

    I have a different accent. I sometimes have an English accent to some, and an American "movie typical" accent to others.

    I originally lived in Scotland, moved to Waled, then England, now back to Wales. Somehow that has made some sort of American accent to some.

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  • dinz
    11 years ago

    I guess you are using a different accent for clarity when speaking among your family.

    I work in an industry where I normally work with an older cliental and I would often speak in an RP (Received pronunciation) accent to communicate with them.

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  • Avant-Garde
    11 years ago

    Depends on what accents you're around and like Parrish said, the media probably also plays a part. For instance, If I watch allot foreign movies, like british, then my accent will sound british. My state borders the south and some places the people talk with a "southern-like" accent. When I talk, It doesn't sound like most people. I guess I talk similar to some people, but most sound completely different, especially in the city.

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  • anti-hero
    11 years ago

    It's due to media, TV, internet, radio etc. The American accent is becoming more uniform.

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