I was talking on the phone for the first time with someone who I met on the internet and he commented that I had a cute accent. I love hearing someone's voice because I think it tells a lot about them.

So, that brings me to this question: what kind of accent do you have? Do you have a deeper voice or one that sounds like Minnie Mouse on Helium? Do you like your accent?

How about the opposite sex? What kind of accent is a turn-on for you, if any? And if you could change your accent to any, which one would you choose?

Me personally, I sound like a New Yorker and I am from Ohio.

-- Anonymous, July 17, 2000

Answers

I don't have an accent. It's everyone else that talks funny. :)

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I'm Australian, but I have often been told that I sound English. I have no idea why, maybe it's because I speak correctly. I've been accused of being stuck-up simply because of the way I speak, which is way unfair, IMHO.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I'm from Boston. Currently work in Charlottesvile, VA as a nurse. I often have patients look at me curiously for a bit and then weakly raise their head and ask " Are you from New Jersey?". Sucks to be me ;->

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I'm a New Zealander, but I seem to have lost my Kiwi twang - not that I ever really had it too strongly. I've been living in England for three years and get more English sounding every day. However, I don't sound like I was born here, so I most often get mistaken for a South African (I'm married to one, so that probably has something to do with it).

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

Mmmm... British accents.. It doesn't matter what they're saying, they just turn me on so much. They could be talking about organic chemistry for all I care, once they bring out the accent, they have me at hello.

I'm from Boston, and people tell me I sound Canadian (apparently i say "aboot" etc). Hmph.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I'm from California and apparently I say "pink" the wrong way (so say the Bostonians around me). They pronounce the 'i' like it's pronounced in 'pig.' I pronounce the 'i' halfway between 'pig' and 'peek' and that is the right way, dammit!

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

The only artifact of my Southern upbringing (my parents had very slight accents as well) is saying "*in" for "*en" (ten, pen, when).

My boyfriend is half-British so while his accent is American, a lot of words he pronounces with the British accent - which is of course dead sexy. But I find that almost any educated-sounding foreign accent sounds sexy...

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I was born and raised in suburban Maryland, so obviously I have no accent at all. It's the rest of you freaks that sound funny.

My mom's side of the family, however, is from Pennsylvania, and we'd always make fun of how she pronounced certain words. Some typical dialoge:

MY BROTHER AND I

How do you pronounce l-o-g?

MOM

Log

MY BROTHER AND I

F-o-g

MOM

Fog

MY BROTHER AND I

d-o-g

MOM

Dow-wag

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I've lived in Canada most of my life and I've never ever heard a fellow Canadian say ABOOT, unless they were talking about their footwear. Maybe it's just people from Massachusetts that secretly want to be Canadian that have started this mispronounciation myth.

That being said, I've developed a southern Ontario accent after having lived in one place (geographically at least) for 20-odd years. Being a military brat, I grew up with a developed ability to mimic the accent(s) of the people who lived wherever my dad was posted to. I can pretty much do any accent, given a few minutes of listening.

I can slip into Newfie at the drop of a hat, bye geez.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

And them my mom logged on and made fun of my posting skills.

There should be a last line on my previous post saying "Much laughter ensued."

I know everyone was wondering why I left y'all hanging...

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

So I've lived in Georgia all of my life. I have a southern accent. Not a country accent, Not a redneck accent. Those are both VERY different. I do say things like Ya'll and fixin' to do something, etc. Everywhere I go people tell me to say something. I, personally, don't think it is that prevalant...until I have a few beers.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

"Mmmm... British accents.. It doesn't matter what they're saying, they just turn me on so much."

Which kind of British accent? There's a big difference between north and south, public and state school, west and east ... and some of them are so ugly that even 'I love you, you're beautiful' would sound like a heinous insult.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I'm from Ohio and I grew up here, and yet everyone here asks me where I am from because I don't sound the way they do. I don't know what kind of an accent I have, but I think I've just picked up parts of everyone else's accent because I travel a lot. People seem to think we have a "southern" accent here in Ohio, which I think is sort of funny since Ohio borders Canada. Friends from Florida get a hoot out of hearing me say "burger" for some odd reason. I travel to Ontario a lot and seem to have no problem blending in, although Canadians have a totally different accent. I never got stares from people there until I took my parents to Ontario. My dad is from Kentucky and as soon as he opens his mouth, entire rooms full of Canadians stop what they're doing and stare at him.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

Dave -

Another Ohioan. Woo-hoo! Isn't that just hilarious when someone thinks we have a southern accent? I get accused of having a southern accent when I talk to one person on the internet. I always want to get out an Atlas and show them how close we are to Canada. *Laughs*

Where in Ohio are you? I am in Aurora.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

Ahem. Yes, Ohio borders Canada, but it also borders Kentucky and West Virginia. There is no such thing as one "Ohio accent"; it really varies on what part of the state you're from. I grew up in the southeastern part, and believe me, there are some seriously Southern-sounding people hanging out in my hometown. I don't have much of an accent myself, thanks to spending four years in Chicahgo, which gave me some seriously messed-up vowel sounds, and then moving out here to Seattle, where everyone talks like Martha Stewart.

My boyfriend was really surprised the first time he met my family, because many of them have distinct southern-sounding accents. I told him that if he wanted to, we could drive to West Virginia so he could experience some REAL Southern accents, but he passed on that.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I always wonder that when we mock the British and Aussie accents, they are mocking us.

The lady that cleans our house is this really sweet German woman, and she has an accent and still mutters in German.

My friend Jana lives in the Czech Republic, and when she first called me, I thought she sounded like an angry German woman, and her accent is SO funny.

My friend Lesley made up a pronunciation model for Michigan. They say, cr"A"p. Or something like that, but Michiganders supposedly talk funny.

I have a friend from PA named Becky who just recently moved out to LA, and her accent astounds me. It hasn't changed from when we talked when she lived in PA. Her funniest word is Shannon. I have a friend named Shannon and I say "Shanin." She says, "Shahnon." It is SO funny. And she thinks her fiance has a Southern accent and I think he has an accent like someone I know from Maryland.

I live in the middle of South Carolina. There is a block of people in the upstate of SC and Western NC that talk like plain hicks. They say long I's for night and light, sight, might, fight, right. Say it. You'll get a laugh.

(Forgive me, I almost fell out of my chair because it's broken.) My friend, Claire has a really nice, soft Tenneessee accent. I can tolerate it. Her dad's is a little thicker. But her MOTHER! Oh my God! Her accent is SO thick. It's like a milkshake. "I"= She goes, "Hay Andrew, Haw you You doin, hunny?" I reply with my nice SC speech and she goes, "Well, I've been visitin' paepel from all over the playce." It's so cool!

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

I don't think I have an accent. I live in North Dakota, and I honestly think people across the upper west/midwest, from Washington to, say, Michigan, just don't have accents. We are also real close to Canada, and I don't think Canadians talk funny, except for the occasional word now and then every time I talk to Shelagh on the phone ;)

HOWEVER.. there are dialects and whatnot in probably every state - I'm sure most of you are familiar with the Fargo accent. I've lived in ND all my life - 6 years of that in Fargo - and I don't talk like that. Some people DO talk like that, mostly older folks, and people from small towns in MT, ND, SD, MN, and WI. I admit most of us say "yah", but it's not nearly as pronounced as in the movie, unless your older & in a small town. And, since the movie came out, I take great pleasure in saying things like "Okay, den!" and "Ya think?", and my grandparents have ALWAYS said "You betcha!" My aunt's mother in law has the THICKEST Fargo accent I've ever heard - I really have to try not to bust a gut whenever she talks to me.

I find most British accents sexy, but Liverpool tops my list. I can imitate a Liverpool accent REALLY well, because my boss for 3 years in a bookstore was from Liverpool, and she never came CLOSE to losing the accent. I think a cockney accent is hilarious (when I can understand it), and Irish is fun too. If you read "Angela's Ashes", you'll be thinking in an Irish accent for a while. I also laugh my ASS off when watching "So I Married an Axe Murderer" - my brother can imitate Mike Myers playing the dad PERFECTLY, and it cracks me up every time.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

Drew- of course we do! We have to make up for all the "hick" assumptions and "G'day mate, throw another shrimp on the barbie"s somehow. Oh, and I have never said "G'day mate", "cobber", "bonza", "strewth", "bloke" or "sheila" in my life. Thanks, Paul Hogan. Thanks a fucking bunch.

-- Anonymous, July 18, 2000

Well I am in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is like way too close to Kentucky! So there are a lot of hicks in Cincinnati (sorry, Kentuckians), but there are also people who have none of that Kentucky accent at all. If you're from Kentucky, this is the way you pronounce some of your towns:

Lancaster = Lanxster Williamstown = Wilmsden Alexandria = Alexander

I have noticed that people in other parts of Ohio have very different accents. I have some friends from Chillicothe and they sound more "southern" or "country" or something. I can't really explain it. People in Columbus sound just like me, and people in Cleveland sound about the same too. Maybe it's just the rural areas that have a more distinct accent.

http://tinyplace.net

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2000

LOL Dave!

I almost moved to KY about 12 years ago. Staying in Ohio was one of the best decisions I ever made. But people from KY really do have southern accents. Nothing at all like the southern accents we supposedly have in Ohio. :o)

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2000

Jen love, I'd like to know what words I said funny! :( Now I'm all self conscious.

Victoria (BC) is FULL of American tourists right now, and you can tell immediately by their accents/dialect (and how they dress....no offence. I guess the more well- heeled american folk hit Vancouver, not Victoria. :)

Shelagh

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2000

uh, Offense. d'oh!

oh yeah - there is a cute Tshirt I saw the other day for sale in a tourist shop - asking why Canadians say "Eh?" - well the long and short of it is that its better than saying "huh" :)

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2000

I'm feelin' the love from the fellow Ohioans today! I'm from Cincinnati and don't think I have a big accent, but out of town friends say that I say 'class' in a very odd way. Something with the 'a'; I don't know what. But I just love hearing other accents. It adds a whole new dimension to a conversation...

-- Anonymous, July 19, 2000