4 ms·

I'd say most people hear divergence from their local accent, and consider theirs to be (at least subconsciously) a normal accent. This results in English people

I'd say most people hear divergence from their local accent, and consider theirs to be (at least subconsciously) a normal accent. This results in English people hearing my accent as a bit Irish, and Irish people hearing the English parts. Neither acknowledge fully the shared parts. In truth, I am a bit of both. So I'd say a strong American accent to an Australian is the most divergent one, not one that somebody in US might consider strong. Living in upstate New York I also frequently heard "oh, you have an accent" to which I always tried to explain "so do you", and several times I got the response that their accent was either neutral or closer to generic English. It is amazing the subjective differences in how people experience accents, and how they feel about their own.

ema 5y ago
There was a month or so after I moved back to Germany from the Netherlands where my own accent when speaking German was super noticeable to me. Otherwise I don't even hear my own accent when speaking English even though it is undeniable there when I listen to recordings of me.
Agentlien 5y ago
I'm born and raised in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. My parents are originally from Karlskoga, 270km NE from here. Göteborg has a very distinct accent and I always get told by others that I have a very bland Swedish with no hint of that accent. But one time I was at a wedding in Karlskoga and talked to someone I hadn't met before. I opened my mouth and managed to get half a sentence out before he interrupted with "Oh! You're from Göteborg!"
- dantondwa 5y ago
  Same experience for me. I am from the Venice area in Italy, which is famous for a very strong and somehow funny accent and dialect. However, my family is from central Italy. This resulted in me being considered having a Southern, definitely not local accent in Venice and me being considered Venetian by everyone else in Italy. Probably the truth is in the middle.

ema 5y ago

There was a month or so after I moved back to Germany from the Netherlands where my own accent when speaking German was super noticeable to me. Otherwise I don't even hear my own accent when speaking English even though it is undeniable there when I listen to recordings of me.

Agentlien 5y ago

I'm born and raised in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden. My parents are originally from Karlskoga, 270km NE from here. Göteborg has a very distinct accent and I always get told by others that I have a very bland Swedish with no hint of that accent. But one time I was at a wedding in Karlskoga and talked to someone I hadn't met before. I opened my mouth and managed to get half a sentence out before he interrupted with "Oh! You're from Göteborg!"

dantondwa 5y ago
Same experience for me. I am from the Venice area in Italy, which is famous for a very strong and somehow funny accent and dialect. However, my family is from central Italy. This resulted in me being considered having a Southern, definitely not local accent in Venice and me being considered Venetian by everyone else in Italy. Probably the truth is in the middle.