Will my daughter acquire an British accent, or will she always sound American?

Question

We are moving to England. She is 5 and quite advanced. (or so i think, no bias here!) She reads, writes, and speaks more clearly and with more structured sentences/'grown up' words than most kindergardeners, and her teacher, piano teacher etc. all comment on it. We are from the midwest, so we have no pronounced drawl, etc., to overcome. A few years ago, I lived in Louisiana, and after being there for a while, I found myself s-l-o-w-i-n-g down my speech patterns, because it was so easy to do. My British husband only lived in the US for a bit, so of course his British accent is very pronounced. Therefore, I am thinking that because I am the only one around her that will be american, she will gradually lose her current accent. On one hand, this would be great, as she wouldn't sound like an 'outsider' but...I never want her to lose her identity as an American (and yes yes yes I know its not the accent, or lack thereof that makes you american). Should I encourage her to lose it?

Answer 1

Yes she will lose her American accent if she lives in England long enough, she is currently at an age were her speech and vocal patterns are changing all the time, and she will quickly slip into the accent of the area she is living in.

The question is not will she obtain a British accent but WHAT British accent she will obtain as there are a myriad of them in the UK.

Answer 2

Everybody changes their accent depending on where they are and what situation they are in. It's quite natural for the same person to have different accents for different contexts. Changing one's accent is largely an unconscious process, so I don't think that anything you say or don't say to your daughter will affect what happens.

People use language to identify themselves as parts of particular groups. My guess is that your daughter will probably want to be like the kids around her, and will therefore start talking like them. But I don't think this will be a conscious process, just a natural part of langauge use and development. It's quite possible that she will retain an American accent which she could use at home or with your American relatives.

In fact, you might find your accent changing after living in England for a time as well. I am an American and I acquired a new accent when I lived in Canada about five years ago.

Answer 3

I was born in the US but went to live in Hong Kong when I was five, and spent some times in School and University in the States. Consequently, I acquired an accent. Once on visiting relatives in America, their daughter asked me what language I was speaking? However, returning to Hong Kong, Americans and British both thought I must be Australian...you do retain the accent. But it is not only the accent but speech patterns and moreover sentence structures. However, when I am with Americans, I switch to more Americanized speech and do the same with Brits. She will find her own way.

Answer 4

I did a bit of psychology at uni and was taught that if a child leaves their country after the age of 12, then they will always retain their original accent. If they leave before the age of 12 then they will gain the new accent. 12 is meant to be the determining age but I guess it would depend on language skills and developmental maturity in each situation etc, but I think 5 would be too far below the critical age, therefore your child will acquire a British accent over time. I don't think there's anything you can do to alter the situation, so you should just let her be.

Answer 5

You don't have to encourage her to lose the accent -- that will happen naturally as soon as she begins playing with other children. But it will likely never be as pronounced as your husband's accent. The British accents are changing. Thanks (or no thanks) to television, kids are adopting a watered down pseudo London accent, because that's what the newscasters and announcers use. The British pronounciation is still more precise than the US pronounciation, but nothing like the rampant accents that use to make a person's place of birth almost to within a few blocks!

Answer 6

Depends on the child. I never lost my accent and didn't matter what surrounding I was in. She may lose her accent over time and that would probably be a good thing at her age. Please remember how cruel kids can be. As I had to fight, flee, and faint my way out of things as a kid. If I could have only developed the intonation I would have had less trouble. Then again I wouldn't have been me and I believe being me was worth every knuckle sandwich, every chase that drove me to be good in track, and everything that let me learn to stand up for myself.

Answer 7

I feel pretty sure that she will pick up the accent of her peers. But, she'll have that American accent to fall back on for a while. Why she would want that to hang onto in England?

Answer 8

I don't think you need to encourage her to lose it..I think it will just happen...she's young enough to do this easily without thinking about it...I'm 57 and learning mandarin..and I have a terrible time getting rid of my canadian accent in chinese(that sounds really weird doesn't it?)because I can't hear it---but children's brains are so much more adept at picking up sounds and imitating them. I think she will have an english accent..which BTW I think is charming.

Answer 9

She'll probably acquire a Brittish accent, but don't worry about it one way or another. If you want her to remember her American heritage, tell her stories about life in America.

Answer 10

Hi,

She will ajust to what she needs too on her own...

When at school, she will speak to make herself understood and accepted... When at home, she may tend to the father side if the spoken language is similar... In fact, YOU may have to adjust your own accent too..., but she will never loose her American spirit if you keep it alive....

Good Luck!