I know this is silly, I'm going to the US in Jan or Fab of next year to study English as a second language, I think my English is not that bad, I understand any American movie or series without translation, but the problem is that I feel like when I go there I won't be able to understand what people are saying and that it would seem like a totally different language when I be there, will I really experience that?.
I text-chat with some native english speakers and I understand everything they say to me, but I've never spoken to them by microphone because I afraid that I won't understand them.
so my question is will it be hard for me to understand when people talk to me there or is it just a false feeling?
I have another question, do people in Maryland and Washington DC have a southern accent or a northern accent?, how about Virginia?
thanks in advance.
2006-09-25 12:50:35 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
great answers, you make me feel comfortable. thank you all.
2006-09-25 13:04:15 · update #1
Biscuit, You will hear accents from all over the world in DC and in every city in the US. Every region in America has its own colloquialisms and accents. Sometimes Americans from different regions have a hard time understanding one another. Put somebody from the Bronx section of NYC into the deep South and they are going to have a difficult time understanding one another.. Once you get to Maryland, you will start to hear a southern accent. The farther South you go, the deeper the accent gets. So to answer your question, yes sometimes you will have a hard time just as we Americans do with one another! But don't worry. You will do just fine. I hope you have an enjoyable time here, and I wish you well in your studies. Enjoy!
2006-09-25 13:11:46 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your typing looks great, so I'll assume that your speaking English is great, too.
Most people in the Washington DC area (including Maryland and Virginia) understand foreign accents. There is quite a blend of people there, from Chinese to French to Zulu. Most shopkeepers, waiters, tour guides, and anyone else that you might be dealing with would understand if you have a problem with them talking too fast and slow down a bit.
It's probably just a false feeling. By the way, a few English phrases are strange (I have it as a first language and think so!), but whoever mentions it to you should be able to explain it.
2006-10-02 23:20:58 · answer #2 · answered by Leafy 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
maryland, dc, & virginia have a bit of a southern accent, but not as deep south as mississippi & alabama. there are regional accents all over the country, but for the most part, it is all understandable. if you understand english movies you will understand english speaking people. sometimes individual words have an unusual pronunciation, but you will be able to tell the meaning by the context in most situations. and there's nothing wrong with asking someone to repeat themselves, or explain a word, or restate something a different way. go ahead and talk to english-speaking people - you'll do fine.
2006-09-25 20:06:32 · answer #3 · answered by hasherbob 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Your English is pretty great. The accents aren't that different than standard English. In Maryland, they stretch the vowel "a" for a long time and exaggerate it too. DC is just like in movies. Most people talk so that you can understand them. You shouldn't have any problems if you understand movies, just work on your speaking.
2006-09-25 19:56:42 · answer #4 · answered by melomane 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
these three places are between the north and south, so you'll find both accents....none of them should be too strong.
I don't think, after reading your paragraph, that you will have a very difficult time understanding the language. you write very well, and better than some native speakers. if you can understand movies, at the speed that they speak, you should be fine. The accents you hear on main stream american movies will be the same as in the places you mentioned above...
good luck, and enjoy america!!
2006-09-25 19:55:55 · answer #5 · answered by ladylawyer26 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It won't be as bad as you think......
If you've got our movies and series down without trouble, you'll understand us just fine. The only thing you should know (as should anyone getting acquainted to listening in their non-native language) is that we will seem to talk faster than you expected--don't worry, I went through that when I learned French and Spanish---adjusting to the speed of the speaker will take some time. If you can understand what we say in Hollywood, You'll do fine.
Mayland and D.C. is more of an Eastern accent, Virgina, too.
2006-09-25 19:57:32 · answer #6 · answered by loboconqueso 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't worry about it. You seem to have a real good understanding of the English language. You will probably do better than most of the people that are born here...
2006-09-25 19:59:43 · answer #7 · answered by Air C 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋