Adopting a new accent?

Question

My best mate lived in London with me until we were both 20 then he moved away to Scotland and now after a year he has a strong Scottish accent, do you think this can actually be done or has he just tried to blend in with his environment. To be honest he has lost all trace of having a London accent. Do you think after him living in a Scottish environment for some time he can totally adopt this new accent.

Answer 1

I am in with those who think he picked up the accent over time. To say he put on the dog and fakes it is not nice at all. A strong accent like in Scottland can really take someone over, like an evil spirit. Not it always happens, but certainly can.

Answer 2

yes, plus the scottish accent isn't just the sound of the word but in some cases they say the words completly different to the English accent. I think it is possible, but he may have wanted to blend in with his new friends and the locals by becoming more "scottish"

Answer 3

It's true that people can change the way that they talk, I worked in Wales for a bit and came back with a Welsh accent (of all the accents to pick up!). It's probably a subconcious transition where you are trying to communicate with the locals and they cant understand your accent and as there are more of them than you you change to be like them. Theres a bit more (if you are intersested?) at the following link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regional_accents_of_English_speakers

Answer 4

Well, possibly he just automatically adapted to the accent. I know that I used to do such things. In my early teens, the family went on a camping trip, mostly in the south of the usa, where the accent is distinct from the northern parts. I played with kids near our campsite and my mom scolded me for "talking like that" and that was news to me that I was talking differently. Came in handy, though, when we would go to shops for supplies and the shopkeepers could not understand the folks, and I would tell them what we wanted in the southern way....

Answer 5

People do adopt new accents, and usually they don't do it on purpose. When I was living in your country, I lost some of my American accent without even realizing it, and when I returned home people thought I was Australian (odd, I know, even though my accent is actually a mix of English-American).

Answer 6

Some people adopt accents easier then other and if your friend is one of them then I don't think that one year is such short period. There is anothing thing also, that some people like to keep their accent always from different reasons, and some don't mind changing it.

Answer 7

He possibly had to emphasise a Scottish accent to make himself understood up there but he might just like people to know he's been living in jockland.

Answer 8

I think he most probably can talk perfectly well in a london accent still. He's probs putting on the accent....

Answer 9

i'm no longer attentive to a distinction between pronunciation and accessory. accessory is the kind you pronounce the words. the superb thank you to lose an accessory is by imitating somebody who has the only you like (consisting of on the information or something) and then have a third social gathering observer inform you no count number in case you probably did it wisely. Ask them, did I say it like he did? ok, then how did he say it and how did I? and then pay attention to their answer. that's the superb and quickest way and that's the way that accessory coaches for actors do it additionally.

Answer 10

It can happen, it happened to me, but when I went back to the USA I reverted to my former bland American accent. I didn't purposely pick up the accent, it just happened. :-)