im american but everytime i talk with my british friends, i start speaking with the same accent, why?

Answer 1

Because you're a wannabe...

Answer 2

Oh man I thought I was the only one this happens to!
I'm in the Canadian Navy and I fondly remember making trips to Germany and Scotland for a few days. At the end of a week I would sound like a German speaking bad English. It drove all my buddies on the ship nuts. When I leave Scotland I'm calling everybody Lad or Lass.
I remember doing a practise boarding on an American Navy ship, USS Tortuga, and while we were sitting around one of the Engineering control rooms, this female sailor came in once or twice as part of her rounds. Well she was from Texas and after talking to her for 15 minutes I was saying Y'all and all that. Picked up on her accent that quickly. It didn't take long to p i s s her off because she thought I was making fun of her.
Well maybe I was... a bit.

Answer 3

That happens to me all the time!! Not just with British accents, but even when I talk to a Latino or other foreigher who can't speak English well, I end up talking like they do...in other words, like crap! And they probably think, "Wow...she's worse than I am!!".

So first of all, you're not alone. I know this happens to a lot of people.
Second of all, don't listen to all these people that say you're a wannabe. They probably say that b/c you were talking about a British accent. I bet they wouldn't have made that comment if you had said you pick up the Swahili accent! No matter what accent or way of speaking you pick, it's very normal and has nothing to do with pretension. (Unless you're doing it on purpose, but it doesn't sound like that's the case with you.)
Third, Not only do you have your own personality, this is in fact part of your personality.You are very talented linguist. You would probably learn forgien languages very quickly and with minimal effort. Your ear is very in tune to picking up languages. When a child is around 2-3 years old, a part of their brain is on high alert, picking up langague. As children get older, this innate ability to pick up languages gets more and more difficult. By about age13, children process language teh same way as adults. It is no longer easy for them to learn 3 languages at the same time like when they were3. But in certain people, the ability to process languages is innately stronger htan in others. But even that skill will wean down as age goes up! The younger you are, the better. So don't let anyone call you a phoney. Instead, pick up a new language and/or impressive everyone with how well you can pick up accents. Heck, comedians do it and they get paid millions of dollars....and nobody calls them a wanna-be, right?! And last but not least, it's almost natural that when you spend a lot of time with people who are speaking a certain language/with a different accent, your mind's instinct to want to belong will kick in and subconciously, youl'l find yourself talking as they do.

All in all, it's very normal, nothing wanna-be about it, and you should be proud that you have this talent and can use it to leanr languages and amuse people. Whoever calls you a phoney or a wanna b, tell them to F*** pff om as mamy languages/accents as you can.

Answer 4

To put it simply, we all try to fit in subconsciously. You have heard their accent enough that when you are with them, your conscience switches your speech patterns to match theirs. I would dare to say that if it was a one on one conversation, their speech pattern would also vary to sound more like yours as well. Thus you have a Britican or Amerish accent to the conversation. I had a friend years ago that was from Australia. The more we were together, the more he said I sounded like I had a South African dialect. Which is also a British colony.

Hope this helps. Don't fight it, have fun with it.

James

Answer 5

Hello =)

LOL...we all do it, to some degree.

I used to work around the German (PA Dutch) in the Farming areas of Pennsylvania. My accent by the end of the day would be markably different. It is something to do with our language skills. Those with better skills will change their accents to reflect those with whom they are speaking. This same skill allows one to speak a different language with almost no accent of one's native country.

It is rather silly when you notice it, though, isn't it....LOL

Namaste,

--Tom

Answer 6

It is so funny you ask - almost everyone begins to adopt local accents. I am from Nova Scotia. One of my sons is in ocean rescue on the Outer Banks of NC. Even after a few days, he picks up the Carolinian accents!!! Seems to happen to most people!

Answer 7

LOL thats funny I have family in Missouri and I am from California when I go back there for a while I start to talk like them too.

Answer 8

Because once you've got the hang of the English language, you don't want to regress to speaking in American.

Answer 9

LOL, I have been on the other side. I am Texan and I have friends from California that start talking like me when they are around me a while.

Answer 10

it can be easy to pic up others accents espesial if you spend much tome with them I find i easily pick up the irish accent even though I do not try to.

Answer 11

That can happen. It's kind of embarassing sometimes, especially if they think you're trying to make fun of them.