When Englishmen and -women speak English in a foreign country...?

Question

...why does he/she put on a stupid accent in an ignorant attempt to make him-/herself clearer? Surely you'd be much better understood if you just spoke English with an English accent, just like German is better understood in a German accent, and French in a French accent...

Answer 1

True. And why do some people think shouting in english or raising there voice makes it easier for foreighners to understand english?

Answer 2

I disagree. I've spent 6 months in Germany and then in France. Generally speaking, I spoke the language of the country I was in, but I would occasionally get someone asking what something was in English or who wanted to practise their language skills. I had no problems in Germany (possibly because the accents aren't SO very different), but French people really struggled to understand English spoken with an English accent. I think it depends who you're talking to and what kind of English accent you have (a broad accent may be tricky for non-native speakers to decypher). I never put on a funny accent, but a Scottish woman that I worked with in France constantly put on a French accent when speaking English to French people. I agree that it's strange, but if it helps, it helps.

Answer 3

You're in a tiny minority. I know people from various parts of the continent (Italy, France, Germany, Macedonia, Spain, Greece and Poland) and they like living here. They've established relationships; they have jobs and they don't whine and insult the natives all the time. So what's your problem? Have you stopped to consider, for a brief moment, that the issue lies not with 25 million Englishmen but YOU? I find your remarks deeply offensive and inaccurate. What sort of company are you keeping? Do you base your experiences on drunken conversations from uneducated yobs? If you want to meet the right sort, you must find them. Take up a new hobby! Join social clubs - there must be something going on in your locality. There are plenty of decent people out there who will not insult you. But this is a two-way street. You must, in turn, be friendly and don't assume that when someone's nice to you that he secretly hates you (from the tenor of your diatribe, you seem a little paranoid). Have you considered seeing a counsellor? You might be able to exorcise those feelings of low self-esteem. When you feel good about yourself, it's easier to see the good in others. The alternative is to emigrate to the USA or Republic of Ireland, but I guarantee that your life will not magically improve, should you take this option. Change must come from within.

Answer 4

Logical but not true. There is no standard pronunciation in English. I am from Yorkshire but I have lived in Thailand for 8 years. I can understand Thai people speaking English better that I can understand Geordie's speaking English so how is a man from Newcastle going to make himself understood here if he speaks English as he would at home.

For any English speaker here they will not be easily understood by Thais if they do not adapt their English a bit. Thais put the emphasis on the last syllable when they speak English and if we speak more heavily on the first syllable as we would at home they find it difficult to understand.

Probably the French have to adapt their pronunciation when they visit the Belgian Congo too.

Answer 5

Most people don't put on silly accents, but maybe they have visited a country were English people are not exposed to the language like Eastern Europeans countries, and so not many English people speak their languages because they are not spoken outside their country and we are not taught for an example Polish at school, so in order to make themselves understood you have to speak English very, very slowly and without slang or you will not make yourself understood.

Answer 6

Lol beats me.. I'm English and I thankfully refrain from doing this. When it happens the speaker only adds to the confusion..!!! People just walk around with their brains on standby...

Answer 7

understanding is not always the case in some cases it is simply due to confidence. even i when i meet people for the first time i maybe will lower my voice or exagerat my accent its simply a form of defense. of course this made people dislike me in childhood as when they would first meet me they would assume i was full of myself.

Answer 8

yeah it's funny that..i live in italy and when my mum and dad came over for my wedding to an italian lady last year i had to laugh as my family don't speak italian and my in-laws don't speak english.. my dad was trying to talk to my brother in law about his hunting dogs and ended up just shouting "DOGGIES".. hilarious to see the look of puzzlement on my brother-in-laws face..

Answer 9

The alternative is worse - when we speak English to a foreigner we tend to shout and speak v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y ....... because that's not patronising!

Answer 10

err...sometimes,to understood an english is very difficult