Have you ever noticed that when you talk to someone with an accent you sometimes

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  1. Charlu profile image78
    Charluposted 12 years ago

    Have you ever noticed that when you talk to someone with an accent you sometimes pick up the accent?

    You know your having a nice conversation and you notice that all of the sudden you sound British, Spanish, or French.  Why do you think that happens?

  2. Neil Sperling profile image60
    Neil Sperlingposted 12 years ago

    NLP calls that Mirroring and Matching. Many people do that without intending to do so - others do it on purpose as it does bridge communication between two people.

    I do it with some accents without intention...... It is funny when you catch yourself and occasionally embarrassing..... glad I have think skin.. I seldom if ever feel embarrassed.

    Interesting observation to pose as a question.

  3. DanaTeresa profile image78
    DanaTeresaposted 12 years ago

    I used to visit family in North Carolina when I was younger for a few weeks at a time. I would always pick up the accent when I was there. I have heard that before age 12 it is very easy for children to pick up accents. Now that I am an adult it doesn't seem to happen.

  4. nihar2 profile image60
    nihar2posted 12 years ago

    this thing happened to me many times whenever i stayed in a place which have a diff regional language .. after 5/6 months my accent gets adapted to theirs'

  5. SantaCruz profile image68
    SantaCruzposted 12 years ago

    All the time! I sound Mexican American & Wisconsinite in the same day thanks to friends & family :-). I like how songbirds do that too... The little boy birds pick up their neighborhood song.

  6. algarveview profile image74
    algarveviewposted 12 years ago

    Yes, it is dreadful, I can't help it, anywhere I go I pick up the accent, it just takes me 5 minutes talking to somebody. And if I'm talking a foreign language I also pick up whatever accent the person has, if I'm talking to a German in English, my accent goes all weird, it actually seems I don't know how to talk. But it's unconscious. I've always done it. Don't know why, but what Neil Sperling said makes total sense.

  7. suebee62 profile image60
    suebee62posted 12 years ago

    Funny....But so true....I sometimes talk in an English accent just for the fun of it..

  8. petenali profile image79
    petenaliposted 12 years ago

    Coming from England and now living in Canada, I find people do it me all the time.  They also add the word "mate" onto the end of their sentence sometimes, but I think that is because they cannot decide if I am British or Australian.
    I myself have certainly picked up many Canadian phrases but that is necessary to be understood.  The more you hear something pronounced a certain way, the more your own ears get trained to it and hence you begin to speak it that way as it sound correct. 
    Good question.

  9. lulusmith profile image67
    lulusmithposted 12 years ago

    I'm terrible for this, I went to Wales last year for a long weekend and came back home talking in a Welsh accent.

  10. mommyofjamesw-asd profile image59
    mommyofjamesw-asdposted 12 years ago

    yes, I remember as a kid visiting some relatives in Missouri, and they had a little accent compared to my Minnesotan one and yes, I picked up theirs and remember thinking to myself, wow this is crazy only been with these people for a week and I picked up on their accent:)

 
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