Sometimes you just get thrown for a loop..

[Frank McGrath]

When my wife graduated from high school, her father sent her to Austria for a semester to learn German. She stayed with an aunt from Vienna. The teacher was Polish and did not like my wife's accent and gave her bad marks in the class. She also took a field trip to Berlin and went to Checkpoint Charlie. The East German guards did not like the fact that she was an American with a Viennese accent. She was detained for several hours until being rescued by an American soldier. The accent will get you every time.

[Pleater]

When I was doing my Open University degree one of my lecturers had a very strong French accent, but was African.

As my French was pretty good I spoke to him in that language, only for him to look blank. I thought it was my poor accent, still very Yorkshire, but no.

He came from a former French colony, and after gaining independence the people used English but still retained the accent and a lot of the syntax of French.

That course was a real hoot.

Anne the Pleater :ootd:

[Arlen]

You know, growing up in Scotland I got used to the accent coming out of every skin colour. But even though I've been here in America for 2 1/2 years now, I still find myself really surprised when I hear someone who is not a friend or family member speak in an American accent.

Since I think in 'Scots' I suppose I just get into my own head and forget that not everyone does.

[piperdbh]

When I read the thread title I thought Josh was going to tell us a horror story about a customer wanting weird belt loops on a kilt.

I took Spanish in high school (and learned it pretty well) and tried to imitate the Costan Rican accent which my teachers used. Because I have dark hair and dark eyes, and took to the language pretty quickly, a few students wondered if my parents were from Spain. The funny part is, as far as I know no one in my family has ever lived in any Spanish-speaking country, nor have they learned much Spanish.
Now when I have a Spanish-speaking student, and I try to converse with their parents, I get a lot of smiles and giggles. Maybe it's my western North Carolina accent sneaking in.

In the summer of '99 I had the privilege of visiting Europe, and coming down the elevator in the Eiffel Tower I overheard (eavesdropped) some men whose English sounded a lot like mine. After a short wait, I said to them, "Excuse me, but what part of North Carolina are y'all from?" to which they replied, "Gastonia. Where are you from?" (Gastonia is about an hour and a half from my house.) Small world, I suppose.

[EldarKinSlayer]

Not very well known fact,is that there is a small Chinese Community throughout the Mississippi Delta, they have been there over 100 years. It will blow your mind to see a Traditionally dressed Chinese girl say Howdy ya'll with a DEEP Mississippi Accent

[Lallans]

Growing up in Quebec, my father used to talk about a travelling supplies salesman who came around speaking fluent French to all the French speakers in the office but with a very profound Irish accent. I got the sense that he liked having the guy drop by the business just to hear him speak. He said it was something to hear, me Da having grown up in Ulster himself.

[NorCalPiper]

Strangely to this thread, my wife is a SUPER proud Southerner (Born and bred in hot'lanta)...Stars and bars and all that, with a perfect Georgia drawl. The thing though is that her parents were from India. Sometimes people think she's imitating one, but nope- Thats how she talks. Guess i should not have been so taken a back with my encounter!

[Downunder Kilt]

I speak vietnamese and just last Sunday I went to my usual Pho shop for lunch as I often do and of course kilted. Most of the staff know me and we usually have a chat in vietnamese. As I walked into the shop a new waitress showed me to a table. She then went to get me the obigatory pre meal tea and I saw her pointing and giggling to some of the other staff.

She then came over and asked me my order. In good vietnamese (using northern accents and tones) I ordered my meal. The look on her face was priceless as was the reaction of other staff who were giggling, as they knew what was happening. The waitress just stood there not knowing what was going on. I must explain that when a southern vietnamese person hears northern type vietnamese spoken they sit up as it usually means the person speaking holds an official office. (I learnt most of my vietnamese from the Australian Defence Force School of Languages which teaches the northern way)

One of the other waitresses then came over and explained that I was a regular and that all was fine. I then expained that I was an Australian of scottish descent, who spoke vietnamese and why I spoke it in a northern way.

All was fine and I had a most enjoyable bowl of pho, as usual

[kc8ufv]

It can be fun throwing people for a loop. One day, I went to a Korean restaurant/grocery store, a little boy came around the corner, and greeted me in Korean, not paying attention to who I was, or that I am (quite obviously) not of oriental decent. (I think he assumed I was a family member sitting there, as I later learned his uncle owned the place.) It's amazing the doubletake he did, and the look he gave me (imagine a 5yo with his jaw on the floor) when I responded in Korean. (I basically know how to greet someone, introduce myself, and say thank you extremely politely in that language)

[Dale Seago]

Not very well known fact,is that there is a small Chinese Community throughout the Mississippi Delta, they have been there over 100 years. It will blow your mind to see a Traditionally dressed Chinese girl say Howdy ya'll with a DEEP Mississippi Accent

Oh, indeed. Reminds me of a Vietnamese lass I met where I worked (general vicinity, not same employer) years back who'd just made it out as a child on a chopper in '75 because her mom worked in the US Embassy in Saigon (at which time I was an enlisted Marine and hadn't yet fallen to the Dark Side and gotten an Army commission).

She ended up in the South. I remember (so well!) finally spending an evening at her place, with her cooking some French/Viet yummies to munch while we chatted and finally, in a Louisiana-tinged accent, knowing I had Reserve drill the next morning:

"Would you like to stay?"

Oh yes. My special ops unit can do without its S-2 officer for one morning.

Oh HELL yes Tien, dark-eyed little fairy. And after staying more than that one time. . .

Even now, these years later, now that I've been married and divorced since meeting her. . .

Yes.

GOD she was an incredible cook.