Wednesday, January 22, 2014

I have an affliction

When I am with someone who has a strong regional accent or who sounds particularly camp I adopt that person's manner of speaking. It's not intentional - when I realise I'm doing it I stop - or try to - but I must appear very rude. I'm sure a psychologist would have a field day with me and no doubt there's a term just for people who do it. And I don't mean copycat. 

Does anyone else have the same affliction?

* * * * * * * * 
Bruce Springsteen's newly released cd has gone straight to number 1 making it his 10th UK number 1 and putting him on a par with The Rolling Stones and U2. The only people with more are The Beatles (15), Madonna (12) and Elvis and Robbie Williams each with 11. (I'm guessing that must include cds Robbie made with Take That.)

High Hopes has received mixed reviews. Springsteen's last, Wrecking Ball, was absolutely brilliant and a return to his old style. This one apparently is largely a collection of the ones that didn't make it to cd originally and will have to be pretty amazing to better Wrecking Ball.

I shall have to wait and see.

6 comments:

nick said...

Yes, I tend to do the same with regional accents! Very embarrassing when I realise what I'm doing! I don't imitate the Northern Irish accent though as it's very hard to imitate successfully. You have to learn it from birth, I think.

I do a very good Aussie accent, btw. But I try not to when there are Aussies present.

Furtheron said...

No... But I have a slightly worse one which I'm not sure I should admit to...

Ok I will... I've been known to squint at people with a squint. Honestly I don't mean to it just happens

Liz Hinds said...

I think my accent is probably appalling whatever I try to do. I'd have thought the N Irish one would have been one of the easier, Nick.

Ha ha ha, sorry, furtheron, but that is making me chuckle!

Katney said...

Yes. It happens. I don't think as much as it did when I was younger.

I think that I more often think in accent but don't let it escape...

Liz Hinds said...

Yes, I often think in accent too, katney.

Ole Phat Stu said...

Having been an ex-pat Scot living in Germany about 40 years, I find that when I visit relatives/friends in Scotland it takes me about 3 days to get back into speaking Lallans fluently.

Similarly, it takes me almost 3 weeks to get back into fluent French again, and french freinds say my accent sounds like a Marseillaise drain gurgling!

My Russian friends laugh at me for my "Nato subset of Russian" ;-)

Oh well, you live and forget ;-)