Getting self conscious of your accent

Hi people, am getting really self-conscious of my accent at uni. am in my first year and as soon as I started uni everyone was picking up on my accent. The vast majority of people at my uni are very well spoken so am getting really self conscious about it. Tbh I didn't think I had an accent at all till I started uni. Is anyone else like this?

Reply 1

Blátönn

3

Get an accectomy.

Reply 2

tom_tom_tom

18

Your accent is part of who you are, you should be proud of it, however i do know how you feel i often have people pick up on my accent im well spoken wereas alot of people i know are not so much, the comments meerly get annoying after awhile but i dont take it to heart, most of the time it is meant in a light hearted fashion. In what way are they picking up on your accent? Personally i wouldnt change my accent, its me and comes as the package with me, why let someone dictate to me that i should change it. :smile:

Reply 3

arminvanpite

14

Nobody thinks they have an accent because they hear their voice and the way they speak all the time and they're most likely surrounded by people who speak similarly.

Don't worry about your accent or what others think of it. I mean, someone might find it attractive and never tell you, but if someone comes along and says otherwise, just ignore them. What difference does it make at all?

I remember at Primary when a new boy joined us temporarily and someone in my class told him his accent was "ugly" to which he replied "and yours is to me too". He had a point. It's just one of those pathetic things that people pick up on and use against the person.

Be proud of your accent.

Reply 4

timetokill

13

I feel a bit like it sometimes. Im from a place which is on the border between Essex and London, so I have a slight 'twang' ive been told, which I hate because the Essex accent is quite vile. But to be honest, the only people who have ever recognised it at uni are others from essex, everyone else doesnt pick up on it at all.

Reply 5

getinthevan

15

It's okay, it's a part of who you are - my accent makes people think I'm common or stupid but I prove them wrong in other ways. You can't help where you come from and you should be proud of you heriatage :smile:

Reply 6

snail_87

2

Going to Liverpool for uni with a southern accent was bound to get the **** ripped out of me. I learned fairly quickly to pronounce 'glass' rather than 'glarse', especially working in a pub where it was every second word i spoke. After the novelty of you all noticing everyones accents wears off, nobody notices.

Reply 7

LALA LAND

8

Anonymous

Hi people, am getting really self-conscious of my accent at uni. am in my first year and as soon as I started uni everyone was picking up on my accent. The vast majority of people at my uni are very well spoken so am getting really self conscious about it. Tbh I didn't think I had an accent at all till I started uni. Is anyone else like this?

im from belfast and got a thick accent. which am proudof. its part of who i am, where am from and my background. u shud be proud of it. and then again bein different is good n interestin. jst annoyin tho wen ppl dnt understand ya lol

Reply 8

Daniella1990

im from norfolk so have a strange accent dropping t's and h's but im not ashamed :smile:

theres no need to be, i am who i am.

youve clearly picked up on theirs why cant they pic up on yours

Reply 9

Miasma Envoy

tom_tom_tom

Your accent is part of who you are, you should be proud of it

Why?!

Reply 10

Reflexive

14

What is your accent out of interest?

Reply 11

caw123

10

People tell me I have the strongest northern accent they've ever heard. It's oft-imitated. I imitate back. We laugh. It doesn't matter, it's just banter.

Reply 12

Tag

8

I didn't think I had an accent until I met my boyfriend (before uni). He was more southern than I am and he teases me for sounding like a farmer. Charming ey.

I feel a bit self conscious too sometimes, not about the accent but my lacking vocabulary. If it really bothers you, have elocution lessons. But provided you don't talk in text speak and people can understand you, there's no reason why you should change. People just get interested by different things. Especially accents, my canadian flatmate takes the mickey out of my voice all the time. England is a pretty diverse place accent-wise so unless you're at Oxford or Cambridge I don't see how it could be that bit a problem.. and if you are there, you shouldn't be compalining lol.

Reply 13

Anonymous #1

OP

My uni friends get me to repeat words quite a bit in a light-hearted manner which i don't mind at all. its in lectures/seminars and talking to new people for the first time that am really self conscious about. Most of the people have really posh/well spoken accents and well people ask me if I come from so and so and im just suprised they can pin point it cos it really isn't that strong at all. But the fact that they can tell is worrying me in regards to how strong it might actually be? :s

Reply 14

LH123

17

JessicaW

I am not self-concious.

Ok.

Reply 15

Anonymous #1

OP

I have a Geordie accent.

Reply 16

Undiscovery

Maybe you could start forging accents? For me, it was quite difficult engaging with like, just everyday normal people in Yorkshire, because I don't have a Yorkshire accent at all...probably due to my parents not having it, the schools I went to, the people I was surrounded by growing up etc. So when I was at school, for example, we would go into town at lunch time, and I would usually add hints of Yorkshire into my accent when in a shop or something, or talking to a bartender or something.. it sounds silly, but when you do it, it's amazing how different people treat you...it's region specific though, and Yorkshire people seem to be fiercely protective about their accent and treat those without it as the enemy and suspects...

Like when I went to Hull once on a night out (yeh, awful), I felt much safer by pretending to have a Yorkshire accent...lol it sounds so silly, but I guess in life, you have to learn to adapt to different people and try and lobby for their loyalties.

Reply 17

Waffles

1

Anonymous

people ask me if I come from so and so and im just suprised they can pin point it cos it really isn't that strong at all. But the fact that they can tell is worrying me in regards to how strong it might actually be? :s

Sounds like a bit of a conversation starter to me - embrace it.

I didn't realise I had an accent until I started going out with my girlfriend. I can't say fair & fur differently, apparently everything sounds like hur (hair), thur (there), etc. Some other things as well.

It's ok though, she's from Yorkshire so roll has two syllables :biggrin:

Reply 18

Tag

8

Anonymous

My uni friends get me to repeat words quite a bit in a light-hearted manner which i don't mind at all. its in lectures/seminars and talking to new people for the first time that am really self conscious about. Most of the people have really posh/well spoken accents and well people ask me if I come from so and so and im just suprised they can pin point it cos it really isn't that strong at all. But the fact that they can tell is worrying me in regards to how strong it might actually be? :s

Just relax about it then. If nobody is being mean, don't let it affect you. Tease them back :P

Reply 19

Daniella1990

to be honest the geordie accent is quite an easy one to recognise... IMO if they like you then it doesnt matter does it?

Getting self conscious of your accent

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