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Your accent


Kejan

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What nationalities have you been mistaken for when abroad?

I often get Irish and even strangely enough from Irish people - mostly southern Irish think I'm from the failed statelet - but a Dundalk man which is right on the border thought I was from Newry! I sound like Christian Dailly aka polite Dundonian, so I have no idea why even Irish people think this sounds Irish.

It works both ways though, my Irish friend is often mistaken for English because his accent is non-existent and diluted.

Of course had the British/English thing too ; but strangely had South African more than once and most Yanks seem to either think Ireland or Australia - think its if you speak English with a non Hugh Grant accent you can't be from Britain.

Thank f**k I've never been mistaken for north England though.

Also, had a Portuguese man think I was Russia due to the R pronoun cation.

 

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Got mistaken for a German in Denmark and a German in France.

Was in a hotel shop in Iceland once and the girl asked if I was from Glasgow , when I said yes she replied " Thought so, you sound like Taggart "

Still don't know if that was good or bad?

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Another time was in a curry shop in Portsmouth once killing time waiting for a ferry.

We were playing " Hang Man " a word game.

The waiter who had a very strong Asian accent asked us if we trying to learn English?

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I've noticed in Australia, that if they hear a non-Glasgow Scottish accent, they instantly think you're Irish, which I can understand.  Been told in the past I sound a little Geordie, but the strangest has to be in Bucharest Airport.  A Russian guy told me and a guy from Fort Augustus (it was the morning after the away leg of Caley Thistle-Astra Giurgiu in 2015) that he thought we'd been speaking Chinese!

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Got asked a few weeks ago where about in Texas I was from as I was boarding a plane in the US (Newark). Definitely the most bizarre one I've had. That's a very distinctive accent, so would pretty much be like someone in the UK thinking I was from Liverpool. 

Other than that, I've had English and Irish. I've also had a few Americans speaking to me in Spanish thinking I was Mexican, but that wasn't on account of my accent. 

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Been living in New Zealand for almost 3 years but have been mistaken for: English, Irish, Welsh, Canadian, South African, Australian and most recently Dutch!

Don't know many people from Holland that sound like a Fifer like eh...

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Irish. A few people in Edinburgh seem to think I'm from the Borders. Not sure why, I've certainly not got a strong North East accent but enough of one that I think I clearly don't sound like someone from the borders. I think Edinburgh folk just hear Teuchter and take a guess.

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Americans always ask the wife and I what part of ireland we're from thinking they are smart. I tend to reply 'same part of canada you're from' which gets the point across. Hate being called irish.


I had someone in Leeds ask me where in Ireland I was from, I said 'Aberdeen', she replied 'oh lovely, near Dublin.'

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In Scotland I get mistaking for a Northern English accent (specifically Carlisle or Manchester)

In England they think I sound Scottish.

I actually have a non descripe accent as I was an army brat. 

 

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Some American thought I was Irish and said 'Oh Scottish people get annoyed if you think they're Irish don't you?' but I told her as long as they don't think we're English we're fine with it. Obviously most Scottish people are anti-Irish bigots but I didn't want to get into that. 

This chat was during the intermission at a show while my girlfriend was away to the toilet so I asked the woman (if she got a chance) to tell my girlfriend she had a really strong Lenzie accent to see if she fell for it. Hook line and sinker. 

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