On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:44:34 -0000 (UTC), BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>
wrote:

My dad was assigned to a military base in England for about nine months when I >was a kid ahead of our transfer to Saudi Arabia. My mom used to say we got out >of England just in time because my brother and I were starting to develop >British accents. Whenever she told that story to someone, I'd tell her how >disappointed I was that the accent didn't take hold. I can only imagine how >many girls I would have pulled once we returned to the USA if I'd had a >British accent.

That's not automatic by any means. My second daughter emigrated to the
UK in 2014 and has been with her partner (an English fellow who grew
up 150 miles west of where they are now on the south coast) for at
least 10 years. While she has adopted many British words (lorry, boot
- what we would call a car's trunk etc etc) she has retained her
Canadian accent which sometimes makes for merriment. Most people over
there don't expect to hear British words from someone who doesn't have
an English accent.

Bottom line is simply living in the UK is not enough to have you gain
a British accent. My mother's parents are both gone now but both were
from Belfast - my grandfather's family when he was 4 and my
grandmother as an 'early-20-something' and while she used the same
words I did (e.g. standard Canadian usage), she retained at least a
portion of her Belfast accent to her dying day. (The Belfast accent is
quite different from London or southern England generally but is
clearly related)

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

On Jul 30, 2026 at 11:58:04 AM PDT, "The Horny Goat" <lcraver@home.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:44:34 -0000 (UTC), BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>
wrote:

My dad was assigned to a military base in England for about nine months when >> I
was a kid ahead of our transfer to Saudi Arabia. My mom used to say we got >> out
of England just in time because my brother and I were starting to develop
British accents. Whenever she told that story to someone, I'd tell her how >> disappointed I was that the accent didn't take hold. I can only imagine how >> many girls I would have pulled once we returned to the USA if I'd had a
British accent.

That's not automatic by any means. My second daughter emigrated to the
UK in 2014 and has been with her partner (an English fellow who grew
up 150 miles west of where they are now on the south coast) for at
least 10 years. While she has adopted many British words (lorry, boot
- what we would call a car's trunk etc etc) she has retained her
Canadian accent which sometimes makes for merriment. Most people over
there don't expect to hear British words from someone who doesn't have
an English accent.

Bottom line is simply living in the UK is not enough to have you gain
a British accent.

It's different when you're a kid and developing language skills.



--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)

BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com> wrote:

On Jul 30, 2026 at 11:58:04 AM PDT, "The Horny Goat" <lcraver@home.ca> wrote:

On Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:44:34 -0000 (UTC), BTR1701 <atropos@mac.com>
wrote:

My dad was assigned to a military base in England for about nine months when
I
was a kid ahead of our transfer to Saudi Arabia. My mom used to say we got >>> out
of England just in time because my brother and I were starting to develop >>> British accents. Whenever she told that story to someone, I'd tell her how >>> disappointed I was that the accent didn't take hold. I can only imagine how >>> many girls I would have pulled once we returned to the USA if I'd had a
British accent.

That's not automatic by any means. My second daughter emigrated to the
UK in 2014 and has been with her partner (an English fellow who grew
up 150 miles west of where they are now on the south coast) for at
least 10 years. While she has adopted many British words (lorry, boot
- what we would call a car's trunk etc etc) she has retained her
Canadian accent which sometimes makes for merriment. Most people over
there don't expect to hear British words from someone who doesn't have
an English accent.

Bottom line is simply living in the UK is not enough to have you gain
a British accent.

It's different when you're a kid and developing language skills.

You're near Hollywood. You have nubile young things everywhere. Pick one
with the accent you want to learn and tell the girlfriend she's your
dialect coach. You can audition to play the creaky butler at the
Pssadena Playhouse.

--- PyGate Linux v1.5.19
* Origin: Dragon's Lair, PyGate NNTP<>Fido Gate (3:633/10)