I don't have an accent... GRR

HEY ! ssooo I've never been asked if I have an accent .. its interesting though I sign and use my voice... I use interpreters for just about everything .. that being said I still use my voice with interpreters .. they seem to think I speak really well yet hearing people who don't sign ... don't undertand a thing im saying
 
before i went deaf i met two men one was australian the other american both profoundly deaf and both had deaf/american/deaf australian accents
 
I'm American-born, American-raised. I grew up in a VERY Irish neighborhood. I didn't know until I went away from school that I have a hint of the accent I grew up around. Just enough for people to ask, apparently. Maybe it's something similar for you?
 
Lau2046 said:
I've been told that I had a heavy British accent (Sicilian American) watched a lot of PBS as a child but I doubt anyone else picked up on this accent. Another thought I had a heavy Greek accent - again, no one else commented on this growing up. Don't know where people got this from but the reigning accent people say I have is a Bostonian accent - and yep, they finally got it right.....
Click to expand...

I was asked by aguy at the park if I had a British accent . I thought that was really funny. I found the guy wife is British accent and thought this was really funny! The guy did not know a speech effect from a British accent . I wonder how his wife would had felt about this.
 
JenMarie said:
I have had so many people ask me if I am from Ireland because of my "accent". I never know what to say. While I am Irish, my accent is because of my deafness. Does this happen to anyone? And.. does an Irish accent sound like how someone with deafness may sound?

:hmm:
Click to expand...

I've had a couple of people tell me that I sound like I have a German accent, and then I asked a German family the other day if I do, and they said, "Hell no!" I guess when people say that, they have no clue, and maybe they're trying to make us feel better? I should have remembered, though, to ask where they thought I was from. My accent is an expression of exposure to accents from every major continent on Earth in the last 35 years. I probably now hear 70% of accents within a month's time, and the rest of them will probably filter in over the course of a year. I get people from various countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Australia, and the Americas. I don't have any natives from Antarctica, though. :hmm:
 
shel90 said:
I have been asked where I was from all of my life. AS a child, I didnt understand why I was constantly asked that so I started making up lies about being from exotic countries and how I was adopted and all that. LOL!
Click to expand...

Those of you who have lied about your accents, were you ever exposed?

Forgot one thing. What does an Antarctican accent sound like?
 
deafdrummer said:
I guess when people say that, they have no clue, and maybe they're trying to make us feel better?
Click to expand...

I think they're just really attuned to speech but lack the experience and education to understand it's related to deafness/speech disorders. I went to see a specialist at Tufts for my bite. This was prior to all the surgery. He recommended that I get surgery to correct my bite or it'd get worse. The whole time he's asking about my speech and whether I studied diction. I said I had with a wonderful woman in Cambridge. He told me I needed to go back to see her....urgently need to work on my speech. I said I was planning on it. Afterwards I'm thinking....this is Tufts, all the students are foreign so I'm always "what? sorry? what?" Most people can't understand them....why was he going on and on about speech? This man was the top in the country for jaw problems...at no time did he think my speech could be deafness related and not about issues with my jaw. No doubt, the man was educated, attuned to speech, but at no time did he consider another primary cause of speech disorders is deafness.

A classmate at college was studying audiology and asked if she could use me in her class to take a hearing test. I said fine and showed up, met the teacher. She must have asked about my hearing and I told her, German Measles, HOH, she answered "I know, it's obvious, but I wouldn't be much of a doctor if I didn't." This was her line of work, unlike the specialist at Tufts so she understood what she was hearing. Not everyone does and it's the very last thing anyone thinks of, believe it or not.

Laura
 
deafdrummer said:
Those of you who have lied about your accents, were you ever exposed?

Forgot one thing. What does an Antarctican accent sound like?
Click to expand...

I was a kid..dont remember getting busted if I did. As an adult, I say I have a deaf accent from Eyeth.
 
Angel1989 said:
irish accent sounds different, at least to me. My parents are Irish as well as many relatives. I have had people say I am starting to sound "monotone". Who knows tho????
Click to expand...



My mother told me years ago that deaf accent sound like "monotone", no uphill and downhill kind of voice. Hearing people are suppose to talk with up and down voices. Monotone meant it is flat when I spoke or still speak like that. That is what made it "deaf accent". It has nothing to do with foreign languages from different countries. It is the way we talk when we can not hear ourselves speak. :)
 
Bebonang said:
My mother told me years ago that deaf accent sound like "monotone", no uphill and downhill kind of voice. Hearing people are suppose to talk with up and down voices. Monotone meant it is flat when I spoke or still speak like that. That is what made it "deaf accent". It has nothing to do with foreign languages from different countries. It is the way we talk when we can not hear ourselves speak. :)
Click to expand...

She's right; the lack of pitches in the voice is obviously because a person can't speak with intonation if they don't hear it. However, you'd be surprised how many people mistake a deaf accent for a foreign one because they don't know the difference or understand what they're hearing.

Laura
 
deafdrummer said:
Those of you who have lied about your accents, were you ever exposed?

Forgot one thing. What does an Antarctican accent sound like?
Click to expand...

Nothing. There has never been a civilization on Antarctica for people to have developed a language and an accent. Nobody is actually from Antarctica.
 
I was hearing for about 20 years and believe me a deaf voice is a deaf voice, when people tell you it sounds foreign its just not true, The deaf voice is flat and mono. My parents were profoundly deaf along with my brother and sisters so I was brought up in a houseful of deaf voices. Now I am profoundly deaf myself and am under no illusions that I sound exotic or foreign. I know that I sound deaf and dont pronounce some words as I used to. I also cant pitch my voice at all as I cant hear it anymore.
 
Last edited:
ambrosia said:
Nothing. There has never been a civilization on Antarctica for people to have developed a language and an accent. Nobody is actually from Antarctica.
Click to expand...

610_worldofpenguins_intro.jpg
 
haha always the funny guy :giggle:

I've been told I'm developing a deaf accent. meh, I can't tell. My sister and audi were talking about it while I was have ear mold impression made. Apparently I hold my consonants too long and am getting nasally. When I talk I'm starting to push the air through my nose, since I can't hear myself as well I can feel the vibrations. Bah, I say that's a bunch of gibberish they don't know what they're talking about ;) I think I am getting monotone though.
 
You know there are claims that you can get rid of a Deaf accent, or that kids raised by a particular methodology don't have a Deaf accent.....if that's true then how come postlingal and late deafened people have deaf accents?
 
I am late deafened and I am told my biggest issue is my volume control. I believe it partially is due to the crazy, loud tinnitus I have. I think I try to speak over it.

Also was thinking that some of us tend to be less social and I for one don't use my voice nearly as much as I use to. Some days maybe only 30 minutes. :-(
 
deafdyke said:
You know there are claims that you can get rid of a Deaf accent, or that kids raised by a particular methodology don't have a Deaf accent.....if that's true then how come postlingal and late deafened people have deaf accents?
Click to expand...

I imagine because say two deaf parents have a hearing child, the hearing child picks up the accent, goes to speech therapy. They can hear, it can be corrected. But the deaf accent is a result of not hearing your voice. I doubt it could be completely removed, improved though sure. If, and I say if, because I'm not completely sold on the idea that I'm getting one, it isn't strong, and it isn't every word. But if I do, who knows maybe I could go to speech therapy and learn how not to do whatever the heck it is Im doing.
 
But the deaf accent is a result of not hearing your voice. I doubt it could be completely removed
Click to expand...
There is a certain "tiger mother" methodology that claims that they produce kids with non deaf voices.....
 
JenMarie said:
I have had so many people ask me if I am from Ireland because of my "accent". I never know what to say. While I am Irish, my accent is because of my deafness. Does this happen to anyone? And.. does an Irish accent sound like how someone with deafness may sound?

:hmm:
Click to expand...

I used to keep a list of places where people thought I was from and I really don't think I have any accent.
I did get annoyed but then I figured if people are curious about where I'm from, maybe I can educate them on hearing loss.
Teachable moments.
Most people are just curious.

Regarding my accent, I know that since my hearing loss has worsened my consonants have gotten "slushy" and I seem to abruptly end phonemes.
For example, I found myself saying "shiken" instead of "CHICKen" and "lectshure" instead of "lecTure".
Such is life.
 
Back
Top