I’ve Always Wanted an Accent

Like most people, I’ve always loved accents: Southern accents, British accents, Australian accents, whatever the accent is… they just always sound so much more glamorous.  And interesting.  And fancy.  Well, little did I know until moving down under, I apparently DO have an accent. 

Since moving here, I’ve been asked more times than I can count where my accent is from.  I think it is safe to assume that as Americans, we tend to think that we don’t HAVE accents.  I know that’s how I’ve always thought about it. So when people ask me this, it really surprises me- and sometimes even makes me laugh.  

Accent?  Me?  Have you HEARD yourself talk… “mate?!” 

I mean, I grew up in Arizona for crying out loud!  No accents there.  Right?

What’s even stranger to me is when people guess where I’m from based on my supposed accent.  The most common is Canada.  But I’ve also had people ask if I’m from South Africa, or the strangest- Eastern Europe.  To be completely honest (and probably pretty politically incorrect), I think that most Australians expect Americans to have a Southern accent (I’ve seen “Sweet Home Alabama” on TV countless times here) OR a “red-neck accent,” so if you don’t sound like either of those stereotypes, you must not be American.   

But I’m fine with it. I’ve always wanted an accent, so to think that I’ve magically acquired one is just fine by me!  Now I have that fancy accent I had always wanted J