What your Voice Says about You.

When I hear someone's voice for the first time, a lot of information is conveyed to me. The first thing I hear is if there is an accent. I have been around many different cultures my entire life, and I am pretty good at telling where someone is from. My main categories I can split it into is Cali, East Coast, Southern, or Central (as in Utah). I can also pick up European accents but not really differentiate them too much, just know they are not from America.

Next up would be volume of their voice. In my family, when everyone gets together, it is basically a contest to see who can talk loudest lol. I come from a loud and sarcastic family, (just being honest here) and that is just a part of who I am.

When I left home and started life on my own a year ago, I noticed some people didn't get my sense of humor. They thought what I was saying was completely serious even when I was being sarcastic as can be.

I was also surprised when people on the mainland told me that I had an accent. A couple people said they could definitely pick up on that island accent when I talk, and I think that is cool because I never noticed it.

So, that is the start of this thread. I have a few questions for you all.

What kind of voice do you have?

Is the way you talk impacted by where you grew up?

Can you sometimes tell where a person is from by the way they talk?

Born an raised in So Ca, have a basic southern Ca accent.

If you don't know what that is turn on the TV, its pretty much how everyone on television shows in the US talks.

Ive had people comment on it when traveling to areas with other regional accents.


My wife and her family are all from Hawaii, its funny cause she drops words from sentences, slipping into pigeon english every now and than.

When they met me they all said I talk too houli ...

Hey solarE,

Interesting question. I suppose the voice is the same as first impressions. they stick, but unlike being able to cut your hair, dress nicely and take a shower, changing your voice is a problem, and will always be subject to perception and in cases, discrimination.

I guess I have what you would call, a British accent. although to someone familiar with these accents, it is a Northern even Lancastrian accent. However, I have learned the benefit of being able to talk in a non accented, if you like, BBC accent. I have found this comes in handy especially when talking to Americans. as then I become that guy with the cool British accent, or even "cute" (at least when I was younger) Whereas if I stay with my relaxed speaking voice, I get asked if I am Australian.

With your example of people not getting you sense of humour once you spread your winds, I completely understand this. When I moved to Mexico, My dark and at time caustic sense of humour is just not understood. Indeed the young mexicans like the americans has a very sensitive and literal sensitivity, where satire is completely lost on them. They just think you're serious. and If I get a bit blue even with the boys. the pain response I get even from the men is one I would expect talking to a 15 year old. a sort of embarrassed "s'n-word'"

(OK if you see the word about "s n i g g e r", as S N-word, be aware that "s n i g g e r" is actually a word to mean a laugh that is forced back, and not a use of the word used to describe black people that derives from the Latin work negro) Just to make the point that sometime auto snippers are STUPID

However as far as speaking spanish is concerend, I am told my spanish accent is "beautiful" more than once. so I guess that's OK.

So which Island are you from? I would hate to assume Jamaica when your really a Trinny!

Peace.

JF

reply to post by JakiusFogg


I am from Hawaii.

People from Hawaii definitely have their own accent going on. It's very noticeable, it's just when I am talking to people here on the mainland, I use my best white voice.

Originally posted by SolarE-Souljah
What kind of voice do you have?

Depends on the day. Some days I have no voice at all. Other days it's raspy. Sometimes I can speak for a few minutes before it all goes south. I have Sjogrens so my throat and tongue are dry and sore. My 'voice' is usally what you will read here .. typed. My voice is the keyboard. So I guess I"m an anomaly to your system.

reply to post by SolarE-Souljah


Wow, completely the wrong ocean!! still would you say Obama has an Hawaii accent???

But why do you say best "white accent" is there such a thing?

Originally posted by JakiusFogg
But why do you say best "white accent" is there such a thing?

During the OJ Simpson trial, it was stated on record that the feds do indeed consider that there is a 'black accent' when people are identifying perps but have only heard them and not seen them. Same with the other races ...

Forensic Psycholinguistics

Sociolinguistics

Both written and spoken language have features that may reveal an individual's geographical origins; ethnicity or race; age; sex; and occupation, education level, and religious orientation or background. Sociolinguistics is the study of language variability, including the relationships between social characteristics and linguistic features.

Geographic Origins

Although Americans tend to move frequently, their speech often retains remnants of the regional dialect of the area where they were reared. For example, most Americans easily can distinguish the late president John F. Kennedy's Massachusetts accent from former president Jimmy Carter's Georgia accent. Some sociolinguists can distinguish even more subtle regional dialects, such as differences in the speech of native Virginians from Norfolk as opposed to those from Fairfax. Written communications offer fewer clues, although vocabulary (word choice) and grammar can sometimes indicate geographic origin. In Pennsylvania, when people from Philadelphia want a carbonated soft drink, they tend to ask for a "soda," whereas those from Pittsburgh more likely request a "pop."

Ethnicity or Race

Native ethnic groups, as well as immigrants from various countries, may retain remnants of their native language. In one case in which a business owner received anonymous threat letters, the writer seemed comfortable with English, but wrote some sentences in a way that indicated a specific non-English language influence, such as using a word order with a subject-object-verb sequence ("he finally will the seriousness of the problem recognize") rather than the typical English subject-verb-object order ("he finally will recognize the seriousness of the problem"). This clue, along with others from the letters, led investigators to focus on a foreign national.

I generally speak with a French accent. Just for the hell of it. Not at home, of course. Or with people who know me, but in stores and bars and sh*t. Not Parisian French, but Canuck French. I picked it up living in N. Hampshire. Lots of Canucks there. Good folks and lots of big parties. Best part of that accent is that if you're drunk, you end up sounding really dangerous. Real guttural kind of voice that accent has.

If I had a microphone at the moment, I would say hi! I'm from new Orleans so I have a southern accent i guess......hi Yall!

Peter Farb, a linguistic anthropologist, wrote a book on this subject many years ago. One study featured the ability many city cab drivers have of identifying a wide range of accents based on just a few short phrases. It's a really fascinating subject, and yes, I do agree that you can tell a lot about a person, not just by the accent, but the tonal quality of the voice- relaxed vs. tense speakers for example. And the regional colloquialisms are a real giveaway, aren't they ? We could have a whole thread just on that subject.

I agree with the statement quoted here that clues to dialect are also apparent in casual writing, It's been said that, to some extent, we write the way we speak, and we speak the way we think. Language is the way we communicate with ourselves as well as with others.

I've got a Massachusetts South Shore accent, complete with the colloquialisms that I don't often recognize until someone else points it out. When writing, I do put the "r"s back in where they're supposed to go, though I rarely pronounce them in the right places.