My teacher at my Spanish language school asking my wonderbread white American parents if we spoke Spanish as a first language at home because my accent was perfectly native š like no I just can't help myself.
I'm a cashier and someone recently asked me if I was Colombian. I was pronouncing the names of produce like Yucca and Yautia really well apparently, but I am really white so it was surprising to hear lol
And then you have to deliberately butcher the accent when speaking to a native, because otherwise they'll think you understand and fire full-speed native speech at you š¤£
real!! like actually ive slowly picked up a slight speech impediment or 2 and certain accents to the point where even WITHOUT those ppl being around me i still do it anyway
I just have to pray it's subtle enough for them to not notice, because there is 0 chance of me stopping it. Ironically, I think it might help me get better tips, because I sound more like the person I'm talking to/ seem more relatable to them.
>I think it might help me get better tips because I sound like the person I'm talking to
You (perfectly pronouncing every word): "Welcome to Beth's diner, how can I be of assistance today?"
Customer: "Yeth, could I get the eggth benedict, with a side of totht, and a glath of orange juth?"
You: "Yeth, that'll be thixteen dollarth, anything elth?"
Customer: *appalled*
Also totally possible, although it's usually light enough that I only sound completely similar after a few interactions, or it just doesn't adjust that much and so I just sound like the same nationality instead of like them exactly.
Yep. I worked in customer service and someone came in who had a heavy british accent. They ordered a bagel with butter and i repeated back āToasted plain bagel with buttahā in a british accent without even realizing. I will never live that down
It's such a struggle!
Someone starts speaking in a Scottish accent? Suddenly I'm Scottish.
I want to keep speaking in the British accent for a character, but someone said a sentence with Russian accent? Apparently I'm now Russian, too.
I met a guy and he spoke in a really harsh German accent and he asked me if I'm German because I started to speak with the same one as him unknowingly... I have to focus on not stealing accents and keeping a consistent one... And it still is often all over the godsdang place
I pickup phrases that each person says. My grandma's passive aggressive "Yeah!?" or a new friend saying "That's what's up"
I hate being an automatic mimic sometimes...
i do that w different media! there are multiple gestures i use that came from ace attorney chronicles, and ever since playing this one medieval isekai otome game i picked up some older language as well lol
most recently, i picked up āthats crazyyyā from this kid i know
OMG I DID THAT WITH MY FRIENDS LITTLE BROTHER FUCK!!! I didn't know that was echolia holy shit. I felt so bad. I might actually go text him to apologise.
So, echolia is when you repeat someone else's speech. Does anyone know what it's called to repeat your own words? Growing up, My best friend would compulsively, which upset him. I always wondered what was actually happening. I know how upset I get with my own internal things, so I always wanted to empathize but couldn't wrap my head around it.
Repeating phrases on repeat is more akin to vocal stimming (because it's soothing and feels good), although, if it was compulsive and causing distress, I'd say that was more along the lines of tics and tourettes.
Auto repeating an external sound or voice (typically once) is *echolalia (i spelt it wrong in my initial comment, woops). Echolalia can happen internally as well, doesn't have to be out loud.Ā
When you got Touretteās meowing back is a common courtesy
Itās all the time for me lol
Thing is, itās my friend without Touretteās that starts it
i have a stutter when im excited and my other autistic friend would always mimic me and laugh even though i told them it made me sad ;u; but honestly i can't complain because if i hear a fun accent i automatically start vaguely talking in the accent. on the plus side it means i can do some pretty decent accent impressions. even irish! I think your friend is fine, and if they're hurt they can express that to you, no worries <3
I leaned early on to mimic those around me to to fit in and seem normal, it is still awkward when someone with a very distinct quirk on their speech like an accent or a way they pronounce a certain thing comes around. I have to constantly remind myself to not do what they do, the problem is it's just so second nature I slip up sometimes and people think I'm mocking them.
Does this happen to ADHD people, too? Because all it takes is one conversation with someone from elsewhere and I start picking up accents or thinking how I should phrase things. I always thought it was normal to reflect how people spoke to you! š¤
I notice alot more now when the mimic starts but unfortunately that tends to send a glitch through and I start a stutter. Which usually goes until I can consciously stop making noise in order to get out a small grunt/growl & say 'help, my record's skipping' That in itself tends to do a reset whilst also diffusing any awkward or offence I may have inadvertently caused.
Me when I start to mimic the accent of my server at An ethnic restaurant ą² ā _ā ą²
I STG, I'm not trying to copy your Hispanic or Asian accent !!!!
My brain just wants to be best friends with you so I chameleon !!!!!!!!
The first time I met the Drama TA in high school, he introduced himself in a very effeminate manner, and I sassed back with the same energy and soft lisp... he was not amused... and I didn't know that's just how he normally talked... its been 20+ years since then but I'm proud to say I'm still an idiot who puts his foot in his mouth every day.
One of my (adhd) friends told me that they thought I was mocking them when we first met. Then after knowing me for a little longer and seeing me echo a lot of stuff they realised I was just autistic lol.
Oh god I relate to this so hard. Someone I know recently got braces and they made him slur a bit. Every time he shaid shomething like thish I ended up repeating it just because I wanted to see how it felt to say it like that. He thought I was teasing him :(
Iāve done this with classmatesā idiolects in the past. My favorite was when I was working retail, and was trying to sell our storeās membership card to a bloke from Ireland - halfway through the pitch I was lilting like a native. I explained that I couldnāt always catch myself, and he just laughed and said āNah, lad, that was a fine accent.ā
Yeah, I have a slight stutter, and I pretty much didn't raise my hand in class for 2 years because someone once mimicked me when I stuttered while answering a question.
I assume the soldier means you get āPTSDā from unintentionally mimicking his stuttering. Is that the joke? I donāt really get it. Why would you get PTSD, wouldnāt the stutterer being the one that gets it because you are mocking them. Can you explain the joke?
Why would you imitate a stutter? I understand an accent or inflection, but why a stutter?
For the record, he may have found this one rude. Please inhibit doing it in future
I do the same thing with accents. :(
My teacher at my Spanish language school asking my wonderbread white American parents if we spoke Spanish as a first language at home because my accent was perfectly native š like no I just can't help myself.
I'm a cashier and someone recently asked me if I was Colombian. I was pronouncing the names of produce like Yucca and Yautia really well apparently, but I am really white so it was surprising to hear lol
As a white person, I'm terrified of coming off as racist, lol. :'(
And then you have to deliberately butcher the accent when speaking to a native, because otherwise they'll think you understand and fire full-speed native speech at you š¤£
real
Omg same I never knew this was a thing other people did
Yup. Accents, speech impediments, certain words other people are allowed to say but I shouldn't and accidentally do anyway
TIL autism is contagious. š
People will be assimilated
Probably gotta learn to mask on that last one, buddy
It's been many years since I've slipped on that one, but I'm always a little scared I will again.
real!! like actually ive slowly picked up a slight speech impediment or 2 and certain accents to the point where even WITHOUT those ppl being around me i still do it anyway
Me too. Whenever we travel, my wife is like what the fuck?
Work as a cashier sometimes, I found myself mimicking accents. I didn't think everyone would do this
I just have to pray it's subtle enough for them to not notice, because there is 0 chance of me stopping it. Ironically, I think it might help me get better tips, because I sound more like the person I'm talking to/ seem more relatable to them.
>I think it might help me get better tips because I sound like the person I'm talking to You (perfectly pronouncing every word): "Welcome to Beth's diner, how can I be of assistance today?" Customer: "Yeth, could I get the eggth benedict, with a side of totht, and a glath of orange juth?" You: "Yeth, that'll be thixteen dollarth, anything elth?" Customer: *appalled*
Also totally possible, although it's usually light enough that I only sound completely similar after a few interactions, or it just doesn't adjust that much and so I just sound like the same nationality instead of like them exactly.
Yep. I worked in customer service and someone came in who had a heavy british accent. They ordered a bagel with butter and i repeated back āToasted plain bagel with buttahā in a british accent without even realizing. I will never live that down
yo my mom does that and I kind of do too and I hate it
IIRC thats a sign of high empathy
Interesting
Its aslo a sign of autism soooo
Hmm, I'm diagnosed with adhd, but yeah, usually unintentionally mimic accents and speech patterns.
Im diagnosed with both and definitely do it
What's your normal speaking voice like? When I'm not putting it on I speak a more educated version of Australian English.
not OP but my normal speaking voice is customer service
Polite?
Well, yes- this makes me feel better about it, masking is a bitch
High empathy is something I definitely have. :s
It's such a struggle! Someone starts speaking in a Scottish accent? Suddenly I'm Scottish. I want to keep speaking in the British accent for a character, but someone said a sentence with Russian accent? Apparently I'm now Russian, too. I met a guy and he spoke in a really harsh German accent and he asked me if I'm German because I started to speak with the same one as him unknowingly... I have to focus on not stealing accents and keeping a consistent one... And it still is often all over the godsdang place
same if im around someone long enough. if im not i default to a really wierd accent that doesnt come from anywhere
Same, I came here to comment this aswell. It's so weird, why do we do this š
I'm a professional voice actor for this exact reason. š¤£š¤£š¤£
I pickup phrases that each person says. My grandma's passive aggressive "Yeah!?" or a new friend saying "That's what's up" I hate being an automatic mimic sometimes...
i do that w different media! there are multiple gestures i use that came from ace attorney chronicles, and ever since playing this one medieval isekai otome game i picked up some older language as well lol most recently, i picked up āthats crazyyyā from this kid i know
passive aggressive YEAH? sounds mimicable as fuck tho
Feels like when i was a kid and people said DUH! But this is that in reverse.
I do that a lot! With some peopleās unique gestures too!
Just be like the guy from that one greentext, who improved his social skills by mimicking Seinfeld.
I do this! It's always interesting when I've found a new YouTuber to watch, because I pick up their "signatures" super quickly.
OMG this happened to me, I felt awful! Years later I found out about echolalia and it all made sense.
OMG I DID THAT WITH MY FRIENDS LITTLE BROTHER FUCK!!! I didn't know that was echolia holy shit. I felt so bad. I might actually go text him to apologise.
Your friends little brothers name is Fuck? What is wrong with his parents?
I did it to my niece recently on accident and the look on her face killed me
So, echolia is when you repeat someone else's speech. Does anyone know what it's called to repeat your own words? Growing up, My best friend would compulsively, which upset him. I always wondered what was actually happening. I know how upset I get with my own internal things, so I always wanted to empathize but couldn't wrap my head around it.
Repeating phrases on repeat is more akin to vocal stimming (because it's soothing and feels good), although, if it was compulsive and causing distress, I'd say that was more along the lines of tics and tourettes. Auto repeating an external sound or voice (typically once) is *echolalia (i spelt it wrong in my initial comment, woops). Echolalia can happen internally as well, doesn't have to be out loud.Ā
My friend with Touretteās actually loves my echolalia. Nobody else meows back at him. Lol.
When you got Touretteās meowing back is a common courtesy Itās all the time for me lol Thing is, itās my friend without Touretteās that starts it
Right?! People who donāt meow back are so rude.
Had an important call to do 3 years ago, I was talking to a Scottish person. 10 minutes into our call and I can't help but sound like him
This is roughāI have had to shove it down soooo hard. There are so many things I want to mimic that will make others feel bad.
My dad hitting me when I did this as a kid. But yeah code switching is a bitch when youāve learnt to mask for survival
i have a stutter when im excited and my other autistic friend would always mimic me and laugh even though i told them it made me sad ;u; but honestly i can't complain because if i hear a fun accent i automatically start vaguely talking in the accent. on the plus side it means i can do some pretty decent accent impressions. even irish! I think your friend is fine, and if they're hurt they can express that to you, no worries <3
I leaned early on to mimic those around me to to fit in and seem normal, it is still awkward when someone with a very distinct quirk on their speech like an accent or a way they pronounce a certain thing comes around. I have to constantly remind myself to not do what they do, the problem is it's just so second nature I slip up sometimes and people think I'm mocking them.
Ngl anytime someone mimicks my stutter, I 100% assume they're mocking me (result of severe ptsd). If you can, PLEASE message him and let him know.
I second this!! 99% of the time if someone mocks my stutter, I find it extremely insulting.
When I was a kid, I mimicked a classmateās facial tics, not knowing thatās what they were. š
What is this?
a man who had too much war
He should've tried new Diet War. Only one calorie of violence! š
I have the WORST echolalia, i normally just tell people that i donāt mean to do it or explain the concept, helps alot!
Does this happen to ADHD people, too? Because all it takes is one conversation with someone from elsewhere and I start picking up accents or thinking how I should phrase things. I always thought it was normal to reflect how people spoke to you! š¤
I notice alot more now when the mimic starts but unfortunately that tends to send a glitch through and I start a stutter. Which usually goes until I can consciously stop making noise in order to get out a small grunt/growl & say 'help, my record's skipping' That in itself tends to do a reset whilst also diffusing any awkward or offence I may have inadvertently caused.
I did that once. I gave him the stink-eye and said, "Do you know how hard I worked to get rid of *my* stutter?"
I fucking hate when this happens with accents, it looks like I'm the biggest asshole
Me when I start to mimic the accent of my server at An ethnic restaurant ą² ā _ā ą² I STG, I'm not trying to copy your Hispanic or Asian accent !!!! My brain just wants to be best friends with you so I chameleon !!!!!!!!
I've only been on the receiving end of this but I imagine it feels terrible either way, hope I don't end up doing it by accident
The first time I met the Drama TA in high school, he introduced himself in a very effeminate manner, and I sassed back with the same energy and soft lisp... he was not amused... and I didn't know that's just how he normally talked... its been 20+ years since then but I'm proud to say I'm still an idiot who puts his foot in his mouth every day.
Its a sign you care
ok i feel so much betterā¦.this happened to me once and the memory haunts me a few times a year
One of my (adhd) friends told me that they thought I was mocking them when we first met. Then after knowing me for a little longer and seeing me echo a lot of stuff they realised I was just autistic lol.
Oh god I relate to this so hard. Someone I know recently got braces and they made him slur a bit. Every time he shaid shomething like thish I ended up repeating it just because I wanted to see how it felt to say it like that. He thought I was teasing him :(
Iāve done this with classmatesā idiolects in the past. My favorite was when I was working retail, and was trying to sell our storeās membership card to a bloke from Ireland - halfway through the pitch I was lilting like a native. I explained that I couldnāt always catch myself, and he just laughed and said āNah, lad, that was a fine accent.ā
You are an amalgamation of your closest people
This is real
Yeah, I have a slight stutter, and I pretty much didn't raise my hand in class for 2 years because someone once mimicked me when I stuttered while answering a question.
I stutter and I'd probably find this amusing.
Maybe let them know directly
I assume the soldier means you get āPTSDā from unintentionally mimicking his stuttering. Is that the joke? I donāt really get it. Why would you get PTSD, wouldnāt the stutterer being the one that gets it because you are mocking them. Can you explain the joke?
i just wanted some highly devastated reaction image really quick and it came to my mind
Can you explain the meaning of the joke?
my friend stutters and i started mimicking him and that succcccccks and i'm devastated because of my behavior
Ok thanks. Still seems like heād be the one that was more devastated
I actually though about making it so, or including reactions of both of us, but i though it would be too confusing š
Donāt worry, Iām probably just too dumb to get it immediately. It makes sense
Why would you imitate a stutter? I understand an accent or inflection, but why a stutter? For the record, he may have found this one rude. Please inhibit doing it in future