Do you think you have an accent?

Pepper said:
You know your voice by hearing recordings of us. A tape recording of my voice told me. I was shocked! Still am. I even think in my accent. Cawfee.
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That's true. I forgot about recordings but they don't really sound like I think i sound. I do hear myself on the WhatsApp reply recorder. I was shocked too.
 
jimintoronto said:
I will point out that a number of Canadian TV and movie personalities spent decades working in the USA. Peter Jennings, Morley Safer, Howie Mandel, Lorne Green, William Shatner, Donald Sutherland, Dan Ackroyd, more recently, Ryan Reynolds, Mike Myers. Did any of them have a Canadian accent, to your ears? JIMB>
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No, but I think Canadians sound like Americans. I think the word, about, is supposed to be pronounced, aboot, in Canada but I've only heard that once.
 
MountainRa said:
Oh no, you’ve hit on one of my pet peeves 🙂 I don’t know how the idea of Bless Your Heart is always an insult has spread. While it can occasionally be used as an insult (and you’ll know it when you hear it that way), it is often used sincerely. I personally never use it as an insult. I use it if someone has done something to help me or to commensurate if they have trouble of some kind.

I definitely have an accent . I enjoy hearing other’s accents and phrasing.
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Sorry.🙂 I guess it could go either way then in the south. I like different accents too.
 
Delia said:
A southern associate once told me that "Bless you heart" was actually meant as an insult in the south.
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@Delia , in the South, “bless your heart” is more like a tool than a fixed meaning. Tone, timing, and context do most of the work.

It can absolutely be sincere. Someone brings you food when you’re sick, helps you fix something, or hears you went through a rough time, and they’ll say it with genuine warmth. In that case it really does mean kindness or sympathy.

It can also soften bad news or criticism. For example, if someone says something obviously wrong or naive, a “well, bless your heart” might be a polite way of saying “you don’t know what you’re talking about” without being blunt.

And yes, sometimes it’s used as a quiet insult. Usually you can hear it in the tone or see it paired with a look or a follow-up comment that makes the meaning clear.

Oh and then there's how I used it in my earlier post. It was just a nod of empathy.

Like a lot of Southern expressions, it’s less about the words themselves and more about how they’re delivered.
 
Naturally said:
@Delia , in the South, “bless your heart” is more like a tool than a fixed meaning. Tone, timing, and context do most of the work.

It can absolutely be sincere. Someone brings you food when you’re sick, helps you fix something, or hears you went through a rough time, and they’ll say it with genuine warmth. In that case it really does mean kindness or sympathy.

It can also soften bad news or criticism. For example, if someone says something obviously wrong or naive, a “well, bless your heart” might be a polite way of saying “you don’t know what you’re talking about” without being blunt.

And yes, sometimes it’s used as a quiet insult. Usually you can hear it in the tone or see it paired with a look or a follow-up comment that makes the meaning clear.

Like a lot of Southern expressions, it’s less about the words themselves and more about how they’re delivered.
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oh good I am safe then, as I think that saying says it all in the right situations and with heart.
 
Naturally said:
@Delia , in the South, “bless your heart” is more like a tool than a fixed meaning. Tone, timing, and context do most of the work.

It can absolutely be sincere. Someone brings you food when you’re sick, helps you fix something, or hears you went through a rough time, and they’ll say it with genuine warmth. In that case it really does mean kindness or sympathy.

It can also soften bad news or criticism. For example, if someone says something obviously wrong or naive, a “well, bless your heart” might be a polite way of saying “you don’t know what you’re talking about” without being blunt.

And yes, sometimes it’s used as a quiet insult. Usually you can hear it in the tone or see it paired with a look or a follow-up comment that makes the meaning clear.

Oh and then there's how I used it in my earlier post. It was just a nod of empathy.

Like a lot of Southern expressions, it’s less about the words themselves and more about how they’re delivered.
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Oh I see. It's all in how you say it and the body or face language that goes with it. Some subtle and not so subtle differences. Thank you for explaining it so well to me.
 
Pinky said:
I don't know what kind of accent people hear when I speak. I was brought up in Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, and Ontario.
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@Pinky , sounds like you don’t have an accent … you have a full Canadian sampler platter. Somewhere between “eh,” “aboot,” and “sorry,” with a scenic detour through every province :cool:
 
Naturally said:
@Delia , in the South, “bless your heart” is more like a tool than a fixed meaning. Tone, timing, and context do most of the work.

It can absolutely be sincere. Someone brings you food when you’re sick, helps you fix something, or hears you went through a rough time, and they’ll say it with genuine warmth. In that case it really does mean kindness or sympathy.

It can also soften bad news or criticism. For example, if someone says something obviously wrong or naive, a “well, bless your heart” might be a polite way of saying “you don’t know what you’re talking about” without being blunt.

And yes, sometimes it’s used as a quiet insult. Usually you can hear it in the tone or see it paired with a look or a follow-up comment that makes the meaning clear.

Oh and then there's how I used it in my earlier post. It was just a nod of empathy.

Like a lot of Southern expressions, it’s less about the words themselves and more about how they’re delivered.
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Yes, probably similar to the phrase: "Well, aren't you special".
 
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