Are you an accent mimic?

Alicia Louters
Posted 7/7/21

Have you ever had a conversation with someone from a different part of the country and ended up accidentally mimicking his or her accent?

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Are you an accent mimic?

Posted

 Have you ever had a conversation with someone from a different part of the country and ended up accidentally mimicking his or her accent?

As a reporter, I regularly listen to my voice in recorded interviews. I recently noticed a few vowels and words that come out differently than they used to.

I grew up in Minnesota, learning to speak with emphasized and flat-sounding vowels. “Ope, sorry” was the standard apology for bumping into someone in public.

In eighth grade, I moved to North Dakota. I think the North Dakota accent is pretty similar to Minnesota’s. One major difference I noticed was in the
word “bison.”

Instead of saying it with an “s” sound, North Dakotans say “bizon.”

When I worked summers in western North Dakota, I adjusted to say saying “bison” with an “s” sound again, because often tourists wouldn’t know what I was talking about otherwise.

I also picked up using the word “y’all” from my coworkers from South Carolina and Missouri.

Now, the word “ten” sounds more like “tin,” sounding more southern, yet I still say “bag” more like “beg,” like a Minnesotan.

I also recently caught myself saying, “my car needs washed,” instead of “my car needs to be washed.”

All this to say, I am pretty sure I have acquired a number of accents and expressions from different locations.

For a while I have been wondering why I subconsciously seem to pick up the accents of other people, yet theirs’ seem to stay the same.

The collection of literature on the subject suggests I am not the only person to have noticed this. We “accent mimics” slip in an out of different ways of speaking. Is it because we are making fun of someone? Does it make us fake? Are we insecure about the way we talk?

Experts say almost always, these accent changes are subconscious. Generally, a group of people who interact with each other will all adopt a similar accent, according to Psychology Today. The more geographically isolated an area is, the more likely they are to adopt accents from other groups.

Now, obviously not everyone in a particular place speaks exactly the same. Psychology Today claims smaller subgroups of accents form, often based on socioeconomic status, ethnicity or social class.

There is no simple explanation for mimicking or adopting the accents of others, but several theories attempt to explain it.

One interpersonal theory I learned about in one of my college courses stated that since humans are innately social, they wish to identify with others in a group. Along with speaking, this includes appearance, facial expressions
and movement.

Further explanation comes from mirror neurons, which were first observed in the 1980s, according to Psychology Today. Mirror neurons show activity both when a person does something and when they watch another person do the same thing. Researchers think they play a large role in learning understanding, speech evolution and empathy.

These neurons, according to Psychology Today, are thought to be responsible for an assortment of social and cognitive behaviors.

A psychosocial concept called “the chameleon effect” asserts we mimic those around us (without realizing it) because it makes them relate more to us and like us better.

Many people, however, do not adopt the accents and mannerisms of those they are speaking with. This happens for people who look to set themselves apart or establish authority. For example, a young teacher might prevent themselves from mirroring the speech patterns of their students.

If we perceive someone to have more power or status in a social interaction, our behavior is more likely to adopt to theirs,’ and vice versa.

Studies also show the older people get, the less likely they are to notice accent differences and adopt them. This is called phonological deafness.

Whether you adapt to other’s speech patterns or not, the next time someone starts mimicking the way you speak, know they probably are not making fun of you – they just like you.