How do English speaking brothers and sisters outside the US feel about watching jw videos with an American accent

[Vinnie]

My Dad spoke with a very thick italian accent that made him not easily understood but only when trying to speak English. Here in Canada, we have to some extent become multi-cultural so i  find it natural to hear different accents. But, it's interesting what we are all accustomed to.  Im canadian born and i find the usa and canadian accents more on the boring side. I like the UK , Scottish, Irish ,NZ, Australian accents.

 

Imagine if instead of all returning to one language, we would all be able to speak and understand every language...I find each language and culture adds a different spice and depth to communication styles. 

[dove]

I've always liked the Nigerian accent..we had a couple in our hall many years ago and I can always recognize it..

[Peanuts]

57 minutes ago, Ferb said:

Like the new song styles (you know - 'How Does It Make You Feel' and all those)!  We seem more resistant to that sort of change.

 

I love that song!  when the CO announced it at the Friday of our convention, he said "heres one you can move to" or something like that  and i did see an older brother who looked the least likely candidate for a hip sway, really getting into it!

 

[kejedo]

4 hours ago, tucker said:

I love the ' Boston' accent. One of our recent COs was a long time removed from there, but once in a while the old habits sneaked in.

I was raised, for much of my youth, in the Boston area. If I go home, I need re-training. Sometimes I will turn on a TV show to hear the old Boston accent. I have  taught ESl and moved around a bit, developing what most refer to as a Media-Accent. Students scrutinize you, and one once asked if I knew I had a freckle on my bottom lip. Nope, can't say that I knew that, but they have also picked me up on an occasional slip into Yank-onics. There are some word/sounds that mean something very different in another language.  I had to be aware of them. I also told my students that there is no need to eliminate their natural accent completely, because it is endearing. One of my students recorded his voice and played it back, completely learning idiomatic American English with no detectable accent. My flaw: I have an unconscious tendency of 'picking up' someone's accent if I have been having a one-on one-conversation. I have accidentally done this in front of a Spiritual Sis, and she said, "Perfect, now do me."  Um, I was trying not to. I enjoy listening to a variety of linguistic expressions. Can't wait for the new system, but even now, we speak the pure language.

[thegreenjudy]

I generally don't mind - although a bit of "mixing things up"  I wouldn't mind,  to get rid of the "it's an American religion" stigma. Dubbing the films to British English would be a waste of the brothers precious time of course! 

 

I sometimes just find it annoying if the "villain" in our dramas has a really annoying, high pitch, valley girl accent.. lol.. But in general I hardly notice it anymore. 

[Dages]

For me it's not about the language, it's more about the setting. The movie about the family struggling to have a Bible study with the girl having a gorgeous car... Then deciding to simplify and still get a huge house... Hahaha. We got a little "that's 'Murica" with my family.

I'm glad the recent video are more realistic with that (simplify = small flat)

[jwhess]

3 hours ago, Old said:

At least 'the friends' don't get excited over language, or do they? One of our 'friends' from NZ thinks Americans have a funny accent to our English?  Au contraire, Impossible, ridiculous,  we haven't spoken English for years. 

"Onya brothers and sisters!" That is pleasing to my ears, but I don't know what it means. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t8zhp699FXg

 

It has been said that US and UK share a common heritage separated by a common language....

[Jothob]

8 hours ago, Peanuts said:

Ive been in the truth for all of my 36 years and never heard it until JW broadcasting 

 

Friends of ours went to an international convention in US in 2014, and the fact that you use 'the friends' was reported back as part of the news of the trip  it just doesnt sound right to my ear, i think a big part of the problem is the 'the' part. 

 

Back to accents, do americans find certain American accents harder to understand? Here in the UK accents vary hugely, im in the South but some Northern accents are hard for me to tune in to.

 

I live near the branch relocation so we are getting brothers from all over the country  (plus some Americans ) at our meetings. Its nice to hear some different voices! 

Hey! I didn't realise we are neighbours! I live 10mins away from the U.K. branch relocation......small world! :-)

[Ahuvah]

Well I hope you and Peanuts meet up for Tea and Scones Josie ... waiting to hear report of your meet. haha. Ooops sorry Bob ... off topic. My bad.

[Raven]

13 hours ago, Peanuts said:

What i will never get used to is hearing brothers and sisters referred to as 'the friends'. I dont think that will ever be adopted in the UK!

Still getting used to that myself, as beforehand I don't think I had heard it. Trying to use it myself now.

 

Perhaps this is why they use it...

John 15:13-15 ~ "No one has love greater than this, that someone should surrender his life in behalf of his friends. You are my friends if you do what I am commanding you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, because I have made known to you all the things I have heard from my Father."

 

~ reading further through the thread I just noticed that one of the friends beat me to posting this scripture. 

Edited October 10, 2017 by Bjern

[Stavro]

Friends are people you choose to be close to. Brothers and sisters (and other family members) are people you cannot choose, and often are not close to.

 

I would like to think that we are closer to our friends in the truth than we are to our fleshly family members who pressure us into following unscriptural practices.

[thebluebaron]

Interesting topic from start to finish!

 

Like some fellow Brits, I find the expression ‘the friends’ unusual, corny and/or very American. Is that because we are a bit more formal than our cousins from across the pond?

 

As for accents, I find it difficult detecting the various nuances of American accents except if they are very strong.  So I have no problem with primarily American accents on JW Broadcasting.  On the flip side, it would be like saying you didn’t like the Jewish dialect of the apostles in the first century.

 

I remember there was a sister in my home congregation who came from London.  I grew up with her accent, so she sound like her.  Years later, I was told she was a right ol’ Cockney through and through.  I still couldn’t detect it in her accent, because I got so used of this sister sounding like herself!

 

My dad taught me never to be ashamed of my Welsh accent when growing up, just learn to enunciate your words properly.

 

I generally find accents interesting and a good precursor to a conversation.

[jwhess]

6 minutes ago, Stavro said:

Friends are people you choose to be close to. Brothers and sisters (and other family members) are people you cannot choose, and often are not close to.

 

I would like to think that we are closer to our friends in the truth than we are to our fleshly family members who pressure us into following unscriptural practices.

The Bible agrees:

Proverbs 18:24…”But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.”

[hatcheckgirl]

3 hours ago, Old said:

"Onya brothers and sisters!" That is pleasing to my ears, but I don't know what it means. 

 

It's "'Strine" for "Good on you".

 

[NSSewer]

 

I love listening to the various accents on the planet and can imitate many many of them including the Russian and Nigerian accents! The American state of New Jersey accent, requires patience on my part, but the Texan accent is the most perfect accent to my ears! I love hearing Texans speak!

Many UK accents (the children sound adorable) are hard to understand especially those from the south and other parts. I still don't understand why the 'th' makes an 'f' sound or something like it. And why everything ends in an 'ah' instead of an 'er' sound as in father. I suppose that's just my twisted hearing.

 

I have used the terms Friends for as long as I can remember, why even my fleshly sister uses the term Friends to describe the Witnesses.

[GeordieGirl]

1 hour ago, thebluebaron said:

Is that because we are a bit more formal than our cousins from across the pond?

 

My dad taught me never to be ashamed of my Welsh accent when growing up, just learn to enunciate your words properly.

 

Here in Oz we say brothers and sisters and I do agree with others, I find 'the friends' a little difficult to get my head around. We are a worldwide family so, to me, 'brothers and sisters' makes us feel more like one.

 

Soz!!!! Where abouts in Wales are you from, Jason?  I love the Welsh accent, it's so 'happy'.  I have a brother who is married to a Welsh woman and they live in Pontrhydyfen, where David Burton came from. Whenever I'm home on holiday I usually go for a few days.  Last year when I was there I went to a meeting in Neath and met a sister who knows a brother I know over here in West Oz.   The world keeps shrinking. 

[Danni]

here in the Philippines, we grew up watching American movies. 

 

Sometimes, it's harder for us to grasp some words in British.

Here, we call it "SLANG." 

[Thesauron]

34 minutes ago, Danni said:

here in the Philippines, we grew up watching American movies. 

 

Sometimes, it's harder for us to grasp some words in British.

Here, we call it "SLANG." 

Slang is found in both American and British dialects. The spelling is usually more of a problem, I’ve understood. Basically, British kids are learning the wrong way to spell words.

[ChrisC]

Please, please, please, just start saying Warwick correctly! 

 

One thing I have noticed since the 1990s is the evolution of a certain expression. At one point a brother on the platform would say “Verses one to five.” But they can’t quite bring themselves to say the clearer “Verses one through five.” So in the meantime some are saying “Verses one through to five.” 

Edited October 11, 2017 by ChrisTheConfused

[Qapla]

Maybe we should have some publications in Cockney rhyming slang

[Cushi]

3 hours ago, NSSewer said:

 

I love listening to the various accents on the planet and can imitate many many of them including the Russian and Nigerian accents! The American state of New Jersey accent, requires patience on my part, but the Texan accent is the most perfect accent to my ears! I love hearing Texans speak!

Many UK accents (the children sound adorable) are hard to understand especially those from the south and other parts. I still don't understand why the 'th' makes an 'f' sound or something like it. And why everything ends in an 'ah' instead of an 'er' sound as in father. I suppose that's just my twisted hearing.

 

I have used the terms Friends for as long as I can remember, why even my fleshly sister uses the term Friends to describe the Witnesses.

I’m from Texas. I think you would be disappointed if you heard me speak. When I go out of state people can never guess that I’m from Texas because I have a very nuetral accent, kinda like a news reporter. I do say some things that we say in Texas like “y’all” a lot. Texas is so large that there are so many accents. Some people are surprised when they come and not everyone is talking in a very country way. My favorite accent of all time is the Jamaican accent. They sound so chill and cool. I just Love hearing them speak.

[Qapla]

Here in Florida we are "in the south" and, if you get in the country where people from "old families" are you can here the "southern accent". However, since Florida has had a large influx from the northern states and Cuba, Puerto Rico, Haiti and elsewhere, the accent is not as pronounced.

 

Now, if you go into Georgia, Mississippi and Alabama you will here much more of what people think of as a "southern accent" - and I won't even go into how they talk in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia

[thegreenjudy]

6 hours ago, Dages said:

For me it's not about the language, it's more about the setting. The movie about the family struggling to have a Bible study with the girl having a gorgeous car... Then deciding to simplify and still get a huge house... Hahaha. We got a little "that's 'Murica" with my family.

I'm glad the recent video are more realistic with that (simplify = small flat)

 

Lol, I agree! It seems like nothing you can buy over there looks like simplifying your life.. 

[Peanuts]

8 hours ago, Jothob said:

Hey! I didn't realise we are neighbours! I live 10mins away from the U.K. branch relocation......small world! :-)

 i know your daughters! And lots of family on your husbands side  (theres lots of them to know )

[Peanuts]

6 hours ago, NSSewer said:

 

Many UK accents (the children sound adorable) are hard to understand especially those from the south and other parts. I still don't understand why the 'th' makes an 'f' sound or something like it. And why everything ends in an 'ah' instead of an 'er' sound as in father. I suppose that's just my twisted hearing.

 

 

No, not your twisted hearing - thats exactly what we do. I have to make a conscious effort not to. Around here 'father' would sound more like 'farvah'. Funny though, because im so familiar with it it never occured to me other people would struggle to understand it 

 

I quite often listen to the Bible reading and some of the brothers have accents but their diction is so good it doesnt detract or effect (is it effect or affect? I can never remember) the understanding at all.