Jimmy Barnes came to Australia when he was 5 years old and still has a Scottish accent. My husband came here when he was 12 with very little English yet when I met him at 19 not a hint of anything other than an Aussie accent. Not even that weird lebo one that some have adopted even though they’ve lived here their whole lives.
I don’t understand why some people keep (involuntary) their accent and some don’t.
Scots accent I reckon is particularly durable. Back in the 70s, one of my lecturers at uni had been born in Mildura and lived here all his life, and still had a very thick Scots accent in his 50s. He did grow up in an enclave of only Scots immigrants that came here for religious reasons and all were very close socially. Eric Bogle (another singer/songwriter) came here as a young adult and kept his accent all his life despite a long performing career. I guess that this accent is not socially shamed or corrected might explain its persistence. Also the Scots were immigrants to Australia from very early on so they didn’t get so much of the 'They’re coming to take our jobs" prejudice.
It might be that your hubby learned English from people with an Aussie accent, so he picked that up, while Jimmy already spoke English so he didn’t have to learn anything new
All his friends were immigrants themselves so I don’t think that’s where he got his accent from. Although he did go to an English learning centre for a year.
“that weird Lebo one” lol, I heard it as I read that sentence and I hear it all the time. I seem to recall that around the time of the whole Wogs Out Of Work/Wogboy phenomenon there were a lot of young people I knew of varying Mediterranean backgrounds who did the same thing.
Jimmy Barnes came to Australia when he was 5 years old and still has a Scottish accent. My husband came here when he was 12 with very little English yet when I met him at 19 not a hint of anything other than an Aussie accent. Not even that weird lebo one that some have adopted even though they’ve lived here their whole lives.
I don’t understand why some people keep (involuntary) their accent and some don’t.
Scots accent I reckon is particularly durable. Back in the 70s, one of my lecturers at uni had been born in Mildura and lived here all his life, and still had a very thick Scots accent in his 50s. He did grow up in an enclave of only Scots immigrants that came here for religious reasons and all were very close socially. Eric Bogle (another singer/songwriter) came here as a young adult and kept his accent all his life despite a long performing career. I guess that this accent is not socially shamed or corrected might explain its persistence. Also the Scots were immigrants to Australia from very early on so they didn’t get so much of the 'They’re coming to take our jobs" prejudice.
Magda Szubanski was born overseas. Her mother was Scottish but yet she has an Aussie accent.
It might be that your hubby learned English from people with an Aussie accent, so he picked that up, while Jimmy already spoke English so he didn’t have to learn anything new
All his friends were immigrants themselves so I don’t think that’s where he got his accent from. Although he did go to an English learning centre for a year.
I do agree with the Jimmy part.
“that weird Lebo one” lol, I heard it as I read that sentence and I hear it all the time. I seem to recall that around the time of the whole Wogs Out Of Work/Wogboy phenomenon there were a lot of young people I knew of varying Mediterranean backgrounds who did the same thing.
That weird lebo one is honestly wild.
At my high school, the Aussie girls would put that accent on hahaha