Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know an American guy (born and raised) who spent two years in the UK and now speaks with an English accent. It drives me so crazy, I can’t even talk to him. I don’t understand why someone would do this and - as an otherwise totally chill person - I literally just avoid him so I won’t rage.

Like Mark Steyn who's Canadian but uses a fake British accent

There was a guy in our med school class who went to Australia for 18 mos and came back talking like Crocodile Dundee. He was brutally roasted for it, including have a character in our class play wander onto the stage every now and then and exclaim, "Good on ya!", and "Crikey!". He was unamused. I found it amusing.

This is not unusual. It's called linguistic convergence.

"A new study in the March 2022 issue of the journal Language, authored by Lacey Wade (University of Pennsylvania) shows that even our expectations about how other people might speak (rather than the speech itself) is enough to shape our own speech patterns."

Actual linguist here- they don’t actually change their whole accent in 18 months, especially if they’re an adult, unless they are consciously doing so because they value that accent more.

Additionally, the article you quoted implies that they would change back once they returned to the US and switch back to US English to be more similar to their interlocutors.

Short answer- no, this doesn’t happen and is cringeworthy

Short answer from a completely different person. I am one of those people that pick up accents if I'm exposed to it. It is not on purpose. And yes, you can pick up accents very quickly. If I am listening to a book on Libby and the person has a strong, southern accent or any other distinctive accent, I start thinking in that accent out for the duration of reading the book. Yes. My internal thoughts suddenly pick up an accent when I'm exposed for a certain amount of time. It drops as quickly as it is picked up. As after the book is done within a couple of days. I'm back to normal. but I do pick up accents without realizing it very quickly.

Anonymous wrote:Use of the word nonplussed. I don't know what it means. Nobody knows what it means. I looked it up and it means unperturbed and also it means surprised. That makes me even angrier. Are you surprised? Or are you unperturbed? Because you can't be both, hence, nonplussed is a stupid word.

Anonymous wrote:People at the gym who
1) sweat a lot all over their treadmills, etc. and don't wipe it up
2) stake out a spot (usually in a nice place) and lay all their stuff out (mat, towel, etc.) while they work out elsewhere
3) stash a used paper towel or wet wipe in a cupholder on a piece of equipment and then leave it there for someone else to dig out and throw away

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I know an American guy (born and raised) who spent two years in the UK and now speaks with an English accent. It drives me so crazy, I can’t even talk to him. I don’t understand why someone would do this and - as an otherwise totally chill person - I literally just avoid him so I won’t rage.

Like Mark Steyn who's Canadian but uses a fake British accent

There was a guy in our med school class who went to Australia for 18 mos and came back talking like Crocodile Dundee. He was brutally roasted for it, including have a character in our class play wander onto the stage every now and then and exclaim, "Good on ya!", and "Crikey!". He was unamused. I found it amusing.

This is not unusual. It's called linguistic convergence.

"A new study in the March 2022 issue of the journal Language, authored by Lacey Wade (University of Pennsylvania) shows that even our expectations about how other people might speak (rather than the speech itself) is enough to shape our own speech patterns."

Actual linguist here- they don’t actually change their whole accent in 18 months, especially if they’re an adult, unless they are consciously doing so because they value that accent more.

Additionally, the article you quoted implies that they would change back once they returned to the US and switch back to US English to be more similar to their interlocutors.

Short answer- no, this doesn’t happen and is cringeworthy

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in stores who HAVE to come and stand next to you, looking at the same obscure item you are looking at.

Example: It is before 7 a.m. and I am in a big-box store. There are maybe 10 shoppers in the entire place. I am looking for an electrical plug connector which is located way in the back of the store in a very small section. As I am looking at the item another person comes up, stands right next to me (like at my elbow) and begins looking at connectors, too.

This happens to me frequently. I don't understand it. Were I in the same situation, I would browse nearby until I saw that person was done picking out the object and only then would I move in.

I'm surprised you're not still doing curbside if you have this irrational fear of people. Sorry, not sorry. I'm getting what I need even reaching in front of you while you ponder all 3,938 items in front of you. If you would hurry up this wouldn't be (your) problem.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who have poor walking etiquette. On sidewalks, in stores, etc.

I have no problem shoulder checking people hard, if you're walking 3 across on the sidewalk.

I'm a small woman. I read this and it really resonated:

https://www.thecut.com/2015/01/manslamming-manspreading-microaggressions.html

I started by just not getting out of men's way as a default. I'm never discourteous, if I'm walking toward 2-3 men on a sidewalk, I'll be on the right. But I'm not stepping onto the grass to accommodate their group. It's downright startling how ready they are to run into me. Not intentionally, but just because they assume I'll move.

The other issue is moms with multiple children. Moms need to actively instruct their kids to step aside in these situations. But they don't. So I find myself head to head with an 11 year old who doesn't have the common sense to step aside.

It's one of those kind of stupid things that I actually felt proud of one day. I was with my kid and my friend's kids on a narrow paved path through a wooded park - a very popular walking trail. My son and I fell in line whenever another party approached. But every damn time I had to tell the other 2 kids to move over. When I didn't, they just didn't budge. Took up the whole path as though they had no idea people were walking right towards them head on.

Anonymous wrote:People in stores who HAVE to come and stand next to you, looking at the same obscure item you are looking at.

Example: It is before 7 a.m. and I am in a big-box store. There are maybe 10 shoppers in the entire place. I am looking for an electrical plug connector which is located way in the back of the store in a very small section. As I am looking at the item another person comes up, stands right next to me (like at my elbow) and begins looking at connectors, too.

This happens to me frequently. I don't understand it. Were I in the same situation, I would browse nearby until I saw that person was done picking out the object and only then would I move in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who have poor walking etiquette. On sidewalks, in stores, etc.

I have no problem shoulder checking people hard, if you're walking 3 across on the sidewalk.

I'm a small woman. I read this and it really resonated:

https://www.thecut.com/2015/01/manslamming-manspreading-microaggressions.html

I started by just not getting out of men's way as a default. I'm never discourteous, if I'm walking toward 2-3 men on a sidewalk, I'll be on the right. But I'm not stepping onto the grass to accommodate their group. It's downright startling how ready they are to run into me. Not intentionally, but just because they assume I'll move.

The other issue is moms with multiple children. Moms need to actively instruct their kids to step aside in these situations. But they don't. So I find myself head to head with an 11 year old who doesn't have the common sense to step aside.

It's one of those kind of stupid things that I actually felt proud of one day. I was with my kid and my friend's kids on a narrow paved path through a wooded park - a very popular walking trail. My son and I fell in line whenever another party approached. But every damn time I had to tell the other 2 kids to move over. When I didn't, they just didn't budge. Took up the whole path as though they had no idea people were walking right towards them head on.

It's fine when dads don't "actively instruct their kids to step aside" though? Got it.

Anonymous wrote:People in stores who HAVE to come and stand next to you, looking at the same obscure item you are looking at.

Example: It is before 7 a.m. and I am in a big-box store. There are maybe 10 shoppers in the entire place. I am looking for an electrical plug connector which is located way in the back of the store in a very small section. As I am looking at the item another person comes up, stands right next to me (like at my elbow) and begins looking at connectors, too.

This happens to me frequently. I don't understand it. Were I in the same situation, I would browse nearby until I saw that person was done picking out the object and only then would I move in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People in stores who HAVE to come and stand next to you, looking at the same obscure item you are looking at.

Example: It is before 7 a.m. and I am in a big-box store. There are maybe 10 shoppers in the entire place. I am looking for an electrical plug connector which is located way in the back of the store in a very small section. As I am looking at the item another person comes up, stands right next to me (like at my elbow) and begins looking at connectors, too.

This happens to me frequently. I don't understand it. Were I in the same situation, I would browse nearby until I saw that person was done picking out the object and only then would I move in.

What big box store is open before 7 am? None.

Anonymous wrote:People in stores who HAVE to come and stand next to you, looking at the same obscure item you are looking at.

Example: It is before 7 a.m. and I am in a big-box store. There are maybe 10 shoppers in the entire place. I am looking for an electrical plug connector which is located way in the back of the store in a very small section. As I am looking at the item another person comes up, stands right next to me (like at my elbow) and begins looking at connectors, too.

This happens to me frequently. I don't understand it. Were I in the same situation, I would browse nearby until I saw that person was done picking out the object and only then would I move in.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People who have poor walking etiquette. On sidewalks, in stores, etc.

I have no problem shoulder checking people hard, if you're walking 3 across on the sidewalk.

I'm a small woman. I read this and it really resonated:

https://www.thecut.com/2015/01/manslamming-manspreading-microaggressions.html

I started by just not getting out of men's way as a default. I'm never discourteous, if I'm walking toward 2-3 men on a sidewalk, I'll be on the right. But I'm not stepping onto the grass to accommodate their group. It's downright startling how ready they are to run into me. Not intentionally, but just because they assume I'll move.

The other issue is moms with multiple children. Moms need to actively instruct their kids to step aside in these situations. But they don't. So I find myself head to head with an 11 year old who doesn't have the common sense to step aside.

It's one of those kind of stupid things that I actually felt proud of one day. I was with my kid and my friend's kids on a narrow paved path through a wooded park - a very popular walking trail. My son and I fell in line whenever another party approached. But every damn time I had to tell the other 2 kids to move over. When I didn't, they just didn't budge. Took up the whole path as though they had no idea people were walking right towards them head on.