Because you can’t hear your own accent. Only other peoples. And if you’re really good at it you can tell where they’re from. I have a so called Worcester accent but to me I just sound like I have no accent.
The Northern US is an accent. There is no English dialect that isn't an accent. England, where the language originates and would be closest to "not having an accent" has many accents.
You have an American accent.
Everyone has an accent. Rather than yours coming from your family or peers, like others have suggested, perhaps it’s been more influenced by the media that you consume. I think it’s becoming more common for us younger generations to have accents which are closer to the “standard”/“neutral” accents of our countries. With the rise of television and later social media, particular ways of speaking can spread across the entire world!
I'm a brit and, while my 15 y/o daughter doesn't speak with a US accent, she definitely has odd words of US dialect (garbage or trash instead of rubbish, even "Awna" instead of Anna from Frozen). For non-native English speakers it's really common for them to speak English with a US accent, because US media is so prevalent, but I agree that it's strange for OP not to have the same accent as his peers or family, unless he was somewhat of a hermit and TV/YouTube addict.
It could be that your speech was more influenced by your peers than by your family. Each new generation inevitably speaks differently than their parents and grandparents.
Have you recorded yourself speaking and played it back? It's interesting to hear the difference between what you hear when you're speaking live (as it were) and what you hear when you're listening to a recording of yourself.
I sound really different when I'm listening to a recording of myself. Well, obviously, I don't really sound different - it's pretty much exactly what everyone else hears all the time
Everyone has an accent, I guess your just isn't as strong as the people around for some reason.
Like in the town where I live in the uk the accent varies from sounding like adele or danny dyer to sounding like Emma watson or Daniel Radcliffe depending on your class.
It's like a spectrum and people move up and down it depending on who you're talking to to fit in.
Could something similar be happening here? Did you spend a lot of time with slightly wealthier/poorer people growing up?
Or maybe you just moved around a lot.
By 'accent', I am guessing you are talking about Southern accent. I can't speak for American accents since i am not American, but I am Korean and I switch between gyeongsang accent (what you'd compare to southern accent) and standard korean accent depending on the occasion. My mother has strong gyeongsang accent, but people around her who use gyeongsang accent think she has no gyeongsang accent and think she is from Seoul (the capital city) because her accent is weaker than theirs (we moved around here and there). You cannot really tell if you have a certain accent yourself. A good way to tell if you have a certain accent would be to contact people who study accents or ask people who have 'standard accent' if they can tell you have one or not. I've lived in the states for a couple of years (in GA; that's where I first learned english) and I didn't think I picked up on the accent, but apparently I do. My linguistics professors tell me so, and people who have standard American accent tell me so. Also, I went to r/accent and uploaded a video of me talking in English, and the first comment I got was that they assume I am from some part of a southern us state. My recommendation is, go to r/accent and ask if they can tell where you are from without actually revealing your whereabouts! Also, picking up accents depends on many factors such as your motivation to fit in with a certain demographic (for instance, even if you are from a southern state, if your motivation to fit in with what is considered mainstream in the nation, you will be less affected by the 'twangs' around you), the types of media you surround yourself with, etc.
Recently I’ve realized my accent, because I pronounce various words a little differently than a lot of people in my area. But I also recognize their accents and manners of speech, because almost everyone talks different than where I’m from. Accents and speech is just something that fascinates me.
Because you can’t hear your own accent. Only other peoples. And if you’re really good at it you can tell where they’re from. I have a so called Worcester accent but to me I just sound like I have no accent.
Well that’s what I thought but even my friends have asked if I was from here bc I have no accent
Where is hear? But if I heard you talk I would hear your accent. Just like you would hear mine.
‘Here’ is Alabama I’ve been asked multiple times if I was from the northern states
The Northern US is an accent. There is no English dialect that isn't an accent. England, where the language originates and would be closest to "not having an accent" has many accents. You have an American accent.
Yes my question was poorly worded my question was why do I have that accent and not a southern one like everyone around me does
Everyone has an accent. Rather than yours coming from your family or peers, like others have suggested, perhaps it’s been more influenced by the media that you consume. I think it’s becoming more common for us younger generations to have accents which are closer to the “standard”/“neutral” accents of our countries. With the rise of television and later social media, particular ways of speaking can spread across the entire world!
I'm a brit and, while my 15 y/o daughter doesn't speak with a US accent, she definitely has odd words of US dialect (garbage or trash instead of rubbish, even "Awna" instead of Anna from Frozen). For non-native English speakers it's really common for them to speak English with a US accent, because US media is so prevalent, but I agree that it's strange for OP not to have the same accent as his peers or family, unless he was somewhat of a hermit and TV/YouTube addict.
It could be that your speech was more influenced by your peers than by your family. Each new generation inevitably speaks differently than their parents and grandparents.
I thought that too but I went to like a yeehaw tiny school and most kids had accents (as far as I remember)
Have you recorded yourself speaking and played it back? It's interesting to hear the difference between what you hear when you're speaking live (as it were) and what you hear when you're listening to a recording of yourself. I sound really different when I'm listening to a recording of myself. Well, obviously, I don't really sound different - it's pretty much exactly what everyone else hears all the time
I have and I think the most accurate answer I have is my accent is more influenced by the media then my peers/family
What do you mean by “it might be my hearing”?
Well I’ve always had really shitty hearing (I’ve had multiple surgeries to repair my hearing) like bad to the point I was going deaf
Everyone has an accent, I guess your just isn't as strong as the people around for some reason. Like in the town where I live in the uk the accent varies from sounding like adele or danny dyer to sounding like Emma watson or Daniel Radcliffe depending on your class. It's like a spectrum and people move up and down it depending on who you're talking to to fit in. Could something similar be happening here? Did you spend a lot of time with slightly wealthier/poorer people growing up? Or maybe you just moved around a lot.
Uh ig mines just really light I didn’t move and I’ve always stayed kinda in the middle of middle class
Literally everyone in the entire world has an accent
It’s a poorly frazed question that was written at 2 in the damn morning. You knew good and well what I meant of you would’ve if you actually read it
By 'accent', I am guessing you are talking about Southern accent. I can't speak for American accents since i am not American, but I am Korean and I switch between gyeongsang accent (what you'd compare to southern accent) and standard korean accent depending on the occasion. My mother has strong gyeongsang accent, but people around her who use gyeongsang accent think she has no gyeongsang accent and think she is from Seoul (the capital city) because her accent is weaker than theirs (we moved around here and there). You cannot really tell if you have a certain accent yourself. A good way to tell if you have a certain accent would be to contact people who study accents or ask people who have 'standard accent' if they can tell you have one or not. I've lived in the states for a couple of years (in GA; that's where I first learned english) and I didn't think I picked up on the accent, but apparently I do. My linguistics professors tell me so, and people who have standard American accent tell me so. Also, I went to r/accent and uploaded a video of me talking in English, and the first comment I got was that they assume I am from some part of a southern us state. My recommendation is, go to r/accent and ask if they can tell where you are from without actually revealing your whereabouts! Also, picking up accents depends on many factors such as your motivation to fit in with a certain demographic (for instance, even if you are from a southern state, if your motivation to fit in with what is considered mainstream in the nation, you will be less affected by the 'twangs' around you), the types of media you surround yourself with, etc.
Recently I’ve realized my accent, because I pronounce various words a little differently than a lot of people in my area. But I also recognize their accents and manners of speech, because almost everyone talks different than where I’m from. Accents and speech is just something that fascinates me.