Accidentally talking like other people.

AtTheGates

AtTheGates

Banned
Does this ever happen to anyone? its like a subconscious thing that I catch myself doing sometimes when im talking to people. its like i'll accidentally mimic their tone of voice or accent/way of speaking and then realize it mid conversation..at which point I wonder if they think im doing it on purpose...it especially happens when Im talking about something that I share in common with that person....I dont have a FIXED way of speaking which i think is because my dad is from new york and my mom is from here (NC) so i grew up hearing two completely opposite types of accents.

is this just a regular thing that happens to everyone or is it something I should work on changing?
 
Opaline

Opaline

1
Depends. How much of a change is it? And how quickly? Do you do it upon just meeting someone with a different accent/tone or something?

My sister does this. We call her the chameleon of the family because she changes her demeanor, tone, and sometimes accent and the words she uses when around certain people to fit in with them. For example, we grew up in New Hampshire and people there speak and often act pretty differently than, say, parts of Boston. But when she is around her friends from those parts she changes her speech from how we know it to more street slang and an inner-city accent (we lived in a smallish town). When she is around our grandfather - who is conservative and from small-town suburban Massachusetts - she acts conservatively and speaks more properly.

It's definitely normal to some extent to adapt your behavior to fit in with others, but I think the degree is what matters (and she does a 180).

I lived in another part of the country for several years and they did speak a little differently than I grew up speaking, but I only found myself picking up a few things from them. I have found that when I spend a lot of time talking to someone who sounds/acts very different from me in noticeable ways that I do subtly start to take on some of those differences myself, but it's usually not dramatic and probably not noticeable to anyone but myself.
 
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AtTheGates

AtTheGates

Banned
my personality doesnt change. its not a 180 or anything but my mannerisms and accent just subconsciously alter to a slight degree depending on who im talking to and I have to catch myself doing it...
 
Opaline

Opaline

1
AtTheGates said:
my personality doesnt change. its not a 180 or anything but my mannerisms and accent just subconsciously alter to a slight degree depending on who im talking to and I have to catch myself doing it...
Click to expand...

Even if you've just met them?

If so, that does seem unusual.
 
Auburn

Auburn

Active member
I am just like this too. Not just when talking to people but also after watching a TV. If I watch let's say Downton Abbey, I speak more proper and use a few different words that I wouldn't usually. If I watch an American show, I catch the accent in some of the words I speak. Most of the time I hardly realise that I'm doing it unless someone points it out to me.
 
Diend

Diend

Well-known member
after i finish watching a british speaker on youtube, i get the urge to speak in a british accent. a lot of my friend's vocabulary have come into my own. totally normal.
 
N

nicole1

Well-known member
For me, people do set the tone and pace of any conversation shared. It's weird. I think it's just one of those things I do in order to deal with people when I don't want to and not sure what to do or say when in social situations.
 
Steiner

Steiner

Well-known member
I think it's just natural. To blend in with one's peers. Adapting to one's environment.
 
J

jellyfishgirl02

Member
Don't worry, that's actually a good thing! It's a sign of high empathetic ability. Everyone has their own unique social language, but it's completely natural to adapt your own to other peoples. It's kind of like how when you talk to babies and animals, you adjust your tone to be more fitting.

If it bothers you, maybe make a conscious effort not to do so? It definitely isn't abnormal though, so don't worry about it.
 
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