For the Brits--fun tips for playing up your Britishness in America

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

Enjoy a chuckle!

This is from BBC America http://www.bbcamerica.com/mind-the-gap/2013/11/22/8-instances-when-you-should-play-up-your-britishness/

There are some links for others too, like 10 signs you won't move back to the UK.

[Master Semaj 2]

I enjoyed that list hahaha.

The staff at my local Dunkin Donuts have been hooking me up with discounts and extras ever since I first went there and they noticed my accent. I'm not 100% sure if it's cos I'm British or that I look like I like my donuts and coffee, or both lol

[Cori and Rob 55]

This is excellent!! I'm showing this to my husband. We got back from England about two weeks ago, and his whole family said he sounds American now. It's time for him to get his British accent back again for self-gain.

[Nich-Nick 3,353]

We've gotten free tea and cappuccino for 4 years at our local Starbucks where we go almost daily. Even when our fav baristas leave, the new ones surprisingly pick up on the freebies. We also get offered the employee discount on merchandise. We are really nice and friendly people, but it's got to be the British accent that draws the special attention.

I like one of the comments that said a British accent is worth 10 IQ points and a million dollars to Texas women.

[rhirhi 35]

I really enjoyed this. The bit about when you're apologising was spot on, I can always sense a shift in a grumpy/bored operator whenever I've spoken to someone Stateside (airlines, DoS etc) when they're faced with a bumbling and apologetic Brit.

Whenever I visit Boston I tend to just get goggled at by waiters/cashiers etc when they hear me speak but that's about it. Once a McDonalds cashier asked me where I was from, and once I told him he said "I gotcha, I understand, I've seen BBC America."

My absolute favourite was when I travelled across the States a few years ago. A guy working at a hostel I was staying in in DC asked where I was from and then promptly said "good morning" to me in Welsh

[Hotter Otter 1,211]

About 9 years ago I was in SD and decided to ask for help finding something in a grocery store, I put on my best BBC British accent and ended up being invited to a party by a girl who worked there because apparently Brits were rarely seen in that area and my appearance would liven the event up. In Boston and NYC my accent has not had much impact but down south everyone commented on it and was extra friendly because of it, although I was often asked if I was Australian!

[fcat 79]

My accents got me off 3 speeding tickets over the last ten years!

One girl bike cop in CA even asked for a picture with me as it was the first time she had stopped a British person!

[Novembro 1,763]

My accents got me off 3 speeding tickets over the last ten years!

One girl bike cop in CA even asked for a picture with me as it was the first time she had stopped a British person!

lol same.

husband got pulled over for massive speeding last year, but when he handed the cop his British lisence, the guy had no idea what to do with it, so he just let him go.

[rjm_cmyk 75]

I went into the my local dollar store here in Novato California - north side of the Bay area.

*I* clocked the accent of the woman working the checkout. She's from Macclesfield and I'm from Stockport. Small world certainly....

[otter~ 17]

I get two types of reactions to my accent when I'm in the US. There's been a few occasions where people just...don't understand me at all? xD Me and my fiancé were in IHOP and the waitress asked what drink I wanted, I replied "coke" and she's like, "huh??" and my fiancé ended up having to tell her and she was like "I'm so sorry! I didn't understand you" haha. It's also happened in a few other places as well.

Then the best reactions are when everyone is like super excited to meet a British person, and they ask me all these questions or ask me to say certain words and think it's the best thing ever! like my fiancé's step dad always finds it funny when I say "It weren't me!" and everyone always has a laugh when I say "water" because I'm from Suffolk and I say it as "Wa'er" (no T's!) I find that when meeting new people (like fiancé's friends and stuff) my accent is a good ice breaker/conversation starter! So that's a plus

The apologizing thing on that list is SO true. I apologize for the silliest things and everyone always thinks it's sweet and forget whatever I just did haha. Also they seem really surprised when I say please and thankyou so often in the US. Everyone's like "omg you're so polite how cute"

[rjm_cmyk 75]

I'm confusing the locals by letting them out of junctions and giving them a wave on the rare occasions they do the same for me.....

[Natonstan 129]

My future mother in law gets a kick when I say "Bird" because apparently I say "buud" and also like someone said above "water" and also the obvious ones like "banana"

[Pooky 3,366]

The most divisive work I know is "garage"

I pronounce it "garridge", whereas most, if not all Americans pronounce it "ga-rahj" and give me funny looks. When I ask them about other words, like marriage, bandage, adage, salvage, etc., they mostly just want me to quit talking.

[QueenOfBlades 224]

Aszara posted this on my Facebook page the other day, and we both looked at loads of funny pages on BBC America about Britain and America. My accent gets noticed a lot here in South Carolina. Like, everywhere I go haha. I can't seem to order fast food without confusing the people taking the order. Apparently it is my Leicester accent pronouncing words like "double" "pub" as we say it strangely. My husband has to act as my translator.

Big differences in certain words. Oregano, basil, aluminium, for starters. (My American laptop just told me that aluminium is spelt incorrectly XD).

Oh and going to a hairdresser and telling her I want my fringe shorter encourages strange looks. Also "jumpers". The Walmart folk were baffled when I asked for Christmas jumpers.

Edited January 20, 2014 by QueenOfBlades