I'm a native Swede who moved to Saxony/Germany in 1991. Had English (10 yrs) and German (5 yrs) at school back in Sweden.
When I came to Germany I was most probably speaking High German (hard to say these days) but after a while the influence from the Saxon dialect poured in. I now understand most of the dialect terms and can also determine which part of Saxony somebody comes from.
Strangely enough, when travelling to other parts of Germany people start asking if I'm from Saxony, but in Saxony itself some people think I'm from the north of Germany, because of my dialect (which might be a mix of High German and Saxon dialect). My standard answer is, as always, "I come from the south of Sweden". Reply very often: "Ah, you mean one of the ancient Swedish colonies at the Baltic, which are now in Germany?"
My English is the "Atlantic English" I was once told by a British friend - a little bit of American, Canadian and British English, although pronunciation often tending to the Brits (because that's what we learnt at school).
Dialects are fantastic and really a resource for any language. It would be a shame if they would just die. There's a good saying: a language is a dialect with an army behind it. So the borderline between a dialect and a language can be very diffuse.
Let's fight for the dialects.
My origins are Greek Cypriot and this is the Greek accent that I grew up with (my mother tongue is English – I grow up in London). However, the GC dialect is more of a spoken than a written form. In Cyprus, speaking Greek as the Greeks do is a sign of education.
Over time, my Greek accent has shifted from one to the other – I suppose that this was a conscious choice. In certain environments, I am still conscious of the effect of my accent on some people especially those I’ve known for a long time. This was the case in Greece last year: some of my Cypriot friends found it strange, but others appreciated it.
Andreas
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Davor Kalinic Croatia Local time: 19:41 Member (2005) Croatian to German + ...
German and South Styrian dialect
Oct 16, 2005
I temporarily live in Croatia, but my origins are Burgenland Croatian (which I regretfully don't speak). Because I was raised in South Styria, aside from German I also speak South Styrian dialect.
Regards,
Davor
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Sophie Dzhygir France Local time: 19:41 Member (2007) English to French + ...
Are we talking about dialects or about accents?
Nov 22, 2005
Although this topic is a little bit old, I'd be interrested in knowing how Michele Fauble and sarahl differentiate Parisian and/or Anjou French from other sorts of French
As a native French speaker, I must say I do not know any difference between them!
And even if there was, this would not make up a dialect...
Well now, to answer the question : I speak German mostly with a southern accent, and Russian with Ukrainian accent (+ my own French accent of course ). But I do not speak any dialect in any language.
[Edited at 2005-11-22 12:45]
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SpeakingWorld United Kingdom Local time: 18:41 English to German + ...
a little bit of this and a little bit of that
Jan 30, 2007
I am a native German speaker and besides the High German I am fluent in the dialect of the place where I've been born. It is a kind of "Platt".
I am also quite fluently in Dutch and have been said that I have a lot of "Tessels" in my words.
After travelling quite often to Ireland and beeing an Irish Folk musician for more than 20 years now my English seems to be influenced by this.
Now, living at the Westcoast of Scotland with a partner who speaks quite a lot of "Scots" in a - ehm - extreme version (sorry, dear) I have been told that I sound more and more Scottish.
When I am tired and unable to concentrate I noticed that I am mixing everything up.
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