So I have been lucky enough to have the opportunity to study abroad this month in the United Kingdom. My University is in Scotland, but we have already been travelling through England as well in the few days that we have been here. I have always noted the way Americans react to a British or Scottish perosn when they hear their accent in America. It is usually some swooning followed by some dumb question about whether they've hung out with the Queen before. I never really considered what it would be like to reverse the situatino, putting an American in the UK and seeing how people respond to an American accent. Well it goes a little something like this..
1. The Dab
While attending a Mumford and Sons concert in London, we befriended a few natives. When they first heard our accent, they immediately all "dabbed." Looks like we are upholding a very respectable reputation as a country if this is our first reaction.
2. "Daaaaamn Daniel"
3. Rock On
A few decades old, but I'll let them have this one.
4. A British-Accented: "SPRING BREEEEAK"
It's not even springtime. Idk. On the train from London to Scotland yesterday, a middle-aged man joined our table and his first words were "Spring Breeeeeak" followed by the aforementioned "rock on" sign. It must just be assumed that if you are college-aged, that you've gone on a wild, drunken trip to some random beach for break. Unbelievable, huh
5. "Suhhhh dude"
This one is a quite common one, actually.
6. Why do you put so much ice in your drink?
While Americans fill their cup entirely with ice before putting their drink in, Europeans stick to a strict 10:90 ratio of ice to drink. Being a person that uses way too much ice all of the time, the lukewarm water is just not my thing. I remember when I was a foreign exchange student in France a couple years ago, my host brother, who was like 9 years old, asked me what was wrong with me and why I used so much ice.
7. Hang Loose
The "shaka" sign. It's common in Hawaiian culture and thus other surf cultures. I can't say I've ever seen it anywhere else though. Oddly enough, this is the most common response, both in Scotland and England. Obviously we had to teach them the associated words: gnarly, bro, etc.
8. And if you're from Nebraska like me..... a concerned look followed by, "Alaska?!"
Nobody knows where Nebraska is, so they just assume I'm saying Alaska. I've given up and started saying Colorado because apparently everyone knows where that is.
9. "Bruh" and "Dude" and the like
10. And on a heavier note.....
At least three different British people approached me in London, after hearing my accent, and asked about the police brutality, racial discrimination, and overall violence in my home country. One even remarked how he would never live in such a dangerous area. Is that how we want to portray our nation to other continents?
I hope I didn't end this article with too much of a downer. It just needed to be said.
