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Mika's English accent?


Coraline6

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Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well:)

 

I am new here but I have a question about Mika's Accent.

This question is especially for those living in the UK.

 

I am from Canada so I am not too familiar with the accents in the UK, but I know there are a lot.  I like learning about accents.

I learned that social class has a lot to do with accent with is very strange to me and my Canadian friends!  

 

To those from the UK, how would you describe Mika's accent?  

 

I hear a little bit of an American accent in his voice.  Am I the only one who thinks this?

It doesn't sound very much like Prince Charles...but I know the Prince has a very posh accent of course!

 

Would you say Mika has the "Received Pronunciation" accent, or something else?  If you could tell me what  you think that would be great:)

 

Thank you!

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This is a difficult question to answer, as Mika's accent tends to vary.

 

If he is in the US and does interviews, he picks up a lot of American words/phrases and sounds more American.  He also has more of this mid-Atlantic accent if he is giving an interview in English while performing in Europe.

 

But if he is in the UK for a while, he gradually sounds more English :bleh:

 

To a lot of UK fans, he also pronounces some words strangely (like "golden" in "We Are Golden" and "water" in "Underwater") and we have had many long  discussions about this :naughty:

 

He doesn't have the RP accent in my opinion.

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On 2/22/2017 at 10:17 AM, silver said:

 

To a lot of UK fans, he also pronounces some words strangely (like "golden" in "We Are Golden" and "water" in "Underwater") and we have many long  discussions about this :naughty:

 

 

he pronounces those words strangely to me & my american ears too. I just chalked it up to the fact they're sung since he doesn't speak them so strangely :dunno:

Edited by kreacher
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he pronounces those words strangely to me & my american ears too. I just chalked it up to the fact they're sung since he doesn't speak them so strangley :dunno:

I've always assumed that "gauuwldun" (lol) was an intentional affectation for the song. I rather like it actually, makes it even more fun to sing along with :lmfao:

 

His accent definitely seems to waver a bit and sounds different depending on the day. But I'm american as well so I am not a native expert  :stifle:

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An interesting thing he has said about his accent is that when he's in America in a place that he likes, for example New York, he starts sounding more American. But when he's in a place that he hates, like Los Angeles, he sounds more British than usual.  :wink2:

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I've actually never noticed that he pronounced 'Golden' differently. I just listened to it again and now I do hear it. :naughty: Maybe it's because I'm not a native speaker, but I always thought it was just to make it sound more... I dunno how to explain it really.. it always sounds to me like he pronounces it that way intentional. I could be totally wrong though. :teehee:

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An interesting thing he has said about his accent is that when he's in America in a place that he likes, for example New York, he starts sounding more American. But when he's in a place that he hates, like Los Angeles, he sounds more British than usual.  :wink2:

That is interesting! Did he ever say why he hates LA?

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This is a difficult question to answer, as Mika's accent tends to vary.

 

If he is in the US and does interviews, he picks up a lot of American words/phrases and sounds more American.  He also has more of this mid-Atlantic accent if he is giving an interview in English while performing in Europe.

 

But if he is in the UK for a while, he gradually sounds more English :bleh:

 

To a lot of UK fans, he also pronounces some words strangely (like "golden" in "We Are Golden" and "water" in "Underwater") and we have had many long  discussions about this :naughty:

 

He doesn't have the RP accent in my opinion.

Thanks for your reply, that was interesting:)  I love the British accent I wish I had one! When brits go to America, people swoon over their accent! When ever I travel to America they just make fun of the way I say about or how they hear it "aboot"....sigh.

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That is interesting! Did he ever say why he hates LA?

 

From what I remember, he finds living there very lonely, but he says this makes it the perfect place for recording albums (as there aren't many other things to focus on).

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Mika has described himself as having an 'airport accent' which I think is pretty accurate. I would agree with Silver that his accent varies depending on where he is. But to pick up on one of your original points about 'class' yes, it does affect accent and I would describe Mika's English accent as 'well spoken' in line with his family background but no, not as posh as HRH and not RP. :)

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Mika has described himself as having an 'airport accent' which I think is pretty accurate. I would agree with Silver that his accent varies depending on where he is. But to pick up on one of your original points about 'class' yes, it does affect accent and I would describe Mika's English accent as 'well spoken' in line with his family background but no, not as posh as HRH and not RP. :)

Thanks for answering!  Since you went back to my class point, I have another question if you don't mind answering it.  The British class system is very confusing to me.

So let's say someone moves to the uk from somewhere such as the US or Canada when they are young with their family.   How does that person and their family fit into your class system?

Even if they are very wealthy, I heard money doesn't really have anything to do with class (which is not true in North America, money has a lot to do with class).  Who your ancestors are has a lot to do with your class.  So how would those people be perceived from fellow UK citizens considering they don't really have any ancestors from the UK? I'm sorry if this is a strange question I'm just trying to understand better:)

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Thanks for answering!  Since you went back to my class point, I have another question if you don't mind answering it.  The British class system is very confusing to me.

So let's say someone moves to the uk from somewhere such as the US or Canada when they are young with their family.   How does that person and their family fit into your class system?

Even if they are very wealthy, I heard money doesn't really have anything to do with class (which is not true in North America, money has a lot to do with class).  Who your ancestors are has a lot to do with your class.  So how would those people be perceived from fellow UK citizens considering they don't really have any ancestors from the UK? I'm sorry if this is a strange question I'm just trying to understand better:)

 

Believe me, the class system can baffle us too.

 

It's based on occupation as well as income.  I guess working class = blue collar, middle class = white collar, as a rough comparison.  But middle class itself can be split into lower, middle and upper too.

 

Someone from a lower class background could work their way up to middle class - say your father was a miner but you became a teacher.

 

However, upper class is generally thought of being aristocracy - pots of money due to illustrious ancestors.  There is a definite division between old money (upper class) and new money (people who have made a fortune from their own efforts).  But today's new money people would gradually become old money people over the course of a few generations, simply because their children could go to the top schools and afford to mix with the upper class.  Dukes and barons have been joined by the descendants of 19th century industrialists.

 

Generally, however, you could marry into the upper class, but otherwise you can only be born into it.

 

So your family moving to the UK would probably be "classed" according to the occupation of the parents.

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Believe me, the class system can baffle us too.

 

It's based on occupation as well as income.  I guess working class = blue collar, middle class = white collar, as a rough comparison.  But middle class itself can be split into lower, middle and upper too.

 

Someone from a lower class background could work their way up to middle class - say your father was a miner but you became a teacher.

 

However, upper class is generally thought of being aristocracy - pots of money due to illustrious ancestors.  There is a definite division between old money (upper class) and new money (people who have made a fortune from their own efforts).  But today's new money people would gradually become old money people over the course of a few generations, simply because their children could go to the top schools and afford to mix with the upper class.  Dukes and barons have been joined by the descendants of 19th century industrialists.

 

Generally, however, you could marry into the upper class, but otherwise you can only be born into it.

 

So your family moving to the UK would probably be "classed" according to the occupation of the parents.

Wow.  So it seems like "new money" is looked down upon?  That is strange considering someone working for their fortune is very admirable vs just inheriting it!

In North America (Canada/US) a doctor or a lawyer can be upper class based on their income and be part of the 1%.  There can be a middle class doctor or lawyer not making very much money (respectively) but white collar workers can very much be part of the upper class 1%.  Think successful plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills etc.  

So you are saying a successful lawyer immigrant would only be middle class in the UK despite being wealthy? Interesting!

Do people from the UK try to "class" (I don't mean this in a rude way at all, just trying to phrase it correctly!) people traveling from other countries to the UK for vacations and is it hard because their accent doesn't really give them away?  Or does it not work like that?

 

Thanks for the insight into your country:)

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It is indeed very confusing. I don't know that people in the U.K. Would try and 'class' visitors because it wouldn't really be relevant.

I have worked quite extensively as a nanny and I once worked for a man who had an arosotcratic background. He hated his accent as he saw it as a real disadvantage because people considered him 'too posh'.

As Silver says there is a big difference between Old money and New money and some people tend to look down on people who have become successful and it isn't admired like it is in North America.

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As a native British English speaker, he doesn't sound English to me. The first time I heard him speak, I assumed he wasn't actually totally fluent in English because he sounds so different! He has hints of American pronunciation, and other things. I think he went to international school, and he sounds more similar to a couple of people I know who did too than anyone else I've met.

 

He doesn't particularly speak with RP (more associated with higher social status) or a regional accent (lower), but then his family are not English, and he moved to England in later childhood, he was home educated for a while, and didn't go to state school, so his English accent has more influences than the majority of fluent speakers. I noticed on one interview that Yasmine speaks with the same accent which surprised me in a way- I've never heard anything else like it!

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Wow.  So it seems like "new money" is looked down upon?  That is strange considering someone working for their fortune is very admirable vs just inheriting it!

In North America (Canada/US) a doctor or a lawyer can be upper class based on their income and be part of the 1%.  There can be a middle class doctor or lawyer not making very much money (respectively) but white collar workers can very much be part of the upper class 1%.  Think successful plastic surgeons in Beverly Hills etc.  

So you are saying a successful lawyer immigrant would only be middle class in the UK despite being wealthy? Interesting!

Do people from the UK try to "class" (I don't mean this in a rude way at all, just trying to phrase it correctly!) people traveling from other countries to the UK for vacations and is it hard because their accent doesn't really give them away?  Or does it not work like that?

 

Thanks for the insight into your country:)

 

There is far less emphasis on class than there used to be, and I don't think we try to classify immigrants in this way.  There are plenty of immigrants highly qualified in their own countries who end up doing relatively poorly paid work in the UK for one reason or another.  Your immigrant lawyer would probably be seen as upper middle class, if anything.  And a tourist is just a tourist :naughty:

 

You have to remember that many of the aristocratic families effectively ruled Britain for hundreds of years so they have always seen themselves as a class apart.  It's the lack of this historical glass ceiling that enabled Americans and Canadians to break away from the class system and encourage people to achieve wealth by their own efforts (the American dream).

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It is indeed very confusing. I don't know that people in the U.K. Would try and 'class' visitors because it wouldn't really be relevant.

I have worked quite extensively as a nanny and I once worked for a man who had an arosotcratic background. He hated his accent as he saw it as a real disadvantage because people considered him 'too posh'.

As Silver says there is a big difference between Old money and New money and some people tend to look down on people who have become successful and it isn't admired like it is in North America.

Wow that is something!  Do some people in your country try to change their accent to appear more or less posh (depending on what they want to achieve and who they want to fit in with) or is that silly? 

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There is far less emphasis on class than there used to be, and I don't think we try to classify immigrants in this way.  There are plenty of immigrants highly qualified in their own countries who end up doing relatively poorly paid work in the UK for one reason or another.  Your immigrant lawyer would probably be seen as upper middle class, if anything.  And a tourist is just a tourist :naughty:

 

You have to remember that many of the aristocratic families effectively ruled Britain for hundreds of years so they have always seen themselves as a class apart.  It's the lack of this historical glass ceiling that enabled Americans and Canadians to break away from the class system and encourage people to achieve wealth by their own efforts (the American dream).

Are people in the UK upset by the lack of mobility considering you cannot help which family you are born into or is it something just accepted?  

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What you're writing is very interesting!

 

I'm not an English native speaker, so I had never noticed that he pronounce "golden" or "underwater" in a strange way. To me it could be a way to pronounce those words ???? I'll pay more attention next time I'll hear these songs

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Wow that is something! Do some people in your country try to change their accent to appear more or less posh (depending on what they want to achieve and who they want to fit in with) or is that silly?

 

Whether it's silly or not it happens. I am from Yorkshire, in the north of England. Northern accents are sometimes considered to make people sound 'thick' . When I was growing up, and realised that I wanted to work as a nanny, I made a conscious effort to change my accent to a level which would be more acceptable to possible employees in London. I didn't want to go to interviews and be judged by my accent rather than my ability to do the job. Interestingly, in my first job, my employer said that when I talked to my family or boyfriend on the phone she couldn't understand a word I was saying as my accent changed, but I wasn't aware of that. Edited by kath
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Thanks for answering! Since you went back to my class point, I have another question if you don't mind answering it. The British class system is very confusing to me.

So let's say someone moves to the uk from somewhere such as the US or Canada when they are young with their family. How does that person and their family fit into your class system?

Even if they are very wealthy, I heard money doesn't really have anything to do with class (which is not true in North America, money has a lot to do with class). Who your ancestors are has a lot to do with your class. So how would those people be perceived from fellow UK citizens considering they don't really have any ancestors from the UK? I'm sorry if this is a strange question I'm just trying to understand better:)

I don't think it really exists any more, I have no idea what "class" the people around me are.

 

Few people in the uk know anything about their ancestors, unless they're aristocracy (Ok, the Queen and her family ARE higher class). Unless your Canadian family was very rich or related to George Washington or someone, they probably wouldn't give class a second thought. They'd just be ordinary, like the rest of us.

 

A few people like to designate themselves a class (usually working class), though their reasons seem very nebulous - they just pick whatever makes them feel superior.

 

Having said that, most people, whatever their wealth/ancestry/accent/behaviour would laugh loudly at the idea that money can buy class. Popularity, power, success, your heart's desire - unfortunately yes, often. But class - no.

Edited by Soaring Simpson
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Are people in the UK upset by the lack of mobility considering you cannot help which family you are born into or is it something just accepted?  

 

There's not a lack of mobility these days unless you believe there is.  Some children born into poor families seem to think they are doomed to remain poor while others see it as an incentive to better themselves.

 

There are lots of people from unpromising backgrounds who have worked their way up to becoming millionaires.

 

But I agree with Sosi that class consciousness is not on most peoples' minds these days.

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Whether it's silly or not it happens. I am from Yorkshire, in the north of England. Northern accents are sometimes considered to make people sound 'thick' . When I was growing up, and realised that I wanted to work as a nanny, I made a conscious effort to change my accent to a level which would be more acceptable to possible employees in London. I didn't want to go to interviews and be judged by my accent rather than my ability to do the job. Interestingly, in my first job, my employer said that when I talked to my family or boyfriend on the phone she couldn't understand a word I was saying as my accent changed, but I wasn't aware of that.

I didn't mean it was silly if people did try to change their accent....I meant to ask if my question was silly:)  Hope I didn't come off as offensive!

Thanks for sharing though this is all so interesting to me

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There's not a lack of mobility these days unless you believe there is.  Some children born into poor families seem to think they are doomed to remain poor while others see it as an incentive to better themselves.

 

There are lots of people from unpromising backgrounds who have worked their way up to becoming millionaires.

 

But I agree with Sosi that class consciousness is not on most peoples' minds these days.

I'm glad to hear that! :)

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