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But Australian stuff like Neighbours and Home and Away are broadcast on mainstream networks in the UK during pretty desirable viewing times for their target audiences. They are mainstream there and have been for years. Their characters and the actors that play them are household names in the UK. Nothing Canada has ever produced even comes close. If you went there (or went there and paid attention to such things) you'd clearly see what I mean.
I suspect that's due to the Brit's love of soaps, and those two show being written largely for the overseas market. More Bits would watch them than Aussies.. the Foster's Lager of TV.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
I beg to differ. Australians (and Kiwis) often get mistaken for British people by foreigners who don't have a native speaker command of English, or even some native English speakers who aren't very world-wise or good with accents.
That happens to all groups and accents somewhere across the globe. People in South East Asia can probably pick an Aussie with 99% accuracy.
Here I've seen a Scotsman mistaken for an American, and a Canadian woman asked how old she was when she emigrated here from Ireland because she "still had a pretty strong accent". An American here once asked me how long I'd lived in Boston ( correct answer - never).
Last edited by Bakery Hill; 01-19-2016 at 11:40 PM..
I suspect that's due to the Brit's love of soaps, and those two show being written largely for the overseas market. More Bits would watch them than Aussies.. the Foster's Lager of TV.
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They were not originally written for the overseas (UK, NZ, Ireland) market, although they eventually became hits in the UK in particular in spite of their Australian focus. Which eventually came to influence the writing to some degree, I suppose. I mean, it's been 20 years or more hasn't it? These people know what their audience wants. Even if that wasn't the original intent. Kind of like Mad Max which I assume no one in their wildest dreams expected to become a worldwide hit.
As for more Brits watching... well there are three times as many Brits as Aussies, so....
That happens to all groups and accents somewhere across the globe. People in South East Asia can probably pick an Aussie with 99% accuracy.
Here I've seen a Scotsman mistaken for an American, and a Canadian woman asked how old she was when she emigrated here from Ireland because she "still had a pretty strong accent". An American here once asked me how long I'd lived in Boston ( correct answer - never).
Selection bias (I think this is the right term) enters into this a lot more than accent recognition.
Anyone they hear with a specific kind of accent with a certain type of dress they will assume to be an Aussie. Since most of their Caucasian English-speaking tourists come from Australia.
Kind of like how Cubans will identify anyone with a (North) American anglophone accent as Canadian because very few Americans travel there. One of the only places in the world where this happens.
I suspect that's due to the Brit's love of soaps, and those two show being written largely for the overseas market. More Bits would watch them than Aussies.. the Foster's Lager of TV.
That happens to all groups and accents somewhere across the globe. People in South East Asia can probably pick an Aussie with 99% accuracy.
Here I've seen a Scotsman mistaken for an American, and a Canadian woman asked how old she was when she emigrated here from Ireland because she "still had a pretty strong accent". An American here once asked me how long I'd lived in Boston ( correct answer - never).
Bakery, are you Australian and have you travelled a lot? Because the tens of thousands of interactions that I and the other people here with Australian accents have had in various countries around the world are data which overwhelm your ideas of what should and should not be the case.
Of the roughly 20 or so interactions I have with stranger Americans in the US per week, about a third have some sort or question or comment about my nationality. Many will ask where I'm from rather than guessing, but if those who guess, about 90% guess British. In their favour, no one ever guesses Irish or South African.
In Europe people are much more likely to identify me as Australian, probably from various cues in addition to accent.
Yes, but life's like that. Fish grow to fill the pond. Compare say, Adelaide and Auckland. Same population, but one is a bustling capital city and the other is a middling town.
Bakery, are you Australian and have you travelled a lot? Because the tens of thousands of interactions that I and the other people here with Australian accents have had in various countries around the world are data which overwhelm your ideas of what should and should not be the case.
Of the roughly 20 or so interactions I have with stranger Americans in the US per week, about a third have some sort or question or comment about my nationality. Many will ask where I'm from rather than guessing, but if those who guess, about 90% guess British. In their favour, no one ever guesses Irish or South African.
In Europe people are much more likely to identify me as Australian, probably from various cues in addition to accent.
I would surmise that the average American would probably have an easier time distinguishing an Irish or Scottish accent from an English, than English from Australia. It's probably true of many Canadians as well.
Bakery, are you Australian and have you travelled a lot? Because the tens of thousands of interactions that I and the other people here with Australian accents have had in various countries around the world are data which overwhelm your ideas of what should and should not be the case.
LOL................. Yes, a fair amount, lived OS as too, and interact with expats here in Aus on a regular basis as well . What about you, what state are you from originally?
"Should"... ;-) Really. People say and do things and form views regardless of what anyone, including your and I, thinks "should" happen.
Last edited by Bakery Hill; 01-20-2016 at 01:04 PM..
LOL................. Yes, a fair amount, lived OS as too, and interact with expats here in Aus on a regular basis as well . What about you, what state are you from originally?
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If that is indeed the case, then you should know that Australia enjoys an enviable reputation and a strong brand image for a country with its population.
Why you feel the need to go over the top (yes, I realize we all have our views and opinions) with claims that are so much of a stretch is beyond me - and likely beyond most others on here.
So, the woman at the chemists this morning must have wondered why I was grinning when I told her "no, Australia".
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bakery Hill
LOL................. Yes, a fair amount, lived OS as too, and interact with expats here in Aus on a regular basis as well . What about you, what state are you from originally?
"Should"... ;-) Really. People say and do things and form views regardless of what anyone, including your and I, thinks "should" happen.
I'm not from rural QLD, I'll tell you that much. You really get Americans picking you as Australian on a regular basis? Are you from rural QLD?
So, the woman at the chemists this morning must have wondered why I was grinning when I told her "no, Australia".
Chemist? Ding-ding-ding!
In US and Canada = drugstore or pharmacy
In the UK = chemist
Cheerio!
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