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Most of us have travelled or frequently travel to countries other than our own. Unless we are wearing our country’s flag on our chests, the people who see us almost always assume we are of nationality X. Sometimes their guess is accurate, but often it is not.
What I am wondering is: do you often get mistaken for a nationality other than your own, and if so, which one?
The way you look, the languages you speak and with which accents, and which country you are visiting, often has a big influence on this. This is why it is useful to describe oneself.
Here is my description:
Actual nationality: Canadian
Racial appearance: generic Caucasian
Languages and accents: French (native) with a Quebec French Canadian accent; English (close to native) with generic Canadian accent and very slight French intonations; Spanish (non-native, accent really good and somewhat misleading, giving impression I know more than I actually do)
Specific situations:
Anywhere in the world where people speak French (France, Switzerland, Belgium, francophone Africa, etc.): immediately identified as a native speaker of French from Quebec/Canada; although on very rare instances I have been asked in France if I am from Belgium or “the provinces” (e.g. rural areas) of France itself
In English-speaking Canada: I generally fit in quite well as a local, though some people regularly clue into my slight francophone accent; interestingly enough, when with family and friends and speaking French between ourselves, every once in a while English Canadians will ask us what language we are speaking – and when we answer French some even ask if we are from France! The likelihood of this happening increases as you move further and further away from Quebec.
In the United States: in the parts which are heavily travelled by people from Quebec (coastal Maine, Vermont, Broward County, FL), most people quite easily recognize us as being French-speaking Canadians from Quebec; they are often pretty good even at picking us out from the way we speak English and also how we dress I guess.
Elsewhere in the United States (not as heavily travelled by Quebecers): most people are somewhat clueless about where we are from, and we probably pass as generic “foreigners”, vaguely European, but perhaps not since we know how things work in America much more intimately than most visiting Europeans. We are probably a bit enigmatic.
In the main Commonwealth countries (UK, Oz, NZ): I use my English there, much of my French accent soon fades away, and to most people the notion of a distinctive French Canada is a bit abstract, so most of the time people seem to think I am American because of my North American pronunciations and vocabulary.
Non-anglophone and non-francophone Europe (Germany, Sweden, Italy, etc.): Probably a bit enigmatic there as well ; people in these countries see a lot of visitors that don’t speak the national language and use rough English as a lingua franca to communicate with them. My guess is that I often use bits of English, French and Spanish to make myself understood (depending on the language skills of my interlocutor), that I am probably lumped into some type of “generic foreigner” category people have in their minds. If they are really good in English and attuned to accents, they may perhaps lump me in with Americans.
East Asia: lumped in with the generic group “Westerners”
Africa: lumped in with the generic group “white people”
Caribbean and Latin America: almost 100% accurate recognition of who we are in places like Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, etc. A bit enigmatic elsewhere – not always lumped with Americans for some reason in this part of the world.
Interesting thread. I'm 100% white English, and grew up speaking with a fairly strong Yorkshire accent which has been moderated since moving away.
99% of the time any British person would instantly know where I was from but since I've lived in London on occasion when I don't want to stand out too much I do change some pronunciations but when I come out with things like a short 'a' in 'bath' or 'it were' (pronounced 'it woh') instead of 'it was' it either gives the game away or throws people completely and they ask if I come from South Africa or some lesser-known English-speaking accent. When I'm talking to foreigners I sometimes subconsciously copy their accent to the extent that other British people have thought I was foreign too.
Australians/NZers/Irish generally know at least that I'm from somewhere up north if not the exact region. The Americans I've met in this country more or less have an idea that I'm English though not from London, the ones I've met abroad range from knowing I'm from the north of England to not realising that English is my first language.
When I went to Latin America almost everybody thought I was American, in one case so much so to shout out "Go home Yankee!" at me from across the street (I've never been to the US). I told one person I was from England and he just asked me if that was far away
When I speak English continental Europeans almost always struggle understanding my accent at first unless I tone it down, though I was VERY impressed with one Norwegian who knew which region I was from. I speak fluent French but with a strong English accent so no fooling anyone there, but when I speak German I've had people thinking I'm Dutch or Scandinavian or from literally anywhere where white people live. Only time people know I'm English is when I stumble over words. I spent a few months in Italy too and at first people were mistaking me for any northern European/English-speaking nationality but as I learnt the language better most people actually thought I was German, presumably because they didn't think an English-speaker would learn the language.
I'm American, a New Yorker born and raised, long time resident of New Mexico. I have been mistaken for a native of a couple of European countries that I have been in (asked for directions or schedules in the local language) but what I find most amazing is that Canadians abroad mistake me for another Canadian. Must be my mellow demeanor ;-)
Yeah... someone asked me if I am from Jamaica.
I said: Jamaica?? Do I look like I am from Jamaica?
And the person said: you have an accent, and I know someone from Jamaica that has an accent too... so I thought you are from Jamaica ... lol
I grew up and lived in Chicago for 25 years before living in Germany. After I learned German most people guessed I was from Holland. As my German improved a few even thought I was from Schwaben, the area of Germany around Stuttgart.
Yeah... someone asked me if I am from Jamaica.
I said: Jamaica?? Do I look like I am from Jamaica?
And the person said: you have an accent, and I know someone from Jamaica that has an accent too... so I thought you are from Jamaica ... lol
(no, it's not a joke)
Please, tell me you're white. That would make it even funnier.
Many people abroad confuse Canadians for Americans and vice versa. Often Midwesterners with the northern dialect are mistaken for Canadians, because of the same accent found in the western provinces. I'd imagine many Ontarians get mistaken for Americans as the accent is indistinguishable from a general accent found in the Northeast United States.
Australians and South Africans are also regularly confused. I sometimes have a hard time telling the difference because of the accent similarity.
I'm Sicilian-American and have traveled to Quebec, where they assumed I was French Canadian and spoke to me in French. Otherwise I don't travel but foreigners here have asked me if I was Greek, Lebanese, Israeli, Brazilian, and Colombian.
Quite a few people in Scandinavia have thought that I'm an Englishman despite the fact that I'm American and speak with an American west-coast accent. One person even introduced me to someone else as an Englishman even though she had already mistaken me for one before and I had corrected her before. I don't know why but I think it has to do with poor recognition of different accents within the English speaking world among most middle-aged Scandinavians (it's never been a young person who's done this, yet).
I think it's kind of fun... so far every time I've been assumed to be English I have automatically corrected them, but after I correct them I sometimes think it would be fun to just let them think I'm English.
Last edited by Oregonian88; 03-21-2011 at 04:32 PM..
I think it's kind of fun... so far every time I've been assumed to be English I have automatically corrected them, but after I correct them I sometimes think it would be fun to just let them think I'm English.
I'd just give it a try if I were you and see what happens. Once at a party in Italy somebody who'd overheard me speaking Italian with a foreign accent started speaking to me in quite broken German (my German at the time wasn't much better) and after speaking for a couple of minutes he asked me what part of Germany I was from. I said I wasn't from the mainland but a little island off the northwest coast...and he still didn't work it out!
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). I told one person I was from England and he just asked me if that was far away
lol
