American accents, in non-American Aspies

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I've found that an awful lot of Aspies are told they sound American, when they aren't.

I had this today, with someone saying I sounded more American than Scottish. They have been under the impression for some time, that I was American.

When telling a couple of co-workers about this, they agreed. Then, when meeting a couple of Aspies later on today, they agreed too. They, themselves, are constantly mistaken for American.

It raises an intriguing question - why do Aspies tend to sound American, rather than sound like any other country? One of the aforementioned Aspies said it was becase he learned to speak from cartoons (obviously with American accents) more than from interaction with people. But I don't think that's true for me.

I think the American accent-(which is really the Midwestern) accent is perceived as flat with little inflection. America actually has many accents but they use the Midwestern for uniformity's sake on TV. That's probably why-the Aspie flat affect.

p.s. I have a hint of a southern mountain twang and I've had people ask if I was from England (which also has many accents) it's actually a close cousin left over from colonial days.

Guilty as charged. I have a definite American inflection, though I'm English..

I've been terrible at identifying accents throughout life, unless they are very extreme.

My wife from the mid-west constantly bothers me about at the way I say things, then a local radio personality she likes ended up saying most of the words the same way I do, so I assumed this was leaning towards us both living in the same state our entire lives.

Try this quiz:
http://www.gotoquiz.com/what_american_a ... o_you_have

My results: "You have a Midland accent" is just another way of saying "you don't have an accent."

I've been told I have an accent, but nothing specific. *shrug*

Talk to an old country coot in the backwoods of VA and close your eyes -you might have a hard time telling he wasn't some old country coot from England.

Well, most of the world thinks americans are brain damaged so ...

Actually I think it's TV.

People say I have a Canadian accent, but I'm not. I had a Canadian co-worker who thought I must be illegal.

The accent test pegged me. It said Northeast. I grew up in New York as a child, but have lived in California for ages, so the harshness has bleached out. But apparently not the basics.

I also always have people assume I'm American...

Watching American movies a lot probably does not help..

I had no idea that many people with AS had been mistaken for being American.
When I did my first aid course a couple of years ago I was asked if I was from America by two different people. I didn't think this had anything to do with my accent but rather them having hearing problems.

Over half a century in Southern California and I seem to be acquiring Canadian pronunciation from tv shows I watch (just in the last few years).

When I was in high school, I was considered to have some kind of undefinable accent.

Did the posted quiz and got 'Midland' as the result, which makes sense as that is indeed considered like standard American.

I got Midland on the quiz.

I got Midland too-but I'm not from the Midwest. My father's family is originally from South Dakota so maybe I picked up that influence. It probably has more to do with TV though.

I also got Midland, although I grew up just outside NYC.

Just try pronouncing pen like pin around my mother-makes her nuts