Communication- Learning to talk by mimic (imitation)

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I'm curious how many other Aspies have used the process of mimicking the behavior of others they've observed in order to communicate more effectively.

Have you tried this specifically in order to learn to talk, or to speak better with others?

As a child, I found I was good at mimicking, or imitating people who I saw a lot. It started with my family, doing "impressions" of my parents and siblings, mimicking their movements, behaviors, and speech. My older brother thought it was funny and encouraged me, and even my parents would laugh. I usually have to know someone pretty long to be able to do this process. So it started by accident, continued as a joke, and has turned more scientific as I grow older.

The end result is I went from a robot speaking child into a person who has no noticeable speech impediments.

I have heard that Aspies are good at this sort of thing, and I'm curious also in other ways mimicry may be used to improve non-verbal language: body language and posture, etc. but that may be for another thread.

To all who read this:
Peace.

I believe many people with autism/Asperger's have done this.

I have done this.

I used to listen to people talk, then have a conversation with myself using the terms that the people talking used.

I practiced "give and take" that way.

Yes, I definitely use the talking to myself, doing both voices.

As with anything I have to avoid the tendency to get lost in it, continually repeating; but I learned ways to start and stop the process. I generally remain mindful to do this alone at home, the public wouldn't enjoy watching it.

Yep....that's true.

Are you from New York City, like I am?

Nope. But if I type phonetically:
It'll becum cleah wheyah U'm frum.
Wicked frikkin pissah stohm, eh brothah?

Not as bad heyah as it was theyah!

I'm a very good mimic, but I never had any difficulties with speaking to begin with. I mostly used it to copy my friends in school. I actually have a lot of problems not mimicking others.

If I'm around people long enough (even after watching a foreign film), I'll start speaking the way they do, including picking up accents, phrases, and word usage. It's really annoying, because I do it without trying, and I actually have to try not to imitate them.

I'm pretty sure this is a common NT behavior. I read somewhere that it has something to do with mirror neurons, and that women tend to do it more than men. It feels very involuntary and instinctive to me when it happens, so I'm thinking that's one area where I do have natural social instinct.

This doesn't really apply to nonverbal behaviors as much. Those I'm not very good at picking up or copying.

Wicked Pissah Boston!

Yes, I definitely do that too. I once pronounced coffee in a North Jersey accent because I'd heard it so much for one woman I saw a lot.

The experience feels to me as though I'm automatically switching to another language with a known individual. I've also done this in Spanish, just started automatically uttering simple phrases to native speaking friends who I knew a long time

(otherwise my Spanish is shaky at best and I only use it in emergencies, so I don't have a gift for languages per se)

And wicked frikkin proud, ked!

The "Jersey" accent people talk about is actually a NYC accent. People in South Jersey sometimes speak with a Philly accent, which is somewhat similar to the NYC accent, but not identical to it. Many people in New Jersey speak like Bruce Springsteen, who doesn't speak with either accent.

I don't believe this process is exactly what is meant by "code switching" whereby one adjusts ones language and meaning to suit different cultures.

Here is an example of code-switching--as done by an Hispanic person from New York City.

When this Hispanic person hangs out with her friends, she speaks Spanglish, and speaks English with a New York accent with some Spanish-type pronunciations.

When this person is at work, she does not speak Spanglish, or with a New York/Spanish accent, because she believes if she would speak like that, her co-workers would look down on her. Instead, she speaks with a "General American" accent, rather like somebody from the Midwest.

No, you are wrong there. There is a distinct difference between a NJ accent and a Brooklyn one. I've had to battle both. If you aren't from the northeast it'd all sound the same. I've been told by midwesterners they cant tell the difference between Boston and NY, which seems inconceivable to me. But NY/NJ are different. North jersey comes out a lot like NY because of so many transplants and commuters. In the typical NJ accent, "I" is often said like an "E", like someone isn't opening their mouths all of the way. Think Milk=Melk. Alot of people I've known in NJ say "Melk"

I've also been told by a few people they can differentiate a Brooklyn, Bronx and Staten Island accents. I cannot.

Now, to be honest, I'm not diagnosed officially, so take my response with the typical grain of salt.

I have learned to speak alot by mimicry. I incorporate a lot of "black/hip-hop" slang even though I don't like that style of music at all and don't have any black friends. But I lived in an inner-city area for all of my HS/College aged years and absorbed alot of it from my surroundings and friends who spoke that way. I don't look like the type of person who would speak that way. Comes out mostly when I'm pissed off. When I'm not, I can be without any accent and very articulate sounding. Too proper almost.

I find when someone uses a word I really like (I get fascinated with the sounds of words, particularly large, uncommon ones) I find myself using it all of a sudden alot. Once I catch myself I try to stop.

I worked in sales/customer service for years, and the only way I was able to do so was by imitating the people around me. The fields I worked in I knew nothing about, and I don't socialize or small talk well at all, but I did fine by just listening to the people around me and trying to sound just like them, voice inflections and all.

I get what you mean, Beakybird. I've noticed that accent, too. But I find that people in Bayonne speak very much like people from Brooklyn.

But, usually, I find that when people speak of a "Jersey" accent, they tend to refer to the show known as "The Sopranos." The Sopranos were New Jersey residents who spoke in a classic Italian Brooklyn accent.

I find that most people from New Jersey speak with a rather neutral accent. I find Bruce Springsteen speaks pretty "General American" with a "blue-collar" aspect.

The New York City accent underwent an evolution.

Compare Groucho Marx/Al Smith with Woody Allen. The 1890s generation with the 1930's generation.

I find that the "Queens Jewish accent" is different from the "Italian Brooklyn accent."

Most people native to NYC don't say "turlet" (toilet) like Archie bunker did. The don't say "earl" for "oil," either.

It's true that many people automatically think Tony Soprano when thinking NJ accents.

And yes, ethnic origins certainly play a huge role. A Jewish guy from Queens, Borough Park, Bergen County, even Long Island will basically sound the same.

Jersey has three very different sections (perhaps even a fourth), where the culture, accents and everything make it seem like different parts of the country altogether. North Jersey is basically just a NY suburb. This ends around the Raritan River, where the central NJ/Jersey Shore starts. These are typical "ocean" people and they have the accent you are referring to (Springsteen is from Asbury Park I think). They actually tend to over enunciate to me. Once you get past Seaside/Berkley Twp, it starts to become the "pineys" who are some very, very redneck people. The part around Trenton is really just a Philly extension, and may be a fourth category. But most people look at it as North, Central and South that I've talked to. I once got the whole hour long run down from a life-long NJ resident I worked with. They were very 'I love NJ' type.

I've never heard people speaking like "turlet (toilet)" or "earl (oil)". It's more like watuh, cawfee, etc. The "R"s either disappear or sort of become a short "a" sound. "Often" becomes "offen" and generally the way words are spoken trend toward monosyllabic.