Odd intonation/voice quality

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Could anyone here be considered to have an odd intonation in their voice, or an odd voice quality?

It can be an autistic or AS trait, and it's certainly true for me. I went through childhood, and as a teenager, with people thinking/judging my voice as "funny" and "strange".

Some of this has been covered in the 'Do you act like you are from another country' thread... but what about sounding like you are from somewhere else in the same country?

I had an experience this week (as I do probably once a fortnight) where someone assumed I was from somewhere in the north of Scotland, from my accent. When anyone tries to work out where I am from, it's always Aberdeen, Inverness, or else somewhere northern in Scotland. I'm well and truly from central Scotland, but you can see I didn't develop an accent to go with it.

I live in South Texas and people say I sound like I'm from New York state (not New York, NY). I've never even been there. I've also had people tell me that I sound like I'm from Australia (never been there either). I've been told that otherwise, I have a very eloquent speaking style. All my words are pronunciated clearly. I have the opposite of mumbling. I'll get comments about this for a few weeks at a time and then I don't hear about it again for a few months. I often wonder if it's due to types of stress and the occasional disrupted routine. I haven't found anything to directly attribute it to yet.

What about you? Any reason you start sounding like you're from somewhere else? Have you been to Scotland?

Oh, oops, you are from Scotland...

People have a hard time determining where I'm from. I'm originally from northern California, but have lived in Florida for 12 years. They say I don't sound like I'm from anywhere.

The thing is, I always sound like this, and my voice ALWAYS evokes Aberdeen or Inverness to people. It never evokes where I am REALLY from. It's invariably Aberdeen or Inverness.

When social workers were involved with me at an early age, they said that I had a "strange dialect, which could not be recognised as a local accent one would have expected in a five year old boy".

I have a very deep monotone voice that doesn't match me at all. In fact I got in a discussion with a girl about this just today.

I also have a very deep voice, deeper than most men's. It's also hoarse, especially if I'm struggling with having to talk to someone when I'm being sucked into non-verbal mode.

My voice is also very flat affect, and while animals trust, listen to, and are comforted by my voice, other (nt) people almost always think I'm "depressed".

My voice is very soft and quiet usually, and people struggle to hear me, but if I stretch my throat muscles or drink something hot to relax them, my voice becomes very deep and I get excellent vocal range. People always commented on my accent too as a kid.

I mumble a lot and have a fairly inexpressive voice.

I just want a voice transplant. Do they havesomething like that in the states.

People in school would make fun of my voice and do impressions of me speaking. Think of what the robot called Marvin sounds like from that "Hitchikers Guide" movie, but 10 times worse.

i guess i don't really have an accent... people don't really know that i'm from boston unless i tell them

i do stutter a lot though, it's a bit of a problem. ah well

Back in school days, I recall a couple of occasions where kids asked if I was British. I probably did not sound British but they thought I sounded foreign and this was the first country that entered their mind.

I am glad that they assumed it was a foreign accent, rather than just thinking I was talking strangely. With what sounded like a foreign accent to them, they did not tease or bother me about it, but I suppose they might have if they thought I was just talking strangely. Reading other people's experiences, I think have been fairly lucky in comparison.

I was born in Canada, into a very Canadian family and I have a Cockney Accent. I'm very proud of that Accent. It was the only thing that I was proud of, until I got my little Chico Puppy, three years ago. The thing that I don't understand is how I can be proud of my Accent, yet I can become very ticked if somebody makes fun of it or says anything bad about it.

Wow, that is interesting. Have you ever heard any theories as to why you have a cockney accent?

I don't have any issues with sounding as though I have a foreign accent, but I do tend to switch from sounding as though I have a middleclass educated Canadian accent to using a "lowerclass" uneducated Canadian accent. I never know which accent is going to come out of my mouth. I'm so conscious of this problem that I often worry people must think I have a split personality or something.

I have noticed that my British relatives often switch between using a "posh" accent when they are doing business or other important settings but then at home or with friends will switch to a broader more (for want of a better word) "lower class" accent. I noticed that this "at home" accent was used between friends and family and cast a more intimate tone on communication. But in my case I am often surprised by my own tone, never knowing whether I am going to sound like a middleclass educated Canadian or lowerclass uneducated one.

I have heard plenty of people try to take me off and when I listen to recordings of myself I feel a bit embarrassed at it. It kind of sounded like a cross between a Texan where the words lean into each other, and Aussie. Like John Wayne trying to fake an Aussie accent.