Do you think or read in accents?

I have recently noticed a tendency on my part to 'read' in the accent I assume a person has when being quoted in news articles. In other words, if I read a quote from someone I know to be British, Spanish, Indian, Russian, etc., I think the English quote with the corresponding accent.

I was curious if anyone else does this?

Strange how the mind works.

Indeed. I have a good friend from Wales and anytime I get an email from him, I read it in my head in his accent. It's beautiful...

a reply to: loam


I dont think i do

armakirais

Not really, not randomly anyway, my thought and mental "read" is normal, does not have any type of accent.

i think accents need to be engraved with an image....

Like pictureof Morgan Freeman and a sentance underneath it.

a reply to: loam

Ever read any Irvine Welsh?
He writes in deep Scottish-Glasgow I think,and has actaully helped me understand those who speak in that way.

I have done the accents thing reading novels though-it helps get the characters right in your head I think.
I reckon lots of people do it almost subconsciously.

Yes! I've even realized halfway through reading something, based on certain misspellings or grammatical twists, that the writer was of a certain nationality, and then gone back and re-read it with the appropriate accent ringing in my head. My father's writings still sound exactly like him to me and I can literally still hear his voice in his writing and it's been decades since he died.

Great fun!

I used to do medical transcription and we would get all sorts of accents; a bout of Irish or Italian-accented dictation would make me 'think' with that accent for hours afterwards which I really liked. There's literally a personality to it. Best of all were the wonderfully lyrical tones of Scottish, although a deep brogue can be almost incomprehensible.

Nein!

Is a certain word or term triggers an identification in me of that person's nationality, then yes absolutely.

a reply to: loam

Yeah, I do the same thing. Around here the letters IMO remind me of the finish name Eimo, Those little things distract me and I read it with a yooper accent.

I do this frequently.
When I read a Douglas Adams book (for the umpteenth time) or a Jane Austin, I always "hear" the characters voices with an English accent.
When I read a Stephen King novel, I hear the thick yankee accents. It's not something I do intentionally.
Just the way my brain works, I guess.

Yeah but i dont always get accents right. Also when i want to spell a word im unsure about i pronounce it in british english in my head to help ununciation to guess its spelling better.

I do for different characters in books. But not for other writings

a reply to: loam

I have before, but it's not a typical thing.

Second line.

Im not sure about the accent part, but in do still translate in my head from french to english most of the time, i was born and raised in a french and english, did all my schooling in french but learned english from my mother and grand mother.

originally posted by: Neysa
I do this frequently.
When I read a Douglas Adams book (for the umpteenth time) or a Jane Austin, I always "hear" the characters voices with an English accent.
When I read a Stephen King novel, I hear the thick yankee accents. It's not something I do intentionally.
Just the way my brain works, I guess.

Stephen King is a good example for me-something about the way he writes expresses his characters accents as well as their personality.
He is the master of doing that I think.

"M O O N spells moon!"

originally posted by: Silcone Synapse

originally posted by: Neysa
I do this frequently.
When I read a Douglas Adams book (for the umpteenth time) or a Jane Austin, I always "hear" the characters voices with an English accent.
When I read a Stephen King novel, I hear the thick yankee accents. It's not something I do intentionally.
Just the way my brain works, I guess.

Stephen King is a good example for me-something about the way he writes expresses his characters accents as well as their personality.
He is the master of doing that I think.

"M O O N spells moon!"

Different nationalities seem to have a different "skip" when they write and talk in English. Something to do with the length of each sentence, the order of the nouns and verbs, and the words chosen. It's obvious if you compare a newspaper like the New Delhi Times to the Telegraph. You can see there's a sort of bounce to the Indian language.

Yes, it is quite bizarre sometimes. I also tend to pick up words from books and use them in the same tone as I read them in.

I am a huge Pride and Prejudice fan and since reading the book instead of saying things like "that sucks, or how irritating" I now say "I am thoroughly vexed" or "How vexing" but I also say it in the same manner as Mrs Bennet.

I have been reading Shakespeare's poetry late at night when I can not sleep, but when I do I read the words in my head as if I am watching a play on stage.

I have also been trying to learn Spanish lately and sometimes I think of a Spanish word before I even think of saying the word in English.

a reply to: loam

I do not think in any accent or dialect. I do not even think in English. When I wish to communicate my thoughts, that is the point at which they get translated into a linguistic format. Until then, they exist as impressions, with form, but without description.

a reply to: loam

Of course I do,and i think most people do it as well, like you are reading this perhaps with an American or an English accent up until now that I tell you I am actually from the middle east, and from now on whatever i say will sound to you like I am bin laden's cousin or something. Don't you just love it when our minds does that,and stop picturing me like I am apu or your friendly car dealer hakim.,,

As others have said it's usually the style or a particular word which will trigger it in my head. Sometimes you can't help it like with Shakespeare, Faulkner, or Twain since they are so heavy with vernacular. I've always loved accents and voices and when I was younger I would do it out loud just to practice.

I also hear Vincent Price or Christopher Walken when I read The Raven.