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Is copying accents a form of echolalia?

B

Bubbles17

Active Member
Hello everyone!

So, this morning I had this converstation with some friends about my accent. My friends are Canadian and I'm Dutch. So, English is not my native language. They mentioned that you can actually barely hear that I'm Dutch. I barely have any accent suggesting that English isn't my native language. Besides the fact that that's fun to hear, it is a thing with me. I'm really good at copying accent. I could also talk in a British accent if I wanted to. I actually once did order something at starbucks while visiting London in a British accent. The cashier asked where I was from and then proceeded to compliment me for my accent. This probably means she could tell British isn't my native but she couldn't tell where I was from either. So, I take that as a compliment :P

At school I did have French and German too. And as much as I failed those classes cause of my ADHD interfering, I did always get a bunch of compliments from the teachers about my pronunciation. Also for my English.

The conversation from this morning got me thinking about the fact that, if I'm comfortable enough with someon, I often tend to take over their accents and ways of talking after a while. I just copy their accent. And I think I did read before that more autistics tend to do this more often.

This got me wondering, could the copying of accents be a form of echolalia? I have a mild form of echolalia that I know off. I use it sometimes. At least, if I don't count my tourettes :P

What do you guys think? Would copying accents from others be a form of echolalia? Does someone know? I think it is interesting to talk about this for sure. I'm also curious how many others here take over other peoples accents. Let me know.
 
I love talking in accents. I do it all the time. I wasn't great in a lot of classes in school either. Only got diagnosed with ADHD last year though when I was 35.

I mimic other people's mannerisms when I talk to them, yet I find I tend to do it a lot sooner. I guess it's a form of social camoflague etc.

I'd have to be very comfortable with someone before I was willing to show the weirder facets of my character, such as the verbal tics, the weird voices and the inappropriate humour.

I get a heck of a lot of echolalia though. No end of words, phrases, TV or film quotes and accents get stuck in my head. When I'm hyper, or stimming etc - I just repeatedly come out with outbursts. I recorded a short one recently:


Ed
 
Bubbles17 said:
What do you guys think? Would copying accents from others be a form of echolalia? Does someone know? I think it is interesting to talk about this for sure. I'm also curious how many others here take over other peoples accents. Let me know.
Click to expand...

I would tend to agree.

Evidently so do others....and that acquiring accents may be a matter of employing "Unmitigated Echolalia".

Echolalia: That’s What She Said
 
I thinks so much depends on upbringing. I worked with a woman Engineer in Costa Rica from Russian parents. Her Spanish accent was normal for Costa Rica, but she spoke English with a Russian accent.
 
My dad is from Taiwan but has been living in the US since the 70s and he doesn’t have an Asian accent and can speak clearly. Sometimes he does mumble which is when we all get a bit confused about what he said. My mom had a slight accent.
 
I have to guard against picking up on others accents when speaking to ther english speakers. I find it very easy to hear them and notice the specific sylable emphasis that differentistes a West Virginia accent from a Carolina accent for example.
I traveled Australia as a young woman and when I returned my family mocked me for pretetiousness but I couldn't tellI was speaking any differently.
But while echolalia can be part of this tendency, it is not limited to n.d. folk. Another explaination is "the chameleon effect".

Assimilating and Bonding through the Chameleon Effect
It turns out that we mimic accents in order to assimilate ourselves with others and create empathy. We unintentionally mirror others when interacting by copying the other person’s gestures, body language, tone of voice and accent, in order to bond with others and feel safe in social interactions. This is called the Chameleon Effect and it’s embedded in human nature. There is even a part of the brain dedicated to copying this behaviour. It’s a natural tendency that we don’t often realise we are doing and if you are a person who is more influenced by other’s behaviour (a high perspective taker) then you are more likely to display the Chameleon Effect.

The downside of this is that the tendency to copy accents can often be a cause of embarrassment. There are many examples of celebrities adopting ridiculous accents, Madonna and her cut-glass English accent come to mind. Another example is British footballer Joey Barton, a Liverpudlian who conducted a press conference in a distinct French accent after he started playing for a French football team. This made big headlines in the UK media, and if you haven’t seen the YouTube video, it’s worth watching.

However, despite sounding a bit ridiculous at times, the Chameleon Effect can have a positive impact on social interactions. Research has shown that not only does it help us understand each other better, but it also helps us to bond more easily, as imitating another person comes from a desire to feel a strong connection to them. Studies have also shown that people enjoyed social interactions more if they experienced the Chameleon Effect in comparison to those who did not experience it.

Excerpt from https://www.cartus.com/en/blog/chameleon-effect/
 
Interesting. So it could in fact be two different factors. I know I tend to do it more so than others so maybe it's a bit of both?

I do often warn people with a distinctive accent beforehand. "I can start copying your accent after a bit. It's no form of mocking. I automatically do it and don't always notice it either"
Most people understand you after that

I'm curious if the guy I talked to sees this. He's also on the forum here :P
 
Make for good spy technique.
I can do irsh, pirate, and depending on the movie elvish accent.
Favorite is Yoda.:p
 
I can do a pretty good German accent and I don’t even speak the language! I can also do a very broken English accent which I’ve used on telemarketers before which made them hang up on me. Usually I’d say, “I no English speak?”
 
Bubbles17 said:
Hello everyone!

So, this morning I had this converstation with some friends about my accent. My friends are Canadian and I'm Dutch. So, English is not my native language. They mentioned that you can actually barely hear that I'm Dutch. I barely have any accent suggesting that English isn't my native language. Besides the fact that that's fun to hear, it is a thing with me. I'm really good at copying accent. I could also talk in a British accent if I wanted to. I actually once did order something at starbucks while visiting London in a British accent. The cashier asked where I was from and then proceeded to compliment me for my accent. This probably means she could tell British isn't my native but she couldn't tell where I was from either. So, I take that as a compliment :P

At school I did have French and German too. And as much as I failed those classes cause of my ADHD interfering, I did always get a bunch of compliments from the teachers about my pronunciation. Also for my English.

The conversation from this morning got me thinking about the fact that, if I'm comfortable enough with someon, I often tend to take over their accents and ways of talking after a while. I just copy their accent. And I think I did read before that more autistics tend to do this more often.

This got me wondering, could the copying of accents be a form of echolalia? I have a mild form of echolalia that I know off. I use it sometimes. At least, if I don't count my tourettes :P

What do you guys think? Would copying accents from others be a form of echolalia? Does someone know? I think it is interesting to talk about this for sure. I'm also curious how many others here take over other peoples accents. Let me know.
Click to expand...
Not unless you're repeating words or sentences in said accent
 
Last edited:
I try to talk, as neutral as possible. But when dialect creeps in, I don't like it. I can't accept it. It's like me bleedin accent is showin me up innit.... ugh. I might start to sound like Michael Caine:

happy birthday film GIF

If I start to get out of control. If I get excited over something.
 
Bubbles17 said:
Hello everyone!

So, this morning I had this converstation with some friends about my accent. My friends are Canadian and I'm Dutch. So, English is not my native language. They mentioned that you can actually barely hear that I'm Dutch. I barely have any accent suggesting that English isn't my native language. Besides the fact that that's fun to hear, it is a thing with me. I'm really good at copying accent. I could also talk in a British accent if I wanted to. I actually once did order something at starbucks while visiting London in a British accent. The cashier asked where I was from and then proceeded to compliment me for my accent. This probably means she could tell British isn't my native but she couldn't tell where I was from either. So, I take that as a compliment :p

At school I did have French and German too. And as much as I failed those classes cause of my ADHD interfering, I did always get a bunch of compliments from the teachers about my pronunciation. Also for my English.

The conversation from this morning got me thinking about the fact that, if I'm comfortable enough with someon, I often tend to take over their accents and ways of talking after a while. I just copy their accent. And I think I did read before that more autistics tend to do this more often.

This got me wondering, could the copying of accents be a form of echolalia? I have a mild form of echolalia that I know off. I use it sometimes. At least, if I don't count my tourettes :p

What do you guys think? Would copying accents from others be a form of echolalia? Does someone know? I think it is interesting to talk about this for sure. I'm also curious how many others here take over other peoples accents. Let me know.
Click to expand...
Let me start of by saying, none of these accents are my original accent I speak my actual accent is typical british mixed with a bit of cockney. So I mostly talk in a mank (Manchester) accent and then suddenly switch to Scottish and then Northern Irish, one of my friends asked if I was Irish when we first met and I said no, she said that she was so surprised. I often repeat what Liam Gallagher has said for example; I'm feeling Godlike. Or worse things he's said lol, I make my friends laugh when I do that
 
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