Is It Necessary To 'try' And Adapt An American,west Indian Or British Accent ?

@davidylan

I agree about feeling superior but it still doesnt answer why Indians don't bother changing their accents to British ones. Someone said it helps at work but how come Nigerians want to use it outisde work on fellow Nigerians.

I believe ur accent tells where ur from and Americans, Brits, Italians and so on have the accents they use to speak english and don't try to change when they move from country to country. But Naija go wan hide where him come from by trying to change his accent but unfortunantely no matter how much accent school u go to. The accent u grew up with will always remain

why don't Americans in Nigeria sound like us. Since they work,live and play amongst us. They learn Pidgin and sometimes the odd Igbo or Yoruba words. But that American accent still rings in the pidgin or vernacular they speak. why doesn't the accent change come naturally as you say it does or this theory only works for Nigerians.

Davidylan said the Americans feel superior thats why they don't bother and i agree and add that the Nigerians feel inferior thats why they change.

 An American in London won't switch to a British accent and vice versa, why won't the accent change? Why won't Igbos automatically get Hausa accent when they move up north or when the Hausa people come to the south get Igbo or yoruba accent?

ANSWER: They don't because there is no need and don't feel inferior to the other because of the accents. Hence don't bother themselves to try to sound like the people in their new environment.

so davidi, after 3years only you dey talk like oyinbo? 

yup yup get mi warer man mi  .

well i don't know why myself, my family said the same thing. my sister was saying Eyaa sister, your voice don change o. i was puzzled. my dad now speaks like me on phone (teasing me) 

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Anyway i think this thread also exposes one fact that is so easy to miss . . . reverse inferiority complex. We have people here who consider themselves "priviledged" to be able to speak in an American or British accent by accident of birth or long period of residence in foreign countries. Looking down on those who are trying to change their accents is just one way of expressing that inner feeling.

REAL Americans and Brits don't care what accent you use. So long as they can understand whatever you say is fine by them. i don't see British people laughing at French or Germans who try to copy the British accent on their forums.
Nigerians need to get real, remove the log in their own eyes before attempting to remove the mote in their brother's eye.
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  DAVIDI-- WORD MAN
        OMO MEHN- I TYRE FOR UNA O!
@ BRIGHTGIRLEE

  as much as i like yur topics, please ease off tryn to chew people wu dnt share yur views. abi wetin be d essence of ya post na?

    i was with my mum last yr in Atlanta [my first time eva in yankee] and at the airport my mum was tryn to speak with some americans both white and black and they wer all just like "what! what!" i was kind of pissed but i realised sometin, the moment she changed her accent a bit to suit dia style, she could communicate well and we cld muv around easily. wats d point of restrictin yourself to yur accent in another man's country when it actually retards ur progress in a way? i wonda for una o!

   the biuty of been nigerian is that we adapt easily o suit our purposes-whatever they may be. i never try to be antim iam not, i speak good English and mixed wit a likkle british accent, it sounds beta dan the British accent itself. hav yu herd Ajayi lycet speak-don't yu enjoy her when she speaks?
 

 in asmuch as yu shld be original with yur language also try and be reasonable wit it. English language is our lingua franca and because of that we adapt we re eager to adapt to our environment wereva we find ourselves. i deal wit mostly british and american investors everyday, they love my accent because it sounds beta dan dia's-i dare say.
 

Predi

I hear you your right, 

Just the shock of some individuals who choose to abuse or attack you personally,
But I guess its something I will get used to or just ignore

Any way I'm about to post another topic

you guys keep saying when in rome do as the romans. why do these oyibos not adapt our accent when they are in nigeria?  . they never feel the need to. even in nigeria people who have never stepped foot outside the country put on phony accents. i honestly could no longer listen to the radio in nigeria.Them voice jockeys sounding like they are gurgling petrol! 

If you work with white people and you speak in your own accent,they find it hard to understand what you are saying.I think after some years you kind of get used to imitating them when you are at work or in school.
The problem comes when you move back to your own community and try to continue talking like that.With my patients I try to speak "fune'" but when I am back in my home or with my Nigerian brothers ,I speak normally and sometimes people ask me in Nigeria-"After so many years in london you still dey talk like us sha"

Once you have passed the age of 9,it is almost impossible to change your accent.

This Okechukwu guy probably was born and bred in England.There are loads of them in London.Due to no fault of theirs,they have never been to Africa not to talk of Nigeria.Won't blame them if they speak only "fune"

if thats the case what is the point of adopting akata accent?