My direct ancestors are from N.I. always wondered if the Protestant father and Catholic mother was the reason they emigrated... (Robert Bruce (natch) and a Mary Kennedy)

In Ottawa, or anywhere else up the line, I have to stop saying "heighth" or bye that sounds like it's halfway between Toronto and Newfoundland.

I once heard an interview on the CBC with a prof from York university who studies accents and helped actors get it right. In the span of a few minutes he had the host speaking with a N. Ireland accent. I still want that prof's notes!

For a few years we had a "vacation" place (*cough* money pit *cough*) in Upstate NY. I got a lot of "you don't sound Canadian." LOL

Years later I worked with a developer who went from Vietnam to Cambodia to China and then Canada. Now that was a truly mixed-up accent.

And yeah, I figured my brain's ND relationship to the sound language makes was at the core of the adaptation.

Man if a client called me out for it, I'd be "it's not you, it's me, y'all." (I worked with some people from SC for a week and it took me months to lose the "y'all." Same with Baston (Boston) and "all set?") I think I have stored patterns for about six North American cities now. I find this a little disconcerting.

Turns out there is a ND link this article talks about ADHD but it applies to Autism as well...

There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't

Accent mirroring is quite comment among people with ADHD and other neurodivergent diagnoses.  It's when a person picks up the accent or speech patterns of the person they're talking to and oftentimes, doesn't even know they're doing it.

Upworthy (www.upworthy.com)

I once had an embarrassing time when I started imitating a client on the phone and he called me out for it.

What we were talking about is purposeful mimicing not unconscious. On purpose is definitely racist.

Two weeks into the term, I'm having a conversation with him, my roommate comes in, and just stands there, confused. I ask him what's up?

"Now I can't understand either of you!"

So as it turns out when talking to my can-mate, I was also communicating in a heavy Vietnamese accent without even knowing it.

When out of town, the people I'm with get identified as tourists, and I get "but you're from here." One of these days I'll spend a few weeks in Scotland, Ireland, or Liverpool and when I get back my friends won't understand a word I say!