understanding the indian accent

[SandEagle]

OP is a self hating Indian. not hindustani enough....

 

[BurnItDwn]

Meh, I've worked with indians in IT for a pretty long time, I don't have trouble with most of their accents. I do have trouble with some indian women who speak too softly on conference calls, but that's not an accent problem so much as a volume problem.

 

[OinkBoink]

I wouldn't say it's 100% clear to me, but very close, maybe 90%?

Well, I guess that's true of a person of any region trying to understand a person from another region with a different accent.

Some accents are harder than others though. It's easier to understand an American than say a Scottish person.

 

[crownjules]

I work at a company staffed ~60% by Indians (founder was Indian). I don't have much problem with the accent anymore. Except for one guy who sounds like he's always whining when he talks. I have to walk away if he's talking in my vicinity because it drives me crazy listening to him talk.

 

[Linflas]

I don't have a problem with the accent but there sure seem to be a lot of Indians named John, Steve, Jeff etc working for HP support.

 

[darkxshade]

I wonder how much of this was taken into account during casting of Slumdog Millionaire because I understood just about everything throughout the movie yet I have trouble understanding my Indian colleagues at work who has been in America for quite a while. :hmm:

 

[Zeze]

WTF is wrong this with incessant racist posts of OP?

Do you need validation? Do you have a shitty life and blame it on the minorities? How many languages do you speak?

What a c__t.

 

[joejoe666]

I have a harder time understanding thick southern accents than thick Indian accents.

^^ so true!

 

[Moonbeam]

I have been studying how tandoori ovens are made so I can make one myself. I tink ve vill be able to do et.

 

[sourceninja]

I find it helps to put in earbuds and listen with both ears when on the phone. I also close my eyes. It's the only way I can deal with any thick accent.

 

[heymrdj]

I work at a company staffed ~60% by Indians (founder was Indian). I don't have much problem with the accent anymore. Except for one guy who sounds like he's always whining when he talks. I have to walk away if he's talking in my vicinity because it drives me crazy listening to him talk.

That isn't whining, This is whining -> http://youtu.be/csPPqdbcVwM

 

[Saint Nick]

Hehe...so true! I had an Indian class mate who said "probably" like "pro-BAB-ly"

 

[Howard]

Some Indians can't pronounce 'j', so John comes out sounding Zohn.

 

[child of wonder]

I love hearing them pronounce "basically." It's so over enunciated.

BASE-ICK-ALI

 

[BurnItDwn]

I love hearing them pronounce "basically." It's so over enunciated.

BASE-ICK-ALI

The best is when they say Pen-swyl-WAAYYYHN-neah instead of Pennsylvania.

 

[TallBill]

Here's my tip - online chat support or email

 

[Joseph F]

WTF is wrong this with incessant racist posts of OP?

Do you need validation? Do you have a shitty life and blame it on the minorities? How many languages do you speak?

What a c__t.

404, Racism not found. He stated his hardship with understanding Indian accents.
He didn't express his beliefs as to whether the Indian race or his own are better or worse than any other.

 

[zoiks]

I've seen some Indian people refer to Pizza as Pijja.

 

[Imp]

• their Ws sound like Vs - 'which' is pronounced 'vitch'. 'well' is pronounced 'vell'.
• accenting the wrong part of a word - 'component' is pronounced 'COM-ponent'.

I've always found the opposite: their Vs sound like Ws.

Video turns into wideo.. Never heard my Indian friend make a 'v' sound when speaking English.

 

[busydude]

I've seen some Indian people refer to Pizza as Pijja.

Hehe, yeah. We do that from time to time.

 

[akahoovy]

It's the worst when your college calculus teacher has a very thick accent and doesn't turn around from writing on the board.

 

[busydude]

The best is when they say Pen-swyl-WAAYYYHN-neah instead of Pennsylvania.

Ask any FOB Indian to say Massachusetts or genre.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

404, Racism not found. He stated his hardship with understanding Indian accents.
He didn't express his beliefs as to whether the Indian race or his own are better or worse than any other.

thank you.
he's just mad that i made fun of his burberry scarf that he likes to rock when it's 70 degrees out.

 

[Jeff7]

we've all experienced it. the dreaded tech support call to india. ranjeet the phone CSR. the guy in the corner cube here on a H-1B visa.
they're just really hard to understand.

well, here's a thread that will hopefully make understanding their accent a little easier.

• their Ws sound like Vs - 'which' is pronounced 'vitch'. 'well' is pronounced 'vell'.
• accenting the wrong part of a word - 'component' is pronounced 'COM-ponent'.

feel free to add additional tips.
thanks and please do the needful.

COM PO NENT?

 

[Lithium381]

It's just like any other accent, if you're around it enough you pick up the nuances