Being in Cali and Asian, I think it's just the Californian accent and then on top of that sounding a bit more thoughtful, that's how I'd describe the typical Cali Asian American accent. At least that's how it was in my day, I don't talk to any mid 30s and younger Asians.
I can tell 99% of the time without seeing the face. I'll even google the name or ad if I didn't see it & sure enough. One of the few I've gotten wrong is Carlos Watson. Always thought he was a big southern white man or mixed-race man until I finally saw his face after hearing him on radio all the time. Also not hard to tell an Asian voice except for the occasional Asian that sounds Caucasian af.
Yup. African Americans in general have a distinct cadence and accent. I’m African so people usually expect me to sound like African Americans, but when my accent slips out, it’s more like the “I’m from Liberia” guy 😂
It's generally true among Asian-Americans who only hang out with each other, I find. I hear it for sure; what I observe (or hear) is that the phonetics they produce is associated to the primary or secondary language they grew up with or were surrounded by. So, I see Chinese-Americans speak English with "choppy" phonetics. Korean-Americans' accent sounds similar to the standard Korean dialect, where the phrase ending position rises, as to sound like an interrogative and not a statement. However, the East Asian adoptees raised in places virtually devoid of other Asian groups' speak indiscernibly to, say, white Americans. The fewer Asian friends an Asian-American has, the less of the "Asian" accent they tend to have.
Yeah I agree. Having not been raised around American born Asians...it was weird when I met groups of AAs as an adult. A lot sounded gay in the non-gay way.
Answering this question is definitely complicated by the fact that about a third of Asians residing in the U.S.are not native English speakers and therefore likely speak with an accent and another (unknown) share are second generation and learned English , in part, from non-native English speakers (their parents).
Fung bro said it best at the end - its the soft boy STEM accent, that comes from Sol Cal, and that is the "Asian American" accent we all talk about. It's not all Asians who talk like that, just like not all other racial groups have the same accent. It's just the accent most people associate with AA's.
@@derekkase7884 Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, all the subjects that Asians are supposed to be good in, or have to be. Basically, Asian parents saying " Don't you dare to be an actor/musician/model or anything considered cool in the West.
I've been told this by a two different girls I've dated in the past, both were White. I moved to the US when I was 3 yrs old BTW, so I consider English being my primary language. They mentioned to me that I have a distinct American-English accent that they can't put their finger on, but it's there. For the longest time, I thought they were being crazy and had some strange Asian infatuation, and were just trying to pick out any infatuated perspective nuances. Come to realize as I get older, I'm starting to believe this and that growing up how my parents spoke English as their second and also having knowledge of a second language definitely plays into how I speak English as my primary. I might not be mixed, but my vernacular phonetic is. LOL
Most of what is discussed here is called TIMBRE. And yes, many Asians have a specific built-in timbre because our vocal chords are grown a certain way because we have certain set of genes that do so. In the same way, various instruments can play the same note, but have varying timbres. The human voice is no exception.
Exactly! This is the same mechanism (and yes it is a mechanism) that can be used to determine other "racial" voices. For example, you can easily distinguish a black person speaking from others because their nasal structure is slightly different. This is regardless of accent or even the phonemes used to form the spoken words.
What the heck are you talking about? It’s not genes. Inflections and timbre are learned behavior - studies show that men who grew up closer to their moms have higher voices , and those closer to their dads have deeper voices. Also if you’re implying that black men have deeper voices because of genes, actually it is mostly social pressure to sound “tough”
timbre is not learned. Timbre is the sound of voice you were born with based on your vocal cords. You can change tone (more lazy speaking, more nasally, robotic, etc) or pitch (have a lower voice etc) but not timbre. Think of it like this: girls have a different timbre than boys. Yes their voices are higher in tone, but generally they can't match the timbre of a male voice just by lowering it. You can always tell it's a female voice based on timbre. Same is true for the opposite for boys ofc trying to raise their voice. If you REALLY train though it's possible for some people, but you don't learn timbre from environment. Otherwise a male raised only by him mom will have a voice indistinguishable from a female's, which is never true. Just like gender, I believe race has different timbres of voices although not as dramatic as gender. White and black male voices are usually have more bass to them, asians can have mid high range smoother timbre. btw I study both music and linguistics
@@Obscuraino it’s not genes and that kid who’s saying Asians have different throats because of genes is nuts. Vocal inflections are learned then adopted. awkwafina (Asian) sounds black because most of her friends were from Brooklyn. Even the Fung Bros (Asian) sound black. I guess they got black throat genes then? Lmao. And this artist, male, sounds just like a female: ua-cam.com/video/evJ6gX1lp2o/v-deo.htmlsi=cMKXBmxTlpKlKhHr
American born male here, my parents spoke Cantonese to me as a kid and i spoke Cantonese exclusively until about 4 years old and then only spoke English after that. I still speak some Cantonese once in a while (a few times a year) but am not fluent by any stretch. That said they are still a few English words that I struggle to clearly annunciate/pronounce clearly. That's probably an accent? Words like Saturday come out like Sataday or appropriate comes out like apprapriate. Even words like sing, the "ng" nasal ending sometimes gets cut off a bit. Thoughts?
Cantonese American, English is my second language. Strangely enoughy when my wife or family members hear me over the phone, they usually say I sound like a white guy 😂. Asian Americans are so diverse not really possibly stereotype us all.
This is Upper middle class asian american accent. The ones you hear in north jersey, and other affluent suburbs. the asian americans in the working class and lower class neighborhoods sound nothing like that. their's is like a mix of American and fob accent with a hint of the local accent
Personally I feel asian Americans born and raised in the US speak the most clear and most easily understandable English. I guess this is because many of them take ESL classes in elementary school and learn English from teachers that give you textbook-based instructions on generic pronunciation.
I've been thinking this for a while too. I am not American but consume a lot of Asian-American content and I could pick up on it. Interesting to know this has been a topic for very long. "They're going off the upper middle-class California Asians." That! Yeah it really depends. Even within East and Southeast Asia there are different accents. Like I can tell when a Korean is speaking Tagalog. People can tell I did not grow up in Manila when I speak Tagalog. They're such subtle differences, but it is there sometimes.
This is not true. I spoke to Asian Americans from the Bay area and they sound Black to me. I spoke to Asian Americans from Texas, and they sound like white southerners to me. It depends on what part of the country you are from. I imagine if I spoke to either of you two (David and Andrew FUNG BRO's) on the phone I would think you was a Hispanic American who was really into Hip Hop, Sneaker/Basket Ball culture, or Possible a brother who's into anime. Lol. (Joking) So to make it plain and simple Maybe some Asians Americans sound like how the Tik-Tok mentioned. But definitely not all. People are people and can sound like anything.
The funny thing about this California and bay area is barely Black. there are more Black people in Dallas area than Greater LA and The bay area combined. Because of the West Coast gansta rap people think the West coast is way blacker then it is, Mean while people think of just white southerners and when thinking of the south but actually it's by far the blackest part of the country. So one Asian is far more likely to have AAVE accent in the South than the West coast. But I agree about regional thing,
I'm 3rd-gen, 61 years old from Southern California. I have what many consider a standard "American" accent. I also have a naturally lower voice than a lot of men. Once I called a store to ask if they had a product in stock before going there. When the woman I'd spoken to on the phone recognized my voice at the store, she said she pictured me as being a tall, large-framed white guy. I'm actually average sized, 5' 10". This was back in the '90s. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be flattered or offended (I was neither). 😂 I've noticed that many Hispanic men tend to have higher voices, so this is not something unique to many Asian-American men.
"white gay men without flamboyance" honestly that's true but only for californian asians (where most of the asians in the US are). But that's just a californian accent. But even asians from other parts of the us regardless of which east or south east asian country they're from have a certain accent that's indescribable apart from the "white gay" voice.
If I had to guess, in general, bc Asians have less testosterone, & even the dudes can look pretty, when were not excited, it's prob monotone & dullish. Like just almost too chill. I think ppls natural voices is when ur by yourself, not around others. When ur around other ppl, u hafta find some vibe. Ppl on their own however, that's gotta be your natural thing.
I’ve always noticed it. My theory was always around speech development in younger years with a second East Asian language in the household. Nothing to fuss over, if anything it’s a unique quality to celebrate.
This happens with second gen immigrants from of all ethnicities. Usually when ppl grow up with a second language that is commonly spoken to friends and family, there certain speaking patterns and tones that carry over to when they speak English. Technically the English is still fluent, as its not a full on accent and quite subtle. But still recognizable
As for higher pitch voices, that might be something. I sing in a choir and most of the male Asian’s, including myself, are tenors and not bass’s or baritones.
On Accent pay attention to these factors: 1. Your life experiences are real and reality has mass 2. Communities have ways of expressing those mass 3. Communication is multiple ways, 2 ways at least. You'd match your counterparts' ways of understanding the weight, you match, you don't represent you match. At least if you care about effective and efficient communication the most in your exchange. 4. Politicians communicate politics through their emphasis and its all f'd up. These are the things people should shun out, not the other ones.
There is a similar cadence of upper middle class East Asians, who've grown up in the suburbs but there's too many factors involved to label this the "official asian-american accent". Being Filipino, most asians near me (mostly southeast asians) sound like Dante Basco or Pierre xo. Everyone is different tho. Most asian-american voices sound very easy on the ears.
I really think it depends on the environment you grow up in and personality you have. Nothing to do with being Asian. These people who say we all sound like we’re giving a TED talk means they just got to meet more Asians or based on stereotypes fr lol
Exactly, I can distinguish a black speaker regardless of country or language. This is because the components of the speech are slightly different in the vocal tract (pitch) and nasal cavity (resonance, timbre) and oral cavity. The same is true for other racial groups. This does not mean that these characteristics are exclusive to a racial, but that they are more prominent in specific racial groups. Hence why there is a distinct sound to Asian voices.
It’s not west coast man. I grew up around Asians in the Midwest and they all have the same Asian American accent. Some it’s stronger , others are lighter. But it’s exactly the same as being able to tell when a black person is speaking .
You are the sum of your experiences ... and environment. I can buy the idea of media influence on AA's, I'm in Montreal and Paris so in the former case, I can figure out who was born/raised in Quebec from the way they speak French. Another interesting data point: a lot of children of immigrants mostly do English language TV and radio (English Canadian or US, you can get Vermont stations on cable and sometimes over the air, and Vermont Public Radio bills itself as Montreal's NPR!) and many speak very good or even perfect English! A good friend in Portland, Oregon (South Asian but Canada born) from Montreal blew me away that he didn't go to McGill but to U de Montreal - after schooling in the French system!
If we're talking about an ABC or really any Asian born in America, I think there is an accent. To me, it's based around tone and inflection. It tends to be heavier depending on how bilingual they are. My cousins who are very fluent in Cantonese have a noticeable accent compared to me, who can't really speak it but understand some of the language. I think social media plays a big part as well. A lot of people change the speed and pitch of their voice when posting. I would equate it to hitting a predetermined pose for photos, it's almost a reflex.
Asian languages are vastly different. Even with Chinese…Mandarin and Cantonese sound very different to me. There is no way that there could be “Asian” American accent. These examples sound more regional than anything. The only time I heard something that could be an Asian American accent is in LA K-Town. They could be 2nd, 3rd, etc generations in and still talk like Korean fobs with good grammar.
The thing that I don't like when people talk about "accents" is that people seem to think that having an accent is a bad thing. We all have an accent. The giveaway of someone knowing absolutely nothing about linguistics is when someone says "I don't have an accent". Also I want to say that the way the accent comes across to us is also somewhat a reflection of what we think of Asian Americans. Those who like Asian people generally will probably describe it positively. Those who see Asian-Americans as "strange" "other" "weak" "too perfect" will probably automatically associate it. People will hear what their brain wants them to hear.
depends on where you grow up. also it would stand out if you live in an area with mostly descendants of asia. for example: chinese who do not speak american english mostly tend to be more breathy when then do speak in american english.
I never knew monotone voice recipe attempter guy was Asian but algorithmicly it makes sense cause youtube started giving me that content after i started watching other Asian youtubers food shorts
They definitely have one. One very distinctive aspect of it is that they pronounce every single "t" very crisply, including the ones that most other native English speakers leave silent. The impression I get is that Asian Americans typically speak English the way a perfectionist would speak it if they'd learned it from a book. It's very clean and lacking in any localized cultural identifiers, besides sometimes having a California tone. Also, this applies mainly to Chinese and Koreans. I've noticed that Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and others are much more likely to speak English exactly like a White person.
Yes, I agree! Not all of us, but a big chunk, definitely. 😉 A journalist friend of mine described it as the same/similar to the type of accent they want in news anchors or broadcasters. I think sometimes it is referred to as a Transatlantic or Mid-Atlantic accent (but ironically, it kind of refers to the lack of a specific regional dialect or accent).
@@GreaterSinistral Ah, ok, cool, thx for letting me know! We (my friend and I) had originally been talking about it in a conversation about Asian & Asian Americans (spec. Koreans & Chinese) on international news programs, etc., so maybe I misunderstood what they were trying to say... I'll have to read up on it more! 😉👍
@@GreaterSinistral Haha! OK, I'll def. try that! I'm KoreAm and used to teach English (years ago, not anymore) to mostly Asian-American kids, so I'm so curious about that! Thx! 🤗
I agree because growing up, I went to schools that had up to 5 Asian people in them, so I never got to spend a lot of time with Asian American people outside of Church. It wasn’t until I went to college that I could spend a lot of time with Asian Americans. I noticed that my accent changed after a few months of spending time with Asian Americans. So now I’m conscious of my accent and it’s cool being able to switch between them.
I think the way Andrew and David talk as Asian guys sounds “normal” American. Like if I was talking on the phone to Andrew I would think he’s just a white guy. David’s voice is a little more cultured though. David kinda sounds like a smart black guy (who could also pass for a white guy) but with clean English but his English also sounds casual and not over done like some other Asian Americans might sound lol other than that though I do notice I can tell if I’m talking to an Asian American. The super proper perfect English is a dead give away. And also some words they pronounce just sound different when compared to regular white American accents
Andrew & David are from Washington State and there isn't much of a regional accent compared to the rest of the US. David however puts on a more urban slangy tone compared to Andrew. I do notice in the word "year" some Asians will say it as "ear".
The asian accents they’re describing are definitely Asians from a white neighborhood. Definitely East Asians too. Cus the Cambodians and Filipinos I know don’t sound like this.
The video literally has a Filipino & a Filipina who sound like this. Other famous Filipinos who sound like this are Gilbert & Khalyla from TigerBelly, Ryan/Dominic from Quest Crew, and NBA coach Erik Spoelstra. It was actually shocking for me to move to the bay area and hear all these Filipinos mimicking black people & claiming to be Pacific Islander (which are ppl's whose origins are Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia (i.e. nowhere near the Philipines).
@@RonBintscatsco-fy2bcwho’s Filipino in this video that sound straight up white? Seems like u just moved to the US if you think some of the ppl u mentioned sound like a straight up white guy. Cus that’s basically the Asian accent the black guy in the video was describing. And I’m not necessarily talking about an urban sounding accent but there’s a “filipinoness” about it. You would know this sound if ur from a predominant Filipino neighborhood. I definitely hear the “Filipinoness” in Khalyla and Ryan’s voice. Even my Cambodian homies got a distinct accent but it’s not a button up white guy sound.
Lol we do, it's just inflection related - there's alot more to language than consonants and vowels. I'm a musician so will talk about speech in those terms - you have unique timbre which could be genetic/vocal cords, you have speed / rhythm, you have pitch, finally you have vocabulary and grammar (small nuances). The latter could be picked up from parents and/or shared inflections from your parent's language. The true comparison experiment would have to be done with Asians that were adopted into white/hispanic/black families and communities
That’s true. It seems the genetic component might be most important, though. Speaking of music, what famous Asìan American singers are out there, really... ever? It doesn’t seem that the natural voice itself lends itself to creating strong singers. It seems to be much more than the environment a person is raised in (imo)
@@noble604 What are you talking about??? There are TONS of successful Asian-American singers!!! Here are just a few Korean-Americans (since that's what I'm most familiar with) off the top of my head, but I know there are loads more... Jessi, Flowsik, Jay Park, Eric Nam, Yoon Mirae, Tiger JK, Tiffany (SNSD), Joshua Hong & Vernon (SVT), Johnny Suh (NCT), Belle & Julie (KIOF), Ailee, AleXa, BM (Kard), Brian Joo, JoonHyung (g.o.d), pH1
@noble604 What are you talking about??? There are TONS of successful Asian-American singers!!! Here are just a few Korean-Americans (since that's what I'm most familiar with) off the top of my head, but I know there are loads more... Jessi, Flowsik, Jay Park, Eric Nam, Yoon Mirae, Tiger JK, Tiffany (SNSD), Joshua Hong & Vernon (SVT), Johnny Suh (NCT), Belle & Julie (KIOF), Ailee, AleXa, BM (Kard), Tablo, Brian Joo, JoonHyung (g.o.d), pH1 If anything, I think some of them are even stronger/have wider range, than their solely Asian or American counterparts.
I’ve noticed the accent, it’s subtle but apparent. I think it develops as a result of being in social circles rather than carryover from their native languages, because the native languages are so different (Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Japanese), yet the accent is the same. I don’t know if that’s factual, but it’s just my observation 🤷🏾♀️✨ I know a white guy who grew up and hung out with mostly Asians, and he has this accent too.
@@luckarl you dont seem to understand.. parents no speaky english. had to learn from enviroment. so enviroment is accent. That is not copying.. You're confusing accents from overseas asians learning english. thats a whole different thing like nigerians learning english.
I think we DO have the accents but not just like “Asian English” accent, but there are infinite variations in Asian. It could just be the shape of our nose or lips, and it gives the sound.
Chinese Americans have accents, Mexican Americans have accents, Afro Americans have accents. Not all of them do, but alot of them do especially if english is their second language. Or they grew up around others with the same kind of accent.
When the black dude said "I know exactly what he means" I was expecting him to say "it's the same with black people" lol cuz they are easy to recognize by voice, its NOT the accent, its the timbre/tone of voice. I can still hear it regardless of accent, American or British accent. For example when the TV is on but i'm not watching, i can hear it and i'm usually right.
I noticed it from listening to Asians speaking English: it is high pitched, a little soft (gay) sounds like about right. It is something just little off. They also have like a very b*tchy way of talking sometimes, like they need to correct you.
It’s more about voice color, not accent. Genetics basically shape the way our vocal cords are, which affects the way our voices sound. It’s not about the way we enunciate things because we pronounce vowels and stuff basically the same, but the color is different. Like if you hear a violin a flute or a trumpet, you can tell. They play the same note, but the color is different.
my black friend is mistaken for white on the phone. His name is Joseph, too. lol when he started on the job, everyone was surprised when he came in on the first day.
I have a little nephew who grew up with his mom Filipino and his dad Mexican. And initially had a hybrid accent because of his parents but after watching alot of tv, cartoons, and movies, and starting school he now sounds like a cartoon character 😂 almost like a mix of Charlie Brown and Diego from Dora. It turns out he loves watching both shows. Lol
Just saying David and Andrew have extremely distinct Asian American accents. It’s a mixture of nasal enunciation with light aave, choose of vocab and not fully pronunciating words
SEA Working Class from Houston. Asians here don't sound "black" but they do sound more working class than an Asian from Cali. There's zero uptalk here.
Asian accent is quite noticeable for first generation Asians that were born in the United states. It is true that most first generation from other countries have accents.
This isn't always true. Sure there are the stereotypical "Asian accents", but Asians born and raised in Western countries like the US can sound just like any other American. I have yet to meet anyone who knew I'm Asian according to my voice alone. In fact, people always assumed I'm White if they've only heard my voice.
I doubt it. Many of my friends were adopted as a baby by white family but they still have a special tone that you can distinguish as Asian. NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. YOU ALL are different skin tone and black hair and brown eyes…why do you want to be white or black. Be proud! This is the problem with Asian-Americans; just want to fit in instead of branding your own.
Maybe cuz you are asian you don't hear yourself but when others who not used to your accent hear it they will be able to tell youe ethnicity just from your accent
I love the Asian American accent. It is very subtle and very polished. It’s not a negative for me, as it give a particular identifier though Asian American community is not a monolith.
I can tell if a person speaking is an Asian-American male 80% of the time just by their voice alone. I think the reason is because there are some english words that cause you to speak with the intonation of your mother tongue that non asian language speaking people don't have, whether you are fluent in that language or not.
I've notice some Korean Americans have a accent but it doesn't sound like any South Koreans. I assume that it's just that Korean Americans mostly hangout with other Korean Americans so their speech is only influenced by each other. That also applies to anyone who only hangout with there own people or similar cultures
you think you don't lol! y'all have that tagalogish clip going on . i live around Pinoys even second gen have a little something in their voice . i just KNOW
Some people in the comments do not get that it's not just about the accent per se but how the vocal cords or the hardware built in your body according to your race. One can be born and raised only speaking English but is born from East Asian parents, but one can still have that voice that is much like how native Asian would sound if he has the same accent and enunciation as the native English speaker. If you search for videos for white people born and raised in China or Japan speaking Mandarin or Nihongo, you can still tell from their voice that they're not Asian even if they speak the language fluently.
An insight here from an Italian American from Pittsburgh. We often get stereotyped in media for all speaking the same way, With a NYC-Jersey accent when in reality, we speak with all kinds of American Accents. Nobody I knew growing up sounded like the Sopranos, the spoke like everyone else from Pittsburgh. I even recall recently watching a Netflix film that took place in West Virginia with Italian Americans, and they gave them NYC accents. I see a similar thing happening with Asians and Gay People where they are both attached to A California Accent due do being heavily represented in media with such accents, while in reality Asians and Gay people have all kinds of American English Accents.
What everyone is talking is for sure a stereotype. The environment influences one’s accent. Where you were born, the people you grow up with, the culture you adopt, and the physiological makeup that you’re born with. Sadly, a stereotype is a perception and perception is reality for a lot of people.
How we speak is a product of our upbringing and environment. Part of it is also subject to personal manipulation. We can modulate how we sound to some extent depending on who we're speaking to or to fit in within a particular context. For instance, we might speak to our friends differently compared to how we speak to our parents or our teachers. In terms of vocal pitch, it's true that Asians on average tend to have higher-pitched voices, largely due to their smaller frames. Black men are known to have more baritone voices because of higher testosterone. Having a deep voice is intimately tied to being perceived as hypermasculine.
As an Asian American, I think it is definitely influenced by their parents and what languages they speak. I would say that my Asian American friends who had Vietnamese or Chinese-speaking parents didn't have too much of an American twang to their voices. It was usually either soft-spoken or too nasally. Some of my friends also ignored grammar patterns like "s" sounds or plurals, but usually, their fluency in English wasn't as good as mine despite being born in America. They probably just didn't immerse themselves in American culture and media as much as I did. Although I had Cambodian-speaking parents, I put more effort into immersing myself in American culture and made the effort to mimic American characters and force myself to improve my vernacular. I still don't think I can speak perfect standard American English or even AAVE probably because I still spoke a different language with my parents at home, so my "Asian" voice might slip out sometimes. I have to concentrate a little harder to sound standard, and probably I have to watch a lot of media in English and avoid watching stuff in other languages to keep it consistently standard. In conclusion, I think the more time Asian Americans spend with their families vs their friends, the more they end up sounding like their family members, and if you happen to be 2nd/3rd/4th generation Asian American, you probably don't have this Asian-sounding voice. For most 1st-generation Asian Americans like me, it's kind of a natural sound unless you put a lot of effort into avoiding speaking your parents' mother tongue, hanging out more with standard American English-speaking folks, and focusing a great deal on your vernacular.
Final consonants. It’s a challenge for a lot of esl speakers, and Asian Americans often grow up around esl speakers in the form of family members, neighbors, or friends if they live close to their ethnic enclave.
Im southeast asian american born and raised in florida and people tell me i sound like a kid or a high pitched "valley girl" with a bit of a southern accent on the phone and then when people meet me in person after talking on the phone they say i sound different that my tone is deeper and not high pitched like it is on the phone lmao. My sister calls it "my phone voice" lol
Not an accent but all races have a distinct common sound to their speech. But obviously not all folks within that certain race will have that same sound.
In my opinion/experience as a multi-regional trilangual (English, Spanish, Sea Island Creole) African American, from the south east (1500/1600s), Asian Americans who grew up in or have remained in predominantly Asain or White communtities and are 1st/2nd gen Americans tend to have a destinct pronunciations of particular words and or speech patterns. Specifically with words that start with the letters h and w and are followed by a short vowel sound (o & u). I've heard this in the pronounciation of words like hot, hut, or house. The way my ears process it, it almost sounds like there is a slight change in tone and a slight elongation of said short vowel sounds. Also sometimes pronunciation of wh words similar to that episode of family guy when Stewie pronounces "cool whip", with an elongation of the wh in cool whip. I cannot think of a specific Asian American example at the moment, but there have been times I've noticed pronunciations of various propernouns or expressions with Native American, African, and or Scotch/Irish roots, that are distinctively pronounced amongst groups from early American colonies but less common amongst 1st and 2nd generation Asian Americans. I dont have the full language to describe it, but some Asian America's varied pronounciation can sometimes hear what I would describe a more destinctively Asian way of prononuncing the words. Similarly to a 1st/2nd gen latino or Chicano who has remained withing largley Latino communities for generations have distinct pronounciation of particular vowles, use of tone, and speech patterns. I would maybe attribute this to what I describe for myself as a "factory default langage setting" when I approach an unknown word to me in my southern/creolized tones and sometimes spanish, because Im used to hearing unfamiliar words in either of those languages so its like my brain somehow tells me to approach with those tones and accents. For instance, I might come across a French word from Lousiana and pronounce it in a more spanish accent if that makes since.
I'm Japanese/Chinese from Hawaii We don't sound anything like that. Think this is just another case of Other races trying to stereo type us. I heard some black people speak the same way to. Think it more depends on where you live and what aera you live in. I was raised in the projects. And on top of that Hawaii just speaks differently.
As an Asian American I used to have an African American neighbor who was very tall and buff. He used to do voice over work for commercials. I used to always tell him that I wish that I had a deep voice like him. It would make women melt. 😂
Think it’s also the voice.the voice doesn’t have a thickness or bass to it? It’s hard to explain but I can see why you can kinda guess if it’s an American asian
it's funny and debatable, for me personally, I can tell some Asian Americans have some kind of accent without looking at their face, the voice tone and the way they talk are somehow different than whites(I mean the Asian born and raised in the USA), not sure if that is really accent or not, while some Asian Americans sound totally like whites, and my family can Always tell who is Asian speaker or not by listening to them talk without looking the face. But some white American friends, always say Asian Americans do not sound any different( even the ones who I can easily tell that sound different than whites)
I notice that aswell asian american who are native speakers born in America do sound like gay white american men who are mid class and while aisan girls do have slower high pitched voices.
Also Asian, I worked at a call center, was asked if I was Canadian, British, or from Switzerland...I don't understand why ppl thought I sounded European.
It's probably genetic, like the structure of the vocal chords, beside the accent, it also has a tone to it or a frequency to it just like Blacks have a specific tone regardless of accent, and East Asians regardless of origin/mother language share the same sound or tone, same applies to South Asians or West Asians, although to be honest, West Asians and Whites have very similar tones. Neoteny might also play a part here, something that is prevalent with East Asian.
Can you tell if someone also speaks a language besides english? yes. But no, Asian Americans as a whole do not have a similar distinct accent. It doesn't even make sense because there are so many different languages. But, when he gave those two examples...wow. But were those two guys from the same ethnic group? Here's a question. If you are trying really hard to assimilate, and want to try to hide any hint of your ethnic language, will you speak english in a certain way? & Chinese people have a higher pitch? That doesn't make sense. When I listen to chinese, a lot of them have ridiculously deep voices. Same with Japanese
I think it depends on the person. I think personality and influences in music and the environment play a huge role in accents. Also, how fluent or not with their native language will have an effect.
Bros, I was born in the USA and only know how to speak English. Once in a rare, rare while, even I have somewhat of a slight Filipino accent when I speak. I am 46 years old and I've never been able to shake it off completely. It's both fascinating and fucking weird at the same time.
@@sjacks3281 My parents did speak Tagalog, but they only ever spoke English to me and with noticeable accents. Both sets of grandparents also spoke fluent English, but with even thicker accents. Now I'm reminded of my Chinese friends and how their Cantonese is pretty trash (can somewhat understand, but cannot speak), and they also speak only English, but with Cantonese accents. My speaking voice can pass for homegrown M'URICAN most of the time, but these guys? Never. Why can't any of us ever be 100% free of the accents? LOL.
@@poofum They told me that they wanted me to "be American". I've never needed to speak Tagalog anyway. I don't know the language, I don't know the culture. I eat the food though, because it's bomb. 💣💣
@@CaptainStupendous sucks that your parents didn't teach you about the culture . coz with your comment, i feel there you're trying to identify and acknowledge parts of your being that is Filipino --its in your blood and can never deny it.
It’s got to be both social environment + physical because the kids that graduate Stuyvesant & Bronx Science schools (to those that are familiar with NYC) sound exactly identical to the kids who graduate from Hong Kong’s international/private schools when speaking English. Maybe it’s more a function of education and not socio-economic class as many kids that attend NYC’s elite public schools come from families below the poverty line.
I’m 2nd and 3rd generation, so I’m not sure if I have it. Plus, these people might be referencing certain specific East Asians. There’s definitely something there, but it’s not 100% applicable to all individuals. It really depends on generation, socialization, location and maybe genetics. Plus, all Hispanics speak Spanish and African Americans all speak English. That’s more homogeneous than Asian Americans that have different languages and dialects.
I can tell Asian Americans by their voice even they are native speakers when they speak English it sounds different than white Americans and other races
Asian Americans are scattered, so they don't have large cultural bases like other minorities do. AA's seem to latch onto whatever dominant culture they grew up with, whether that be rap music or news reporters.
I definitely agree that Asian Americans have a very monotone accent! They sound like they all are giving a Ted Talk 😂White, Black, and Latin Americans definitely have more inflection in their tone.
Least testosterone. Błack Amerìcans have the highest amount of testerone... both men and women. It adds texture, depth and richness. You hear that testosterone in voice tone.)
@@noble604that’s actually not true about Asians having lowest testosterone at all. just looked it up because so I was really curious too lol. Apparently it’s a myth that was created from a history in the USA of trying to emasculate Asians.
zingai - łook it up regarding levels among groups. Testosterone causing voices to deepen is basic to puberty. Asians have the least amount of testosterone/ Błack people have the highest amount - among both men and women- and both men and women have deeper voices than other racìal groups. Estrogen and testosterone levels wane in age and our voices, among other things, are affected. It’s basic.
Being in Cali and Asian, I think it's just the Californian accent and then on top of that sounding a bit more thoughtful, that's how I'd describe the typical Cali Asian American accent. At least that's how it was in my day, I don't talk to any mid 30s and younger Asians.
Andrew Yang will be on TED Talk soon. I will close my eyes and listen for his accent.
Andrew Yang doesn’t have an Asian American accent.
It’s just like how we can tell if a black guy is speaking most of the time!
It’s that base in their voice!
I can tell 99% of the time without seeing the face. I'll even google the name or ad if I didn't see it & sure enough. One of the few I've gotten wrong is Carlos Watson. Always thought he was a big southern white man or mixed-race man until I finally saw his face after hearing him on radio all the time. Also not hard to tell an Asian voice except for the occasional Asian that sounds Caucasian af.
Yup. African Americans in general have a distinct cadence and accent. I’m African so people usually expect me to sound like African Americans, but when my accent slips out, it’s more like the “I’m from Liberia” guy 😂
deeper voices
It's generally true among Asian-Americans who only hang out with each other, I find. I hear it for sure; what I observe (or hear) is that the phonetics they produce is associated to the primary or secondary language they grew up with or were surrounded by. So, I see Chinese-Americans speak English with "choppy" phonetics. Korean-Americans' accent sounds similar to the standard Korean dialect, where the phrase ending position rises, as to sound like an interrogative and not a statement. However, the East Asian adoptees raised in places virtually devoid of other Asian groups' speak indiscernibly to, say, white Americans. The fewer Asian friends an Asian-American has, the less of the "Asian" accent they tend to have.
💯💯💯
Yeah I agree. Having not been raised around American born Asians...it was weird when I met groups of AAs as an adult. A lot sounded gay in the non-gay way.
Answering this question is definitely complicated by the fact that about a third of Asians residing in the U.S.are not native English speakers and therefore likely speak with an accent and another (unknown) share are second generation and learned English , in part, from non-native English speakers (their parents).
Fung bro said it best at the end - its the soft boy STEM accent, that comes from Sol Cal, and that is the "Asian American" accent we all talk about. It's not all Asians who talk like that, just like not all other racial groups have the same accent. It's just the accent most people associate with AA's.
What is STEM ?😮
@@derekkase7884 Science, Technology, Engineering, Math, all the subjects that Asians are supposed to be good in, or have to be. Basically, Asian parents saying " Don't you dare to be an actor/musician/model or anything considered cool in the West.
@@gobyfish1399 dsmn that's tough ..and funny lol
Jackson Wang does not sound Asian when he speaks English
They sound like their white friends. Its not an Asian American Accen. Its a Banana Accent. 😬☠️
I've been told this by a two different girls I've dated in the past, both were White. I moved to the US when I was 3 yrs old BTW, so I consider English being my primary language. They mentioned to me that I have a distinct American-English accent that they can't put their finger on, but it's there. For the longest time, I thought they were being crazy and had some strange Asian infatuation, and were just trying to pick out any infatuated perspective nuances. Come to realize as I get older, I'm starting to believe this and that growing up how my parents spoke English as their second and also having knowledge of a second language definitely plays into how I speak English as my primary. I might not be mixed, but my vernacular phonetic is. LOL
Most of what is discussed here is called TIMBRE. And yes, many Asians have a specific built-in timbre because our vocal chords are grown a certain way because we have certain set of genes that do so. In the same way, various instruments can play the same note, but have varying timbres. The human voice is no exception.
Exactly! This is the same mechanism (and yes it is a mechanism) that can be used to determine other "racial" voices. For example, you can easily distinguish a black person speaking from others because their nasal structure is slightly different. This is regardless of accent or even the phonemes used to form the spoken words.
Basically what I was going to say.
What the heck are you talking about? It’s not genes. Inflections and timbre are learned behavior - studies show that men who grew up closer to their moms have higher voices , and those closer to their dads have deeper voices.
Also if you’re implying that black men have deeper voices because of genes, actually it is mostly social pressure to sound “tough”
timbre is not learned. Timbre is the sound of voice you were born with based on your vocal cords. You can change tone (more lazy speaking, more nasally, robotic, etc) or pitch (have a lower voice etc) but not timbre.
Think of it like this: girls have a different timbre than boys. Yes their voices are higher in tone, but generally they can't match the timbre of a male voice just by lowering it. You can always tell it's a female voice based on timbre. Same is true for the opposite for boys ofc trying to raise their voice. If you REALLY train though it's possible for some people, but you don't learn timbre from environment. Otherwise a male raised only by him mom will have a voice indistinguishable from a female's, which is never true.
Just like gender, I believe race has different timbres of voices although not as dramatic as gender. White and black male voices are usually have more bass to them, asians can have mid high range smoother timbre.
btw I study both music and linguistics
@@Obscuraino it’s not genes and that kid who’s saying Asians have different throats because of genes is nuts. Vocal inflections are learned then adopted. awkwafina (Asian) sounds black because most of her friends were from Brooklyn. Even the Fung Bros (Asian) sound black. I guess they got black throat genes then? Lmao. And this artist, male, sounds just like a female: ua-cam.com/video/evJ6gX1lp2o/v-deo.htmlsi=cMKXBmxTlpKlKhHr
American born male here, my parents spoke Cantonese to me as a kid and i spoke Cantonese exclusively until about 4 years old and then only spoke English after that. I still speak some Cantonese once in a while (a few times a year) but am not fluent by any stretch. That said they are still a few English words that I struggle to clearly annunciate/pronounce clearly. That's probably an accent? Words like Saturday come out like Sataday or appropriate comes out like apprapriate. Even words like sing, the "ng" nasal ending sometimes gets cut off a bit. Thoughts?
Also the plural words with s at the end aren't pronounced as strongly as white folk
"for example", the L at the end word isn't pronounced strongly by Asian americans
as long as people understands you it's ok, there's no one accent that everyone needs to conform to..
Cantonese American, English is my second language. Strangely enoughy when my wife or family members hear me over the phone, they usually say I sound like a white guy 😂. Asian Americans are so diverse not really possibly stereotype us all.
This is Upper middle class asian american accent. The ones you hear in north jersey, and other affluent suburbs. the asian americans in the working class and lower class neighborhoods sound nothing like that. their's is like a mix of American and fob accent with a hint of the local accent
Personally I feel asian Americans born and raised in the US speak the most clear and most easily understandable English. I guess this is because many of them take ESL classes in elementary school and learn English from teachers that give you textbook-based instructions on generic pronunciation.
It's crazy people born in the US need ESL
I've been thinking this for a while too. I am not American but consume a lot of Asian-American content and I could pick up on it. Interesting to know this has been a topic for very long. "They're going off the upper middle-class California Asians." That! Yeah it really depends. Even within East and Southeast Asia there are different accents. Like I can tell when a Korean is speaking Tagalog. People can tell I did not grow up in Manila when I speak Tagalog. They're such subtle differences, but it is there sometimes.
This is not true. I spoke to Asian Americans from the Bay area and they sound Black to me. I spoke to Asian Americans from Texas, and they sound like white southerners to me. It depends on what part of the country you are from. I imagine if I spoke to either of you two (David and Andrew FUNG BRO's) on the phone I would think you was a Hispanic American who was really into Hip Hop, Sneaker/Basket Ball culture, or Possible a brother who's into anime. Lol. (Joking) So to make it plain and simple Maybe some Asians Americans sound like how the Tik-Tok mentioned. But definitely not all. People are people and can sound like anything.
The funny thing about this California and bay area is barely Black. there are more Black people in Dallas area than Greater LA and The bay area combined. Because of the West Coast gansta rap people think the West coast is way blacker then it is, Mean while people think of just white southerners and when thinking of the south but actually it's by far the blackest part of the country. So one Asian is far more likely to have AAVE accent in the South than the West coast.
But I agree about regional thing,
I'm 3rd-gen, 61 years old from Southern California. I have what many consider a standard "American" accent. I also have a naturally lower voice than a lot of men. Once I called a store to ask if they had a product in stock before going there. When the woman I'd spoken to on the phone recognized my voice at the store, she said she pictured me as being a tall, large-framed white guy. I'm actually average sized, 5' 10". This was back in the '90s. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to be flattered or offended (I was neither). 😂
I've noticed that many Hispanic men tend to have higher voices, so this is not something unique to many Asian-American men.
Yup
Well just because some or even many dont have that accent doesnt mean there isnt an Asian American accent.
@@mn8931 Asian American accent is mostly found among west and east coasts imho.
"white gay men without flamboyance" honestly that's true but only for californian asians (where most of the asians in the US are). But that's just a californian accent. But even asians from other parts of the us regardless of which east or south east asian country they're from have a certain accent that's indescribable apart from the "white gay" voice.
A blind man guessed that I was Asian. He said there is more of a nasal tone.
Not only are we conventionally unattractive in the West, but we also sound like shit.
@@sub-fivessurvival Speak for yourself lmao
@@Vanderbeep I'm not afraid to put myself out here. I want everyone to know people like us exist.
If I had to guess, in general, bc Asians have less testosterone, & even the dudes can look pretty, when were not excited, it's prob monotone & dullish. Like just almost too chill. I think ppls natural voices is when ur by yourself, not around others. When ur around other ppl, u hafta find some vibe. Ppl on their own however, that's gotta be your natural thing.
@@ahhwe-any7434 check the voice of the lesser testosterone asian dude ProZD.
And come back to me after…
I can easily identyfy Black Americans on the phone. They have the same voice tone.
Doubt it. I think you’d be surprised how many people don’t “sound” “Błack” on the phone but are since “sounding Błack” is a very narrow stereotype.
Its learned though as far as I know - for Brits, you can tell if Richard Ayode is and different than a Benedict Cumberbatch
Nah, that's cap, African Americans have 2 voices they switch between
@@noble604 Exactly 😂😂😂
@@devilrider39000000 Yessirrrrrrrr, I have my interview voice and I have my voice that i use when I am with my boys.
I’ve always noticed it. My theory was always around speech development in younger years with a second East Asian language in the household.
Nothing to fuss over, if anything it’s a unique quality to celebrate.
Totally agree with u
This happens with second gen immigrants from of all ethnicities. Usually when ppl grow up with a second language that is commonly spoken to friends and family, there certain speaking patterns and tones that carry over to when they speak English. Technically the English is still fluent, as its not a full on accent and quite subtle. But still recognizable
As for higher pitch voices, that might be something. I sing in a choir and most of the male Asian’s, including myself, are tenors and not bass’s or baritones.
Explain Korean or Japanese deep voice singer and seiyuu??
Funny. I'm a singing bass (E2-E4) and speaking baritone and asian...
On Accent pay attention to these factors:
1. Your life experiences are real and reality has mass
2. Communities have ways of expressing those mass
3. Communication is multiple ways, 2 ways at least. You'd match your counterparts' ways of understanding the weight, you match, you don't represent you match. At least if you care about effective and efficient communication the most in your exchange.
4. Politicians communicate politics through their emphasis and its all f'd up. These are the things people should shun out, not the other ones.
There is a similar cadence of upper middle class East Asians, who've grown up in the suburbs but there's too many factors involved to label this the "official asian-american accent". Being Filipino, most asians near me (mostly southeast asians) sound like Dante Basco or Pierre xo. Everyone is different tho.
Most asian-american voices sound very easy on the ears.
Callleeeddd it. Before I even watched
I would like to test these guys wearing blindfolds…
I really think it depends on the environment you grow up in and personality you have. Nothing to do with being Asian. These people who say we all sound like we’re giving a TED talk means they just got to meet more Asians or based on stereotypes fr lol
The comedian, Henry Cho, has the best Asian American accent! My country accent is not as thick as his.
Cause he Korean beautiful, now was basically talking about American Chinese accent lol, that type of Irvine gayish accent
Maybe the East Asian dudes sound like that but the South-East Asians in Sac, Stockton and the Bay do not sound like that 😂
Ya yall sound more ghetto lol smh
I've heard Asians in the Bay sound like that 😂but it's the nerdy chinese ones.
its not the accent , it is the tonality and color of the voice. Black voice can be differentiated easily from white voices
They got taught to talk that way though..
Exactly, I can distinguish a black speaker regardless of country or language. This is because the components of the speech are slightly different in the vocal tract (pitch) and nasal cavity (resonance, timbre) and oral cavity. The same is true for other racial groups. This does not mean that these characteristics are exclusive to a racial, but that they are more prominent in specific racial groups. Hence why there is a distinct sound to Asian voices.
@@Drownedinblood na genetics is the Main determinant of the variations in different races
@@nihant8322 So how you explain the Black people who don't talk like they are from the hood?
@@Obscurai Ok David Duke.
it's just a west coast upper middle class accent
It’s not west coast man. I grew up around Asians in the Midwest and they all have the same Asian American accent. Some it’s stronger , others are lighter. But it’s exactly the same as being able to tell when a black person is speaking .
I just think it is who you hang around
You are the sum of your experiences ... and environment. I can buy the idea of media influence on AA's, I'm in Montreal and Paris so in the former case, I can figure out who was born/raised in Quebec from the way they speak French. Another interesting data point: a lot of children of immigrants mostly do English language TV and radio (English Canadian or US, you can get Vermont stations on cable and sometimes over the air, and Vermont Public Radio bills itself as Montreal's NPR!) and many speak very good or even perfect English! A good friend in Portland, Oregon (South Asian but Canada born) from Montreal blew me away that he didn't go to McGill but to U de Montreal - after schooling in the French system!
If we're talking about an ABC or really any Asian born in America, I think there is an accent. To me, it's based around tone and inflection. It tends to be heavier depending on how bilingual they are. My cousins who are very fluent in Cantonese have a noticeable accent compared to me, who can't really speak it but understand some of the language. I think social media plays a big part as well. A lot of people change the speed and pitch of their voice when posting. I would equate it to hitting a predetermined pose for photos, it's almost a reflex.
Asian languages are vastly different. Even with Chinese…Mandarin and Cantonese sound very different to me. There is no way that there could be “Asian” American accent. These examples sound more regional than anything. The only time I heard something that could be an Asian American accent is in LA K-Town. They could be 2nd, 3rd, etc generations in and still talk like Korean fobs with good grammar.
The thing that I don't like when people talk about "accents" is that people seem to think that having an accent is a bad thing. We all have an accent. The giveaway of someone knowing absolutely nothing about linguistics is when someone says "I don't have an accent". Also I want to say that the way the accent comes across to us is also somewhat a reflection of what we think of Asian Americans. Those who like Asian people generally will probably describe it positively. Those who see Asian-Americans as "strange" "other" "weak" "too perfect" will probably automatically associate it. People will hear what their brain wants them to hear.
Probably residual effects of hearing our parents or older family members talk then learning and picking up little things here and there.
depends on where you grow up. also it would stand out if you live in an area with mostly descendants of asia. for example: chinese who do not speak american english mostly tend to be more breathy when then do speak in american english.
I never knew monotone voice recipe attempter guy was Asian but algorithmicly it makes sense cause youtube started giving me that content after i started watching other Asian youtubers food shorts
They definitely have one. One very distinctive aspect of it is that they pronounce every single "t" very crisply, including the ones that most other native English speakers leave silent. The impression I get is that Asian Americans typically speak English the way a perfectionist would speak it if they'd learned it from a book. It's very clean and lacking in any localized cultural identifiers, besides sometimes having a California tone.
Also, this applies mainly to Chinese and Koreans. I've noticed that Japanese, Vietnamese, Filipinos, and others are much more likely to speak English exactly like a White person.
Yes, I agree! Not all of us, but a big chunk, definitely. 😉 A journalist friend of mine described it as the same/similar to the type of accent they want in news anchors or broadcasters. I think sometimes it is referred to as a Transatlantic or Mid-Atlantic accent (but ironically, it kind of refers to the lack of a specific regional dialect or accent).
@@mautre Definitely not Mid-Atlantic! That's the accent you hear in old movies. Maybe Transatlantic, but I've never heard of that.
@@GreaterSinistral Ah, ok, cool, thx for letting me know! We (my friend and I) had originally been talking about it in a conversation about Asian & Asian Americans (spec. Koreans & Chinese) on international news programs, etc., so maybe I misunderstood what they were trying to say... I'll have to read up on it more! 😉👍
@@mautre Ask a few Chinese Americans and Korean Americans to say "The bright little button" and compare to how everyone else says it.
@@GreaterSinistral Haha! OK, I'll def. try that! I'm KoreAm and used to teach English (years ago, not anymore) to mostly Asian-American kids, so I'm so curious about that! Thx! 🤗
I agree because growing up, I went to schools that had up to 5 Asian people in them, so I never got to spend a lot of time with Asian American people outside of Church. It wasn’t until I went to college that I could spend a lot of time with Asian Americans. I noticed that my accent changed after a few months of spending time with Asian Americans. So now I’m conscious of my accent and it’s cool being able to switch between them.
I think the way Andrew and David talk as Asian guys sounds “normal” American. Like if I was talking on the phone to Andrew I would think he’s just a white guy. David’s voice is a little more cultured though. David kinda sounds like a smart black guy (who could also pass for a white guy) but with clean English but his English also sounds casual and not over done like some other Asian Americans might sound lol
other than that though I do notice I can tell if I’m talking to an Asian American. The super proper perfect English is a dead give away. And also some words they pronounce just sound different when compared to regular white American accents
Andrew & David are from Washington State and there isn't much of a regional accent compared to the rest of the US. David however puts on a more urban slangy tone compared to Andrew. I do notice in the word "year" some Asians will say it as "ear".
They really do..lmao.
They have an Asian blaccent
The asian accents they’re describing are definitely Asians from a white neighborhood. Definitely East Asians too. Cus the Cambodians and Filipinos I know don’t sound like this.
The video literally has a Filipino & a Filipina who sound like this. Other famous Filipinos who sound like this are Gilbert & Khalyla from TigerBelly, Ryan/Dominic from Quest Crew, and NBA coach Erik Spoelstra. It was actually shocking for me to move to the bay area and hear all these Filipinos mimicking black people & claiming to be Pacific Islander (which are ppl's whose origins are Polynesia, Micronesia, and Melanesia (i.e. nowhere near the Philipines).
@@RonBintscatsco-fy2bcwho’s Filipino in this video that sound straight up white? Seems like u just moved to the US if you think some of the ppl u mentioned sound like a straight up white guy. Cus that’s basically the Asian accent the black guy in the video was describing. And I’m not necessarily talking about an urban sounding accent but there’s a “filipinoness” about it. You would know this sound if ur from a predominant Filipino neighborhood. I definitely hear the “Filipinoness” in Khalyla and Ryan’s voice. Even my Cambodian homies got a distinct accent but it’s not a button up white guy sound.
Lol we do, it's just inflection related - there's alot more to language than consonants and vowels. I'm a musician so will talk about speech in those terms - you have unique timbre which could be genetic/vocal cords, you have speed / rhythm, you have pitch, finally you have vocabulary and grammar (small nuances). The latter could be picked up from parents and/or shared inflections from your parent's language. The true comparison experiment would have to be done with Asians that were adopted into white/hispanic/black families and communities
That’s true. It seems the genetic component might be most important, though.
Speaking of music, what famous Asìan American singers are out there, really... ever? It doesn’t seem that the natural voice itself lends itself to creating strong singers. It seems to be much more than the environment a person is raised in (imo)
@@noble604 Simu Liu?
@@noble604 What are you talking about??? There are TONS of successful Asian-American singers!!! Here are just a few Korean-Americans (since that's what I'm most familiar with) off the top of my head, but I know there are loads more...
Jessi, Flowsik, Jay Park, Eric Nam, Yoon Mirae, Tiger JK, Tiffany (SNSD), Joshua Hong & Vernon (SVT), Johnny Suh (NCT), Belle & Julie (KIOF), Ailee, AleXa, BM (Kard), Brian Joo, JoonHyung (g.o.d), pH1
@noble604 What are you talking about??? There are TONS of successful Asian-American singers!!! Here are just a few Korean-Americans (since that's what I'm most familiar with) off the top of my head, but I know there are loads more...
Jessi, Flowsik, Jay Park, Eric Nam, Yoon Mirae, Tiger JK, Tiffany (SNSD), Joshua Hong & Vernon (SVT), Johnny Suh (NCT), Belle & Julie (KIOF), Ailee, AleXa, BM (Kard), Tablo, Brian Joo, JoonHyung (g.o.d), pH1
If anything, I think some of them are even stronger/have wider range, than their solely Asian or American counterparts.
I’ve noticed the accent, it’s subtle but apparent. I think it develops as a result of being in social circles rather than carryover from their native languages, because the native languages are so different (Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Japanese), yet the accent is the same. I don’t know if that’s factual, but it’s just my observation 🤷🏾♀️✨ I know a white guy who grew up and hung out with mostly Asians, and he has this accent too.
It would be very strange if Asian Americans did not have a unique accent. Everyone does!
Bingo! Be Proud! Be who you are. Stop copying other people’s accents. They got theirs.
They said we sound gay..lmao.
@@luckarl you dont seem to understand.. parents no speaky english. had to learn from enviroment. so enviroment is accent. That is not copying.. You're confusing accents from overseas asians learning english. thats a whole different thing like nigerians learning english.
That is very true indeed, and it shouldn’t be anything to be ashamed of. Not that easy to identify for me though
@@DreamRealityMix bro. What we’re u saying at the end there?😅
I think we DO have the accents but not just like “Asian English” accent, but there are infinite variations in Asian. It could just be the shape of our nose or lips, and it gives the sound.
Jimmy, you are 100% right .
Chinese Americans have accents, Mexican Americans have accents, Afro Americans have accents.
Not all of them do, but alot of them do especially if english is their second language. Or they grew up around others with the same kind of accent.
Was not expecting that clip of Joshua nor vernon here lolol I love their voices! 🕊️🤍🤍✨
Bahaha same
Me, too!!! 💎💗💎
When the black dude said "I know exactly what he means" I was expecting him to say "it's the same with black people" lol cuz they are easy to recognize by voice, its NOT the accent, its the timbre/tone of voice. I can still hear it regardless of accent, American or British accent. For example when the TV is on but i'm not watching, i can hear it and i'm usually right.
This only applies to East Asians. As a Cambo, I don’t run into this.
It’s not really an accent. It’s the annunciations of words.
thats an accent….
Enunciation*
I noticed it from listening to Asians speaking English: it is high pitched, a little soft (gay) sounds like about right. It is something just little off. They also have like a very b*tchy way of talking sometimes, like they need to correct you.
Does andrew speak with high pitch accent? Does the other guy sound like he's rapping like black?
It’s more about voice color, not accent. Genetics basically shape the way our vocal cords are, which affects the way our voices sound. It’s not about the way we enunciate things because we pronounce vowels and stuff basically the same, but the color is different. Like if you hear a violin a flute or a trumpet, you can tell. They play the same note, but the color is different.
my black friend is mistaken for white on the phone. His name is Joseph, too. lol
when he started on the job, everyone was surprised when he came in on the first day.
I have a little nephew who grew up with his mom Filipino and his dad Mexican. And initially had a hybrid accent because of his parents but after watching alot of tv, cartoons, and movies, and starting school he now sounds like a cartoon character 😂 almost like a mix of Charlie Brown and Diego from Dora. It turns out he loves watching both shows. Lol
I think there's TWO Asian-American accents.
The "general" AA accent, and that more... "feminine" one. Both are subtle...
To me, you guys dont sound like ABC, but the two examples provided? Yes! LOL
Just saying David and Andrew have extremely distinct Asian American accents. It’s a mixture of nasal enunciation with light aave, choose of vocab and not fully pronunciating words
SEA Working Class from Houston. Asians here don't sound "black" but they do sound more working class than an Asian from Cali. There's zero uptalk here.
Asian accent is quite noticeable for first generation Asians that were born in the United states. It is true that most first generation from other countries have accents.
This isn't always true. Sure there are the stereotypical "Asian accents", but Asians born and raised in Western countries like the US can sound just like any other American. I have yet to meet anyone who knew I'm Asian according to my voice alone. In fact, people always assumed I'm White if they've only heard my voice.
I doubt it. Many of my friends were adopted as a baby by white family but they still have a special tone that you can distinguish as Asian. NOTHING WRONG WITH IT. YOU ALL are different skin tone and black hair and brown eyes…why do you want to be white or black. Be proud! This is the problem with Asian-Americans; just want to fit in instead of branding your own.
@@luckarl just like how you can distinguish Black people. And lets not forget with the White voice, high pitch people.
I think even if they are born in the a Western country, they sound different. It is soft and very mannered.....sounds a little gay and bi*tchy
Most asian guys i knew were the whitest guys in school but there was always the random one talking like Eminem that was funny
Maybe cuz you are asian you don't hear yourself but when others who not used to your accent hear it they will be able to tell youe ethnicity just from your accent
I love the Asian American accent. It is very subtle and very polished. It’s not a negative for me, as it give a particular identifier though Asian American community is not a monolith.
I can tell if a person speaking is an Asian-American male 80% of the time just by their voice alone. I think the reason is because there are some english words that cause you to speak with the intonation of your mother tongue that non asian language speaking people don't have, whether you are fluent in that language or not.
yea we do
I've notice some Korean Americans have a accent but it doesn't sound like any South Koreans.
I assume that it's just that Korean Americans mostly hangout with other Korean Americans so their speech is only influenced by each other.
That also applies to anyone who only hangout with there own people or similar cultures
As a Filipino American, I def. don't have this accent. lol
let me guess you sound black?
you think you don't lol! y'all have that tagalogish clip going on . i live around Pinoys even second gen have a little something in their voice . i just KNOW
@ you on the east cost or west coast? Lol
these guys are doing a lot for young asian guys, having good discussions about identity and all that
20:20 calling him out to be honest 😂
Some people in the comments do not get that it's not just about the accent per se but how the vocal cords or the hardware built in your body according to your race. One can be born and raised only speaking English but is born from East Asian parents, but one can still have that voice that is much like how native Asian would sound if he has the same accent and enunciation as the native English speaker. If you search for videos for white people born and raised in China or Japan speaking Mandarin or Nihongo, you can still tell from their voice that they're not Asian even if they speak the language fluently.
An insight here from an Italian American from Pittsburgh. We often get stereotyped in media for all speaking the same way, With a NYC-Jersey accent when in reality, we speak with all kinds of American Accents. Nobody I knew growing up sounded like the Sopranos, the spoke like everyone else from Pittsburgh.
I even recall recently watching a Netflix film that took place in West Virginia with Italian Americans, and they gave them NYC accents.
I see a similar thing happening with Asians and Gay People where they are both attached to A California Accent due do being heavily represented in media with such accents, while in reality Asians and Gay people have all kinds of American English Accents.
Everyone of all colors have accents. I know a white guy who sounds Asian on the phone 😂
exactly, im not surprised by that, even white people from different areas of America have different accents..
He must've grown up in a highly Asian populated community then... Like in Asia. Born & raised
@@ahhwe-any7434
More like Canada 🤣
What everyone is talking is for sure a stereotype. The environment influences one’s accent. Where you were born, the people you grow up with, the culture you adopt, and the physiological makeup that you’re born with. Sadly, a stereotype is a perception and perception is reality for a lot of people.
How we speak is a product of our upbringing and environment. Part of it is also subject to personal manipulation. We can modulate how we sound to some extent depending on who we're speaking to or to fit in within a particular context. For instance, we might speak to our friends differently compared to how we speak to our parents or our teachers. In terms of vocal pitch, it's true that Asians on average tend to have higher-pitched voices, largely due to their smaller frames. Black men are known to have more baritone voices because of higher testosterone. Having a deep voice is intimately tied to being perceived as hypermasculine.
As an Asian American, I think it is definitely influenced by their parents and what languages they speak. I would say that my Asian American friends who had Vietnamese or Chinese-speaking parents didn't have too much of an American twang to their voices. It was usually either soft-spoken or too nasally. Some of my friends also ignored grammar patterns like "s" sounds or plurals, but usually, their fluency in English wasn't as good as mine despite being born in America. They probably just didn't immerse themselves in American culture and media as much as I did. Although I had Cambodian-speaking parents, I put more effort into immersing myself in American culture and made the effort to mimic American characters and force myself to improve my vernacular. I still don't think I can speak perfect standard American English or even AAVE probably because I still spoke a different language with my parents at home, so my "Asian" voice might slip out sometimes. I have to concentrate a little harder to sound standard, and probably I have to watch a lot of media in English and avoid watching stuff in other languages to keep it consistently standard. In conclusion, I think the more time Asian Americans spend with their families vs their friends, the more they end up sounding like their family members, and if you happen to be 2nd/3rd/4th generation Asian American, you probably don't have this Asian-sounding voice. For most 1st-generation Asian Americans like me, it's kind of a natural sound unless you put a lot of effort into avoiding speaking your parents' mother tongue, hanging out more with standard American English-speaking folks, and focusing a great deal on your vernacular.
Final consonants. It’s a challenge for a lot of esl speakers, and Asian Americans often grow up around esl speakers in the form of family members, neighbors, or friends if they live close to their ethnic enclave.
Im southeast asian american born and raised in florida and people tell me i sound like a kid or a high pitched "valley girl" with a bit of a southern accent on the phone and then when people meet me in person after talking on the phone they say i sound different that my tone is deeper and not high pitched like it is on the phone lmao. My sister calls it "my phone voice" lol
I’ve lived in Texas and Massachusetts. People say I don’t have an accent but maybe I’m good at code switching
Not an accent but all races have a distinct common sound to their speech. But obviously not all folks within that certain race will have that same sound.
Children also subconsciously pick up accents from non native English speaking parents who prefer to talk to them in accented English.
In my opinion/experience as a multi-regional trilangual (English, Spanish, Sea Island Creole) African American, from the south east (1500/1600s), Asian Americans who grew up in or have remained in predominantly Asain or White communtities and are 1st/2nd gen Americans tend to have a destinct pronunciations of particular words and or speech patterns. Specifically with words that start with the letters h and w and are followed by a short vowel sound (o & u). I've heard this in the pronounciation of words like hot, hut, or house. The way my ears process it, it almost sounds like there is a slight change in tone and a slight elongation of said short vowel sounds. Also sometimes pronunciation of wh words similar to that episode of family guy when Stewie pronounces "cool whip", with an elongation of the wh in cool whip.
I cannot think of a specific Asian American example at the moment, but there have been times I've noticed pronunciations of various propernouns or expressions with Native American, African, and or Scotch/Irish roots, that are distinctively pronounced amongst groups from early American colonies but less common amongst 1st and 2nd generation Asian Americans. I dont have the full language to describe it, but some Asian America's varied pronounciation can sometimes hear what I would describe a more destinctively Asian way of prononuncing the words. Similarly to a 1st/2nd gen latino or Chicano who has remained withing largley Latino communities for generations have distinct pronounciation of particular vowles, use of tone, and speech patterns. I would maybe attribute this to what I describe for myself as a "factory default langage setting" when I approach an unknown word to me in my southern/creolized tones and sometimes spanish, because Im used to hearing unfamiliar words in either of those languages so its like my brain somehow tells me to approach with those tones and accents. For instance, I might come across a French word from Lousiana and pronounce it in a more spanish accent if that makes since.
I'm Japanese/Chinese from Hawaii
We don't sound anything like that.
Think this is just another case of
Other races trying to stereo type us. I heard some black people speak the same way to.
Think it more depends on where you live and what aera you live in.
I was raised in the projects.
And on top of that Hawaii just speaks differently.
There are no projects in Hawaii.
Palolo valley is suburban
As an Asian American I used to have an African American neighbor who was very tall and buff. He used to do voice over work for commercials. I used to always tell him that I wish that I had a deep voice like him. It would make women melt. 😂
Even Fung Bros have accents! LMAO. Because they're multilingual. Great topic!
Think it’s also the voice.the voice doesn’t have a thickness or bass to it? It’s hard to explain but I can see why you can kinda guess if it’s an American asian
it's funny and debatable, for me personally, I can tell some Asian Americans have some kind of accent without looking at their face, the voice tone and the way they talk are somehow different than whites(I mean the Asian born and raised in the USA), not sure if that is really accent or not, while some Asian Americans sound totally like whites, and my family can Always tell who is Asian speaker or not by listening to them talk without looking the face. But some white American friends, always say Asian Americans do not sound any different( even the ones who I can easily tell that sound different than whites)
I notice that aswell asian american who are native speakers born in America do sound like gay white american men who are mid class and while aisan girls do have slower high pitched voices.
I used to work in a call center. I'm Asian, and the client thought I sounded like Norwegian. 😂
I didnt tell her I'm Asian. 😂
Same Cantonese American and people usually assume I'm a white guy over the phone. 😅
Also Asian, I worked at a call center, was asked if I was Canadian, British, or from Switzerland...I don't understand why ppl thought I sounded European.
Same same
Norwegian is more tonal compared to other european languages
its callled code switbhing the black community already made a movie about it
You already know
It's probably genetic, like the structure of the vocal chords, beside the accent, it also has a tone to it or a frequency to it just like Blacks have a specific tone regardless of accent, and East Asians regardless of origin/mother language share the same sound or tone, same applies to South Asians or West Asians, although to be honest, West Asians and Whites have very similar tones. Neoteny might also play a part here, something that is prevalent with East Asian.
Can you tell if someone also speaks a language besides english? yes.
But no, Asian Americans as a whole do not have a similar distinct accent. It doesn't even make sense because there are so many different languages.
But, when he gave those two examples...wow. But were those two guys from the same ethnic group?
Here's a question. If you are trying really hard to assimilate, and want to try to hide any hint of your ethnic language, will you speak english in a certain way?
& Chinese people have a higher pitch? That doesn't make sense. When I listen to chinese, a lot of them have ridiculously deep voices. Same with Japanese
god forbid people use tones when they speak without being called gay lol
I think it depends on the person. I think personality and influences in music and the environment play a huge role in accents. Also, how fluent or not with their native language will have an effect.
Bros, I was born in the USA and only know how to speak English. Once in a rare, rare while, even I have somewhat of a slight Filipino accent when I speak. I am 46 years old and I've never been able to shake it off completely. It's both fascinating and fucking weird at the same time.
Did your parents/guardians speak Filipino?
curious why you were not taught to speak in Filipino
@@sjacks3281 My parents did speak Tagalog, but they only ever spoke English to me and with noticeable accents. Both sets of grandparents also spoke fluent English, but with even thicker accents.
Now I'm reminded of my Chinese friends and how their Cantonese is pretty trash (can somewhat understand, but cannot speak), and they also speak only English, but with Cantonese accents. My speaking voice can pass for homegrown M'URICAN most of the time, but these guys? Never.
Why can't any of us ever be 100% free of the accents? LOL.
@@poofum They told me that they wanted me to "be American". I've never needed to speak Tagalog anyway. I don't know the language, I don't know the culture. I eat the food though, because it's bomb. 💣💣
@@CaptainStupendous sucks that your parents didn't teach you about the culture . coz with your comment, i feel there you're trying to identify and acknowledge parts of your being that is Filipino --its in your blood and can never deny it.
It’s got to be both social environment + physical because the kids that graduate Stuyvesant & Bronx Science schools (to those that are familiar with NYC) sound exactly identical to the kids who graduate from Hong Kong’s international/private schools when speaking English. Maybe it’s more a function of education and not socio-economic class as many kids that attend NYC’s elite public schools come from families below the poverty line.
8:44 this analogy was spot on haha
I’m 2nd and 3rd generation, so I’m not sure if I have it. Plus, these people might be referencing certain specific East Asians. There’s definitely something there, but it’s not 100% applicable to all individuals. It really depends on generation, socialization, location and maybe genetics. Plus, all Hispanics speak Spanish and African Americans all speak English. That’s more homogeneous than Asian Americans that have different languages and dialects.
Living in Hawaii its hard to relate to many of these videos. Most likely because there are mainly asians and polys here.
Still interesting videos
I can tell Asian Americans by their voice even they are native speakers when they speak English it sounds different than white Americans and other races
Ive been on the phone so much with people i can tell every race. White, asian, black, hispanic, indian.
Asian Americans are scattered, so they don't have large cultural bases like other minorities do. AA's seem to latch onto whatever dominant culture they grew up with, whether that be rap music or news reporters.
I definitely agree that Asian Americans have a very monotone accent! They sound like they all are giving a Ted Talk 😂White, Black, and Latin Americans definitely have more inflection in their tone.
Least testosterone. Błack Amerìcans have the highest amount of testerone... both men and women. It adds texture, depth and richness. You hear that testosterone in voice tone.)
@@noble604 have you listen to seiyuu or Japanese or Korean singers? They have deep voice.
What you are saying is Black voice is real.
@@noble604that’s actually not true about Asians having lowest testosterone at all. just looked it up because so I was really curious too lol. Apparently it’s a myth that was created from a history in the USA of trying to emasculate Asians.
@@noble604 get out here with your eugenics pseudo science, simultenously attempting to assert racial superiority over others.
zingai - łook it up regarding levels among groups. Testosterone causing voices to deepen is basic to puberty. Asians have the least amount of testosterone/ Błack people have the highest amount - among both men and women- and both men and women have deeper voices than other racìal groups. Estrogen and testosterone levels wane in age and our voices, among other things, are affected. It’s basic.
Different kinds of asian americans have different accents though
You're not going to hear a southeast Asian American decent man sound like a "white gay man"
I think regional and ethnical differences in accents will gradually diminish as a result of social media
The Asian dude with curly hair and black hoodie looks like J Park from 2PM..lol
fung bros r awesome
North Jersey & Manhattan Koreans have it. It’s monotone, enunciated & soft in a friendly way.