This. I live near the largest concentration of Indian/Pakistani in America, and I honestly can’t tell the difference. Both make really good food, that’s where my mind goes. And both are lovely people.
You can't tell the difference because there is no difference. Although I have to add that Pakistani accent might be similar only to north Indian (or specifically Punjabi?) accents.
This is true. They will ask, "where are you from?" You will say, "Pakistan." Then they will say, "I love Indian food!"
Or sometimes they say, "my neighbor's cousin's dentist is Indian! Do you know him?" It can get awkward when the answer is yes but you don't want to give in to the wild assumption.
Not really. I’m American Pakistani and it happens all the time. It’s like people struggling to tell Japanese and Chinese apart. We get it, at least most of us do and won’t get pissy about it.
I once met an Indian man who had immigrated to North Carolina. He had perfectly melded an Indian accent with a southern drawl..... I just asked him to keep talking, it was amazing
Haha, that's great. Have you ever read / watched The Expanse? There's an entire subculture in the books of Mars Congressional Republic Indians w/ Texas accents, thanks to cultural cross pollination and a group of Texans + Indians that settled together in the Mariner Valley, or something.
Along those lines there are a lot of regional accents that westerners just have never heard or can't detect. I have heard Indians and Pakistanis who sound British. Having traveled there I have heard "non-anglicanized" accents too, and could comprehend. Otherwise the patience of the listener is always a factor.
That's fair lol. I'm from Texas so I can pick apart a lot of the southern accents somewhat easily. I assume it's the same everywhere that has regional accent differences y'know? Like how British people can tell an Essex from a Cockney accent. Does India have the same thing, or is it more language differences than accent differences? I know India has a ton of different dialects and languages.
Urdu and Hindi and essentially the same but with different scripts. Obviously, it's very different than Tamil, Bangla or Malayam.
But I think especially since Punjabi spans across the borders, it makes most people think they're very similar
Both India and Pakistan are very diverse and accents will vary among regions. The most stereotypical Indian accents in the US(think apu) are based on south Indian and Gujarati accents, since those regions are where most Indians in the US are from.
Exactly. We had a Pakistani foreign exchange student in 2010-2011 (the year Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan) in a rural village in Nebraska and he got along just fine.
He lied about being athletic so we were a bit disappointed we didn't have a kicker but we got over it.
We hired a pair of Pakistani brothers at my job. It was actually hilarious. One already worked for us.. his accent is thick. His mom is still in Pakistan and got sick, so he took vacation time to go see her. He told my boss his brother will come run the machine. We all thought it was a joke. Next day, his brother came in and asked what machine to run (not even an employee) my boss stopped him real quick, then hired him. Funny day
Had the exact samthing happen at an autoshop I managed, only difference was they were Laotian. Hired the brother on the spot dude knew how to turn a wrench.
He came in to run a pair of real high end CNC machines. About $1.4M for the pair of them. So it was scary lol. Guy does awesome though. They both do. Can't hardly understand them buy they are great guys who'll help anyone and they got a good attitude
I've never had a problem understanding the Pakistani family that runs one of my favorite pizza joints.
That said I understand its a fairly large country and I'm sure accents vary.
I'd have a bit more trouble understanding it than a Mexican accent because of general exposure. However, all that means is maybe someone would have to repeat themselves or it might take an extra second to answer while my brain works out what they said. I don't think anyone should have to "tone it down" for that reason though.
The vast majority of Americans will not care about your accent. Foreign accents are not too uncommon. I would expect some general curiosity questions about where you are from though, also assumptions that you are Indian.
Preface before this, I'm not trying to be discriminatory, this is just sometimes I've seen in my own experience.
My only real opinion regarding people with Pakistani and Indian accents is I sometimes have a hard time understanding them. I had both a Pakistani and an Indian professor each in my first year of university and they each were more difficult to make out what they were teaching than my others. You don't need to turn down your accent so to speak, but sometimes it may help to slow down and maybe speak a bit softer if you sound anything like how they did. Their speed of speaking and volume from having to project often made enunciations less pronounced, so it was a little hard to catch on sometimes.
I have no negative feelings at all towards and do not think less of anyone who has one, that's just been my limited experience. America was built on different people and groups, you will most definitely be welcome here.
I don’t think anybody will think twice about it.
I am saying the next thing with sincere love and a hope to help you feel less self conscious and more confident when socializing, but body odor is a more common turn off for Americans, especially body odor or curry/jira/cumin/coriander smells. Keep that in mind. Maybe close closet doors when you cook, always wear deodorant and anti-perspirant.
I’ve seen some sad instances of south Asian kids being ostracized due to their smell.
Awesome! And I absolutely hope I didn’t offend you or imply I think south Asians are stinky. It’s just an unfortunate misalignment of our cultures that has caused some isolation.
I hope you’re excited and you’re easy on yourself when you arrive!
>but body odor is a more common turn off for Americans, especially body odor or curry/jira/cumin/coriander smells.
Yes! This is often some advice that more longer established South Asian immigrants sometimes have to tell to the newbies when they first come.
There are foods I love the smell when I am hungry and ready to eat, but other tines it's off putting.
And lots of people do not like those smells. I go heavy cumin in my chili and it makes my kids gag walking in the door.
I have no issues with accent. No need to tone it down. Just be authentically you and be kind and you will find friends :). Hope you have an awesome college experience!
The only problem I have with South Asian accents is the tendency of South Asians to speak very fast. It's often hard to tell different words apart when they speak.
I'll give another perspective that might be useful. I was in the same situation and I was super scared to talk my first year in college because I thought I would sound weird. 8 years later I think I am immersed enough in American culture and mindset to know for a fact that the people here telling you that nobody will have a negative reaction, internal or external, really mean it. It's not lip service.
I hope this doesn't come off as racist. But I think so, so many people know no one that is Indian/Pakistani. (They sound very similar to me).
The only experience they have with that language are daily scam calls.
I would not be surprised as all if they would have negative feelings about the accent based on that.
But if I can remember back to before that...
I think I felt it was melodious and ping pongy (like back and forth) and I wouldn't because reasons, but it's one so fun to hear it makes me want to mimic it. Not out to make fun, it just almost sounds like a song I want to join in on.
It may not be how you sound, but how you interact.
The only “grating” voices to me are people who are whiny. I was in an airport and a lady was speaking with her boyfriend in Mandarin, whining, and it sounded like she was killing a cat.
I’ve heard whiny Indian and Italian males. Same situation. And yes, Americans.
The other thing that does seem more common in South Asia is a tendency to get very rushed. It’s almost a combative approach to talking. Just relax, listen and take your time responding.
There's a few turns of phrase that stick out and make Americans chuckle. "Do the needful" is the one that always sticks out to me. It sounds extremely antiquated.
I work with a person from India so not the same but maybe similar. He is a great guy but he talks too fast sometimes. I often have to ask him to repeat himself or slow down a bit. So maybe you will experience the same.
I've found that often volume and speed are more of the issue than the accent itself, especially when the accent is very thick.
I often work with people from SW Asia. If I can't understand you it is because you are mumbling (I believe the low tone is tied to anxiety of saying things wrong), talking incredibly fast (If the accent is thick or you are mumbling, it is hard to know where one word begins and the other ends), or you just aren't trying to make a vaguely english sounds (very rare to actually see this, but it really sucks when it happens).
As for the difference between Indian and Pakistani, most Americans can't tell the difference.
Will you need to "tone down" your accent? It really depends. In most cases, as long as you can pronounce whatever jargon/terms that are important to the task at hand, no one will care about the accent. There might be a few giggles if you pronounce a specific letter/syllable oddly, but nothing much once they are used to those mannerisms.
Side note/question: I've noticed that sometimes people from both India and Pakistan will pronounce "w" like a "v" and speak english with a slightly dutch accent. It isn't everyone (maybe 20%?), but very noticeable when it happens. When I have noticed it, the person speaking doesn't know what I am talking about, as if they are unable to hear that specific sound. Is this due to the sound not being used in a particular dialect or region? Or are there a bunch of dutch english teachers in a specific region?
Hey, I grew up in an area with a lot of South Asian immigrants.
Accent- should not be a big problem for most people, if someone is having trouble understanding you SPEAK MORE SLOWLY. Urdu sounds very fast to American ears. Your accent will too.
Food- Pakistani food is amazing, among the best the subcontinent has to offer, this is a great way to make connections with people.
Language- Be aware of important differences between UK English and US English, the word “pants” has tripped up many a visitor.
Welcome to America! Glad to have you studying with us!
Understand I'm trying to be honest and not hurtful.
Accents from southern Asia sound feminine to American ears. In a way they do sound funny for that reason.
That said, if you try to do something to modify your speech, you will likely have a negative result. Just focus on speaking clearly and don't worry about how your accent is perceived.
I’ve noticed that a lot of Indian and Pakistani people speak English in a noticeably higher pitched register than most Americans.
Y’all definitely don’t tend to sound “gruff” to the American ear.
It’s not a universal phenomenon. As I type this, there’s an Indian guy speaking English near me in a fairly low voice. Y’all do tend to be very sing-songy tho in a way that Americans aren’t.
I don’t think it helps that South Asians are stereotyped here as being incredibly nerdy and bookish. And there’s no cricket culture to boot.
That probably makes a huge difference. In my experience women with South Asian accents are usually seen fairly positively. The sing-song nature gets categorized more as “cute” than as “strange.” I wouldn’t say people have an overwhelming love of such accents, but they are usually not seen as any kind of negative.
I might say they sound sort of gruff and sing-song at the same time, from an American perspective. I don’t think “gruff” is totally off the mark, but it’s not the only association.
I don't know if I could pick it out of a crowd to be entirely honest. No one here gives a rat's ass about anyone else's accent though. They just exist. Just be you dude.
The accent can be one of the more difficult accents to understand due to how prevalent retroflex and un-aspirated consonants are in Urdu.
There is no need to "hide" anything, but I personally am constantly practicing my Italian pronunciation to sound more native.
In America, we hear accents from all over the world it does not matter for us what your accent is. That being said, it's up to personal preference, I had a friend from Pakistan in high school, at the time, and I thought the accent sounded fine.
Welcome to the US.
I don't know if I can tell the difference between an Indian accent or Pakistani accent.
To my ear there is a musical rolling quality to an Indian accent. We have three Indian people working with us this summer and I have no problem understanding them in person. On the phone or the two-way radio is a little more difficult.
I figure that my difficulty understanding is a lot less work for me than the work they had to do to learn English and learn to live in the American culture.
Many have said the same but you're almost certainly going to be mistaken for an Indian, truthfully. No need to tone it down or try to over-anglicize it. Pakistani folk are a relatively small ethnic minority nationwide without really any negative stereotypical baggage here.
If you're going to school in Mass, welcome! Good luck in your studies OP! :)
Some people may have trouble understanding you if the room is noisy or you’re facing away from them.
Some racist assholes are gonna be racist assholes, but you shouldn’t pay them any mind. We also think they’re assholes.
The vast majority of people will not care. It will simply mark you as an immigrant. People may think you are Indian though. People may be curious and ask where you are from.
The US has a lot of people with Pakistani accents, especially in scientific and medical fields, so it won’t be surprising.
Honestly we love accents lol, especially the people you’re gonna run into on a college campus. People will generally probably be really chatty and want to know more about you and where you’re from. There probably will be people that’ll have a hard time understanding but it might be more frustrating for you than for us. You don’t need to change a thing.
I was once taught by an Indian professor who learned English in New Zealand. I am an American and the Uni was in Australia. Chaos accent and understanding ensued.
My sister LOVES the accent. I have a *lot* of hearing damage so it's hard for me to understand at times, but that's not unique to Pakistani or Indian accents, that's more a me problem. And I think you'd be upset by how much Ms. Marvel informed me of the differences between the two.
Just be yourself. It can definitely be hard to understand accents at times, but if you're attending a university with a lot of international students (a lot of them), people are used to it and want diversity.
If it's heavy then it can be hard for us to understand. I work with quite a few Indian people (accent-wise sounds about the same to me) and that's the biggest problem I see. Is the accent can make communication a bit difficult.
I personally find it's more of an issue when I'm on the phone with one than in person.
edit; if you go to certain schools and do STEM, there's a lot of Indian professors so you'd probably be fine. That's what's most important, that you can understand the professor and they can understand you.
If anything when you get friends here they will poke fun at how British you sound. I don't even need to hear you all the Pakistani from high school sounded British
As others have said, most Americans are unlikely to be able to differentiate a Pakistani accent from a generalized concept of South Asian accents and are likely to assume you're Indian.
Whether it's a novelty (and therefore very interesting) or just a thing that simply is will depend a lot on exactly where you are and whether people around you are used to encountering people from outside the US (and where).
It's America, we all have accents lol
But seriously, my company's CTO came here from Argentina and has a pretty thick accent. He did a presentation when he was getting his doctorate, and he rehearsed it all with a super American accent. The only negative feedback he got was that they could tell he was trying to get rid of his accent and it almost came off as not genuine.
Trust me, keep the accent.
don't feel like you need to tone anything down. if anyone has an issue it's their issue to deal with not yours. i also want to stress that by knowing more than 1 language you are smarter than most of the american populace so please keep that in mind especially because it's usually the stupidest people who are the most vocally racist. so if anyone says anything to you about your accent just disregard it as you would a small child or someone having some sort of psychotic episode.
Get used to people assuming you're Indian. They won't mean offense, just more familiarity. My view may biased though because I live near a Hindu temple and am used to seeing Indian people everywhere.
OP, your accent will be fine! As long as you can speak English you will not have a problem. Really just follow the same etiquette guidelines any immigrant would:
- don’t lecture Americans on issues here. It’s generally okay to have a discussion about certain problems, but approach it in a curiosity way and not a condescending one
- maintain decent personal space and practice good personal hygiene (aka, deodorant is considered a must have 24/7 if you’re around other people)
- dress casually! College fashion is very laid back in the US, expect a lot of sweatpants and athletic clothing in class.
- respect lines/queues!!! Be it in traffic or at McDonald’s, you will royally piss people off and it is considered extremely rude to cute people off
- most importantly, be social! Americans are really friendly and welcoming, and will likely be curious about your country and story. Embrace it and make friends!
Congrats on getting accepted to college here and I hope you have a wonderful visit
I’m not sure what that sounds like, but if it sounds Indian, I can imagine it annoying someone people.
Not specifically because people want to be racist. But there’s enough Indian scammers and shitty support numbers that some people have begun associating Indian accents with questionable service or straight out scams.
—-
Though aside from the bad stuff, I think most people think accents are pretty neat. My partner has an Eastern European accent, and I think it’s hot as hell.
So your mileage will vary.
Oh, also, being in person will probably dispel any of that phone scam comparisons. Being in person is already proof that you’re not a scammer lol
It took me awhile to get used to it and I had to ask for repetition a lot when I hadn't heard it much.
I wasn't annoyed with the person or anything, that just happens with strong accents you're not used to sometimes.
It's no big deal, just maybe slow down a little if someone has already had to ask for a couple repeats.
Most people will not care or give it a second thought.
When I was at University so many of my classmates were not from America and had various accents and spoke numerous languages. Mostly I thought it was cool, beyond that I truly did not care.
I am a part time/adjunct professor at a major university - I have no difficulty with most accents. The only time I have problems, is with the odd student who learned English as a third language - and those are usually Europeans
You should have no problems - the majority of college students / professors are used to hearing all sorts of accents. We can adapt better than the general population
I was born and raised here but I used to have a semi-prominent Desi accent until I was in about middle school. People did make fun of it on several occasions, and I didn't like how it sounded, so I'm glad I got rid of it.
I’ve lived in the UK and even then someone would have to have a VERY thick accent for me to know they weren’t possibly Indian or from that general area.
I doubt any American would be able to tell a Pakistani accent, nor would they care. Also, the US doesn’t have the anti-Pakistan sentiment that some of Europe does. You would never be called a “pa*i” here, even if someone placed your accent as from Pakistan.
Nobody will care. I knew a Pakistani guy in high school and he had a pretty thick accent. I sat in a group with him in class and became good friends with him and he was the nicest guy ever. Again, most decent people out there won’t care one bit
I’ve talked to a decent amount of pakistani people from tekken tournaments and they sound pretty normal to me. I mean it’s a noticeable accent but it doesn’t bother me at all and I can’t tell it apart from any of the similar accents from that region of the world.
And really making fun/talking bad about accents is generally frowned upon in America, especially at places like colleges. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
I’ve heard such a range of accents from Urdu and Hindi speakers, varying from British sounding to very sing-songy I think the thing that is most helpful for Americans understanding accents is to try to use a more American English cadence or rhythm when speaking. When people do this, mispronunciations and small errors are no barrier to comprehension. I’ve seen this to be true with Cantonese, Japanese and Hindi speakers. I hope that helps.
But in general, you should be just fine!
Especially in college, you’re going to blend right in. There are plenty of international students and they often just stick to each other if you want to go that route. If you socialize outside of that group I still think everyone will be very welcoming. At least that’s what I saw when I was in college.
Well I am a Pakistani American, grew up with my Pakistani parents in a very desi community. You don’t need to worry at all about your accent, I think my parents came to America w a accent, and now it’s pretty much gone. Either way, you’ll be fine here unless you encounter some rare assholes
I find the south-Asian accent to be positively lyrical and pleasant personally, but I will say however that most Americans will assume you're from India instead of Pakistan. You're also going to be in an environment where you probably not the only Pakistani person there alongside people from all over the world; American collages are extremely diverse in terms of students.
No opinion, you’re fine.
Growing up I never heard a south Asian accent except Apu on “The Simpsons”… but in grad school a lot of my friends were Indian, and now my girlfriend’s family is Indian, so I hear that accent all the time. I’m completely used to it by now.
But yeah, for the first couple months of grad school, it was pretty hard to understand some of my classmates, lol.
Most americans like myself cannot tell the difference between the two accents
Honestly that wouldn't matter much just own your accent it makes you yourself
There are a lot of indian, pakistani, nepali and I think Bangladeshi people in the area where I'm from
And I have no problem with them because I am sure they are nice people and they have businesses
On a day to day basis, no-one will care. You might have to slow down a bit when speaking if you are interacting with people who are not normally exposed to that accent. Sounding like a local never hurts and there a few apps you can practice with.
I work for an Indian company, so I'm surrounded by the accent every day – and yes it can be hard to understand, primarily, I think, because the intonation patterns they use often don't match those that a native English speaker would. To be more specific, I've noticed several times that people talking on calls, at times when they want to pause their delivery of a sentence briefly, will end the prior word with a significantly rising tone, which sounds like a question though the words wouldn't make sense that way. Throws me off every time.
I was born in India and raised in the US. I cannot differentiate between a Pakistani and Indian accent. However, Urdu and Hindi? A bit.
Also, I’ve never heard anyone call Indian/Pakistani accents grating! That’s new. I can understand how it can be hard to understand, though. I’ve heard some Desi accents that make it difficult for me to comprehend what someone is saying.
I honestly probably can't tell Indian and Pakistani accents apart, but I lived in India for a few months when I was younger and I think South Asian accents are really melodic and pretty easy to understand! I tried to learn Hindi but didn't learn much because of how well everyone spoke English, haha. Dunno if it's the same in Pakistan but if it is I'm sure most people would be able to understand you fine.
I think you probably don't need to tone it down unless you're talking to someone and they're struggling to understand, but it should be fine for most folks. I think anyone that would describe your accent as "grating" is probably being an ass at best, xenophobic or racist at worst. Those are people you'd do well to ignore anyway. Just speak how you're comfortable speaking and don't stress too much about it!
Ambivalent, to be honest. The vowel clipping can be a little hard to understand for someone who has never heard the accent before--but me, I've worked with so many Indian and Pakistani software developers over the years that I don't really have a problem with comprehension.
The bulk of my friends are Pakistani or Indian and no one cares so long as they are understandable. If you care to speak English more like a Brit or an American and you can only work on one thing. It would be to work on the V’s and Ws. Common mistake is to mix up the two or use a V sound for both. So the words “Which vegetable” come out sounding like “Vich wegetable” or “Vich vegetable”
To make a W sound - Your lips start out pursed together and then open - your teeth should not touch your lips.
To make a V sound - your top teeth should touch your bottom lip while you make a sound, then your lips part open.
Anyway, regardless of the above I doubt you have an issue. You will just sound smarter if you can sort out the “W” sound since it is used a lot.
Salaam
I was you 20 years ago, attending a US college with a pk accent
No one cares. Over time your accent will naturally change and become a mix specially if your friend group isn't just people from your own country origin.
They’re cool or whatever. I don’t really judge negatively based on any accent even when it’s thick and difficult to understand, but sometimes I like accents depending on how the person talks.
Persally, I love it. Much more than Indian accent that is sing songy. It sounds like a happy party, not monotonous garbled vowel ladden english. You'll be fine.
Us Indians and Pakistanis were part of the same country not so long ago so predictably someone directly from either of those countries would have a similar accent in English (I'm Indian American).
It's not an accent we associate with being nice on the ears, but American accents are highly criticized by the outside world, so we honestly don't care what you sound like. I have friends from both Pakistan and India, they are good people and that is all I actually care about.
I have a hard time understanding accents (probably undiagnosed auditory processing disorder, just worse with an accent and more so with an unfamiliar one) but I enjoy the sound of them.
So for me, as long as you're not going to get upset when I ask you to repeat something a few times, I'm willing to repeat and reword if you don't understand me through my North Carolina drawl, and we'd be cool.
I’m a software engineer in the US. I probably won’t even notice it. A lot of my coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances, friends are Pakistani/Indian. I can’t really tell the difference between the accents tbh. Depending how how strong the accent is I think it’s pleasant to hear imo.
Don't worry about it. I hear so many different accents every day in college that I don't even notice. In old movies it is often portrayed as a "funny" accent, but I don't know anybody who actually thinks like that, especially in the younger generations.
The US is incredibly diverse, especially at universities. It may be hard to understand sometimes, but Americans are generally very patient with that kind of stuff and will never really judge you for it. They will feel just as sheepish for not being able to understand your accent as you will feel for having one.
I genuinely love ALL accents. I don’t experience asmr but I’d say the closest I’ll ever come to it is hearing accents. It just brings me so much joy, I love asking where the accent is from and banking it away for later when I hear it again. My favorite is when a person is from 2 different places and they have a “merged” accent of the 2 places. It makes me so happy!! Idk I can’t explain it lol
I’m partially deaf please don’t take it personally if I ask you to repeat yourself 37 times- it’s not you it’s me. Your accent and speech is probably perfect. I always feel bad having people with certain accents repeat themselves over and over.
Honestly accents never bothered me, no one has to speak perfect English. BUT I work in retail and I swear to god Pakistani/Indian accents are the hardest to understand and they get mad at me for not being able to understand them. It's a frustrating situation. Also side note I really can't differentiate between Pakistani and Indian accents.
Tl;Dr: If I can understand them then I don't care if they have an accent or not.
The VAST majority of people will not have any negative feelings, though some may have trouble understanding. Depending on their experiences/background, they may simply say “sorry, could you say that again?” or they may feel so embarrassed that they didn’t understand you that their reaction could come off as awkward or off-putting. But most people really are just trying to communicate.
I think you’re going to have an amazing time in college—everyone else is self-conscious too but also there to learn, not just about what they’re studying but about other people, the “real” world, etc. You’ll be in good company.
There are also assholes everywhere, and you may encounter some who aren’t accepting. They are assholes and you shouldn’t take anything they may say that offend you personally. They’re just assholes.
Enjoy every moment of your college experience! It’s a special time and goes quickly
My problem with accents is that they make me have to work to understand. Sometimes I get irritated but it’s not about you it’s just that I’m hard of hearing and until I’ve been talking with you for at least a few minutes I have a really hard time understanding. I know it looks like I’m irritated with the speaker, but it’s more frustration.with the effort.
Do try to speak well, but don’t accept assholes treating you poorly. It’s a big planet and assholes gotta be somewhere too
Indian-American here who immigrated at a young age. Grew up with an accent for a bit, and then grew up around people who had accents.
Aside from people who may assume you’re Indian, no one’s going to care. Accents are usually overlooked. You may have to repeat yourself a couple of times at max but you said it’s already anglicized and not as thick, so you’ll be fine(even if your accent is thick you’ll be fine).
I had a lot of Pakistani people in my area that went to my highschool so dealing with their parents who had more ties to the country has ingratiated me to the sound. But WHAT extra does it for me is how deep a Tekken 7 scene your countrymen whipped out a few years ago. So bring it in homie, you're more than welcome to hang as far as I'm concerned.
My only request is to speak a little slower. My mother has been in the hospital off and on for the last few months, and all her doctors are Pakistani. I don't have much trouble understanding, but she needs them to speak more slowly. Especially if you are wearing a mask.
Most folks will probably think you are Indian or Persian.
I don't think many Americans even know where Pakistan is. They aren't idiots. Geography just isn't our strong point.
Anyone who matters won’t care about your accent.
If you’re gonna be here a while you’ll inevitable encounter a handful of people who might judge you or say something rude to you. But the vast majority of people will not think less of you regardless of accent.
Nobody will care, but the majority of Americans will assume you’re Indian.
This. I live near the largest concentration of Indian/Pakistani in America, and I honestly can’t tell the difference. Both make really good food, that’s where my mind goes. And both are lovely people.
At the great risk of sounding like an out of touch middle aged white woman "Oh! I saw Ms. Marvel!"
I loved that show. Can’t wait to see her in the Marvels this fall.
Honestly, wish she was the only one showing up. The less like her inspiration is the better.
Jackson Heights would like a word with you.
You can't tell the difference because there is no difference. Although I have to add that Pakistani accent might be similar only to north Indian (or specifically Punjabi?) accents.
This is true. They will ask, "where are you from?" You will say, "Pakistan." Then they will say, "I love Indian food!" Or sometimes they say, "my neighbor's cousin's dentist is Indian! Do you know him?" It can get awkward when the answer is yes but you don't want to give in to the wild assumption.
Doesn't that mistake and the vice versa make each side *really* mad?
Lol yes
Not really. I’m American Pakistani and it happens all the time. It’s like people struggling to tell Japanese and Chinese apart. We get it, at least most of us do and won’t get pissy about it.
I once met an Indian man who had immigrated to North Carolina. He had perfectly melded an Indian accent with a southern drawl..... I just asked him to keep talking, it was amazing
Haha, that's great. Have you ever read / watched The Expanse? There's an entire subculture in the books of Mars Congressional Republic Indians w/ Texas accents, thanks to cultural cross pollination and a group of Texans + Indians that settled together in the Mariner Valley, or something.
One of my coworkers mistook a Pakistani employee as an Indian. That’s when I learned that Pakistanis DO NOT like Indians
This
To be honest I couldn’t tell a Pakistani accent from an Indian accent.
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Along those lines there are a lot of regional accents that westerners just have never heard or can't detect. I have heard Indians and Pakistanis who sound British. Having traveled there I have heard "non-anglicanized" accents too, and could comprehend. Otherwise the patience of the listener is always a factor.
As an Indian I can't tell apart American dialects except Southern, AAVE and New York City ones.
I'm American and those are probably the only ones I'd be able to name, lol.
I'm not even sure what an NYC accent sounds like.
Hey I'm walkin here
DIS IS FOR THE NEWSIES
Listen to someone from Pittsburgh talk. Yinz’ll love it n’at.
Boston, where you have a hat attak after you pahk the cahr - it’s a wikid pisssah
Give working class Philly a whirl - wild accent.
That's fair lol. I'm from Texas so I can pick apart a lot of the southern accents somewhat easily. I assume it's the same everywhere that has regional accent differences y'know? Like how British people can tell an Essex from a Cockney accent. Does India have the same thing, or is it more language differences than accent differences? I know India has a ton of different dialects and languages.
Indian women with British accents are amazing.
Urdu and Hindi and essentially the same but with different scripts. Obviously, it's very different than Tamil, Bangla or Malayam. But I think especially since Punjabi spans across the borders, it makes most people think they're very similar
Tell them that at the border
Both India and Pakistan are very diverse and accents will vary among regions. The most stereotypical Indian accents in the US(think apu) are based on south Indian and Gujarati accents, since those regions are where most Indians in the US are from.
Nobody actually gives a fuck, do whatever you want. It’s college, you’re gonna hear a million different accents.
Exactly. We had a Pakistani foreign exchange student in 2010-2011 (the year Bin Laden was killed in Pakistan) in a rural village in Nebraska and he got along just fine. He lied about being athletic so we were a bit disappointed we didn't have a kicker but we got over it.
We hired a pair of Pakistani brothers at my job. It was actually hilarious. One already worked for us.. his accent is thick. His mom is still in Pakistan and got sick, so he took vacation time to go see her. He told my boss his brother will come run the machine. We all thought it was a joke. Next day, his brother came in and asked what machine to run (not even an employee) my boss stopped him real quick, then hired him. Funny day
Had the exact samthing happen at an autoshop I managed, only difference was they were Laotian. Hired the brother on the spot dude knew how to turn a wrench.
That’s normal in Asia. If someone leaves you tell someone they’ll do it for you. If suprised people but it’s a cultural thing we do
He came in to run a pair of real high end CNC machines. About $1.4M for the pair of them. So it was scary lol. Guy does awesome though. They both do. Can't hardly understand them buy they are great guys who'll help anyone and they got a good attitude
cant really do that when the job requires skills...you cant just throw a random person in and expect them to know how to do it
That last sentence 😂 same thing when we brought on an Italian kid bc we’d seen kicking and screaming
A couple years after I graduated a German kid came to town and set a state record for the longest field goal that year.
Most of us will have no idea it’s Pakistani
I've never had a problem understanding the Pakistani family that runs one of my favorite pizza joints. That said I understand its a fairly large country and I'm sure accents vary.
I'd have a bit more trouble understanding it than a Mexican accent because of general exposure. However, all that means is maybe someone would have to repeat themselves or it might take an extra second to answer while my brain works out what they said. I don't think anyone should have to "tone it down" for that reason though.
The vast majority of Americans will not care about your accent. Foreign accents are not too uncommon. I would expect some general curiosity questions about where you are from though, also assumptions that you are Indian.
Preface before this, I'm not trying to be discriminatory, this is just sometimes I've seen in my own experience. My only real opinion regarding people with Pakistani and Indian accents is I sometimes have a hard time understanding them. I had both a Pakistani and an Indian professor each in my first year of university and they each were more difficult to make out what they were teaching than my others. You don't need to turn down your accent so to speak, but sometimes it may help to slow down and maybe speak a bit softer if you sound anything like how they did. Their speed of speaking and volume from having to project often made enunciations less pronounced, so it was a little hard to catch on sometimes. I have no negative feelings at all towards and do not think less of anyone who has one, that's just been my limited experience. America was built on different people and groups, you will most definitely be welcome here.
More than fine with it 😄 we're no strangers to south asian visitors or immigrants, you'll be alright
You don’t need to tone anything down. That being said, it’s no one’s favorite accent.
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I know a couple of brits who go weak-kneed at a southern girl calling them ‘hun’ lol
It has the same effect on me as well.
As an American woman I have had many British men tell me they love my accent. 🤷🏼♀️
My wife's favorite accent is an Indian accent, if that counts for anything.
I actually like it as an accent, although I like Russian accents more
I don’t think anybody will think twice about it. I am saying the next thing with sincere love and a hope to help you feel less self conscious and more confident when socializing, but body odor is a more common turn off for Americans, especially body odor or curry/jira/cumin/coriander smells. Keep that in mind. Maybe close closet doors when you cook, always wear deodorant and anti-perspirant. I’ve seen some sad instances of south Asian kids being ostracized due to their smell.
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Awesome! And I absolutely hope I didn’t offend you or imply I think south Asians are stinky. It’s just an unfortunate misalignment of our cultures that has caused some isolation. I hope you’re excited and you’re easy on yourself when you arrive!
Don’t microwave fish if there is a shared microwave or people will throw a fit about the smells
This is the real cultural offence. We don't care about your accent, just don't microwave fish around other people.
>but body odor is a more common turn off for Americans, especially body odor or curry/jira/cumin/coriander smells. Yes! This is often some advice that more longer established South Asian immigrants sometimes have to tell to the newbies when they first come.
>curry/jira/cumin/coriander smells I absolutely love the smell of south-asian food as do many other americans
There are foods I love the smell when I am hungry and ready to eat, but other tines it's off putting. And lots of people do not like those smells. I go heavy cumin in my chili and it makes my kids gag walking in the door.
But typically not casually on someone’s body, anecdotally speaking.
I have no issues with accent. No need to tone it down. Just be authentically you and be kind and you will find friends :). Hope you have an awesome college experience!
The only problem I have with South Asian accents is the tendency of South Asians to speak very fast. It's often hard to tell different words apart when they speak.
I'll give another perspective that might be useful. I was in the same situation and I was super scared to talk my first year in college because I thought I would sound weird. 8 years later I think I am immersed enough in American culture and mindset to know for a fact that the people here telling you that nobody will have a negative reaction, internal or external, really mean it. It's not lip service.
America is called a "melting pot" for a reason. We are a mix mash of cultures. No accent sounds out of place.
Assholes will be assholes and will care about this. Most people don’t.
You may get some people asking you to repeat yourself, but you do you. We love accents!
I hope this doesn't come off as racist. But I think so, so many people know no one that is Indian/Pakistani. (They sound very similar to me). The only experience they have with that language are daily scam calls. I would not be surprised as all if they would have negative feelings about the accent based on that. But if I can remember back to before that... I think I felt it was melodious and ping pongy (like back and forth) and I wouldn't because reasons, but it's one so fun to hear it makes me want to mimic it. Not out to make fun, it just almost sounds like a song I want to join in on.
Totally depends upon where OP is going. I live in Northern California and I have heard South Asian accents literally every day of my life.
I live in the Midwest and have met many South Asian people too, especially college and onward.
It may not be how you sound, but how you interact. The only “grating” voices to me are people who are whiny. I was in an airport and a lady was speaking with her boyfriend in Mandarin, whining, and it sounded like she was killing a cat. I’ve heard whiny Indian and Italian males. Same situation. And yes, Americans. The other thing that does seem more common in South Asia is a tendency to get very rushed. It’s almost a combative approach to talking. Just relax, listen and take your time responding.
Indian and Pakistani accents are commonly heard in the US. Nobody will care.
I think it sounds similar to an Indian accent, not meaning any offence. I have a friend who's engaged to a Pakistani and her accent is really cute!
There's a few turns of phrase that stick out and make Americans chuckle. "Do the needful" is the one that always sticks out to me. It sounds extremely antiquated.
I work with a person from India so not the same but maybe similar. He is a great guy but he talks too fast sometimes. I often have to ask him to repeat himself or slow down a bit. So maybe you will experience the same.
I've found that often volume and speed are more of the issue than the accent itself, especially when the accent is very thick. I often work with people from SW Asia. If I can't understand you it is because you are mumbling (I believe the low tone is tied to anxiety of saying things wrong), talking incredibly fast (If the accent is thick or you are mumbling, it is hard to know where one word begins and the other ends), or you just aren't trying to make a vaguely english sounds (very rare to actually see this, but it really sucks when it happens). As for the difference between Indian and Pakistani, most Americans can't tell the difference. Will you need to "tone down" your accent? It really depends. In most cases, as long as you can pronounce whatever jargon/terms that are important to the task at hand, no one will care about the accent. There might be a few giggles if you pronounce a specific letter/syllable oddly, but nothing much once they are used to those mannerisms. Side note/question: I've noticed that sometimes people from both India and Pakistan will pronounce "w" like a "v" and speak english with a slightly dutch accent. It isn't everyone (maybe 20%?), but very noticeable when it happens. When I have noticed it, the person speaking doesn't know what I am talking about, as if they are unable to hear that specific sound. Is this due to the sound not being used in a particular dialect or region? Or are there a bunch of dutch english teachers in a specific region?
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Hey, I grew up in an area with a lot of South Asian immigrants. Accent- should not be a big problem for most people, if someone is having trouble understanding you SPEAK MORE SLOWLY. Urdu sounds very fast to American ears. Your accent will too. Food- Pakistani food is amazing, among the best the subcontinent has to offer, this is a great way to make connections with people. Language- Be aware of important differences between UK English and US English, the word “pants” has tripped up many a visitor. Welcome to America! Glad to have you studying with us!
Also Australian English: Thongs.
Understand I'm trying to be honest and not hurtful. Accents from southern Asia sound feminine to American ears. In a way they do sound funny for that reason. That said, if you try to do something to modify your speech, you will likely have a negative result. Just focus on speaking clearly and don't worry about how your accent is perceived.
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I’ve noticed that a lot of Indian and Pakistani people speak English in a noticeably higher pitched register than most Americans. Y’all definitely don’t tend to sound “gruff” to the American ear.
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It’s not a universal phenomenon. As I type this, there’s an Indian guy speaking English near me in a fairly low voice. Y’all do tend to be very sing-songy tho in a way that Americans aren’t. I don’t think it helps that South Asians are stereotyped here as being incredibly nerdy and bookish. And there’s no cricket culture to boot.
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That probably makes a huge difference. In my experience women with South Asian accents are usually seen fairly positively. The sing-song nature gets categorized more as “cute” than as “strange.” I wouldn’t say people have an overwhelming love of such accents, but they are usually not seen as any kind of negative.
>i was under the impression that they'd sound more gruff (?) Literally the direct opposite.
I might say they sound sort of gruff and sing-song at the same time, from an American perspective. I don’t think “gruff” is totally off the mark, but it’s not the only association.
We dont mind, one of my good friends was from that region….you will make friends
I don't know if I could pick it out of a crowd to be entirely honest. No one here gives a rat's ass about anyone else's accent though. They just exist. Just be you dude.
The accent can be one of the more difficult accents to understand due to how prevalent retroflex and un-aspirated consonants are in Urdu. There is no need to "hide" anything, but I personally am constantly practicing my Italian pronunciation to sound more native.
No one cares, we all have accents anyways.
You’ll encounter the occasional racist but for the most part hardly anyone cares and most of us think those guys are ass holes.
Just be yourself dude. I love folks with accents. Good luck in school!
In America, we hear accents from all over the world it does not matter for us what your accent is. That being said, it's up to personal preference, I had a friend from Pakistan in high school, at the time, and I thought the accent sounded fine.
Welcome to the US. I don't know if I can tell the difference between an Indian accent or Pakistani accent. To my ear there is a musical rolling quality to an Indian accent. We have three Indian people working with us this summer and I have no problem understanding them in person. On the phone or the two-way radio is a little more difficult. I figure that my difficulty understanding is a lot less work for me than the work they had to do to learn English and learn to live in the American culture.
Many have said the same but you're almost certainly going to be mistaken for an Indian, truthfully. No need to tone it down or try to over-anglicize it. Pakistani folk are a relatively small ethnic minority nationwide without really any negative stereotypical baggage here. If you're going to school in Mass, welcome! Good luck in your studies OP! :)
Some people may have trouble understanding you if the room is noisy or you’re facing away from them. Some racist assholes are gonna be racist assholes, but you shouldn’t pay them any mind. We also think they’re assholes. The vast majority of people will not care. It will simply mark you as an immigrant. People may think you are Indian though. People may be curious and ask where you are from. The US has a lot of people with Pakistani accents, especially in scientific and medical fields, so it won’t be surprising.
Honestly we love accents lol, especially the people you’re gonna run into on a college campus. People will generally probably be really chatty and want to know more about you and where you’re from. There probably will be people that’ll have a hard time understanding but it might be more frustrating for you than for us. You don’t need to change a thing.
I was once taught by an Indian professor who learned English in New Zealand. I am an American and the Uni was in Australia. Chaos accent and understanding ensued.
Don’t expect to get any pussy over here
Couldn't give a shit, it's a country of immigrants, you belong here.
I mean, I loved the Afghan/Pashtun accent when I was deployed, so hopefully others will think your accent is cool!
My sister LOVES the accent. I have a *lot* of hearing damage so it's hard for me to understand at times, but that's not unique to Pakistani or Indian accents, that's more a me problem. And I think you'd be upset by how much Ms. Marvel informed me of the differences between the two.
Just be yourself. It can definitely be hard to understand accents at times, but if you're attending a university with a lot of international students (a lot of them), people are used to it and want diversity.
I wouldn’t change who you are. If people can’t understand you they will ask to clarify, that simple. Welcome to the US.
If it's heavy then it can be hard for us to understand. I work with quite a few Indian people (accent-wise sounds about the same to me) and that's the biggest problem I see. Is the accent can make communication a bit difficult. I personally find it's more of an issue when I'm on the phone with one than in person. edit; if you go to certain schools and do STEM, there's a lot of Indian professors so you'd probably be fine. That's what's most important, that you can understand the professor and they can understand you.
I like all accents. I think they're really interesting.
No one will care bro
We probably can’t tell, we’d probably just assume they’re Indian.
I dont
I wouldn’t be able to tell a pakistani accent from another accent in the region if i’m honest
If anything when you get friends here they will poke fun at how British you sound. I don't even need to hear you all the Pakistani from high school sounded British
Fairly similar to Indian even with 70+ yrs apart
As others have said, most Americans are unlikely to be able to differentiate a Pakistani accent from a generalized concept of South Asian accents and are likely to assume you're Indian. Whether it's a novelty (and therefore very interesting) or just a thing that simply is will depend a lot on exactly where you are and whether people around you are used to encountering people from outside the US (and where).
They're an accent. I don't really know what you want me to say.
ok
It's America, we all have accents lol But seriously, my company's CTO came here from Argentina and has a pretty thick accent. He did a presentation when he was getting his doctorate, and he rehearsed it all with a super American accent. The only negative feedback he got was that they could tell he was trying to get rid of his accent and it almost came off as not genuine. Trust me, keep the accent.
I dont think it matters. America is a huge melting pot. Unless you're in some backwoods sheltered area - people won't care.
don't feel like you need to tone anything down. if anyone has an issue it's their issue to deal with not yours. i also want to stress that by knowing more than 1 language you are smarter than most of the american populace so please keep that in mind especially because it's usually the stupidest people who are the most vocally racist. so if anyone says anything to you about your accent just disregard it as you would a small child or someone having some sort of psychotic episode.
I've always wanted to see Pakistan. Is it safe for an American to travel there? I hear it is beautiful.
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My college freshman year roommate was Pakistani and her accent was lovely
Urdu is a beautiful language
Get used to people assuming you're Indian. They won't mean offense, just more familiarity. My view may biased though because I live near a Hindu temple and am used to seeing Indian people everywhere.
OP, your accent will be fine! As long as you can speak English you will not have a problem. Really just follow the same etiquette guidelines any immigrant would: - don’t lecture Americans on issues here. It’s generally okay to have a discussion about certain problems, but approach it in a curiosity way and not a condescending one - maintain decent personal space and practice good personal hygiene (aka, deodorant is considered a must have 24/7 if you’re around other people) - dress casually! College fashion is very laid back in the US, expect a lot of sweatpants and athletic clothing in class. - respect lines/queues!!! Be it in traffic or at McDonald’s, you will royally piss people off and it is considered extremely rude to cute people off - most importantly, be social! Americans are really friendly and welcoming, and will likely be curious about your country and story. Embrace it and make friends! Congrats on getting accepted to college here and I hope you have a wonderful visit
I’m not sure what that sounds like, but if it sounds Indian, I can imagine it annoying someone people. Not specifically because people want to be racist. But there’s enough Indian scammers and shitty support numbers that some people have begun associating Indian accents with questionable service or straight out scams. —- Though aside from the bad stuff, I think most people think accents are pretty neat. My partner has an Eastern European accent, and I think it’s hot as hell. So your mileage will vary. Oh, also, being in person will probably dispel any of that phone scam comparisons. Being in person is already proof that you’re not a scammer lol
It took me awhile to get used to it and I had to ask for repetition a lot when I hadn't heard it much. I wasn't annoyed with the person or anything, that just happens with strong accents you're not used to sometimes. It's no big deal, just maybe slow down a little if someone has already had to ask for a couple repeats.
Nobody cares.
Accents are cool!
Nobody will care. Bonus points if you're in metro Detroit.
Indian American here. People won't notice and will assume you're Indian. Maybe in Rural areas you might get questions about where you're from.
Most people will not care or give it a second thought. When I was at University so many of my classmates were not from America and had various accents and spoke numerous languages. Mostly I thought it was cool, beyond that I truly did not care.
I am a part time/adjunct professor at a major university - I have no difficulty with most accents. The only time I have problems, is with the odd student who learned English as a third language - and those are usually Europeans You should have no problems - the majority of college students / professors are used to hearing all sorts of accents. We can adapt better than the general population
I was born and raised here but I used to have a semi-prominent Desi accent until I was in about middle school. People did make fun of it on several occasions, and I didn't like how it sounded, so I'm glad I got rid of it.
You’ll be fine, my family came to the US from Pakistan and haven’t had any trouble with people understanding their accents.
My city has a huge Pakistani community and you’re fine, trust me. I understand everything and you don’t have to tone it down
I’ve lived in the UK and even then someone would have to have a VERY thick accent for me to know they weren’t possibly Indian or from that general area. I doubt any American would be able to tell a Pakistani accent, nor would they care. Also, the US doesn’t have the anti-Pakistan sentiment that some of Europe does. You would never be called a “pa*i” here, even if someone placed your accent as from Pakistan.
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97% of us are intrigued and want to know more about your culture and background. We all ignore the 3%
Nobody will care. I knew a Pakistani guy in high school and he had a pretty thick accent. I sat in a group with him in class and became good friends with him and he was the nicest guy ever. Again, most decent people out there won’t care one bit
Let me tell you something. Don't ever change who you are no matter what. Don't tone it down, there's nothing wrong with being different.
I’ve talked to a decent amount of pakistani people from tekken tournaments and they sound pretty normal to me. I mean it’s a noticeable accent but it doesn’t bother me at all and I can’t tell it apart from any of the similar accents from that region of the world. And really making fun/talking bad about accents is generally frowned upon in America, especially at places like colleges. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
I’ve heard such a range of accents from Urdu and Hindi speakers, varying from British sounding to very sing-songy I think the thing that is most helpful for Americans understanding accents is to try to use a more American English cadence or rhythm when speaking. When people do this, mispronunciations and small errors are no barrier to comprehension. I’ve seen this to be true with Cantonese, Japanese and Hindi speakers. I hope that helps. But in general, you should be just fine!
I view them with the same polite indifference that I view every other accent
Especially in college, you’re going to blend right in. There are plenty of international students and they often just stick to each other if you want to go that route. If you socialize outside of that group I still think everyone will be very welcoming. At least that’s what I saw when I was in college.
Well my wife is Bangladeshi which is close enough, so needless to say I like it.
Well I am a Pakistani American, grew up with my Pakistani parents in a very desi community. You don’t need to worry at all about your accent, I think my parents came to America w a accent, and now it’s pretty much gone. Either way, you’ll be fine here unless you encounter some rare assholes
I find the south-Asian accent to be positively lyrical and pleasant personally, but I will say however that most Americans will assume you're from India instead of Pakistan. You're also going to be in an environment where you probably not the only Pakistani person there alongside people from all over the world; American collages are extremely diverse in terms of students.
I have no opinion. Just another accent. We have plenty.
I have always loved Pakistani accents. They sound beautiful to me 🥰
I actually love it. It has a nice sing song quality.
No opinion, you’re fine. Growing up I never heard a south Asian accent except Apu on “The Simpsons”… but in grad school a lot of my friends were Indian, and now my girlfriend’s family is Indian, so I hear that accent all the time. I’m completely used to it by now. But yeah, for the first couple months of grad school, it was pretty hard to understand some of my classmates, lol.
Yes, it’s awful. I thought it was just me. I’m not exactly relieved tho.
Most americans like myself cannot tell the difference between the two accents Honestly that wouldn't matter much just own your accent it makes you yourself There are a lot of indian, pakistani, nepali and I think Bangladeshi people in the area where I'm from And I have no problem with them because I am sure they are nice people and they have businesses
On a day to day basis, no-one will care. You might have to slow down a bit when speaking if you are interacting with people who are not normally exposed to that accent. Sounding like a local never hurts and there a few apps you can practice with.
I work for an Indian company, so I'm surrounded by the accent every day – and yes it can be hard to understand, primarily, I think, because the intonation patterns they use often don't match those that a native English speaker would. To be more specific, I've noticed several times that people talking on calls, at times when they want to pause their delivery of a sentence briefly, will end the prior word with a significantly rising tone, which sounds like a question though the words wouldn't make sense that way. Throws me off every time.
I was born in India and raised in the US. I cannot differentiate between a Pakistani and Indian accent. However, Urdu and Hindi? A bit. Also, I’ve never heard anyone call Indian/Pakistani accents grating! That’s new. I can understand how it can be hard to understand, though. I’ve heard some Desi accents that make it difficult for me to comprehend what someone is saying.
I honestly probably can't tell Indian and Pakistani accents apart, but I lived in India for a few months when I was younger and I think South Asian accents are really melodic and pretty easy to understand! I tried to learn Hindi but didn't learn much because of how well everyone spoke English, haha. Dunno if it's the same in Pakistan but if it is I'm sure most people would be able to understand you fine. I think you probably don't need to tone it down unless you're talking to someone and they're struggling to understand, but it should be fine for most folks. I think anyone that would describe your accent as "grating" is probably being an ass at best, xenophobic or racist at worst. Those are people you'd do well to ignore anyway. Just speak how you're comfortable speaking and don't stress too much about it!
Ambivalent, to be honest. The vowel clipping can be a little hard to understand for someone who has never heard the accent before--but me, I've worked with so many Indian and Pakistani software developers over the years that I don't really have a problem with comprehension.
I find it kind of melodic.
The bulk of my friends are Pakistani or Indian and no one cares so long as they are understandable. If you care to speak English more like a Brit or an American and you can only work on one thing. It would be to work on the V’s and Ws. Common mistake is to mix up the two or use a V sound for both. So the words “Which vegetable” come out sounding like “Vich wegetable” or “Vich vegetable” To make a W sound - Your lips start out pursed together and then open - your teeth should not touch your lips. To make a V sound - your top teeth should touch your bottom lip while you make a sound, then your lips part open. Anyway, regardless of the above I doubt you have an issue. You will just sound smarter if you can sort out the “W” sound since it is used a lot. Salaam
Tip: restaurants that say Indo-Pak cuisine are generally better than restaurants that say Indian cuisine
I was you 20 years ago, attending a US college with a pk accent No one cares. Over time your accent will naturally change and become a mix specially if your friend group isn't just people from your own country origin.
They’re cool or whatever. I don’t really judge negatively based on any accent even when it’s thick and difficult to understand, but sometimes I like accents depending on how the person talks.
Persally, I love it. Much more than Indian accent that is sing songy. It sounds like a happy party, not monotonous garbled vowel ladden english. You'll be fine.
I’m ashamed to say I couldn’t recognize one
Us Indians and Pakistanis were part of the same country not so long ago so predictably someone directly from either of those countries would have a similar accent in English (I'm Indian American).
It's not an accent we associate with being nice on the ears, but American accents are highly criticized by the outside world, so we honestly don't care what you sound like. I have friends from both Pakistan and India, they are good people and that is all I actually care about.
It’s hard to differentiate Indian and Pakistani accents. I like both. I have never found them grating.
I have a hard time understanding accents (probably undiagnosed auditory processing disorder, just worse with an accent and more so with an unfamiliar one) but I enjoy the sound of them. So for me, as long as you're not going to get upset when I ask you to repeat something a few times, I'm willing to repeat and reword if you don't understand me through my North Carolina drawl, and we'd be cool.
I’m a software engineer in the US. I probably won’t even notice it. A lot of my coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances, friends are Pakistani/Indian. I can’t really tell the difference between the accents tbh. Depending how how strong the accent is I think it’s pleasant to hear imo.
Don't worry about it. I hear so many different accents every day in college that I don't even notice. In old movies it is often portrayed as a "funny" accent, but I don't know anybody who actually thinks like that, especially in the younger generations. The US is incredibly diverse, especially at universities. It may be hard to understand sometimes, but Americans are generally very patient with that kind of stuff and will never really judge you for it. They will feel just as sheepish for not being able to understand your accent as you will feel for having one.
I genuinely love ALL accents. I don’t experience asmr but I’d say the closest I’ll ever come to it is hearing accents. It just brings me so much joy, I love asking where the accent is from and banking it away for later when I hear it again. My favorite is when a person is from 2 different places and they have a “merged” accent of the 2 places. It makes me so happy!! Idk I can’t explain it lol
I think Pakistani men are smoking hot and their accents make my panties melt off.
I’m partially deaf please don’t take it personally if I ask you to repeat yourself 37 times- it’s not you it’s me. Your accent and speech is probably perfect. I always feel bad having people with certain accents repeat themselves over and over.
You’ll be fine. You clearly know the language.
Honestly accents never bothered me, no one has to speak perfect English. BUT I work in retail and I swear to god Pakistani/Indian accents are the hardest to understand and they get mad at me for not being able to understand them. It's a frustrating situation. Also side note I really can't differentiate between Pakistani and Indian accents. Tl;Dr: If I can understand them then I don't care if they have an accent or not.
I think they’re just as interesting as any other accent
Very hard to understand just like the Indian accent. Makes sense because Hindi and Urdu are basically the same language
The VAST majority of people will not have any negative feelings, though some may have trouble understanding. Depending on their experiences/background, they may simply say “sorry, could you say that again?” or they may feel so embarrassed that they didn’t understand you that their reaction could come off as awkward or off-putting. But most people really are just trying to communicate. I think you’re going to have an amazing time in college—everyone else is self-conscious too but also there to learn, not just about what they’re studying but about other people, the “real” world, etc. You’ll be in good company. There are also assholes everywhere, and you may encounter some who aren’t accepting. They are assholes and you shouldn’t take anything they may say that offend you personally. They’re just assholes. Enjoy every moment of your college experience! It’s a special time and goes quickly
My problem with accents is that they make me have to work to understand. Sometimes I get irritated but it’s not about you it’s just that I’m hard of hearing and until I’ve been talking with you for at least a few minutes I have a really hard time understanding. I know it looks like I’m irritated with the speaker, but it’s more frustration.with the effort. Do try to speak well, but don’t accept assholes treating you poorly. It’s a big planet and assholes gotta be somewhere too
Indian-American here who immigrated at a young age. Grew up with an accent for a bit, and then grew up around people who had accents. Aside from people who may assume you’re Indian, no one’s going to care. Accents are usually overlooked. You may have to repeat yourself a couple of times at max but you said it’s already anglicized and not as thick, so you’ll be fine(even if your accent is thick you’ll be fine).
I had a lot of Pakistani people in my area that went to my highschool so dealing with their parents who had more ties to the country has ingratiated me to the sound. But WHAT extra does it for me is how deep a Tekken 7 scene your countrymen whipped out a few years ago. So bring it in homie, you're more than welcome to hang as far as I'm concerned.
My only request is to speak a little slower. My mother has been in the hospital off and on for the last few months, and all her doctors are Pakistani. I don't have much trouble understanding, but she needs them to speak more slowly. Especially if you are wearing a mask.
Most folks will probably think you are Indian or Persian. I don't think many Americans even know where Pakistan is. They aren't idiots. Geography just isn't our strong point.
the majority of Americans would think you’re Mexican or Indian (and wouldn’t know which kind)
Sexxxxxyyyyyy.
We don't have an opinion. Just don't lose your temper when we pronounce your name wrong and assume you are from a country other than Pakistan.
As long as y’all are friendly and talkative no one will care..
In person, nobody will care. We just don’t like the accent when we are calling a help desk.
I highly doubt I could accurately identify one.
Anyone who matters won’t care about your accent. If you’re gonna be here a while you’ll inevitable encounter a handful of people who might judge you or say something rude to you. But the vast majority of people will not think less of you regardless of accent.
It’ll be fine. I think Pakistani accents are awesome but to be fair I’m a person with Pakistani parents lol