Mary's Accent and Languages

[Quality Blonde]

Oh Violet25 thanks for putting a linguistic spin on things. I totally agree with you. Having read through this thread I would like to say..

I think her parents being originally from Scotland and some of her upbring in the states contributes to her accent sounding "less" Australian and more English...

Please..
I have read this justification 1000x but Mary is the youngest! Her older siblings have broad Australian accents! Siblings do not speak that differently from each other.

Also in regards to her accent - Definately acquired, no one in Australia speaks with that accent if they have been brought up and schooled here from the age of 5 until the end of a University degree.

If she has had elocution lessons as well as Danish lessons fine - being able to be understood and speaking clearly can only be a benefit in her situation.

Why though she felt the need to adopt an English-sort-of accent is beyond me. What a joke. There are plenty of well spoken Australians who are not afraid to maintain their accent (e.g Cate Blanchett - actress). There is no way that having training for public speaking suddenly changes 30 years of speech habits that dramatically. Purposefully changing it, does however.

As regards her syntax - I have watched the engagment interview and pre-wedding documentary and my observations and opinions are based on that.

Why in the world does it seem like she can't string a coherent, gramatically correct sentence together??

Ok so at the engagement press conference she was nervous, fair enough. Let's use the documentary instead. The most notable things are her "ahm's" a sort of hybrid 'um + ah' and the fact that she pauses SO often in the middle of a sentence. Not just for a breath, or a short pause but enough to break up the meaning and for her to forget what she said at the start rendering the rest of the sentence gramatically incorrect.


E.g first sentence of clip "it wasn't____________________________ (pause)my life changed overnight.

for goodness sake it wasn't what??? that, as if, ........ without this joining word her phrase has the opposite meaning to what she intends (i.e things did happen quickly).

Then on the plane, referring to the flight over wineglass bay: "but it also had another special moments, it was a place that my grandmother loved"

Another example of this awkward phrasing was the introductory sentence at the press conference. She does her (memorised) spiel in Danish and then mentions in english "there will be some questions that I will feel h-appier answering in english - therefore I will do so". Um ok really what she meant was "However, there will be some questions I will feel more comfortable answering in english".

Not to mention "I was saddened" and "one".

This is her native language people!! All of this would be much more understandable if it had been in Danish. To me this clearly indicates that she is thinking far more about her pronunciation than anything else. Evidently because it is newly acquired. Maybe you might suggest that she is 'shy' and 'reticent' (as she claimed) wanting to reflect on what she says - why then does she have to pause in the middle of the sentence. It really should come out fully formed.

I mean doesn't Fred ever find it wierd that she speaks soooo differently to when they met? Not to mention her family. Anyone have a link to the quote made by her brother about it (apparently in an Australian Newspaper article).

I could quote more from the documentary but I'm sure I've already upset some people with what I've said here.

QB xox

 

[Madame Royale]

I have a lot of family in Australia so I know what real Australians are supposed to sound like.

Real? As apposed to fake Australian's.lol. So you must be familiar with the indigenous patois then :mrgreen:

I'm sure you were not suggesting that Mary was not a real Australian because by every means, she was - by birth and legality - until the day of her marriage.

And what exactly are we Australian's supposed to sound like? A country of such diverse cultures, influences and upbringings... I am curious to know

 

[crisscross1]

Oh Violet25 thanks for putting a linguistic spin on things. I totally agree with you. Having read through this thread I would like to say..



Please..
I have read this justification 1000x but Mary is the youngest! Her older siblings have broad Australian accents! Siblings do not speak that differently from each other.

Also in regards to her accent - Definately acquired, no one in Australia speaks with that accent if they have been brought up and schooled here from the age of 5 until the end of a University degree.

If she has had elocution lessons as well as Danish lessons fine - being able to be understood and speaking clearly can only be a benefit in her situation.

Why though she felt the need to adopt an English-sort-of accent is beyond me. What a joke. There are plenty of well spoken Australians who are not afraid to maintain their accent (e.g Cate Blanchett - actress). There is no way that having training for public speaking suddenly changes 30 years of speech habits that dramatically. Purposefully changing it, does however.

As regards her syntax - I have watched the engagment interview and pre-wedding documentary and my observations and opinions are based on that.

Why in the world does it seem like she can't string a coherent, gramatically correct sentence together??

Ok so at the engagement press conference she was nervous, fair enough. Let's use the documentary instead. The most notable things are her "ahm's" a sort of hybrid 'um + ah' and the fact that she pauses SO often in the middle of a sentence. Not just for a breath, or a short pause but enough to break up the meaning and for her to forget what she said at the start rendering the rest of the sentence gramatically incorrect.


E.g first sentence of clip "it wasn't____________________________ (pause)my life changed overnight.

for goodness sake it wasn't what??? that, as if, ........ without this joining word her phrase has the opposite meaning to what she intends (i.e things did happen quickly).

Then on the plane, referring to the flight over wineglass bay: "but it also had another special moments, it was a place that my grandmother loved"

Another example of this awkward phrasing was the introductory sentence at the press conference. She does her (memorised) spiel in Danish and then mentions in english "there will be some questions that I will feel h-appier answering in english - therefore I will do so". Um ok really what she meant was "However, there will be some questions I will feel more comfortable answering in english".

Not to mention "I was saddened" and "one".

This is her native language people!! All of this would be much more understandable if it had been in Danish. To me this clearly indicates that she is thinking far more about her pronunciation than anything else. Evidently because it is newly acquired. Maybe you might suggest that she is 'shy' and 'reticent' (as she claimed) wanting to reflect on what she says - why then does she have to pause in the middle of the sentence. It really should come out fully formed.

I mean doesn't Fred ever find it wierd that she speaks soooo differently to when they met? Not to mention her family. Anyone have a link to the quote made by her brother about it (apparently in an Australian Newspaper article).

I could quote more from the documentary but I'm sure I've already upset some people with what I've said here.

QB xox

WOW, you must have spent hours coming up with all that, unlike Crown Princess Mary who has to answer questions quite off the cuff. She possibly doesn't want to answer the questions or doesn't know the answer to some of the questions, hence the long --------------- pauses.
I obviously have more important things in my life to think about, I know CP Mary's accent isn't one of them, but, it was an interesting---------------read.

 

[Australian]

Just a side note- Most Aussies do not speak like Steve Irwin lol. A Norwegian exchange student at my university told me "I thought you Australians spoke like Steve Irwin but you all sound normal to me" haha I wonder what 'normal' means.

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Greetings to all!

My opinion is that she's just trying to sound as polished and proper as possible and usualy people that speak that way are depicted as British (or with a British accent). So maybe she un-intentionaly (sp?) ends up speaking sort of Britishy...but only she knows the real reason why her accent is the way it is. Does she sound Britishy? I have not been able to hear her speak (I don't have speakers on my computer!).

I've no idea how she sounded in the beginning but she is the child of two Britons who immigrated to Australia. So probably the Donaldsons spoke a kind of mixed British/Australian English at home. While her siblings live in Australia, Mary moved on to Europe. I guess she got more and more into contact with non-native speakers who learned their English according to the British way to speak (alot of them probably in Britain) and thus took on/ enhanced some special sounds.

Of course she is trying to sound as polished as possible because that's what is asked of her on doing a good job as a Crown Princess. When I saw the videos on www.youtube.com I realized how tense this girl was, how difficult the change into this new world obviously was and how hard she tried to please. In some things she said in her pre-wedding interviews you could hear how tough the situation actually was for her: both Frederick and herself realized that she simply had to be a success if they wanted to be happy together. They obviously talked about what to do if she didn't please the queen, if the queen was against the marriage. Abdication had been a topic then between the two of them but Mary clearly stated that she didn't want frederick to give it all up for her so she was forced to be a success. And that she was willing to work as hard as it takes to be the wife the Danes wished for their prince.

As we all know, the queen agreed as did the parliament. Now, after the birth of the next in line I have the feeling that she started to relax more and more. Additionally she got more and more routine on dealing with people and started to show the people the real Mary, the warm-hearted, easy-going woman that prince Frederick fell in love with, as he said in his "speech to his bride" on their wedding.

 

[soCal girl]

I agree with you, Jo. It's pretty unfair to call Mary a fake when you realize she was trying to stadle both worlds and please everybody because she simply has to. Her English was probably more "Aussie" sounding but then she moved to Denmark and was surrounded by a mix of European accents and Danish. English and Danish are two very different and distinct languages. Just take a look at the questions she answered when she left the hospital. Some she had to answer in English because they were Australian reporters and others in Danish for the Danish reporters. It's pretty clear there that she's a little bit more comfortable with the two languages she must juggle than she was before. Mary also learned Danish as an adult. I'm a person who doesn't grasp languages very well but I managed to learn three languages somewhat fluently. It was very hard and Mary has said that she had never studied another language before and that Danish was her first, second language. Considering all things, I think her accent is fine. After all the changes made in her life, it isn't surprising that the accent went along for the changes also.

 

[juliana]

Mary's present English is not Australian. Children get their accents from the society they go to school in, not their parents. Mary's parents were both Scots and, as all Scots do, they seem to keep their accents for ever; there is no hint of a Scottish accent in Mary's accent. If she had a hint of Scottishness she would sound North American. She would grow up speaking the same as her siblings and schoolfriends- Tasmanian/ Australian and there is nothing wrong with that because that is what her husband first heard.

Mary's mother-in-law and ex-sister-in- law speak beautiful English with lovely upper class English accents, but not Fred- he has more of an American accent. Perhaps hearing the upper class English accent of her future relatives may have been daunting and perhaps influenced her to change. The accent is definitely a wannabe posh English accent but doesn't quite make it compared to her in-laws or other upper middle/upper class English people.

There was a voice mail recording of Mary where she speaks with a normal Aussie accent- just the same as her siblings. The change was evident and her brother made a comment about how her accent had changed. Mary's present English accent is not genuine and though she may have had elocution lessons, which might explain the inexplicable change, she does not seem comfortable speaking in English these days- too many gaps in the syntax.

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Mary's mother-in-law and ex-sister-in- law speak beautiful English with lovely upper class English accents, but not Fred- he has more of an American accent. Perhaps hearing the upper class English accent of her future relatives may have been daunting and perhaps influenced her to change. The accent is definitely a wannabe posh English accent but doesn't quite make it compared to her in-laws or other upper middle/upper class English people.

Personally I find it pretty unpolite or even arrogant to label the way somebody else talks in the best of intentions (eg giving verbal support to charities or highlighting events through attending and speaking there) as talking with a "wannabe" accent of whatever kind. But that's my personal opinion, of course.

As for Mary speaking the way she does: I guess you never heard the terrible German accent and sometimes quite queer grammar queen Silvia presents when interviewed by German TV or giving a speech here in her "fatherland". I'm convinced that it's because the queen grew up in Brazil talking Portugese with her mother's family while being educated by German nuns, then returning to Germany, after that embarquing on a relationship with a man who didn't speak either German or Portugese, so English was the choice of language till she learned enough Swedish to cope there. Swedish friends claim the queen never really mastered the language and has a terrible (German!) accent... And I'm convinced she lost her grip of German....

Does that make the queen of Sweden into a "wannabe" instead of a honest person? I don't think so. IMHO the Crown Princess of Denmark is as much trying to adapt as her Swedish counterpart on the throne did. And it is much more difficult to learn a new language as an adult if you never learned one before - while queen Silvia grew up with a mother's tongue and a father's language. Truly - for me it doesn't matter if Mary spoke "Kauderwelsch" (which is a German word meaning someone who tried to speak French in a time when well-educated upper class people spoke French but didn't manage well on mixing words from German and French...). I like what she says and how she interacts with people. And there have been Royal consorts before who never even mastered one word in their new homeland's language.....

 

[UserDane]

Well said, Jo of Palatine
​

 

[juliana]

Personally I find it pretty unpolite or even arrogant to label the way somebody else talks in the best of intentions (eg giving verbal support to charities or highlighting events through attending and speaking there) as talking with a "wannabe" accent of whatever kind. But that's my personal opinion, of course.

Wannabe= would be and what is wrong with that? You do make impolite remarks about others that you disagree with, I must say.
My comments were about her English accent - that of her Danish skills, not being a Danish speaker, I would never be able to comment on so why would non-native English speakers try to offend those that do have actual knowledge so that an opinion can be posted on this board. My comments were purely about her accent and syntax, nothing else, so please don't try to harbour misintention.
Not sure why the Silvia came up either- this is not about her.

 

[Madame Royale]

but not Fred- he has more of an American accent.

I dont think so, Frederik does not sound American at all.

Crown Prince Haakon on the other hand...

I like what she says and how she interacts with people. And there have been Royal consorts before who never even mastered one word in their new homeland's language.....

I agree with you Jo of Palantine

 

[juliana]

I dont think so, Frederik does not sound American at all.

Crown Prince Haakon on the other hand...

...went to university in the US (California) ... the same as Frederik who attended university in Boston, Massachusets and afterwards spent time working in New York- both consequently have American accents though Haakon's is certainly more distinctive than Frederik's.
Joachim spent his English speaking time in Australia, hence his accent is different to that of his brother, and he actually speaks English very well and has a similar accent to his mother.

 

[Madame Royale]

both consequently have American accents though Haakon's is certainly more distinctive than Frederik's.

I respectfully disagree. Frederik does not sound American.

I know the Cown Prince studied Science of Government at Harvard from 1991-93, and then worked for three months in New York with the Danish UN Mission in 1994. Returning to Denmark to receive his MA in Political Science from the University of Aarhus in 1995 and posted as First Secretary to the Danish Embassy in Paris from 1998-99.

I agree, Joachim has a lovely pronounciation of the english language just as his mother Having spent time as a farm hand in Wagga Wagga though, I highly doubt that the Prince would have been in the company of many english linguists so I doubt that his english can be a reflection of the time he spent here in 1986-87. More than likely through his eduction back home in Europe.

No ill intent is meant by my difference of opinion and I respect your right to express your views as much as my own, Juliana.

 

[GlitteringTiaras]

I respectfully disagree. Frederik does not sound American.

I completely agree!

Frederik's English sounds nothing like an American at all. Not to sound disrespectful either, but his English is pretty bad compared to his brother, HH Princess Alexandra and his mother.

Mary's accent is odd. My friends from Australia were shocked when they heard her speak. They said her accent sounded fake as if she was trying to sound more like an upper class Englishwoman rather than an upper class Australian. They couldn't figure out why she was faking her accent. Personally, I think she was chosing her words carefully so the people of Denmark could understand her clearly hence the odd sentence structure, choice of words, and overtly long pauses in her sentences.

 

[Madame Royale]

I completely agree!

Frederik's English sounds nothing like an American at all. Not to sound disrespectful either, but his English is pretty bad compared to his brother, HH Princess Alexandra and his mother.

Mary's accent is odd. My friends from Australia were shocked when they heard her speak. They said her accent sounded fake as if she was trying to sound more like an upper class Englishwoman rather than an upper class Australian. They couldn't figure out why she was faking her accent. Personally, I think she was chosing her words carefully so the people of Denmark could understand her clearly hence the odd sentence structure, choice of words, and overtly long pauses in her sentences.

Compared to Joachim's english, yes, there is quite a difference Glittering Tiaras

Still, I like Frederik's accent. I find it really cute and well, I can still understand him perfectly

Mary's accent? I really believe its a mix of thinking really carefully about what she is going to say, how to word it, how to project it etc. Its also clearly evident, to me, that Mary's speech has grown a lilt and I, for one, dont find it to be fake. Infact, I find it perfectly normal. Some people have made comments about Australian's who have moved to the US yet, the US is still an english speaking country. Denmark, as we know, is not and is known to be one of continental Europe's most challenging languages. I mean, how guttural is it? Sure, Mary will converse with people in english when appropriate or with Frederik at home but the majority of her life is now in Danish and rightly so. Meetings, briefings, engagements etc..all spoken in Danish.

 

[Harmony]

Well said, Jo of Palatine



​

I second that.

Mary's accent? I really believe its a mix of thinking really carefully about what she is going to say, how to word it, how to project it etc. Its also clearly evident, to me, that Mary's speech has grown a lilt and I, for one, dont find it to be fake. Infact, I find it perfectly normal. Some people have made comments about Australian's who have moved to the US yet, the US is still an english speaking country. Denmark, as we know, is not and is known to be one of continental Europe's most challenging languages. I mean, how guttural is it? Sure, Mary will converse with people in english when appropriate or with Frederik at home but the majority of her life is now in Danish and rightly so. Meetings, briefings, engagements etc..all spoken in Danish.

I agree with you Madame Royale.

 

[Sister Morphine]

In response to Mary's accent: I took French all 4 years of high school and all 5 years I was in college. When I speak French, it doesn't sound like a native-born Parisian speaking. I sound like an American speaking French. So my accent is going to be off-kilter compared to others. Mary went from speaking with an Australian accent to having to learn Danish...that's not an easy language to master. So naturally her accent is going to reflect the fact that she spends the majority of her day NOT speaking English. Her speech is reflecting the fact that she now speaks another language rather fluently....even her English words will have a Danish lilt to them.

I don't view this as a "wannabe" accent of any nature. If you want a "wannabe" British accent, go ask Madonna to say something.

 

[Madame Royale]

In response to Mary's accent: I took French all 4 years of high school and all 5 years I was in college. When I speak French, it doesn't sound like a native-born Parisian speaking. I sound like an American speaking French. So my accent is going to be off-kilter compared to others. Mary went from speaking with an Australian accent to having to learn Danish...that's not an easy language to master. So naturally her accent is going to reflect the fact that she spends the majority of her day NOT speaking English. Her speech is reflecting the fact that she now speaks another language rather fluently....even her English words will have a Danish lilt to them.

I don't view this as a "wannabe" accent of any nature. If you want a "wannabe" British accent, go ask Madonna to say something.

I enjoyed your post Sister Morphine and I agree.

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Wannabe= would be and what is wrong with that?

Sorry, but in my translation wannabe means "Want to be" (with the implication of a failure behind in: somebody who just strifes to achieve a goal but fails because he/she is not able enough. As in: she wants it but she can't make it.). So in the context of your message it is a negative comment, one which sounds to me as a comment used to depreciate the princess.

As for queen Silvia: she is in the same position as Mary but noone ever said of her that she is just a "wannabe" something. I wish Mary would be accorded the same politeness and/or understanding for her difficult situation, that's all. (And added afterthought: here is already a lot of understanding for her, so be thanked for expressing your positive opinions.)

 

[juliana]

Sorry, but in my translation wannabe means "Want to be" (with the implication of a failure behind in: somebody who just strifes to achieve a goal but fails because he/she is not able enough. As in: she wants it but she can't make it.). So in the context of your message it is a negative comment, one which sounds to me as a comment used to depreciate the princess.

Wannabe is a wishful thought - there are some people who use it in a negative manner so that will presumably be you but don't try to infer that on me. The accent is an attempt at a refined English accent and unfortunately is not 100%.

May I ask why would a proud Australian with a normal pleasant accent try to change it? There is nothing wrong with middle class Aussie accents and they are pleasant to listen to. Do Americans also change their accents- no, because these people are proud of their background which I am sure Mary was. Why the change? She has downtoned her voice also- and the quality comes across as much better, but that is part of elocution lessons usually.

Stop trying to be snide Jo- if you disagree OK? How about setting up a discussion about a royal whose accent you would have expertise on? I can assure you I would respect that, despite not knowing you but I would read your intelligent posts and try to take that on board and certainly would not make insinuating comments to you.


As far as Fred goes his accent is neither English nor American, almost Mid Atlantic as we say, but he certainly has the hint of a North American accent and that would be normal having spent almost 2 years in the US - his main English speaking residence.

 

[Madame Royale]

that would be normal having spent almost 2 years in the US - his main English speaking residence.

But that is going back over 13 years Juliana, and I really dont think that having spent only two years in a country where he was not trying to learn the native drawl, would warrant him now, showing signs of an American lilt. Its just not likely and well, I dont hear it at all

Neither English nor America. Yep, I would certainly agree with that.

Haakon is still a 'regular' visitor to the U.S I believe, so that would perhaps better explain his recognisable American pronounciation

 

[Jackswife]

To my American ears, Mary's accent sounds like a combination of upper-class British with Scandinavian. In other words, pretty much what I would expect from an Australian-born female who is the future queen of Denmark. Frederik, on the other hand, sounds exactly like a Swedish exchange student that went to my college, so go figure!
Willem-Alexander has a wonderful speaking voice-he sounds like a suburban American guy instead of the Dutch Crown Prince. And Silivia has always sounded Brazilian to me.

 

[Warren]

Stop trying to be snide...

It's time to tone down the personal comments and resume civil discussion.

thanks.

Warren
Royal Forums Administrator

 

[Josefine]

when was the last time you heard mary talk, the last interview so to say or speach

 

[Madame Royale]

when was the last time you heard mary talk, the last interview so to say or speach

Me? When Mary attended the Designer's Nest & CPH Vision on the 13th of August.

 

[Josefine]

was her speach in danish

 

[Jo of Palatine]

Wannabe is a wishful thought - there are some people who use it in a negative manner so that will presumably be you but don't try to infer that on me. The accent is an attempt at a refined English accent and unfortunately is not 100%.

Juliana, what annoys me in your and the posts of others is that you imply to know the (negative) motives of princess Mary and how you seem to judge her results according to this motive. You say it's an "attempt" and - as you judge it to be not 100% - it's a failed attempt in your opinion.

While you of course have the right to express your opinion (and I didn't report your post, did I?), I personally think that it is unfair and condescending to judge a person in Mary's situation because of a change in her accent.

I know from personal experience that my own German changed when I moved from the Palatinate to Suebia and on to Bavaria. Even though I stayed in the south of Germany, I acquired a different "accent" which might not be noticable even for "northern" Germans but is for those who are from the Palatinate. Did I do it by purpose? No - it just happened because due to my profession I have contact to lots and lots of people. Okay, it's not a big deal as here in Germany we base our impression of a person's background, education etc. not on their "accent" but on the way they deal with the language, which is similar, even if you are from the South or the North or from Austria/South Tyrolia.

I realize that "accents" have a different decoding when it comes to English - I learned that someone with a "working class accent" - while speaking from the choice of words/Grammar etc. the best of English - is still considered "working class". That is okay with me, it's a different systems and that's that. But discussing princess Mary's change of accent in this context means to me a kind of depreciation. As if she didn't manage to make it. Failed the requirements of her new position.

While I OTOH can understand very well how she came to be where she is language-wise. I may be wrong. But at least I'm not searching for a more or less hidden "motive" apart from believing she is doing all in her might to be a "good" princess.

May I ask why would a proud Australian with a normal pleasant accent try to change it? There is nothing wrong with middle class Aussie accents and they are pleasant to listen to. Do Americans also change their accents- no, because these people are proud of their background which I am sure Mary was. Why the change? She has downtoned her voice also- and the quality comes across as much better, but that is part of elocution lessons usually.

In this citation of your post I think it's very clear that you hint at Mary's motive and how you see it: you say "Americans doesn't change their accents because they are proud of their backgrounds." When you say that you are sure Mary "was" too (not: has been!) you imply that she is not longer proud of her background and thus (un-sucessfully!) changed her accent.

But people who are into working on their language/way of speaking etc. change their voice/accents etc. - there need not be any hidden or open agenda, it just happens because of their doing exercises in speaking.

I'm sorry if you feel unjustly critizised by me - I tried to make my points clearer now as still I wish for some more understanding for the situation of the princess. I like her, yes and for me she is a great asset for our Danish neighbours, especially for their prince who is happily married to her!

 

[grevinnan]

"Americans doesn't change their accents because they are proud of their backgrounds."

Americans are very attached to their accents if it is the right one. Most Bostonian wouldn't change their accent no matter where they move to. A lower class Southern accent will disappear if the speaker moves north and moves up in their professional or personal lives. Americans adopt their accents to suit their professional or personal choices just like anyone else. Australian english is not considered very refined outside of Australia. In the circles royals move there is a "diplomatic" english that rules unless you already speak an upper class British english. Our language and accent defines us just as manners and clothing do.

 

[Madame Royale]

was her speach in danish

Yes, it was Josephine.

I realise that as we are talking of Mary's english, that it may infact seem quite irrelevant but it is the perfect example of a lady doing her best to fulfill her duty and obligation to the Danish language.

Mary's speech, whilst notably Australian to the ear was never one of great projection or forcefulness. It was actually quite subtle, but, reamained clear. Mary did not share her siblings rural enunciation and having studied Commerce and Law and then gainning employment within the advertising and marketing industries, its no surprise she maintained a well rounded, well executed manner of speaking. In that environment and line of work, you must.

Australian english is not considered very refined outside of Australia

Neither is American :whistling

 

[Australian]

Australian english is not considered very refined outside of Australia.

Really? Well most of the people I know talk normally, would you say Cate Balchett, Nicole Kidman, Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe dont have a refined accent? They speak normal Australian to me, most people I know speak like them.