Do you have a telephone voice

I did work for the GPO as a telephonist many hundreds of years ago. It was for the Kensington exchange. I got lots of comments about my accent, which is a mixture of Scottish, Welsh and English. I usually agreed i was Irish!! I still retain some of the phrases used.

To Sharon 103 - what does 'ent' ment' 'shent' actually mean. I'm from Lancashire although I live in Devon, so pretty mixed up.

Sara1954

I seem to pick up the accent of whoever I’m talking to.

Apparently it’s polite. I read that so where.

I probably did at work, where I hope I sounded professional and more formal than when chatting to my friends.

Talking to my cousin I sound more Scots according to DH and I am sure he is right, as I have no doubt I fall back into my childhood language. Same applies to two school-friends.

Foster daughter is from Lahore, so I tend to stick more to standard English with her.

I doubt any of us can really judge how our own voice sounds, as we hear it inside our head, whilst others hear it outside it.

I couldn't keep up a posh voice to save my life and it tickles me enormously when my northern daughter in-law says how posh I sound. I've never known a 'ampshire 'og to be called posh. ?

Depends to whom I am speaking to lol. I have a Northern Ireland accent that some find hard to understand so find I talk slower and more precise when dealing with callers from GB, etc. Hello, the lady of of the house speaking....oh I do love Hyacinth Bucket

I dont think so, as a norm, other than not mumbling!! Although if I am talking to someone posh sounding I probably do get posher!!

Depending on who is at the other end of the line dictates the 'temperature' of my voice when making or receiving telephone calls.
Warm. Exclusive to relatives /friends .
Cold. I am not interested what you have to say/ sell.

I come from Liverpool but have never had a real Liverpudlian accent, however on the phone it must break through sometimes, different words, because people can say who dont know me, "you havent lost your Liverpool accent,"I havent lived in the UK for over fifty years,and I am quite pleased when a little twang gets through. I love my City.

Luckyfour
I was brought up in Northampton shire and frequently heard 'ent' / am not' and 'shent' /'shall not' .

Definitely not. I'm a common or garden Cockney whoever I'm talking too.
My mother and grandmother both had telephone voices, and an auntie who was a trained telephonist sounded like the Queen!

Hate the sound of my voice. In the olden days when I had to dictate letters into a Dictaphone I loathed having to play it back. Lived all my life in Yorkshire but my mum was from Enfield so I have a mixed accent but now I can do a really good Yorkshire accent, particularly when we visit our expat DCs in the south.

I’m sure I read somewhere years ago that you subconsciously change your voice depending on who is on the other end of the conversation.( To “ fit in” maybe?) I didnt believe this until one day my son said he could always tell who I was talking to as my speech changed when talking to “ posh friends” ( never knew I had any TBH) to local accent when talking to family. One day a colleague at work told me she could always tell if I was getting ** off with the caller as I became increasingly articulate, used bigger words and the tone of my voice lowered. ?. ? Who knew??

Definitely! I always lower my voice and enunciate carefully, until I find out who is on the other end of the line. It amuses me when strangers respond by apologising for bothering me.

I apparently have an extra clear voice on phone. It’s due to my being taught switchboard skills at a young tender age, by the phone people of the time. Would that be the Post Office then? I was taught on old fashioned plug, pull and push switch. Great fun. We did some practical jokes on same device - ‘double calling’ and putting those calls together. Very naughty. Eg. One of us phones Jones the Butchers in Hanley and another Jones the Butcher in Stoke. Put the calls together and then stay completely silent. They each answer ‘Jones the Butcher’ and then it’s hilarious. Incredibly naughty. You phoned me - no! You phoned me! And it went from there for quite a while. Lunch time was fun. Lucky not to have got the sack.
Apologies if I have offended anyone but it was 50 yrs ago. That job taught me lots of practical jokes. Sorry to my lovely bosses at the time. Tables were turned on me but that’s another story. Happy Easter all. x

Years ago I used to , and I'm sure like most of us back then would say " insert town 23432 "
These days I put on a grumpy sounding voice and just say Hello !

I dont think I do but my husband certainly does. He is a handyman and often gets calls for prospective jobs and I can always tell if the caller is a woman by the tone of his voice, its so funny because he doesnt think he does it.

I didn’t think so and still don’t, but apparently I do!

Kate1949

No. Broad Brummie here!

and here lool

I don’t know but if I sound like I do in videos then I sound like an (intelligent and educated) 13 year old.

Lucy127 I’m shocked ?. Would explain all those interrupting conversations we had on our magical candlestick telephone when I was a child.

Daisend1

Luckyfour
I was brought up in Northampton shire and frequently heard 'ent' / am not' and 'shent' /'shall not' .

That's me, I've posted already about that.
Born and lived all my life in Northamptonshire and in the ent, kent and enna gonna brigade.

I was pleased to learn at uni that it is highly skilled to adapt your voice / register to your audience. Not false not weak but highly skilled which explains a telephone voice; from a time when you didn’t know who was ringing and a formal tone was used. Again highly skilled.

I don’t think I have a telephone voice but my lovely dad did. When I was a little girl I used to call it “daddy’s best voice”. This post brought back some lovely memories of him.

Me too... foxy48 ??