My mother-in-law grew up in Italy and France, married a US soldier after WW2 and moved to the US with him. When she speaks English her accent sounds German, must be the combination of Italian and French accents. She takes offense at people thinking she is German though, she was living in Paris when the Germans invaded!
I’ve been living in South Lanarkshire for over two and a half years now, and I still can’t understand most of the people I hear. 
I only rarely encounter people who can’t understand me, though. Not never, but rarely. But then, I don’t get out much…
I’m from both the USA and Canada (dual citizen), but effectively came here from Canada with a few months’ stopover in the States with family. So when people guess my accent, they usually guess Canadian. Whether that’s because I do actually sound more Canadian, or because they’re erring on the side of politeness, I don’t know. 
Foreigner (British) living in the USA here. Not rude, exactly (I think that would imply some bad intent), but unwelcome and a bit tiresome.
I’m a permanent resident of the USA, have spent more than half my adult life here, and have built a life here, and as far as I’m concerned I’m home, but whenever I meet someone new you can see they are itching to ask or guess where I’m from. It is ‘othering’, as someone else said, and it is tiring to think that even if I stayed here for 60 years I’d get the same damn questions every day.
Plus though you might be a gentle soul, people asking or guessing where I’m from has preceded: (1) tedious stories about vacations to nearby countries and how they didn’t ‘make it’ (always that phrase) to my home area… why would I care about your holiday?; (2) dubious political rants about how there’s too many Muslims in Europe; (3) tedious stories about their study abroad (except they never say study abroad … they always ‘lived in England for a few months’); (4) dubious political rants about how everything European is better than everything American, and how they are jealous of my EU passport.
Fairly often it doesn’t seem like a conversation: they just want to show off how ‘international’ they are.
I actually feel a bit sorry for the study abroaders. They think they’ve had this amazing experience and are citizens of the world now, but none of their friends want to hear their anecdotes. They seem to think I’ll be intensely interested.
Thing is, many of them could reply to this post saying they’ve done it to me, and I didn’t seem to mind. That’s because I know they don’t really mean any harm, normally, and I’m too polite to let my annoyance know. So if you do it to foreigners, be aware that many of them are internally rolling their eyes at you.
pdts
As for the othering thing, it would probably be the same for someone raised in the south that moves north etc, the accent is different so people zero in on it.
And it is possible they mention their experiences in Britain or Europe as a way to find common ground to discuss, oh you’re from the UK? I love the UK! type stuff.
Perhaps, but there’s a bigger power differential implied by “you’re from another country!” than “you’re from another part of this country!”. The former has a “you’re a guest in this house” quality to it.
In many cases, I’m sure. But that doesn’t make it less annoying and tedious.
pdts
Yup. Can confirm New Zealanders get very tired of being constantly mistaken for Australians.
If you think he’s Australian but he sounds like he has a heavy cold there is a good chance hes a New Zealander.
I have more family in New Zealand now than the UK - they seem to breed faster out there. My theory is there is not so much to do, which is why you meet so many of them traveling elsewhere.
Because it’s annoying when we’re “from” here. I mean, wherever “here” may be. I don’t get offended but it is tedious.
Unless you’re in Vermont, in which case there’s natives, and everyone else. LOL! Nearly as true in South Carolina, but not quite as bad. ALthough the SCians take the extra step of putting a sticker ont heir cars, to be certain that everyone who sees them understands their status. Palmetto Moon Die-Cut Stickers and Decals soem stickers even have the word “NAtive” underneath, just to be sure.
Heck, you can even get one to reassure the world that your dog was born there! http://www.2preppygirls.com/preppy-decals-c-1/south-carolina-flag-with-paw-decal-p-884
There was an episode of King Of The Hill where Hank finds out to his horror he was born in NYC!
That SC moon looks downright Islamic!
Or the episode where Kyle finds out he was conceived in New Jersey, and thus has some congenital, Teen Wolf-style predisposition to morph into a guido stereotype.
You guys answered that question. You were very rude asking this guy about the accent. It must be very frustrating as most likely you are not the only one asking that question. 1) Why was so important for you to know, where is he from and you pointed to him that “HE DOES HAVE AN ACCENT” , at the same time telling him by that “He is different, he is not from here”- almost like pointing it out with your finger.
I am from outside of USa, and also find it very rude if people ask me that.
Guess what. After they do not even continue the conversation, which is totally strange. Do you also ask if he has bank account ?
I think you friend was not rude, he wanted to teach you a lesson that you have not learned. BY the way, read “Discrimination based on ancestry, ethnic origin, place of origin” and good luck. There are anti-discriminatory-laws in USA, but lots of Americans still discriminate constantly, people from foreign countries, but they forget that they grandparents, or parents immigrated here. Real Americans are Indian-Americans the rest you guys are all immigrants!!!
It is time for you to take an effort to learn The English:P:p
You would not. IN my country in Europe, nobody ever ask about accent, and where are you from if they do not know you, unless they are getting to know you. You do not ask that question ou of the blue. Luck of good manners, or no manners at all. American needs to learn some culture from Old Europe.
riginally Posted by galen ubal View Post
Which is pretty much what I’ve heard. One Aussie told me that even if they’re pretty sure the person in question is American, they’d still guess Canadian - the Americans don’t get offended, because “You Seppos don’t worry about it - you’re sure you’re better than everyone else .”
There’s probably some truth in that…
- It is what they teach Americans. Why so many American kids do not get good Match or English Education at school. America is way down on the list for kids good results when comes to good MATH skills. But in the research : American kids were the one, that felt very comfortable and satisfied with their Math Skills, compering to other European Countries where kids were very good at Match with excellent results at schools, but they were not convinced they are the best, as they had aspirations to became better. What would you call that ?
- Brain wash?
Well, I don’t know which one your country is since you didn’t say, but in my country in Europe (Spain) that paragraph counts as extremely rude. The following post, even worse. Kettle, pot.
To quote several posts or paragraphs in a single response (what we call “multiquote”): click on the “+” button for the first thing you want to quote, then the next, and so forth, then for the last one click “Quote”. You’re welcome.
I’ve lived abroad all my adult life and I don’t mind at all when people guess. I like it when they get it wrong, too, which is often. Brits usually think I’m Irish (I’ve lived there) or South African (because I’m Dutch, I suppose. Not sure?). I take it as a compliment, as they are taking me for a native speaker.
Last month I was speaking Italian and an Italian person asked if I was from Sicily. No, but thanks!!! I suppose she only heard me speak three words or so or I wouldn’t even have passed for Italian. That was the best one ever. So guess away, especially cool ones like that!
Asking because of looks is not okay, though, as it implies no on of a different race/skin colour could be a true American/Brit/Italian etc.
I have a Kiwi friend who’s here working for a year and he’s very nice about being mistaken for Aussie. Usually just responds with “Close!” and people figure it out. I hope he isn’t secretly pissed at us all.
Interestingly I’ve met several people from Australia (Sydney) who sound indistinguishable from Londoners (to my ears). I asked the Kiwi if I’m just being a dumb American and he said he can’t always tell either, so the accent must be similar. At least among posh people in both cities.
I frequently do, and I don’t consider it rude, and in my experience, it is rarely (if ever) taken that way. I might say something like “You speak English beautifully, but I don’t recognize where the accent is from.” I’ve traveled abroad enough to recognize the range of forms that the question can take, and it is pretty easy to avoid offending a person with a polite question that doesn’t sound like it casting an aspersion on someone for their foreign-ness.
It is rude, nosy, and intrusive. Don’t assume that your victims don’t think so just because they don’t call you out on it.
I think context is important. In a place where virtually everyone is from somewhere else I think it’s a reasonable question. I live in New York and that’s a standard question even for other Americans along with “Working/Going to School/Etc.?”