# My stupid tablet apparently does not understand my flatlander accent **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 17, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586 "2015-09-17T19:06:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/1 "2015-09-17T19:06:46Z")
It’s a Google Nexus 7. I plan to replace it this year, actually, but I simply can’t trust it to understand me. My SO speaks to his just fine - grew up in Long Island - and it understands everything from _him_ but it just makes hash of my Michigander accent. :mad: I know I speak fast but even when I slow down it just makes a hash of everything I say. Like the other day. I tried to say something, I don’t even remember what, and it came out: > [@](#): > > your right your turkey famous grow a lot of no color is coming out It would almost be poetry if it wasn’t so fucking annoying. I kind of want to yell at it: 'I SPEAK ENGLISH, MOTHERFUCKER! Except who knows what it might make out of that. Grrr… ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/2 "2015-09-17T19:13:30Z")
Hehe I have one I saved for years that I dictated while walking in a noisy crowd to tell my friend I would be 20 minutes late to the ballpark, and to meet in a parking lot. Because I forgot to grab a hat. > [@](#): > > Yeah, Sharswood mozzarella Dancona pain in 20 whatever so far down at the lot across from hydrogen because I didn’t think the pack my bag. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/3 "2015-09-17T19:31:39Z")
Obviously the OP needs elocution lessons: does anyone have a recommended set of tapes? To get you in the right frame of mind watch My Fair Lady, and remember how elocution lessons really changed Eliza’s life. “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the plain!” ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/4 "2015-09-17T19:51:14Z")
Not a bad idea actually! Maybe I should try. ---
**Author:** ![Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Ulf\_the\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulf_the_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/5 "2015-09-17T20:01:56Z")
Past Tense: why are we blaming the victim by asking her to change her speech patterns? Shouldn’t it be the responsibility of the tablet to evolve so it can understand everyone regardless of race, gender, creed, sexual orientation, or geographic origin? Or, as my tablet puts it, “racist are creed of Yule into attention or geographical gin” ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/6 "2015-09-17T20:07:52Z")
Oh, here’s the racist part. You wanna hear the racist part? 😃 I googled “google nexus 7 doesn’t understand my voice” and I got back hits on “How to make Google understand an Indian accent”. Just because I am E. Indian does NOT mean I have an Indian accent! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! (I actually do not at all. All of my formative years are here, including all of my schooling, and definitely all of my English training. ) Ok, so it probably just correlated something on my Plus account, but I reserve the right to be offended! ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/7 "2015-09-17T20:42:39Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Oh, here’s the racist part. You wanna hear the racist part? 😃 I googled “google nexus 7 doesn’t understand my voice” and I got back hits on “How to make Google understand an Indian accent”. > > Just because I am E. Indian does NOT mean I have an Indian accent! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! (I actually do not at all. All of my formative years are here, including all of my schooling, and definitely all of my English training. ) > Ok, so it probably just correlated something on my Plus account, but I reserve the right to be offended! Or people with Indian accents have a notoriously hard time getting it to work. It’s probably one of the largest English accents out there, but is often underrepresented. Though I’d guess both that and correlation with your Google searches or Plus stuff. It would be hilarious if following whatever advice they have for fixing it for Indian accents would help you, though. Wouldn’t hurt to try, right? ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/8 "2015-09-18T01:17:29Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > . . . but it just makes hash of my Michigander accent. :mad:. . . Southeast Michigan/Metro Detroit? Or Southwest Michigan/Holland/Grand Rapids? No one can understand those folks in the west. Folks from Kalamazoo can’t understand Kalamazoo. On the other hand, if you are from near Detroit, you probably confused it with references to Lahser, Dequindre, and Livernois. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/9 "2015-09-18T03:06:57Z")
What? No idea what you just said… ---
**Author:** ![Homo\_litoralis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c89c15/32.png) [@Homo\_litoralis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Homo_litoralis)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/10 "2015-09-18T04:01:27Z")
You must rroll your RRs. Wait. ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/11 "2015-09-18T12:29:39Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Oh, here’s the racist part. You wanna hear the racist part? 😃 I googled “google nexus 7 doesn’t understand my voice” and I got back hits on “How to make Google understand an Indian accent”. > > Just because I am E. Indian does NOT mean I have an Indian accent! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh! (I actually do not at all. All of my formative years are here, including all of my schooling, and definitely all of my English training. ) > Ok, so it probably just correlated something on my Plus account, but I reserve the right to be offended! Does your tablet have a camera? Maybe it got a look at you, thought “Indian”, and just gave up without trying. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/12 "2015-09-18T13:08:04Z")
> [@BubbaDog](#): > > Does your tablet have a camera? > Maybe it got a look at you, thought “Indian”, and just gave up without trying. It wouldn’t be the first time that happened to me. 😃 **tomndebb** , I am from Warren, MI, at the base of the thumb. ---
**Author:** ![DinoR](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dinor/32/2821_2.png) [@DinoR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DinoR)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/13 "2015-09-18T14:11:35Z")
I grew up in NW Ohio and lived most of my life in central MI. My nexxus understands me pretty well. I do tend to use Army voice from talking on the radio though. That isn’t really a change in dialect just talking a touch slower with a touch more enunciation. Think of trying to talk at a crowded bar with live music…minus the actual yelling part. If it doesn’t work throw in the yelling. It probably won’t help it understand you but… 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/14 "2015-09-18T22:16:37Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > **tomndebb** , I am from Warren, MI, at the base of the thumb. Ahh! There’s the problem. It is not your Indian ancestry, but your Polish accent. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/15 "2015-09-18T23:21:13Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Though I’d guess both that and correlation with your Google searches or Plus stuff. I’m bugging because I opened the SD main page and an ad for Listerine at Walgreen’s came up and I just bought Listerine at a Walgreen’s competitor this morning. :eek: It’s coming from inside the machine!! ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/16 "2015-09-18T23:31:06Z")
Anaamika, ok, serious question, do you sound like Apu from the Simpsons? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2015, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/17 "2015-09-18T23:37:20Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > Ahh! There’s the problem. It is not your Indian ancestry, but your Polish accent. I laughed! > [@YogSosoth](#): > > Anaamika, ok, serious question, do you sound like Apu from the Simpsons? Nope. In fact you can’t easily pick me out as Indian at all. Indian people eye me dubiously. I was once yelled at by an old abuela for not speaking my native language. She meant Spanish. I \*do \*speak \*my \*native language. But I don’t think I look Spanish either. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [September 19, 2015, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/18 "2015-09-19T01:32:35Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Oh, here’s the racist part. You wanna hear the racist part? 😃 I googled “google nexus 7 doesn’t understand my voice” and I got back hits on “How to make Google understand an Indian accent”. I think the answer on that is “good luck, bucko”. A friend has the same problem with her iPhone (she is E. Indian and has an Indian accent). Bonus: the phone book does not understand voice commands to call people, and it mangles any names it says out loud. Siri is a friggin’ idiot. However, even MY phone can’t understand me, and I have a pretty standard east-coast prime-time newscaster accent. When the phone gets to be too much of a PITA, I switch to RP and it immediately understands. My damn phone is an Anglophile! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2015, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/19 "2015-09-20T22:55:23Z")
> [@GrumpyBunny](#): > > Siri is a friggin’ idiot. I was standing in church today when from the back comes Siri “I’M SORRY, FRANK, I DID NOT UNDERSTAND THAT” ---
**Author:** ![usedtobe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@usedtobe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/usedtobe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2015, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586/20 "2015-09-21T00:25:16Z")
Speaking of “Problems of the Privileged” Do any of you understand the utter insanity of: “When I talk to my machine, it doesn’t understand me”? 20 years ago, saying that out loud would get you a trip to the psych ward. High-class problems… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/my-stupid-tablet-apparently-does-not-understand-my-flatlander-accent/731586.md?page=2)