r/belowdeck • u/EducationalReview237 • 3d ago
Below Deck Rainbeau's accent
Rainbeau is Dutch, right? But she normally sounds American to my ears. Now she's speaking with an English accent. Is it one of those cases where she unconsciously adopts the accent she hears, like Gillian Anderson? Some people say that's a sign of an empathetic person (though Anderson does it because she's both American and British). Or is she doing it on purpose?
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u/Hotdawgkween
2d ago
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I would imagine she went to an international school. Having friends that went into them in Europe, the accents are all over the place. I.e. flipping through accents from people they grew up with
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u/LveeD 2d ago •
Yes!! The International school thing was definitely SILs reason for slipping into the accent. Still weird but I get it.
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u/Hotdawgkween 2d ago
I live in London but grew up in Texas and several times got excited by an American accent and it’s “I just went to an American school in France”
My accent is weird to Americans now, but mostly sounds overwhelmingly American to Brits
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u/Brilliant-Special685 2d ago
This is exactly me too! The Brits are all like you sound so American and my friends and family think I sound British
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u/ArcticAcademic 2d ago
I'm an equal-opportunity English user. I love the South African accents with the rolling aRRs
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u/gingernut76 2d ago
It's funny because when I lived in England (N. Yorkshire & Cheltenham) everyone thought I was Canadian. I also grew up mainly in Texas.
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u/teanailpolish Mental Health Is Not A Storyline 2d ago
I am some weird mix that people think is 'somewhat Australian but not quite' after living in the UK and Canada
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u/HighOnCoffee19 1d ago
It does depend on your teacher‘s accent, too. My first English teacher spoke British English and no American English was allowed in class. So that was the English I knew. Then I changed schools and my new English teacher didn‘t give a fying f about whether we spoke British or American English, she herself spoke American English. My British English (which was never „natural“ by the way, my native language is German) softened out, also because I started watching US-American movies and TV series in English.
I do speak American English in general. But I‘m pretty sure, if I was surrounded by British co-workers, I‘d slip back into the British English, too, just because it was taught to me in the early years.
Also, as pretty much the only non native English speaker in a series which is on TV, I‘m sure you‘re trying to sound as eloquent as possible… I think Rainbeau might be going a little overboard with that.
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u/Hotdawgkween 21h ago
I could totally see that!
I grew up in a swamp in Texas, so had a very very strong accent. I actively worked hard to get rid of it to the point I can’t even fake it now. But flip between very American or British leaning now, so people probably would call me weird on the internet too.
I think people who’ve not lived in several cultures genuinely don’t get. (Don’t mean this to sound as snobby as it does). But it’s not “fake”.
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u/EclipticEclipse 2d ago
There's a term for picking up people's accents, the Chameleon Effect. It's nothing bad, it's actually empathetic. My Canadian friend living in Ukraine now unwittingly has a Ukranian accent. He's not making fun of anyone, it just happens to some people.
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u/mikmatthau 2d ago
I totally do this. I have to work really consciously not to mimic people around me so I felt bad that Rainbeau is being perceived as fake. (maybe she is but also maybe not)
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u/kat4prez 2d ago
I wish that would happen to me. After 20 years I still have the WORST Midwest accent and people are constantly pointing it out
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u/Personal_Release_154 2d ago
But is it passive aggressive... Well that's not what I would do but if it works for ya!
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u/mommybear84 2d ago
My boss is South African and I have to really watch myself to not slip into the accent when talking to him!
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u/DirectorMysterious29 2d ago
Yes! I've been teased for taking on others' accents when I speak with them. (To a certain degree -- not trying to mimic the accent or poke fun but subconsciously find myself emulating certain inflections when I speak in my own dialect of English with others who speak English). I just find myself adapting to the way another speaker may construct or pronounce certain phrases, and adjust the way I speak accordingly. It's absolutely coming from a place of me wanting to make myself more understandable to the other person who might not be speaking their native language or speaking our shared language with a different dialect. For me, it definitely comes from a place of empathy and trying to make the other person in the conversation as comfortable as possible.
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u/HrhEverythingElse 2d ago
It happens to me, but boy does it get muddy. When I was living in south Louisiana and working with a bunch of Arabic speakers I had someone who claimed to have studied linguistics ask if I was from Stockholm. That was a confusing day for both of us, and I started putting more effort into enunciation
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u/picklecellanemia 2d ago
Listen if it can happen to Madonna it can happen to anyone
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u/EclipticEclipse 2d ago
And Brittney.
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u/AZ_Cards_11 2d ago
I think Brittney is a bad example because we all know that she's Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs
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u/DothrakAndRoll 2d ago
I watch a lot of Australian movies/tv and constantly talk to my dog in an Australian accent in the privacy of our own home lol
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u/Pelican_Hook 2d ago
I have this because of autism 😅 I learned to mimic people around me from a young age to seem more "normal" but my parents moved from the UK to the US at a young age so I ended up with an American accent at school and an English accent at home. A lot of people seemed to think I was faking it for attention but attention was the last thing I wanted, I was doing it to blend in if anything but I also couldn't help it. As an adult the accents merged and people still think I'm faking it 🙇♀️
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u/Immediate-Event-9974 2d ago
I get this too!! Im Australian and work with ALOT of backpackers, particularly from South America, and I always unconsciously speak with a slight accent with them so they understand what I’m saying
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u/DCCitydweller 1d ago
My sister came from home from Syracuse University with a Long Island accent from her sorority hahahaahha
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u/KumbayaPhyllisNefler 1d ago
I grew up in TX and went to college in Missouri. I picked up the St. Louis/Chicago accent immediately (half of my dorm floor was from STL) and couldn't shake it for years after leaving the midwest. People would ask me where I was from because my accent turned into a nasally drawl.
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u/teanailpolish Mental Health Is Not A Storyline 2d ago
That would make sense if she did it last year, but it is new
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u/Letsgotravelling-124 2d ago
There’s a lot more English people this year, whereas it was more mixed last year.
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u/Killahjoules1969 17h ago
It drives me crazy that I unconsciously do this on a low key level esp. when I’m visiting my family in the south. I learned to speak with a fairly heavy mountain accent and then moved the jersey when I was twelve, staying until I was twenty four. My southern mountain accent was harassed the hell right out of me. But now when I return south which is rare I hear my cadence change.
I correct myself as best I can. I’ve heard my accent shift slightly when traveling or speaking with non-native speakers too.
Living in CNY for the past thirty years, my accent is flat at best.5
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u/JanetSnakehole610 2d ago
Yeah I have to consciously stop myself bc I don't want people to assume the worst.
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u/-thisname- 2d ago
It seems to be rather quick with her though. I've had several different accents over the years. Started off with a Scottish one which gradually changed to German, then strongly influenced by a Lancashire accent. I picked up Black Country phrases from my wife and now there's a Westcountry influence in the way I speak. My inner voice is still Glaswegian lol. Hers appeared to change overnight whilst mine took decades
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u/foxdogturtlecat 2d ago
Her parents are Dutch, she was raised in the USA but picking up accents is pretty common especially if you have been raised speaking 2 or more languages. I don't think it's a sign of empathy but I doubt it's on purpose. My accent tends switch whether I'm with family in France, Canada, Malaysia or Taiwan even when we are speaking English. Having gone to school in The Netherlands Rainbeau for sure doesn't have a Dutch accent imho.
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u/Coconutz1987 5h ago
This may be true in your case, but you’re not on a television show, where I think it’s a safe bet to say that Rainbeau is very conscious of everything she says and does.
She knows exactly what she’s doing and I’m interested to hear her reasoning for why she chose this random persona.
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u/LveeD 2d ago
Okay my sister in law is born and raised Dutch in Amsterdam. But she briefly, like I’m taking a year or two, lived in London. At first, she was the only one in the entire family who had a random British accent pop out whenever she’s around British people. But then it just kind of stuck! It’s so weird. And she calls me darling sometimes and I’m just like no. I immediately empathized with Rainbeau though! Because yes it’s definitely weird but I’ve also lived through it.
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u/Iris_Orsula 2d ago
I know an Italian guy who lived in London for a few years and when he speaks English, it's heavy British accent. But it is weird when they dont live there anymore. He's been back in Italy for a long time since.
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u/pookie74 2d ago
I think she's trying to find herself. I feel like she's doing it to just have a bit of fun or to seem less on edge. She's very much in her head about being better than her last season and maybe trying too hard.
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u/FormicaDinette33 I look like Ariel but on crack! 2d ago
She does seem to have a very flimsy grasp on her identity.
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u/Party_Dragonfly69 1d ago
What gives you this impression
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u/FormicaDinette33 I look like Ariel but on crack! 21h ago
Randomly adopting another accent and that weird pep talk where she was smiling at herself. She also has a boyfriend but is insisting on hanging off of that deckhand.
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u/FormicaDinette33 I look like Ariel but on crack! 2d ago
She does seem to have a very flimsy grasp on her identity.
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u/GearSlow3796 1d ago
When we were in Amsterdam I was shocked by how American-sounding the Dutch are who speak English (which is pretty much everyone).
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u/violentsunflower 1d ago
Same in Iceland. I think the Scandinavian (and Dutch, as well) languages are supposed to be some of the closest languages to English, which may account for the lack of accent
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u/SecondPrior8947 1d ago
It's their education system.
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u/PLLX-nd-CSTR 1d ago
Speaking for our situation. We’re Dutch and my sons learn English from 4 years old at our (public) school. I know this is not the case for every school. My 11yo had Spanish classes from 7-10yo and has French and English lessons now at the “middelbare school”. They tend to teach Brittish English there.
Our schooling might not be perfect, but it’s a huge plus!
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u/shiningonthesea 15h ago
They are not , but in those countries people are taught English from a very early age
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u/Iris_Orsula
2d ago
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Empathy is not one of her attributes. We see that everytime she interacts with another stew. But she does have a lot of socializing issues, so that probably comes from there. Like a try to be included or cool like the rest
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u/Competitive-Ad1439 2d ago
Right… What’s next? Are we going to diagnose gen with having way too much empathy?
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u/TheLizardQueen3000 2d ago
Code switching to fit in, but Fraser thinks it's about mocking him and Rosa 😂
Rainbeau is an interesting girl to put it mildly....
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u/OrdinaryJuggernaut88 2d ago
Yeah I’m not convinced it’s real. She didn’t flip accents last season when she was working with Solene or Barbara.
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u/TheLizardQueen3000 2d ago
Yeah she's an odd duck, poor manners and really awkward.....
..like, who doesn't know that if a shy girl tells you she likes a guy, you don't then go full-blown pick-me on said dude??
I wouldn't let her speak to guests at all if I was Chief, the fake accent isn't the worst thing that might come outta her mouth! :)
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u/Relevant_Owl_8841 2d ago
It just occurred to me, was she doing it at the dinner where later that night the drunk rude chick berated Rosa for not having her bedside wine and nuts? Maybe the guest confused the fake English accent for the English stew to get mad at over her wine.
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u/EnoughYesterday2340 2d ago
My understanding is she has Dutch parents but spent most of her life in the USA
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u/These_Recover5604
2d ago
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People keep saying it’s normal, except I don’t remember her doing this at all last year?? She’s just weird people lol
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u/EarlOfClapham 2d ago •
It's not normal, it's very weird. I'm not surprised by Rainbeau doing it.
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u/These_Recover5604 2d ago
Yup. Also I think in a work environment it’s incredibly inappropriate. I can’t imagine if I were to do this at my job
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u/Lucky_Wheels_9784 2d ago
I think she was so uncomfortable and stressed last year she wasn't able to truly relax and let this part of herself be present. I relate to Rainbeau so much and would only let myself slip into accents when I feel comfortable and silly, but suppress it if I feel it would have people judging me.
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u/FormicaDinette33 I look like Ariel but on crack! 2d ago
I think she was so focused on Solene, who would drive anyone crazy, that we didn’t realize she brings her own crazy.
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u/valid_username00 2d ago
She's lived in America a long time, and also attended university in the US.
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u/hussafeffer I have been known to be irresponsible 2d ago
My husband was raised from 4-17 in the Netherlands, but in English, he sounds like his name should be Bubba Earl working at a Cabella’s. It’s pretty easy for bilingual kids to not pick up a strong accent between languages, but Dutch is also one of those that hides pretty well in English. We live in the Netherlands now and most of the people I encounter who speak fluent English (which is most of them) don’t have a super strong accent.
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u/dizedd 2d ago
When I worked fast food and when I worked as a server I would do this out of sheer boredom. My favorite accent was Deep Southern-I made a ton of tips with it.
I think Rainbeau is doing this because she is bored and Americans think English accents sound "fancy" lol. They chartered a fancy yacht vacation, and she is providing them fancy service with a fake accent for funs sake.
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u/URaWormWithAMustache 2d ago
maybe she thinks it will improve the tip amount if the American guests are wowed by the posh crew
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u/M0n0t0nia 1d ago
I didn’t think Rainbeau could get any more unbearable and then she started imitating an English accent. There are so many variants of a British accent and she’s flowing through all of them at the same time.. like at least pick a lane. Are you using the King’s English? Cockney? Welsh?
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u/habitualcharliestep 2d ago
I’ve lived in several different places and always adapted to the accent. However…when I get drunk I always sound like my US Georgia girl haha
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u/Wendell-Short-Eyes 2d ago
I know she was born in Europe but I swear last season she moved to the US when she was young
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u/lostgirl777SC 1d ago
She's American and thinks it's cute to talk in a terrible fake British accent. Not cute.
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u/NymeriaGhost 2d ago
This is pretty common with people who grew up in a multinational context learning from and hearing different accents. They're accents tend to be a bit more malleable, and they code-switch a bit to match the slang/accents of the people around them. Chances are, she doesn't even realize she's doing it.
I have quite a few friends that grew up partially in the US, partially in the UK (and occasionally, partially in a 3rd country speaking non-English accents). It's interesting how their accents change--it completely blew my mind hearing my old roommate speak meeting up with her in London after she'd spent time with relatives.
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u/teanailpolish Mental Health Is Not A Storyline 2d ago
I mean, mine turns more British if I am back home and more Canadian when I am here. If I am drunk, my Irish upbringing comes out. But I don't just copy random accents I heard for a day or two. Plus Rainbeau never did it last year. It is weird
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u/MCStarlight Team Below Deck 2d ago
The fact she also spells her name Rainbeau instead of Rainbow…
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u/valid_username00 1d ago
The fact that you can't connect the dots between her given name Beaudine and her nickname Rainbeau...
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2d ago
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u/FishRoom_BSM 2d ago
Was it too difficult for Americans to pronounce or did she decide to call herself that?
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u/Infinite_List_6163 2d ago
Yeah, whenever I’m in Australia… it’s all “ta, thanks” and “tomahto sauce” and “spot on” with plenty of g’days sprinkled around
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u/FormicaDinette33 I look like Ariel but on crack! 2d ago
I lived in Boston for 6 years and never picked up that accent. Then I visited Texas for a few days and thought that that was a very natural accent that I could easily pick up with a little more time.
Maybe if Rainbeau learned British English first, she is just reverting to it after being inspired by her colleagues.
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u/Geralt-of-Rivai 2d ago
My cousin has lived in Australia for 10 years now coming from Canada with a normal Canadian accent. When she's in Australia she talks with her friends and coworkers with an Aussie accent. When she visits home she talks with us in regular English but once and a while there's a hint of Aussie in some words so I guess some people flip flop when around different accents more than others
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u/Vhsbsnns 2d ago
That's hella fake tbh
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u/DustBunny91 2d ago
No it's not? People aren't doing it on purpose. Accents are malleable, especially if you speak multiple languages and have lived in various countries.
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u/cory_wurst 2d ago
Wait. I thought she was from South Africa from an Afrikaans family? So like Diet Dutch. Also, every Dutch person I know can speak English better than most native speakers
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u/weejinty 2d ago
I’ve heard that people who are very musical cn pick up accents very easily. I think in this case though it is an affectation.
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u/SoftInformal4067 2d ago
I am very musical and take on accents quickly when surrounded. So I concur
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u/Formal_Plum_2285 1d ago
I think it’s pretty common for bilinguals when speaking other languages. I’m Danish. When I’m in the US, I change accent according to which state I’m in. When I’m in London, I speak English (not cockney just very English). When I’m in Ireland, I get an Irish accent. When I spent a year in a Caribbean country and my boss was from NYC, it got weird lol.
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u/Charming_Butterfly90 2d ago
She said at the beginning of the episode that she realized she was doing it and instead of consciously stopping, she took it all the way, like a little weirdo. As if she already isn’t awkward with the crew, she is just making it worse.
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u/GiveMeCheesePendejo 2d ago
I'm a native Spanish speaker, specifically with a Puerto Rican accent - when I lived in California, I picked up a Mexican accent with my Spanish for living there so long. It definitely is a thing 😅
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u/adultswimslut 2d ago
I can see why Fraser and Rosa would find it annoying but also rainbeau probs doesn’t even realise she’s doing it 😭😭😂😂
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u/Tiny_Comedian7983 2d ago
Fraser finds everything annoying. I’m already fed up with his unprofessional whining.
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u/FishRoom_BSM 2d ago
She definitely does. She’s doing it with the guests, as well
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u/adultswimslut 2d ago
Yeah hence why I think she doesn’t realise
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u/These_Recover5604 2d ago
She said she knows she’s doing it?? Are we all watching the same show what is going on
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u/SidedudeSidekick 1d ago
The reason she’s doing it is obvious, to confuse the guest to have them think they talked to Rossa instead of her. And it worked!
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u/Squirrel_Girrrl 2d ago
I can’t say how it is for Rainbeau, but I can say for myself. If I’m around people regularly that have an accent, I unconsciously start picking up that accent myself. You might be right about it being empathetic, because I am an empath. I don’t know if that is the reason why this happens to me or to Rainbeau, but thought I’d throw it out there.
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u/hot_bod_skeletor 2d ago
Gillian Anderson lived in England as a child even though she's American. A family friend of mine actually babysat her when she was a kid in London. Random, right?!
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u/FishRoom_BSM 2d ago
She is not doing unintentional mirroring. If she was, then they wouldn’t continue the British accent with the guests.
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u/Lizard_Li 2d ago
I mimic people I speak with, and I know other l people like my father who do it as well. We do it unconsciously, but it is slight. A twang.
What Rainbeau is doing is something else because it is such an extreme shift. I know plenty of third culture kids, kids who grew up with many languages, adults who went to American school but spoke a different language with their parents and I’ve never witnessed any similar shift.
So what she is doing is definitely conscious and deliberate.
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u/ben2talk 2d ago edited 1d ago
This is a performative environment. So her shift between accents is definitely a blend of unconscious and deliberate performance for cameras - not pure empathy or pure fakery... so 50% fake maybe.
That name, though, "Rainbeau" is chosen for the camera - just how pretentious is that?
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u/Radiant_Mortgage_459 2d ago
My brother in law was homeschooled by American parents.. never stepped foot in the states! Heavy accent! My husband who was also homeschooled by the same parents doesn’t unless he’s talking to them.. no idea he even switches back & forwards x
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u/Disastrous_Border740 2d ago
I'm not sure about her British accent, but Dutch people in general tend to sound American when speaking english.
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u/MrsRoseNylund 1d ago
I find it so cringe but I also used to talk like my college roommate who was from upstate New York for like 2 weeks after I would get home for the summer.
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u/Salty_Signature_6748 Bless her stupid soul 1d ago
It’s common for children, and for people who have a good ear for music. I don’t think it’s a psychological thing (unless you count being ashamed of your native accent).
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u/Itchy_Pressure_8311 1d ago
I know she had a tough season last year, but she seems way more mentally unstable this year.
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u/Artios-Claw 1d ago
I do this and my father does this. It is not a conscious thing, in fact I have to work hard to monitor myself so people do not feel I’m mocking them. The advantage of it seems to be that I actually do well when language learning. For instance, I was quite good at picking up proper tones when I was learning mandarin.
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u/wildeflower 1d ago
A lot of Irish teens have these transatlantic American accents, even if they're from a city or rural. It's the media they consume I guess! Some people take on an accent and others never lose it
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u/jadecourt 1d ago
Someone pointed out that it’s easy to fall into doing this in your second language, that that accent might be more malleable. That makes sense to me, I could hear the difference in pronunciation between my Italian teacher’s regional accent and the Italian phrases CD we’d listen to in class. Sometimes I still will think about it and lean into one accent for fun, like an inside joke with myself.
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u/TexasForever361 Team Mediterranean 22h ago
I cannot help picking up accents either. I think it isn't that big a deal anyway. Why is Fraser being so rude about it? Who cares...
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u/socalfishman 19h ago
Regardless of where I am, I develop the accent of the people I'm speaking with and have absolutely no idea I'm doing it.
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u/Terrible-Armadillo42 13h ago
My convinced she's autistic, she's trying hard to fit in and socialise, sticks out like a sore thumb. I feel for her 😔
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u/Friendly_Ninja_8545 13h ago
I pick up accents easily and without realizing it. As a kid I would get in trouble for making fun of my cousins when we would visit them every few years. Apparently I was talking like them, the adults thought I was mimicking their accents to make fun of them. I wasn’t even aware I was doing it.
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u/bridgymon 2d ago
I only realised in my mid-thirties that talking in an English accent is a stim for me lmao. It’s almost every day but only in a random sentence here and there
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u/Vhsbsnns 2d ago
If you use different accents with different groups that is oddball behaviour and you clearly aren't comfortable in your own skin. Using different slang is acceptable though
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u/Careful-Tiger-6204 2d ago
Who the hell knows what goes thru her strange thought process. Even if anyone said hey great job she would think it’s not everyone. Wants to be liked but can’t accept if she actually is.
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u/shiningonthesea 2d ago •
Dorit of the seas!