The English Language and Accents

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:38 pm

Billy Connelly is one of my favorite comedians, but I must confess that my American tuned ear must really strain to understand him. Same for me with some of the Kiwi accents. To my ear some sound garbled. Despite that, I love accents, any kind. I have many Scottish golfing friends here in NZ and love that accent. Do you have an accent that people mention?

Elvira · Post by **Elvira** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:42 pm

Lon;543592 wrote: Billy Connelly is one of my favorite comedians, but I must confess that my American tuned ear must really strain to understand him. Same for me with some of the Kiwi accents. To my ear some sound garbled. Despite that, I love accents, any kind. I have many Scottish golfing friends here in NZ and love that accent. Do you have an accent that people mention?

YES!!!! A certain someone on this site takes the p!ss out of the way I speak, because I'm a bit "queen's english"

I think I speak nicely!:-1

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:47 pm

I have an Irish accent, you know the sound, it seems a popular enough one, though for me its normal.

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 4:55 pm

I have had a few people tell me that I have a California accent. Funny, I always think of Californians as not having any kind of accent.

Wolverine · Post by **Wolverine** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:15 pm

i really listening to folks with that "Proper" southern accent. like folks from Savannah. pronounce it Jaw-ja

Lulu2 · Post by **Lulu2** » Thu Feb 08, 2007 5:32 pm

We lived in Virginia for the first few years of my life & I grew up with a southern accent. I lost that as soon as I could, after the California children made fun of me! Now, if I'm around southerners, it comes back very quickly.

People outside this country may not know that there are many varieties of "southern accents," just as there are many varieties within the UK.

Elvira · Post by **Elvira** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:16 am

Pinky;543598 wrote: You're an RP girl then El?

What's RP?

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:19 am

I like French accents when they try to speak English. But France French not that Quebecois crap.

Mystery · Post by **Mystery** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 11:23 am

Definitely southern, but as Lulu pointed out, mine's not like other southerner's. I live in the deep south, and in my state alone, there are bunches of different accents.

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 12:58 pm

Elvira;545118 wrote: What's RP?

Its received pronunciation, which was once considered the benchmark for English usage worldwide, now of course standards have dropped somewhat. So RP is like "Oxford English" or the "Queens English" or "like wot theyy use'd tooo tawk loike awn dee BBC and dhat in the fivftys mate init?"

Richard Bell · Post by **Richard Bell** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 1:36 pm

I have a Hyundai Accent :

minks · Post by **minks** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 3:57 pm

Eh? Canadians don't have accents eh?

buttercup · Post by **buttercup** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 4:10 pm

Canadians have very sexy accents :-4

koan · Post by **koan** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 4:16 pm

buttercup;545424 wrote: Canadians have very sexy accents :-4

You've got a thing for me don't ya?

Elvira · Post by **Elvira** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 4:34 pm

Galbally;545220 wrote: Its received pronunciation, which was once considered the benchmark for English usage worldwide, now of course standards have dropped somewhat. So RP is like "Oxford English" or the "Queens English" or "like wot theyy use'd tooo tawk loike awn dee BBC and dhat in the fivftys mate init?"

Gotcha! No, I'm not quite that pique sounding. I'm a bit plummy though - particularly when I'm annoyed.

However, originating from Manchester, my Manc accent comes out a bit when I'm drunk.

crazygal · Post by **crazygal** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 6:20 pm

I can't stand Billy Connelly, not because of his accent, I just can't.

I just have a normal London accent but not common East London where they don't pronounce t's, I love it though, that's where my babies dad is from. I LOVE the Newcastle and Dublin accent, can't stand Northern Ireland though.

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 7:24 pm

I play golf every Monday with a group of eight guys (most all musicians), of different backrounds and accents. There is Horst, orginally from Germany, with his stong Germanic accent, Neville, a local Kiwi with his Kiwi accent, Stewart, orginally from Scotland, Scottish accent, Nigel, Aussie from Canberra, with his Aussie accent, Rob, orginally from Zimbabwe, sort of So. African Brittish accent, Tony, a mostly Maori Kiwi, with a bit of a Maori accent, John, formerly from Devon in the UK and me with the Yank accent. It's fun to hear us when we yell FORE.

Post by **spot** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 8:13 pm

Scrat;545622 wrote: You never hear accents around here.Australians are just plain baffling, as much from the curious additions they've made to English as anything. Strewth.

As anyone who's met me can confirm, I'm definitively normal.

minks · Post by **minks** » Sat Feb 10, 2007 10:54 pm

spot;545628 wrote: Australians are just plain baffling, as much from the curious additions they've made to English as anything. Strewth.

As anyone who's met me can confirm, I'm definitively normal.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH Oh my sides hurt and I gotta pee ahahahahahahaha

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 1:09 am

Okay, here's me accent for those of you who haven't heard it already.

accent.wav

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 1:21 am

Okay, here's another! This is always fun! :-6

accent2.wav

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:35 am

Come on, put your accents on this thing, I love listening to weird foreign accents! :-6

Pinky! A bit of wurzelness please! :wah:

Elvira · Post by **Elvira** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 4:39 am

Galbally;545967 wrote: Come on, put your accents on this thing, I love listening to weird foreign accents! :-6

Pinky! A bit of wurzelness please! :wah:

Gosh daarrrling, it's raally moortifyingly difficult to put an accent in writing isn't it?

blondebimbo · Post by **blondebimbo** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 5:28 am

I have a Scottish accent (funnily enough!)

I like it.

Post by **spot** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 6:13 am

Pinky;545991 wrote: Alroit, here we goo!

Oi gart a bran noo comboine 'arvusterrr...sing along noo!

Do you know the remix?

crazygal · Post by **crazygal** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 9:53 am

Please no 'nae bother'. lol

Richard Bell · Post by **Richard Bell** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 10:26 am

A few years ago, our theatre company staged a play set in a fictitous rural town in Missouri, USA.

Coincidently, I happened upon a PBS (?) program at the time about the construction of a big and elaborate bridge in Missouri, so I taped the show. The accent was very pronounced.

Our dialogue coach found some tutorial tapes on the Missouri accent. An example from one of the lessons :

"Tin plus tin gives yoo twinny".

The cast learned it rather well (talented bunch that they are). Added immensley to the play (Book Of Days).

Earlier, we staged Neil Simon's autobiographical "I Ought To Be In Pictures". It's about a Jewish playwright from New York, and his estranged New York Jewish teenaged daughter. Unfortunately, no dialogue coach on this one. The actors did the roles with their native Ottawa Valley accents, which retains echos of their (and mine) Scottish ancestors.

So, "buried" became "brrrr-EED" , "out" was "ouwt", "house" was "houwse".

It was funny to hear your own accent in such a noticeable way.

Richard Bell · Post by **Richard Bell** » Sun Feb 11, 2007 10:35 am

I'm waiting for Marie to chime in on this thread. She lives a mere 100 km or so from me (across Lake Ontario), yet the Rochester NY accent is as distinct and foreign to me as a South African accent.

Lon · Post by **Lon** » Mon Mar 05, 2007 9:16 pm

I find one manner of speaking with Kiwi's, Aussies and some from the UK, particularly Ireland, and that is to finish a statement with an up tic, making a statement sound more like a question than a statement. I's seems more prevalent with females than males. To my American tuned ear, it gives the impression of being very unsure of one's self and perhaps overly cautious to what the person is saying. I guess it's no worse than loud Anmerican (oh yeah , we do speak loud) voices that are sometimes completlely over the top.

Rosette · Post by **Rosette** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:32 am

Well I live about a 40 mins drive from Manchester.....

and I would have denied any similarities with the manc accent....that was until I started to speak with online friends over the phone and other communication devices..... quite a few people have compared my accent with characters from Coronation street

The one thing I love about the UK, is its rich diversity when it comes to language and accents...... we have been invaded that many times over the centuries... that each area has its own throwback from a distant invader...... its fascinating...

ok someone gag me before I bore you all silly with the history of the English Language........ (its a bit of a passion of mine)

Imladris · Post by **Imladris** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 3:48 am

Lon;569205 wrote: I find one manner of speaking with Kiwi's, Aussies and some from the UK, particularly Ireland, and that is to finish a statement with an up tic, making a statement sound more like a question than a statement. I's seems more prevalent with females than males. To my American tuned ear, it gives the impression of being very unsure of one's self and perhaps overly cautious to what the person is saying. I guess it's no worse than loud Anmerican (oh yeah , we do speak loud) voices that are sometimes completlely over the top.

Funny you mention that Lon, when I hear an Aussie or a Kiwi using that rising inflection when they speak I don't mind it all but when I hear it in use locally by native Devonians it really annoys me. Some of our regional accents use that which is fine, however my daughter has adopted it as she goes to school with children from all over the country who have moved here.

It's a bit of a melting pot for accents here as so many people holiday in this area and then decide to move here. Don't blame them at all because it's lovely here but they should really leave their accents behind!!

Bill Sikes · Post by **Bill Sikes** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 4:14 am

Lon;569205 wrote: I find one manner of speaking with Kiwi's, Aussies and some from the UK, particularly Ireland, and that is to finish a statement with an up tic, making a statement sound more like a question than a statement.

That's a real irritation. It seems more common amongst the young. I blame TV.

foofoo stripper · Post by **foofoo stripper** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 4:18 am

I like going down south, they have a cool southern accent. I have a boston accent, so, people make fun of the way I say car.

Imladris · Post by **Imladris** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:10 am

foofoo stripper;569391 wrote: I like going down south, they have a cool southern accent. I have a boston accent, so, people make fun of the way I say car.
:wah: go on, say car again, it's really funny!

Carl44 · Post by **Carl44** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 5:11 am

Imladris;569421 wrote: :wah: go on, say car again, it's really funny!

:wah: :wah: you ....

Galbally · Post by **Galbally** » Tue Mar 06, 2007 6:14 am

Its interesting, because being Irish, to me, there are loads of Irish accents and they are all different. There is the general neutral country one, which I have, then there are the fruitier ones, the more lilty, sing song ones, then there are the urban ones, Dublin (2 main types, posh and not posh at all), Cork, Belfast, Galway, Waterford, they are all quite different if you know Irish speech patterns well, the Northern Irish accent is obviously quite different from the southern one, its like a mix of Scots and Irish, but I can even tell the difference between say someone from Tipperary, and someone from Offaly or Carlow, its sheep and other sheep I guess. In England its even more pronouced, and someone from Berkshire sounds totally different from someone from Cumbira, or Devon, its cool actually. :-6