View Full Version : How much does someone's accent matter?
Boozeburglar
20-Aug-09, 22:44
I don't watch Big Brother as a rule, but right now I had it on with no volume and something strange happened. The girl with the shaved head struck me as very bonny.
All prior exposure to her was tainted by the effect of her not so dulcet tones..
What accents really get your goat?
Penelope Pitstop
20-Aug-09, 22:50
Does a foreign person who can't speak great English at a call centre count !!:lol:
I can't stand the Scouse accent. Jennifer Ellison is a wee doll until she opens her mouth and speaks. ;)
oldmarine
20-Aug-09, 23:00
It depends on the accent. Some I can understand very clear and others (with my hard of hearing) makes me strain to understand.
bettedaviseyes
20-Aug-09, 23:06
i have had so many times on my travels someone asking me were in ireland am i from not irish scottish from wick lol and i hate hearing the scottish accent on the tv :eek:
Australians do my nut in , its as if they dont really know how they are supposed to sound !
I could listen to the Scottish, and Highland and Island lilt anytime as long as it is not potrayed in a film by a English or American Actor who get the accent so wrong give me a Irish accent anytime weak at the knees oh
A lot of very fine actors or personalties when they open there mouth with regional accents are so off putting Rickeeee!!
northener
20-Aug-09, 23:38
My brother is in the Fire Brigade on Shetland.
The first time he went to Inverness for a training course he asked two of the guys on the same course what were two Irish lads doing in the H+I Fire brigade.
"We're from Thurso" they replied.:lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W7VspOs3Qt0
[quote=northener;583095]My brother is in the Fire Brigade on Shetland.
The first time he went to Inverness for a training course he asked two of the guys onhe same course what were two Irish lads doing in the H+I Fire brigade.
"We're from Thurso" they replied.:lol:
A good friend of mine from Spittal went to work outside London and they kept asking him what part of Ireland he came from
Dog-eared
21-Aug-09, 00:26
Been refused a pint in a London pub for being Irish, been in a West Irish pub and been asked - " what part are you from ".
The Caithness accent used to be like scratching glass with long finger nails to me when I first came here. What a bunch of farmer yackers I thought. It has kind of grown on me now........ but it took a few years.:lol:
My Father moved from Caithness in 1946 to the County of Perth, he was a Farm labourer, and he would get very very angry, when he was asked if he was Irish, there were in those days many Irish intenerant workers on the Perth farms, berry pickers , tattie howkers, and the ilk.
Until I was in my early twenties and was on a ship, mainly crewed by seamen from Belfast and Londonderry, and I thought they spoke in 'e Castlegreen accent, I was wrong, so I discovered 'at the "Derry" accent is so alike till 'e Kaithness accent
Boozeburglar
21-Aug-09, 00:42
I was a drunk in Kilburn for years, and always getting asked what part of 'home' I was from..
I was a drunk in Kilburn for years, and always getting asked what part of 'home' I was from..
Get yourself to Barrow. Were a mixture of Scots, Irish, Staffs, Cornwall , Geordie, Scouse et al. and if nobody knows what youre saying its not because of yourt accent its more likely to do with how many drinks youve had ;)
I can't stand the Scouse accent. Jennifer Ellison is a wee doll until she opens her mouth and speaks. ;)
Totally agree about her,Jox.
Amy-Winehouse
21-Aug-09, 08:09
Its hard enough understanding Aberdonian or the Doric but then we have to deal with Russians, Poles & Lithuanians an absolute nightmare if they have poor English for safety reasons as you`d expect.
Im glad theres about 4 other Wickers here to speak to. So yes accent does matter to some of us
Mr.Winehouse
Mrs Bucket
21-Aug-09, 09:32
Does a foreign person who can't speak great English at a call centre count !!:lol:
I could have a good rant on that one but I dont have the time
I would say I get asked as much of if I am Irish or if I am scottish.
does a foreign person who can't speak great english at a call centre count !!:lol:
yes.....:)
Alice in Blunderland
21-Aug-09, 10:09
At least that foreign person has gone to great lengths to master another language. ;)
Its not their fault that British companies find their cheap labour better value for money and so employ them thus giving their customers a less than satisfactory service.
i worked on the isle o man for a whiley, and i was always asked what part o ireland wis i from.
i remember whenever i heard a scottish accent it was great.
i canny stand posh accents.
At least that foreign person has gone to great lengths to master another language. ;)
Its not their fault that British companies find their cheap labour better value for money and so employ them thus giving their customers a less than satisfactory service.
Now I could ave a wee rant aboot that one....
Learning another language and putting the effort in to pronounce it properly are two entirely different things.
It's often simple laziness that people have such a strong accent when they speak English.
I am German but you'd be hard pressed to try and work that one out by my accent. It took me a few years to iron it out, but it's not that hard to pronounce an "R" or "TH" without sounding like a .
Kevin Milkins
21-Aug-09, 11:28
I used to make a call to a shop in Kinlockbervie that was run by a couple of girls and I found there very sweet accent hard to detect, it was like a cross between an Irish accent and someone that had lived in Porthmadog, North Wales.
I plucked up the courage to ask one day and was very surprised to be told they were local girls. They did say that it was something they have been asked many times by visitors.
I get embarrassed about my Welsh accent when I hear myself on a video clip, but I would guess that’s just vanity.:roll:
Alice in Blunderland
21-Aug-09, 16:09
Learning another language and putting the effort in to pronounce it properly are two entirely different things.
It's often simple laziness that people have such a strong accent when they speak English.
I am German but you'd be hard pressed to try and work that one out by my accent. It took me a few years to iron it out, but it's not that hard to pronounce an "R" or "TH" without sounding like a .
I agree that pronounciation is key however my husband happens to be a foreign national who learnt our language in his own country and it wasn't until he actually came to Britain that he could iron out all his wee issues with pronounciation so a little consideration at times and patience has to be practised as many of these people have never set foot in an English speaking country. These people know no better and its the companies who are employing them who are to blame.
I also speak German along with Weeboyagee but guaranteed if I went to Germany and spoke amongst the locals they would have a time understanding me due to some of my pronounciations and Caithness accent thrown into it. :lol:
George Brims
21-Aug-09, 19:19
i have had so many times on my travels someone asking me were in ireland am i from not irish scottish from wick lol and i hate hearing the scottish accent on the tv :eek:
A few years ago I was watching a Formula 1 race, and the engineer for one of the Jordan cars was heard over the air talking on the radio to the driver. His name is Gary Anderson, and he's from Ulster, and he sounds *exactly* like me! Amfae Watten.
redeyedtreefrog
21-Aug-09, 21:31
I really dislike the deep south American ones, and the broad Caithness one. Orcadian, Chinese and West Country accents make me laugh, and I like Australian and that of Stephen Fry.
I've just returned from my northern birthday celebrations and had 5 days to soak up that glorious Caithnessian accent.
2 years in Scotland and I must be picking up something. I phoned my mother in Canada tonight to let her know that I had made it home to Edinburgh safely and she didn't recognize my voice. Too much accent!
Its hard enough understanding Aberdonian or the Doric but then we have to deal with Russians, Poles & Lithuanians an absolute nightmare if they have poor English for safety reasons as you`d expect.
Im glad theres about 4 other Wickers here to speak to. So yes accent does matter to some of us
Mr.Winehouse
My Oh would totally agree with you there, At sea it's a nightmare.
Worked in dublin on a couple of occasions and had a hard job convincing some that I was not from Northern ireland. I am very proud of my accent. it is my mother tongue.
There's a bloke I hear on the radio sometimes. His names Brian Sewell and he's a kinda art critic. When I first heard his accent combined with the kind of stuff he was talking about He sounded like the most far out snob you could ever meet.
Ive grown to like him over the years and realised the problem with his accent was less than my opinion to it.:confused
Its a cracker of an accent though.
annemarie482
22-Aug-09, 00:12
dunno what accent i've got.....i've lived in caithness all my life but my dads a Glaswegian and my mums a Geordie:lol:
always get mistaken for irish tho!
northener
22-Aug-09, 00:19
.....
always get mistaken for irish tho!
That's not because of your accent, it's because you're just dizzy, AnneMarie......;)
annemarie482
22-Aug-09, 00:36
canna argue that one :lol:
can't expect owt else with that mix :lol:
WicksyJunior
22-Aug-09, 11:31
when i was doing my Air-Force training i was asked to speak slooooowly so they could understand my irish accent............ but i was born and brought up in bower for 13 years then thurso until i was 18.
now living in edinburgh again get asked ' where you from north/south '.
just to answer the question i hate the yuppy accent
Learning another language and putting the effort in to pronounce it properly are two entirely different things.
It's often simple laziness that people have such a strong accent when they speak English.
Not necessarily, babies are born with the ability to pronounce every single sound but over the first year/two weed out the ones they aren't exposed to, eventually lose the ability to pronounce the ones they're not hearing. So when some English folk say Lock not Loch they're not being awkward - they don't have the physically ability to do it anymore.
Depends on the languages you have and the languages you want to learn.
I agree that pronounciation is key however my husband happens to be a foreign national who learnt our language in his own country and it wasn't until he actually came to Britain that he could iron out all his wee issues with pronounciation so a little consideration at times and patience has to be practised as many of these people have never set foot in an English speaking country. These people know no better and its the companies who are employing them who are to blame.
I agree, these people are being offered employment, of course they're going to take it. It might be a struggle all day and they probably get abuse on the phone for it, but what do they care as long as they're going to get paid!
BT should take responsibility for ensuring the customers/staff can understand each other, either by setting up call centers here, which'd be great for our unemployment rate, or by offering Indians the opportunity to 'live' in the language over here with some sort of placement scheme.
i find it really hard to understand a wicker, they talk so fast i get lost. allthough wickers are nice friendly people i think up here has a kind of irish accent sorry!!!!!!!!!11
pinkandglittery2
23-Aug-09, 18:11
At least that foreign person has gone to great lengths to master another language. ;)
Its not their fault that British companies find their cheap labour better value for money and so employ them thus giving their customers a less than satisfactory service.
totally agree, they get paid peasnuts and treated like theyre in a prison in these call centres.Although i do see the other side of the argument as its really frustrating when they dont understand what u need or want and end up making a mess of your account or whatever, but it is in the end the companies that are to blame.
By the way old Bean...
We are all the venerable John Thompson's children.:lol:
oldmarine
24-Aug-09, 12:30
When I was working at the Naval Station at Thurso, I was told that I had a definite American accent. I'm certain that person meant North American accent.
teddybear1873
24-Aug-09, 13:08
Living in South Carolina, people here mostly think I'm Irish or Scottish. I've had some say am I from Australia, South Africa and I had one person who thought I was from Sweden (had to scratch my head on that 1)
Tugmistress
24-Aug-09, 13:35
it's really strange, up here people have just commented i have an english accent, but when in england people try to guess which county lol usually getting it wrong!
it's really strange, up here people have just commented i have an english accent, but when in england people try to guess which county lol usually getting it wrong!
It's much the same for me.
When I lived in England, people just accepted I had a Scottish accent.
Once I moved back to Scotland, I found people trying to guess where my mixture of an accent comes from.
I remember the first time my mum spoke to my OH on the phone. He has a Reading accent and I remember mum saying he sounds so posh lol
To me he doesn't really have an accent at all, he just sounds English.
Invisible
24-Aug-09, 16:20
To me accent doesnt matter. AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson is a Geordie, I myself would not have known this if the man on the train didn't tell me. I for one love the Geordie accent. Cant stand cockney (no offence to any cockney orgers). But as Bill Bailey said the original Darth Vader (David Prowse) was a Bristol-ian and Bill said that he wasnt allowed to speak because of his accent.
To me accent doesnt matter. AC/DC lead singer Brian Johnson is a Geordie, I myself would not have known this if the man on the train didn't tell me. I for one love the Geordie accent.
Yep, he was in a glam band called Geordie before AC/DC. :)
Yep, he was in a glam band called Geordie before AC/DC. :)
Interestingly Geordie were managed by someone called Bill Fehilly who had the original rocknroll cafe in Prince's street Thurso in the late 50s.
It is now the backpackers hostel.
northener
25-Aug-09, 08:56
Interestingly Geordie were managed by someone called Bill Fehilly who had the original rocknroll cafe in Prince's street Thurso in the late 50s.
It is now the backpackers hostel.
"Back in Backpack"?:Razz:roll:
Lolabelle
25-Aug-09, 10:19
Australians do my nut in , its as if they dont really know how they are supposed to sound !
That could be because we don't, we are such a mixed bag of a nation. LOL I am an Irish/Danish/Scottish/German mix! [lol]
That could be because we don't, we are such a mixed bag of a nation. LOL I am an Irish/Danish/Scottish/German mix! [lol]
G'day Sheila/Siobhan/Solvej/Shona/Sonje. [lol]
Lolabelle
25-Aug-09, 10:35
G'day Sheila/Siobhan/Solvej/Shona/Sonje. [lol]
Love it! LOL :p
just thought to add... my accent is considered very country and uneducated where i come from. the southern drawl is looked down upon by those who think of themselves as a better class of people.
saying that im pretty well educated, and speak properly most of the time, and try not to butcher the English language. i guess its just how you loo at it.
Nobody up here has guessed my London accent correctly first go yet. :confused
I've lived up here 2 and a half years now and lots of scottish words are slipping out quite often. It sounds pretty weird because I still have my London accent but just using lots of scottish words. It scares me to think of how different I will speak in a few more years time lol.
Been told by someone before that i sound posh lol.
Lived in caithness untill this year but i don't really have a caithness accent at all.
Generally most people struggle to understand me regardless of where they are from as i speak quite fast and even slow speaking for me they still don't understand. It's usually after the third time of someone mostly my partner when he isn't listening properly(selective hearing;)), asking me to repeat it that i just give up.
Had the problem since i was a child of speaking fast and some words sounding unclear and now trying to break that now that i have realised just how far back my speech issues goes back. ;)
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