avongas Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I was reading in the paper today that a recent poll suggests that people with a Birmingham accent are perceived as being 'dumb', whereas the Yorkshire accent gives the impression of being smart. This led me to a rare condition for me known as 'deep thought'! - I can appreciate the differences and origins of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish accents, but what are the origins of regional accents, e.g. why do people in Newcastle speak differently to people in say, Southampton. Why do Cumbrians speak differently to Norfolkonians. Not just local phrases or words, but different sounding accents. Anybody else wonder about this, or in fact are bothered? ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I think it's fascinating, Spud. Immigration over the centuries is one factor affecting dialect. You can hear a lot of Irish influence in Scouse, for instance. Apparently 'Black Country', where I come from, is considered to be the oldest dialect and a true version of how people spoke many centuries ago! Probably because we weren't 'invaded' quite as much as other parts of the country. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Where these accents originate is anyone,s guess Spud, but having worked all over the U.K. i,ve always had a interest in regional dialects. Going back 40 years you almost needed a interpreter to understand what was being said sometimes, but what I have noticed over the intervening years is how much these accents have been diluted, no doubt due to the 'recieved pronunciation' ( ?) through tv and radio. Bit of a shame that as I feel we are losing a rich and varied part of British life. Don,t see why some accents should be seen as 'dumb', and it will be a sad day when we all sound exactly the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carolh Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I'm dumb then! But what about country borders too - it has always fascinated me that a line on a map also delineates a language in europe (and other places of course! Carol - with a brummie accent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I've moved around a bit - and find that my accent varies depending on the sounds around me - go back to my home accent [Co Durham ]- very quickly when we go back My problem is colloquialisms / dialect - I can never remember where I picked 'em up from. :D :D B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Ah haven a clu in a Geordie accent 8-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJH Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 michele - 2008-04-04 1:12 PM Ah haven a clu in a Geordie accent 8-) Shouldn't that be "Ah divent knaa"? Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I ya reet there .On the whole I love all the accents actually why i dont know there are only a few that grate me one is not from our shores its KiWi I dont know why it just does ... I love the scottish accent i never seem to have any misunderstanding of what they are saying even when its thick . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J9withdogs Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 We've got a great sense of humour too - here is a sign erected during roadworks in the 1990's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avongas Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 I come from Bristol area, and it fascinates me this thing about the bristol 'L' - such as words like AreaL and malarial. Actually, if you listen, its not an 'L', its an 'aw', Areaw and malariaw When I speak on the phone, i have a 'telephone voice'. Talking normally, I am told I have a slight accent, but not Bristol, people tell me its Gloucestershire; there is a marked difference between the two, although Bristol borders Gloucestershire. Another thing that annoys me is film makers and TV people trying to imitate a west country accent - to my ear, they make it sound no different whichever part of the Westcountry they are trying to portray - bit like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 i must agree that you get a feeling a brummie is a bit thick but not as much as a manc. my wife karen is from manchester but as lost her accent sinse moving down to nottingham, id say we in notts whenever i hear the accent on tv always come across as a bit rough Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 Long live accents ! (Except that fake,manufactured one, "the Queens English") ;-) ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GJH Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 I agree accents are great. Michele's earler post puts me in mind of the story of a German ship "Anna" moored off the Tyne in a fog. The Tynemouth coastguard radioed over to ask the ship's name and the captain replied "Anna". The coastguard radioed back "Ah knaa ya knaa but I wanna knaa too". :D Graham Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woody. Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Being a yorkshireman , with a geordy wife we had problems with people understanding us when we first came down to dorset , over the years weve developed a kind of queens english if you like but when we go back home we go straight into our native dialects , but meanwhile , if tha carnt beert em then thas got to join em . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howie Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Dinnae ye no ken ye wee lassie Woody. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 Having worked around a lot of UK I can understand most people even if they have a strong accent, gf struggles sometimes, but I allways remember gf's great aunt's one of their most funny comments was "you can tell people from pirton (next village) they have a funny accent" :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 I live in the black country where the brummie accent sounds quite posh. I used to visit customers all over the UK and I would invariably have the p**s taken out of my accent. I didn't mind though because it used to break the ice when meeting people for the first time. I love the sound of the Geordie accent but I did have a problem when I asked for directions in Newcastle and was told to "gan doon there fer aboot a mile" I like the scottish accent as well but not glaswegan. I walked into a pub in Glasgow once. It didn't have any windows and as soon as I opened the door, everybody stopped talking and looked straight at me, I don't think they liked the look of my suit. I didn't bother opening my mouth in there to ask directions in fear of some placing a bar stool in it. It's a fuuny old world, aint it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 On ya go hen :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maggyd Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 GJH - 2008-04-04 4:37 PM I agree accents are great. Michele's earler post puts me in mind of the story of a German ship "Anna" moored off the Tyne in a fog. The Tynemouth coastguard radioed over to ask the ship's name and the captain replied "Anna". The coastguard radioed back "Ah knaa ya knaa but I wanna knaa too". :D Graham When you go South Graham do people call you a Geordy? we get it all the time! Nothing wrong with Geordies my Dad was one but Were not are we? they look at you as if your lying but were much more subtle. I never knew my Dad had a Geordy accent untill I met my husband and he said your Dads a Geordy!!!! so maybe I have a twang? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John H Posted April 11, 2008 Share Posted April 11, 2008 michele - 2008-04-11 9:58 PM On ya go hen :D Ya'aalreet Michele? How's yer granny fre dripping? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda webber Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 yes very bothered how about this. The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as 'Euro-English'. In the first year, 's' will replace the soft 'c'. Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard 'c' will be dropped in favour of 'k'. This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter. There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome 'ph' will be replaced with 'f'. This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter. In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where! more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent 'e' in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away. By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing 'th' with 'z' and 'w' with 'v'. During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary 'o' kan be dropd from vordskontaining 'ou' and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensi bl riten styl. Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru. Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas. If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted April 12, 2008 Share Posted April 12, 2008 When traveling to foreign parts (scotland or the like ;-) ) people comment on my cockney accent, dispite my grandfather being born within the sound of bow bells my accent is 'pure' bedfordshire (and his accent was gloucester!) , still I could keep them amused in Kirkcaldy by saying 'It's a funny old game' to be told what a good impression of jimmy greaves I could do :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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