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Favourite Accent

(92 Posts)
gettingonabit Sun 03-Jul-16 15:43:04

jalima North Pembs is very Welsh, and Welsh speaking. South Pembs was always prone to invasion, so a variety of linguistic influences.

gettingonabit Sun 03-Jul-16 15:32:21

Accents are so interesting. I love all accents except the Estuary one. The one with the glottal stops.

Anniebach Sun 03-Jul-16 15:29:35

Sorry forgot to say, there is no such thing as A Welsh accent , South Wales valleys have different accents. Carmarthernshire and Cardiganshire although called Carms and Cards have different accents . Powys, the largest county has many accents

Jane10 Sun 03-Jul-16 15:28:26

Jalima Aberdeenshire Doric is more than just an accent. Full blown its incomprehensible unless you speak it yourself. Loons and quines and all!

Anniebach Sun 03-Jul-16 15:23:47

Jalima, yes Pembrokeshire has always been known as little England beyond Wales

granjura Sun 03-Jul-16 15:20:48

I lived in the Potteries for 4 years- and worked in an engineering firm with 'real' Potters- and they loved to teach me. A loouk in the booouk - and 'go'way you silly booogar', etc. Very easy to pick up, lol.

Love accents too- learning Italian and Sicilian is so different.

We had visitors from California recently, with a couple from Brittany who spoke very good English- and we watched Len Loache's 'Angels' Share' in working class Glaswegian- they didn't understand ONE word, lol.

OH grew up in Sussex and Surrey- and has a very flat non-descript accent- and studied at UCH London- he really really struggled when working in the Potteries, and had to keep asking people to repeat! I got it straight away and had to translate for him- hilarious.

Bellanonna Sun 03-Jul-16 15:07:50

Geordie, Scouse, sexy French, Dublin, I find accents fascinating. I often can't resist asking someone where they're from, or what part of where they're from if I have identified it. Long live our rich diversity of accents and all the foreign ones too.

Jalima Sun 03-Jul-16 15:07:44

Aberdeen isn't a very strong accent, is it? I like it. The accent I mean grin

Stephen Crabbe's mother is Scottish, I think, and I suppose there are as many different variations of the 'Welsh accent' as there are Scottish accents.
Is Haverfordwest in Little England Beyond Wales?

I like a Potteries accent, another one difficult to imitate.

TriciaF Sun 03-Jul-16 15:06:37

Jane10 - me too! I can still talk Geordie if necessary.
Real old fashioned Geordie is dying out though. I had a few school frieds who spoke really broad, gutteral r's etc. Our english teacher used to give us elocution lessons and some really struggled. It's the sing-song intonation that's the problem.

LullyDully Sun 03-Jul-16 14:42:20

Sorry to bring this up. Thought Michelle Gove is suddenly sounding more Scottish. Also Stephen Crabb doesn't sound very Welsh. Probably does if his Welsh auntie phones him up.

Anniebach Sun 03-Jul-16 14:34:58

Accents are lovely but for some odd reason when on tv I find there are some I don't like . Can't stand eastenders but like listening to a neighbour from London , perhaps they overdo it on tv ?

Jane10 Sun 03-Jul-16 14:29:50

I do like a Geordie accent. Don't know why. I just do!

Elrel Sun 03-Jul-16 14:27:25

On a Birmingham bus I heard two women chatting. One sounded exactly like my co-grandmother. Thinking I'd sound like the classic 'My auntie lives in Australia too, do you know her?' I told her and it turned out she'd known her in Allahabad when they were young!! It really can be a small world.

Newquay Sun 03-Jul-16 14:20:45

I do hope we keep our regional accents/dialects. It would be such a shame if we all ended up sounding the same don't you think?
We were born and bred in the Potteries which is a very distinct accent. We've been left for years now so our accent is hardly there-or so we thought! On holiday in Guernsey a few years ago, at the end of the week, a couple in the dining room asked whereabouts we were from in the Potteries. Apparently we had said something which made them realise our roots.
I can't say I have a favourite accent though. Our youngest DGD is being raised in Yorkshire and goes to nursery 4 days a week so says things like 'arm' and 'car' in a very different way to us (from Staffs) and her Daddy (from Warks)?

granjura Sun 03-Jul-16 13:28:29

I love them all- be it in French or in English. Some I can immitate well, some I can't. I can do a Lesta, Brummie or Scouse- but just cannot for the life of me immitate Geordie, and believe me, I've tried.

French speaking Switzerland has 5 very distinct accents- and just over the border from us, the local French has a very strong accent which it totally different- although we live less than half a mile apart.

tanith Sun 03-Jul-16 12:20:16

I knew someone many years ago and he came from Sheffield I don't even know what accent that would be but if ever I hear it it takes me right back there to when I was a teenager and moonstruck grin

Elrel Sun 03-Jul-16 11:38:49

Musing on why I liked to hear a Bristolian say 'caarrdboarrd' on the pronunciation thread I thought I'd ask other people their favourites.
I'll have to ask the Irishman who reads poetry in a voice which would make the telephone directory lyrical exactly where he's from.