Accent?

When we were children my family and I went on holiday to Blackpool from our home near Carlisle in Cumberland as it then was. There were two older ladies staying in the hotel who were puzzled by our accent. The asked if we were Scottish or Welsh, and were highly amused when told we were English. I suppose it's difficult to pin down a Cumbrian accent, we are surrounded by Scots and Geordies.

Yes Steph has a Teesside accent - same as me. Well spotted GandT! I must admit I don't much like it. I always speak up if I am taken for a Geordie though, (happens often) despite preferring their accent to mine

Thanks GrandTea, I doubt their accents have changed since I last spoke to them and that was in the seventies

Watford has been multicultural for so long, I doubt the original dialect remains, probably a mixture of multi cultural London and Estuary English. From what I read the original dialect was similar to North Essex.

I can't stand hearing Neil Nunes! Nothing to do accent but his voice is just so deep, too deep to be a radio announcer.

He tries to lighten the voice and ends up so strangulated and fractured that I have to switch off - the Shipping Forecast is torture when he's on!

Anniebach - I'm a bit slow today, ?

GrandTea, I admit I have problems with english regional accents, not the accents but which part of England they are from . A welsh accent I can pin down to each county , with some even which town or valley . I have cousins in Watford what accents to they have ?

Elrel, yes I understood that, which is why I said they should leave Flintshire in Wales, all of it not shift boundaries and move part of a county from one country to another

Regional dialects are part of our heritage, We should encourage more regional presenters on TV. It would be awful if we all sounded the same. We are gradually losing regional variations due to TV and movement of people. it use to be possible to identify which village people came from by their dialect, but this is now rare. It is only the media that can perpetuate these dialects.
Some of the ones I love are :-
North Essex
Suffolk
Norfolk
Tyne/tees side
Liverpool
Welsh
Scottish west highlands
Cockney

Went to a talk about how these dialects came about due to the various foreign invaders influence over the centuries. it was fascinating.

Jud - yes, Mr Nunes and the Shipping Forecast, soooothing combination!
Annie?? My country cousins haven't moved in 200 years. It's the border that kept changing their county and country as I've discovered from records and censuses.

Sounds very Teeside to me rather than Tyneside. She was born on Tyneside so perhaps here parents had a Tyneside dilect.

I don't think Steph should be a nèws anchor,her accent is too broad.

I think Steph's accent sounds further north than Middlesborough.
It's a bit of a mixture. Trying to remember the Co. Durham accent - that could be it.

Oh yes! Neil Nunes and his wonderful voice! Have you heard him reading the late night shipping forecast? Rich and deep. Sends me to sleep happy.

Nunes, damn Hudl!

Neil Mines has slightly changed his pronunciation of some words, he used to "the Archers" , now says "thee Archers"

Hope this makes sense,rather difficult to explain in writing!

I agree re Louise, she's sweet. It's Carol Kirkwood's accent that gets on my nerves, I'm not sure why. I speak as a Brummie, whose accent gets on many peoples nerves

I didn't know Neil's name either, but what a voice! I sometimes think he should break in to song. Apparently he came top of a poll for The Oldie for the most irritating voice on radio!

Louise is lovely.

I wouldn't have put her down as Middlesbrough.

Elrel, I am sure you have , they should leave Flintshire , all of Flintshire in Wales, it's ours.

Neil Nunes, so now he has a name, he could read yellow pages and I would listen , phew what a voice

If Steph McGovern was born and brought up on this side of the Pennines, she seems to have a Lancashire accent to my (Yorkshire) ear. I find it far too strong, though, and think she needs to soften it a bit. I have a soft spot for Louise Minchin - as soon as I see her I want to smile!

I like Steph but, blimey, what a strong accent she has! Nice, though.

Neil Nunes, now I've checked I shan't forget,,plus I know what he looks like!

To return to the thread - love the deep voice of the Caribbean R4 continuity announcer!

My mother was proud to have been born in Somerset, so glad she never knew her death certificate said she was born in 'Avon'.