The Great North/South Divide

I love accents, what makes me shout at my radio is lack of enunciation from newsreaders or experts paid to give their opinions.

I had a German colleague who had previously lived and worked in Birmingham and she loved the accent and the people. After working inside the M25, which she hated, she moved back to Munich.

I’ve been living in north west Scotland for the last 15 years but soon moving to Newcastle ~ so by comparison I am moving “down south”. However, I was born and raised in Birmingham and am proud to consider myself a Brummie.

I would sooner listen to someone doing bad Brummie or bad anything, than someone doing a Yorkshire accent when they can’t summon up a glottal stop to save their life! It sounds absurd.

Yes I do get it. We are on the edge of the Black Country and when we first moved to this part of Brum, I couldn't understand some people. As regards Peaky Blinders (which I enjoy) I just assumed that the accents were so bad because so few actors can do Brummie. My sister won't watch it because of those 'idiotic accents' (her words)

katyk any unfamiliarca ccent or dialect takes time to get used to! I used to find a Brummie accent hard but have got to know some Brummie folk recently and now we can understand each other easily!'

Don't we have call centres in Birmingham? Really? I'm sure people would understand a Brummie from a call centre easier than some of the calls I get from call centres round the world when I simply cannot understand a word they say. I have never tried to change my accent. I am what I am as they say.

sodapop. Well, those involved were all Yorkshire people, but that was in Hull. DS and family are in York and I do not think there is a single resident in York who isn't known to one or other of them.

My Glaswegian pal has his accent still after an almost total adult life in London. He wants to call himself a Londoner, his London born wife of 45 yrs plus is having nothing of it!

I'm sorry to hear about your friend MOnica but I hope you don't feel it was all Yorkshire people, there are good and not such good folk everywhere.

Beammeupscottie makes a good point about accent snobbery. I am a Glaswegian living in England and although It's many years since I've lived in Glasgow I have never changed my accent. I don't have a musical ear . I speak clearly and grammatically as most Glaswegians do.

When I'm asked where I come from and I tell them I come from Glasgow they usually say "you don't sound like you come from Glasgow". For some reason they expect all Glaswegians to speak with a very broad Glasgow accent, like Rab C Nesbit.

It's like telling a Londoner "you don't sound like you come from London" just because they don't speak like Alf Garnet or the cast of East Enders. I wouldn't say that to a Londoner.

Oh KatyK I really dislike it when people move away from an area and then say things like "I don't know how I ever lived there" or "You don't realise how awful the place is until you have moved away". It makes my blood boil - and is so rude and thoughtless. I sometimes think that are trying to convince themselves that they made the right decision to move away.

Isn't it all about perception? As a Brummie, I have spent a lifetime moderating the accent, which is the only thing wrong with the place. A strong Brummie accent is laughed at (remember Beryl Reid's Marlene) and even Peaky blinders had to have a sort of hybrid version. The actor Martin Shaw soon got rid of his Brummie accent and Julie Walters only intensifies her for effect. This is why you do not have call centres in Brum!

I was born and bred in Birmingham and I love it. A friend who was also born and bred here moved to 'the seaside'. Fair enough, lovely in fact. Each to their own. She never stops 'rubbishing' Birmingham, although she met her husband and had her children here. She says things like 'last time I visited, I was frightened' and 'It must be awful to be stuck there'. No it isn't. I'm not stuck. I like it.

A lovely friend relocated to Yorkshire - ended up coming back south as she couldn't make any friends. She did have children too, which usually makes it easier. Speaking personally I had the misfortune to work for an Area Manager from Yorkshire who relocated 'down south' with a massive chip and was always talking about us 'soft southerners'. He didn't fit in and made no effort to do so. I experienced the only case of workplace bullying from him in my 45 years of working life. He made a catastrophic error, lost the bank a lot of money and was forced into early retirement. I so enjoyed attending his leaving do!!!! My lovely boss said to him 'I hope you find that you're looking for!!!' Having said all that I'm sure Yorkshire people in general are lovely - just two unfortunate experiences. I would add that I am married to a northener - a real gentleman who hailed from the Northwest (public school accent though lol!!!). He thought I was from London as I have a Hampshire accent and he confused the two!!!!!!

sodapop The unfriendliness of Yorkshire people drove my closest friend to her grave.

The county also gave me my wonderful DDiL, 2 Yorkshire grandchildren and a county that has been home to DS for nearly 25 years.

There is absolutely no question Yorkshire rules ! God's own county of course.
( you may well ask why I am writing this from my home in France )

You can see some lovely pre Raphaelite Art in the museum. Very few people know its there.

No worries, Lily We all have places we feel like that about

Sorry Monica, I am talking absolute rubbish. My view is coloured by events.

I enjoyed the years I lived in Carlisle. I especially remember potato cakes from Carrs (of Carlisle). They have a magnificent museum www.tulliehouse.co.uk/

Carlisle is the arm pit of the world

Oh petra I know nothing about Tollesbury, do tell, what do you mean?

DanniRae
You've obviously never lived in Tollesbury Essex

38 years ago as a young wife and Mum I moved to Scotland, with excitement but also a certain amount of trepidation, as I was under the impression it was cold and unfriendly. It wasnt; well it was certainly colder than Sussex, but far friendlier than I'd ever imagined. An electrician working in the house informed me that he'd lived 'down south' once when he heard my accent. Ooh, 'where' I asked excitedly (still feeling homesick). Carlisle came the reply which in my mind was almost as far North as you could get! I moved a year ago to Wiltshire and am still struggling to find more than a few friendly neighbours. I've joined a number of activities and groups but the friendliness is only skin deep. I long for the welcome of my adopted country Scotland

that's just daft varian

I have been in parts of Australia where people are very friendly and others where, if you smile at someone in a queue or say something, they look at you as if you should be locked up.