Accents

Oh 4allweknow - live and let live

4allweknow. Stay away from South Wales for your sanity’s sake. One thing which irritates my non South Wales family
is my reply to ‘where is it?’ answer ‘over by there’

I’m Northumbrian so not Geordie, however I always get asked if I’m from Newcastle! I hate my accent and have even contemplated elocution lessons. The minute I open my mouth when I am in the south they presume I’m from Newcastle and that I must have a white scarf, flat cap and a whippet! Lol

Yer munna say that, me duck. Our kid wunna like it, but he's a bit mardy any'ow.

All part of the rich tapestry of language 4allweknow!
Although 'f's instead of 'th's annoy me too as does 'should of' - that is just sloppy rather than regional.

I love it that the Uk has so many different accents. I like most of them, but some are harder to understand than others.
I visit Scotland a lot because my sister lives there, but I do have trouble with my brother-in-law's deeply Glaswegian accent, and most of their friends and neighbours too. Is it me, am I going deaf? I keep having to say 'pardon?'.
I'm lucky enough to have an Irish (The Republic) grandson-in-law and his accent is so soft, I just love it. And I particularly like to hear a Welsh lilt, it's so lovely.
I'm very Devonshire, by the way!

I love almost all accents. When my kids were little, we'd travel the length of England, and I'd send them into a shop for chips or chocolate telling them to listen to the other customers or the person serving.

My friend from one of the valleys always says 'yere' instead of 'here', Anniebach. Her grammar is otherwise impeccable!

RP is the worst of all accents/dialects. It is not either of those things, it is contrived, stiff and awkward sounding.

BBC are particularly bad with this - for instance, when referring to Glasgow, they inevitably pronounce it as Glarsgow, or France, which often sounds like Fraunce.

Long live accents and dialects, it makes us more interesting. Perhaps if there was less focus on RP, we might be better at learning and using other languages.

What's my favourite? Lancashire, Scots, West Berkshire, Northern Irish - variety is the spice of life isn't it.

Most recent favourites were heard on "Derry Girls" and "Still Game". Hardest on the ear as well as understanding - "East Enders".

I love accents. I have lived all over Great Britain and I have picked up the local accent very quickly.
Now that I have settled I have reverted to my Yorkshire accent.
I agree with Kitty, however, lazy speech is something else. I hate 'compuuer' for example that isn't an accent.

I don't dislike any accent. I do have problems understanding some really strong accents - but that is my problem.

I'm from the Valleys too Callis and work there sometimes. I've lost my own accent, but enjoy listening to the way the locals speak.

Yesterday someone said "yere wah" for "here you are" and "goiying" for going. And "coiyuh" for choir.

Here turns into yere, then by yere and finally by yuh.

So: "cum by yuh, Butt, I'm goiying to coiyuh so here's some money to buy somethin' up the shop. Yere wah"

The BBC has announcers with a wide variety of accents, railman, so can hardly be accused of universally using RP.

Pronouncing Glasgow as Glarsgow is prouncing it with an accent anyway.

I struggle with some Scottish accents, but by and large I have a good ear for them when I am listening to the radio or tv. I have half a South Yorkshire accent now, having spent so much time away from my home county - don’t drop too many aitches these days! We used to have a Norfolk friend whose very elderly mother had the loveliest Suffolk burr. I quite often struggled to understand everything she said, but I could happily listen to her all day. My favourite accent, by a country mile, is Geordie. DH has no ear for any accent other than his native Welsh, but we were lost in the wilds of Cardiganshire once and he went into a small shop to ask directions. He came out looking very embarrassed and asked me to go in because he hadn’t understood a word the lady behind the counter said and her husband apparently never used English! She obviously thought we were both complete plonkers, but we got there in the end!

I come from county durham and have a very pronounced accent , but moved to the south and got really annoyed to be asked if i was a Geordie nearly every day ( not that there is anything wrong with a Geordie accent, i just haven't got one)
But the accent i can't bear is the birmingham one I'm not sure why

I don’t mind accents ...must have one myself having come from north London ...we’ve all got accents haven’t we!?! It’s just that some snooty southerners think it’s only the rest of the country that has them. Truth be told though ...what the hell is that Birmingham accent about ...that’s all I’m saying! We’ve all got them.

I hate the Midlands accent (mine); I've lived elsewhere for nearly 30 years and the twange is still there.

I was talking to a Scottish lady (I am not sure whereabouts she came from) recently who said her neighbour had just had a baby called "Peril".I thought that was a strange name thinking of "Beryl the Peril" but some of you will recognise that she was saying Pearl.?

Black Country is often confused with the Brummie accent. But true Black Country is held to be a dialect. It has a distinct grammar and syntax of its own and can be traced back to Anglo Saxon. For instance, 'Ar bist?' Meaning of course, 'How are you?' Modern day German, 2nd person singular 'Du bist' meaning 'You are...' There are many other examples of this distinct connection.

A while ago I did a course through Oxford Uni on the life and times of Richard III. As part of that course, I listened to recordings of scholars speaking as they thought medieval Englanders including the king, might speak. Very Midlands sounding, so that was the RP then.

Must admit, I find accents and the development of forms of language most interesting.

I find that the northern accents as well as the cockney from London are somehow part of their culture. They seem more homely and friendly (?)

I'll reserve judgement on my family's assorted accents: my brother still has his Lancashire accent despite living in Birmingham for 30 years, his wife is Phillipino and her accent is very, very strong and both their children have unmistakeable "Brummie" accents.......my mind just boggles!

I have been asked if I am a Geordie, no I am not, I am a Wearsider and the accent is different.
There is a Newcastle accent, a much different one at the coast in South Shields and then along the road in Sunderland it changes again. Move another ten miles along the road and you are in Durham and although still situated on the River Wear it has its own distinctive accent .... "where's your bother/sister/granny at" ?
I like Northumbrian accents they are quite sing song like the Welsh.

If you are not from Essex I don't really understand your accent at all! (wry smile)

I love accents as I am from the North East, County Durham to be precise! I now live in the Midlands but I try and hold onto my accent as much as possible.

I know exactly what you mean Harrigran. I was born at Sunderland General and lived 8 miles south of there. I am forever being called a Geordie but I am in fact a Mackem. Every part of the North East has its own little regional accent and yet people always call them Geordies. I love the accent and always will.

Wouldn't it be such a boring world if we all spoke the same. An accent has often helped start a conversation as you can ask someone what part of the Uk rest of the world they come from. I am from the Black Country but haven't got the very thick Black Country accent that some have but I can guarantee if people took the time to decipher our speechyou would find that we are the warmest, kindest people you could ever wish to meet.
Many people seem to have one accent for work and another for when they are at home. In my first job I became friendly with a girl who came froman area where the majority of people had a very pronounced accent but at work especially when she answered the phone it wasn't discernable. She invited me one day to go for tea and meet her parents and it was so funny when we got off the bus where she lived she went straight into a very thick Gornal accent, she could switch back and forth at will.
What I hate is when people try to speak "posh" and it just comes out as mannered and false. We are what we are may the wonderful diversity of our language carry on.x