Favourite Accent

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

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.

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)?

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.

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

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 ?

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

It's good to hear regional accents on radio & TV now, never happened a few years ago.
I did have cause to complain to the BBC about Tim Wonacott on Bargain Hunt though, he often mimicked a northern accent in a very patronising way. Got right up my nose being a Yorkshire lass.

What is your regional accent in France like?

Getinonabit, let's not allow Jemima Fawr go unmentioned. The last attempted invasion of the U.K. Was prevented by Jemima in Fishguard, Pembrokeshire , she rounded up twelve Frenchmen armed only with a pitchfork

gj - funnily enough, the regional accent here has many things in common with geordie. the musical intonation, the gutteral r's, the broad vowels.
Apart from the nasal vowels eg pain (bread) is pronounced ping. Temps (time) pronounced tang. Etc.

Anniebach - N and S Wales have different forms of Welsh, don't they? I guess the mountains get in the way! ?

Ah yes, love the 'g's at the end of words in parts of South of France. Like 'putaing' - since we've been talking about swear words ;)

Italian!

Which one though- there are just as many Italian accents as there are British ones ;)