Moan, Moan, Moan - 2011

[mark smyth]

not a moan - This evening I spoke to a Slovak friend who worked here in N Ireland for a few years. His understanding of my accent has gone down hill since he left

[Lesley Cox]

Angie we understand anything that sounds like any Scottish or English or Irish TV programme. We can all speak Coronation St very well. I can even differentiate between Canadian and American. It's to do with how Canadians pronounce the ou sound, somewhere between oh and ow. In American it's just ow, as in ow, that hurt!

[Paul T]

No Mark this voice control is just for changing your radio, CD or phone. I couldn't tell you what else it's meant to do if anything as I gave up after the first couple of days. It just doesn't understand my Scottish voice.

Angie,

That's alright, most of the rest of the world probably doesn't either.  

I must admit that a thick scottish accent is very hard to understand, but no more than any other strong accent.  Some Scots are perfectly understandable as well, so it is always variable.

Anthony do the folks in New- Zealand understand you?

Ah but Angie, is that actually anything to do with his accent?  

Sorry, couldn't resist.  

Aussies can be difficult to understand as well, depending where they're from, but apparently mine isn't too bad from what I've been told.  Or at least that is what they've told me.    Then again, when is was in Uni I was asked at times where I came from in Britain, as I apparently enunciated quite clearly and it came out sounding a british (apparently).   I of course have been trying to make myself as non-understandable ever since.  

[Anthony Darby]

If they don't understand me Paul, it's because English isn't their first language. Curiously, non-English speakers tend to understand Scots better than the English because we tend to pronounce words spelled differently to reflect that spelling, e.g. Stirling and Sterling are pronounced differently in Scotland.

[TC]

I have often wondered about the value of "speaking" a foreign language as opposed to reading and writing it.  Ever country has its own local accents and regional variations.  At school, you are taught the standard pronunciation but you later find that when you are in a foreign country, the replies to your speech are often incomprehensible due to regional dialects.  At school, we had a French language teacher who gave us examples of regional accents in France.  It would take a while to be accustomed to the differences and daunting if you had to deal with them in real time.

We need look no further than the UK. In Scotland, very few people speak the "Queen's English".  The vocabulary is basic English with a good bit of Old Scots, Norse, Gaelic, French and other influences from our Colonial days that are not much used south of Hadrian's Wall.  A simple example is that London has an Underground, Glasgow has a Subway.
My mother always used the word stoor instead of dust and I still do.  As far as I know this is still used in Iceland.

When you think of the number of accents used in the Scotland, the mind bogles.  Probably the three most difficult to understand as an outsider are Glaswegian, which is a local dialect influenced by waves of immigration during the 1800's.  However, a Glaswegian would say that they cannot understand an Aberdonian.  Rural areas such as Buchan in NE Scotland and East Ayrshire still have a good percentage of people who speak a Scot's dialect at home or at their work.  Most children have two versions of English - one they use in the classroom and another in the playground.

I am sure that the same thing about accents could be said for Australia and New Zealand.

[maggiepie]

I spent almost a year in the UK in 1980, not far from Durham.
Hearing Geordie speak was a real ear opener for me and I think almost any dialect would be easier to understand than it.

[Anthony Darby]

My children's friends' eyes pop when our children speak to us, as their mode of speaking changes beyond all their recognition. Anyone listening to my Dad would know he was a Yorkshireman with no discernible Scottish twang at all, yet when he called on his brother Tommy in Halifax and spoke to the neighbour as Tommy was out, the neighbour thought he was Scottish!

[angie]

Paul that's one good thing about this forum we all sound the same. 

Lesley do you get Coronation street over there.
Angie

[Lesley Cox]

We do indeed Angie. It's the favourite thing of everyone over 60. The rest wouldn't touch it with a barge poll.

I think people pick up accents very quickly, without even realizing it. NZ school kids who go to the States on some kind of scholarship, usually sporting, like basketball or something, and are there for maybe 6 months, come home with very American sounds to their voices.

[Paul T]

Lesley,

I have found myself unconsciously adopting an accent if I am speaking to someone for a while.  I try to stop myself, as it may come across that I am trying to make fun of them when I am not.  I just find myself doing it without meaning to. 

[Maggi Young]

Lesley,

I have found myself unconsciously adopting an accent if I am speaking to someone for a while.  I try to stop myself, as it may come across that I am trying to make fun of them when I am not.  I just find myself doing it without meaning to. 

That's my problem, too.   

[ranunculus]

Lesley,

I have found myself unconsciously adopting an accent if I am speaking to someone for a while.  I try to stop myself, as it may come across that I am trying to make fun of them when I am not.  I just find myself doing it without meaning to.  

Och, I ne'er find mysel' doin' thaat!!!

Probably my last contribution to the forum for a while as I'm putting myself through the cataract operation again tomorrow (and even paying for the privilege this time), so my eyes should be 20 - 20 by the weekend (!), but they will then have to settle down for a few weeks before I can test some reading glasses and focus properly on this screen.  After the 'uplifting' experience of my last operation (see below) I am REALLY looking forward (but blurred) to the event.   

During my last encounter with the surgeon I had the novel experience of rising up (seemed like 20 cms at least  ) from the operating table when the anaesthetist inserted his needle into my eye - he had previously insisted it wouldn't hurt - he lied!!!

[Paul T]

Cliff,

Ouch!!  Good luck with this round!  Fingers crossed that all goes brilliantly and you're back with us in no time.  We'd be lost without you.

[ranunculus]

Cliff,

Ouch!!  Good luck with this round!  Fingers crossed that all goes brilliantly and you're back with us in no time.  We'd be lost without you.

Aw shucks Paul ... cheers!

[angie]

Cliff,

Ouch!!  Good luck with this round!  Fingers crossed that all goes brilliantly and you're back with us in no time.  We'd be lost without you.

Couldn't say it better. Look after yourself. Will miss your humor .

Angie