Accents

[Gemini]

There is a nice discussion on this going on in Chat. I am copying some of it here so we can continue the topic where it can be seen and continued

[Gemini]

(GEMINI )
This evening we are going out to a meal and talk. The talk is by one of OH's ex colleagues. He tells anecdotes in old Yorkshire dialect, he is very funny. It's years since we have been to one of these,


(DAISY)
The talk sound very interesting and good fun, Gem. Can you understand his dialect? It's sad that a lot of old dialects are disappearing as populations move round and everyone is exposed to so much 'neutral' speech. It should be a lovely evening, seeing friends as well - and no cooking!


(GEMINI)
I cant always understand the dialect Daisy! OH does better as she grew up and worked in a more rural area.


(LIZZIE)
Gem, I still have my Yorkshire accent, any UK person I speak to here know exactly where I originate from, better than that, my DS1 has a very strong accent, when he wants to use it that is, he has met people from his work , worldwide, they all say they can tell where he is from! They are very surprised when he tells them he is Dutch.


(OMA)
Lizzie, strange about the accent . My MIL if you listened to her you would never guess she was German she has a broad Sunderland north east accent , yet my neighbours mother came to England the same time and never lost her German accent .


(LIZZIE)
Oma, it is when I speak English that I still have the Yorkshire accent. My Dutch is no problem.

[Gemini]

It's interesting how some people keep their accent of origin for life and other alter to suit where they now live isn't it?
They generally say that an adult will keep their original accent . Children adapt to new accents very quickly..
Some adults do take on new accents though.

I sometimes watch the TV programme Wanted Down Under and some of the adults there have real Aussie twang after a few years!

[Nanto2girls]

Hubby speaks very broad Yorkshire.
When we go anywhere i have to translate,especiall when we are abroad.

[Plantaholic]

I suppose I have a Surrey accent, whatever that is

[Daisy]

Gem, OH's sister and family emigrated to America 40+ years ago, and neither she nor her husband lost their British accents, but I remember my SIL saying that she had to use "American" words like Kleenex for a tissue and schedule pronounced sKedule just to be understood.

[Daisy]

Hubby speaks very broad Yorkshire.
When we go anywhere i have to translate,especiall when we are abroad.

Nanto, it's a good job you go with him to act as interpreter.

I think both OH and I have less of an accent than when we were first married! I didn't realise some of the words or expressions I used weren't 'normal' English until OH told me. He's Welsh, so if I'd married a local lad I would probably carried on in blissful ignorance!

[Gemini]

Gem, OH's sister and family emigrated to America 40+ years ago, and neither she nor her husband lost their British accents, but I remember my SIL saying that she had to use "American" words like Kleenex for a tissue and schedule pronounced sKedule just to be understood.

...and you have to pronounce croissant as crasont (pronounce the T) to be able to order one

[Gemini]

Hubby speaks very broad Yorkshire.
When we go anywhere i have to translate,especiall when we are abroad.

My OH has a much broader accent than I do. When we stayed with my Brooklyn friend a few years ago she had a lot of trouble understanding OH

[Oma]

I hate the north east accent but at least my Mackem accent isn’t as broad as a Geordie one .
I think we are very similar to a Scottish accent .

I cringe when I hear it spoken on TV

[Nanto2girls]

I remember a few years ago mam went abroad with an auntie of hubbys.
They got chatting to a lady, i don't know which part of england she was from,but she was english.
She used to put an r in words. Said things like i'm going to have a barth, or i hope there is marshed potatoes on the menu.
One day auntie told her there is no r in these words. The lady never spoke to them again.

[Nanto2girls]

Oma, don't get me started about about scottish accents. Very rare i can tell what they are saying.
Although, last time we were abroad we got friendly with a scottish couple.
I told them i was surprised i could understand them.
They said they were from west scotland, where the accent isn't as strong and the accent on the eastern side.

[Gemini]

Oma I love the north east accent.

[WeeGranny]

Interesting that Nanto, I've always found the East Coast accent is less harsh than the West Coast one. The Highland and Island accents are very soft and gentle.

I've lost my accent over time, but I still lapse into it when I go home. I was most upset when I phone a friend and her daughter answered, Mum she said, there's an English lady on the phone for you! GS finds it hilarious and had quite a few problems understanding people when we were up there in the summer. He went off to the party on Friday shaking his head as I'd told him he'd better not come back 'as fu' as a puggy' !

Different words are also problematic. When first married I bought what I called turnips ( swedes to the English) because OH said he liked them., but he didn't eat them! I later discovered that turnips are white, not the yellow I was used to.

OH came from Somerset, but completely lost his accent over time and you couldn't tell where his roots were.

[Oma]

Nanto we in Sunderland (Mackems) don’t sound our Hs so we say Ouse and utt not House and Hut
Geordies say werr for we are or our , like werr going home or werr house .
I know we tend to talk fast meaning lots of people find it hard to follow us 😁