Accents
Alright, I was looking at a video on Youtube where someone was going through loads of different English accents, and I thought it might be fun if people posted using their own regional dialect, like if have a West-Yorkshire accent (England) and I use a lot of slang that people outside the area (even close by like in Lancaster) wouldn’t understand at all, like:
Nowt - nothing
Owt - something
‘ey up! - hi
Sound - good
Reet - right
What d’ya know? - what’s going on with you?
Numpty - idiot
Not to mention completely missing out t’s and h’s and turning th’s into ff’s and never bothering using the word 'the' :P
Just though it’d be fun since all English accents seem to be Cockney or the Queen’s and all American accents seem to be New York or Californian Edit: And Southern!
Edit: Also any slang unique to your area?
Nowt - nothing
Owt - something
‘ey up! - hi
Sound - good
Reet - right
What d’ya know? - what’s going on with you?
Numpty - idiot
Not to mention completely missing out t’s and h’s and turning th’s into ff’s and never bothering using the word 'the' :P
Just though it’d be fun since all English accents seem to be Cockney or the Queen’s and all American accents seem to be New York or Californian Edit: And Southern!
Edit: Also any slang unique to your area?
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In the American category, I'm surprised you didn't list at least "southern accent" as another one. Even if you're untrained with American accents, they're pretty noticeable. Here's a full list of American (as well as other North American) English accents.
Ooh I hadn't seen that before, although I think I've seen something similar on Yahoo! Answers? I was thinking more of like specific slang words as well though. is pretty cool to hear everyone's accents though
And yeah, I'm aware of Southern accents but surprisingly you don't actually hear them that often here (as in movies etc.) with the notable exception being Miley Cyrus - who I try not to listen to much to avoid running the serious risk of scooping out my brains with the nearest spoon to stop the noise. Although you hear them in comedies sometimes, but they're always really over-exaggerated.
Okay, sorry! New York, Californian AND Southern accents! (But still I don't think so much in movies, although undoubtably I'll be proven wrong again :P)
That's kinda what I was going for - like there isn't just one Scottish accent, the kind of accent you'd hear in Glasgow is different to the one you'd hear in Edinburgh. They have similarities which are present in all Scottish accents but little things that are unique to themselves.
Or Welsh accents - they're all fairly high pitched and sing-songy, but a Cardiff accent is still quite different from that of South Wales Valleys. And the same goes for the slang - my friend used to live in Cardiff but moved a couple of years back, now all her friends in Cardiff have started using the word 'lush' all the time and she had no idea what it meant 'till she asked.
Yeah.... Midwesterners are the best... No really
I think it's because I got more used to hearing English, now I can pick up accents a bit more. Not really enough to identify them, but enough to know they're there, and that, for instance, person A and person B aren't from the same place.
There are a bunch of southern accents in TV shows nowadays. Don't True Blood and the Walking Dead both take place in the South?
I watched a bunch of Australian shows online due to their copyright policies being looser, so I'm pretty used to Australian accents too.
And one accent I can recognise is Manitoba accent because my brother in law is from there. I guess I can recognise Alberta accent, but for me it's still "normal" English, that's the one I've heard the most. Now that I'm in California, maybe I'll spend enough time away from it that it will be more jarring next time I hear it.
I know that Seamus has corrected me before when I pronounced a word "wrong" but it was just how I had heard it in Alberta. For instance, Seamus pronounced "iron" like "I earn", while I had always pronounced it "ire-ron".
When I was travelling through Europe a lot of people didn't believe I was Aussie, because I have an Adelaide accent which is a little more posh than the Eastern Staters, and it's definitely not very ocker.
Aaaw but I like Brummie accents
Oh I do all the time, it really does my Dad's head in - for some reason although he's always lived in West Yorkshire he's kind of formed his own slightly-posher-but-not-really accent :P The thing that annoys him most though is the lack of 'the' in any sentence e.g. 'M'off t'shop!' or ''ang your coats under stairs.' Lol, but I have a pretty strong accent :P
When Brummies start to moan (and trust me they will shortly if they're not already, you can bet your brain on it) they become beyond annoying. They sound like some pathetic helpless wreck with a bad headcold.
Otherwise I like it
I once heard the voice of a particularly agitated Brummie can reaches pitches which can only be heard by nearby dogs and whales.
Yoworite?
I used to live in Colorado. The main thing about "lack of accent" is that there are a lot of people there who weren't born there, but who moved there for work or because they liked the idea of living in the mountains, so all of their old regional accents kind of blended together.
To Americans, most Canadians sound the same, except for the ones in Quebec. Especially the ones who act annoyed that they have to speak English to you.
You mean all Australians don't sound like Crocodile Dundee?
It's true that most accents in Britain have a class attached to them, although I assume it's probably similar in most places. There are a few decent videos on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dABo_DCIdpM
WARNING: LOTS OF SWEARING! Look at no.2 for teh chav speak and no.6 for my accent :P Not just British-English accents either
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYmrg3owTRE&feature=related
This is SO funny, although personally I knew what a shawty and a ba-donka-donk was XD
Yeah, that was my theory. Also all the added slang - I've never heard anyone say strewth, stone the crows or throw a snag on the barbie mate who wasn't on telly. When we emigrated over here, I remember asking my parents if I'd have to ask to use the 'dunny' if I wanted to go to the toilet at school.
It's funny, because I watched the first episode of Eureka last week, and I said to my dad 'Is that guy meant to be aussie?' and then we thought he sounded more british. After a while we had no idea what the accent was. Good to know I'm not the only one who didn't know
Sorry, nope... Some do... But mostly, we just sound...hmm, what's a good example?
EDIT - Found a vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=--CzCeOJXfA Not sure about his explaination on how to do an Aussie accent, but as he's talking, that's what aussies sound like generally I guess. I sound more british than that, but that's just me...
As my boyfriend is English and I spent all my vacations there, I think it would be best if people don't think I am a yank.
But my boyfriend keeps telling me he likes the fact that people turn their head when I talk, because they think I am a yank.
But that is the reason why I want to sound more English, to have people stop looking at me.
Thanks to those who posted the informational "accent" videos. They've been fun to watch, as well as the ones linked off them, like how to pronounce "aluminum".
That's what I thought went to went to the Uk - I'll have a cool accent... then I just blended right in...
Al u min ee um?
In short: Australians think I sound American, Americans think I sound English and the English think I sound Canadian. I'm yet to meet a Canadian but when I do I should very much like to ask them what accent they think I have.
Australian - in order to complete the circle
No, my accent has never been placed, though a few dialect coaches have marveled at it. I've just sort of developing my own way of speaking I guess.
Or they could say something completely random like South African to keep the search forever going