Accents and Dialect

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: Colin Randall
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 10:32 AM

My parents moved from Sussex to County Durham when I was about three months' old but it is to my eternal regret that they later insisted on sending me to elocution lessions to make sure I didn't grow up talking like my mates. For all my attempts to confound them, the ruse broadly succeeded.

I love it when people sing in their own accents - Kate Rusby, Bob Fox, Johnny Handle and of course countless others - and hate it when they deliberately don't. But then I always thought Cara Dillon affected a slightly mid-Atlantic accent in her singing, which she certainly doesn't have in conversation, only to be told by someone from her part of Ulster that it was perfectly natural. When I heard her version of There Were Roses, on which she sounded every bit as Ulster as Tommy Sands, I dropped all resistance.

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: GUEST, Sminky
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 10:44 AM

Two scouse ladies in conversation:

1 "My husband works fer Cunard"

2 "Well, my husband works f*ck'n 'ard too"

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: the button
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 10:51 AM

I'm from the East Riding, and usually get on OK down here in That London. With the exception of ordering takeaways over the phone (or "phern," as all right-thinking people pronounce it).

I didn't realise I still had much of an accent until I recorded some internet radio shows. Blimey.

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: GUEST, Sminky
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 11:25 AM

the button - I lived in Hull for about 9 years. I could never even begin to mimic the way the locals pronounced 'no'. My attempts were also hampered by the fact that the girls didn't use the word very often!

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: GUEST,sinky
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 11:46 AM

Theres nothing worse than the geordie accent,its bloody awful.It even makes successful people seem thick and skint,

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 12:10 PM

GUEST sinky - hadaway an shite.

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: GUEST,sinky
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 12:14 PM

DaveS,is that a local solicitors bonny lad man woman girl.Sing us one of those good old fishy on a dishy songs man.

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: folk1e
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 12:40 PM

Very Trollish GUEST,sinky
It was the prefered wisdom at the BBC,Oxbridge etc though!
Wen I wer at skewl there were at least four distinct accents from a catchment area of 2 miles! I still live in the same place but the accents have homoganised out of recognition.
BTW if a county is a shire when it has a principle town of the same name how about Manchesershire? or even Greater Manchestershire?
Maybe we could have a "three way" war of the roses at saddleworth (in the afforesaid shire)

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: GUEST,Terry McDonald
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 12:44 PM

The Dorset dialect poet, William Barnes, when asked why he didn't write in the King's English replied that he did.....it was the English spoken when Alfred ruled from Winchester.

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 04:28 PM

Famous Lancashire saying -

Yer can all'us tell a yorkshurmon - But yer cornt tell 'im much.

:D

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: Tootler
Date: 24 Aug 07 - 06:23 PM

Best thing abaht Lancashire is t'road aht.

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: Colin Randall
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 03:43 AM

"Theres nothing worse than the geordie accent,its bloody awful.It even makes successful people seem thick and skint, "


    Even though 16 or 17 months have elapsed since "Guest sinky" added the above contribution to this thread, I have not been able to get it out of my mind. My argument that accents enrich the language appeared, with due reference to Mudcat, in The National (Abu Dhabi) at the weekend. It is here:

http://thenational.ae/article/20090110/WEEKENDER/23260161/1310

and, with the mention of Mudcat fleshed out, here:

http://www.francesalut.com/2009/01/mark-my-words-with-an-accent-on-where-youre-

Incidentally, it was impossible to gain access to Mudcat from the UAE yesterday. Was there a general problem?

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: Dave Sutherland
Date: 12 Jan 09 - 04:42 AM

I am thick and skint but it's got nothing to do with my Geordie accent!

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: sid
Date: 02 Feb 09 - 04:43 AM

Anyone interested in bringing these old English Dialects back to life and joining us at Fylde this year for our gathering of English dialect speakers? Contact [e-mail], (and please tell your friends - SID - Lancashire Language and Dialect Society)

Subject: RE: Accents and Dialect
From: Gurney
Date: 02 Feb 09 - 10:11 PM

The funny thing about accents is... everyone has one. And everyone thinks that they haven't!

This from a Nuneatonian living in New Zealand. I worked for a firm called Chemspec. When I used the 'phone;
"Hello, Chemspec here."
"Sorry, who?"
"Chemspec."
"Who?"
"Kimspik!"
"Oh! Kimspik. Right."