Regional accents

[cailin maith]

I can cope with most accents but I knew a bloke from Ulster who might as well have been speaking Swahili. I don't think I ever understood a word.

You and me both luv...

[EternalOptimist]

You and me both luv...

oohh

I detect a North South divide here

[cailin maith]

oohh

I detect a North South divide here

Maybe a little...

When I first split up with my husband - I started seeing a fella from NI - Derry. I rang home and it was mentioned by my Ma - conversation went like this...

Ma - So did you see anyone nicer than yourself at the weekend?

Me - Erm - yeah, met a fella.

Ma - Oh yeah?

Me - Yeah... he's Irish.

Ma - Great!

Me - From Derry

Ma - <Disappointed> Oh.... well, he's not really Irish then is he?

Me - ******* hell Ma - half the population might have an issue with that!!

[alreadypacked]

I spent 6 years at Uni in Derry, I still have problems with NI accent.

[Sysman]

When I first left uni I went for a series of job interviews at Schroeders (sp!) After interviews covering 3 seperate days I was told that I wasn't getting the job - In their words, I was technically the best person for the job but my accent wasn't right. Surely that could have been determined on day 1.

Yep, back in early career days I remember feeling that the wrong accent could be career limiting.

I caught a glimpse of it on the recent Prescott North-South Divide programme with Brian Sewell wondering how anyone with a regional accent could cope with reading and writing. He also thought that much of the industrial North should be razed.

To put it politely, I thought he was completely out of touch with reality.

[Ruse]

I spent 6 years at Uni in Derry, I still have problems with NI accent.

Strange that I have never had any problems with any N. Irish accents. Perhaps the most diificult Irish accent to decipher for me is a proper rural Kerry accent.

[Peoplesoft bloke]

I spent 6 years at Uni in Derry, I still have problems with NI accent.

My OH is from there - I have no probs understanding her (the words at least, not the logic) and all of her family and friends. Whilst I don't like to deal in Stereotypes, everyone I've met in NI has been more articulate and erudite than your average Southern(England)er.

[bekarovka]

Cheryl Cole "speaks" geordie like Ant and Dec, but the Sunderland or Durham twang is much less harsh.

weird, I heard her talk for the first time the other night and I thought she was Welsh!

[Bagpuss]

Everybody has a regional accent, unless they are adhering to a fabricated way of speaking which was nothing more than an invention. The Queen's English a special dialect which had to be spoken in front of Elizabeth I.

[wobbegong]

I can imagine sasguru speaking like this

I don't know quite why, but when I hear that girl speak it makes me think of Alan Carr.