When I worked is shops the advice was always to ask anyone with a north American accent if they were Canadian. I believe asking a Canadian if they are from the states is a real piss off.
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Regional accents, can other people place you?
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Originally posted by Cliphead View PostHaving said that I can just about place other Scottish people to a particular town or city and dare I say it social class. In Donegal where I visit as I have family there the accent can change in the distance of a mile or two and within a twenty mile radius there there may be twenty different accents.
I have lost the edge now, because I have lived in Europe for so long, but I know the ability would come back if I had more exposure to a variety of accents. I long ago developed an accent which has folks assuming I am from the South of England, but I have over the years made a conscious effort to make it easy to understand for foreigners, using what I used to know as BBC English as my model (yes, I have always listened to a lot of Radio 4). About 10 years ago my team at work voted me as having the clearest accent of all the native English speaking contingent, which chuffed me no end.
I can lapse into Yorkshire if I come across a native speaker though, much to the amusement of my Swiss colleagues and friends when they hear it.
My Plan B accomplice is also from Yorkshire, but his accent is more Scottish, since he grew up near Paisley. That combination is weird, because he's been in Switzerland for over thirty years, has 2 Swiss ex-wives and three kids and throws in a lot of Swiss German.
Originally posted by Cliphead View PostI can also most of the time tell who has been in the military (any branch), since there seems to be an almost generic accent peculiar to them.
P.S. I know what you mean about accents grating the further south you get. One pet hate is that special version of Cockney that seems to thrive in the rock music world; I am sure that in your area of expertise you have come across it. More generally I don't like what I call the "London nasal whine". Neither am I enamored with the South West accent, largely down to a fellow contractor from Devon who was as thick as pigtulipe and ... spoke ... so ... slowly.Last edited by Sysman; 3 February 2013, 22:36.Behold the warranty -- the bold print giveth and the fine print taketh away.Comment
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Originally posted by minestrone View PostWhen I worked is shops the advice was always to ask anyone with a north American accent if they were Canadian. I believe asking a Canadian if they are from the states is a real piss off.Behold the warranty -- the bold print giveth and the fine print taketh away.Comment
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When I am back North people call me Southern, when I am down South I am a Northern, when I am back home in Belfast the accent returns, when I am in Somerset I just speak slowly and use small wordsOriginally posted by Stevie Wonder BoyI can't see any way to do it can you please advise?
I want my account deleted and all of my information removed, I want to invoke my right to be forgotten.Comment
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Originally posted by BlasterBates View PostEe by gum, nay lad.Originally posted by Stevie Wonder BoyI can't see any way to do it can you please advise?
I want my account deleted and all of my information removed, I want to invoke my right to be forgotten.Comment
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Regional accents, can other people place you?
No. But then I can't place myself either.
Received Pronunciation innit."I can put any old tat in my sig, put quotes around it and attribute to someone of whom I've heard, to make it sound true."
- Voltaire/Benjamin Franklin/Anne Frank...Comment
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Regional accents, can other people place you?
With this non-accent accent I used to pride myself in effective communication when training non-native English speakers (there's more to effective communication than just the accent obviously, but it's a good place to start).
When training in Brussels I had to nod patiently as the PM advised me not to go too fast as not all the attendees where great English speakers. When I finished she said that I had given all of them much more confidence and the belief that they could converse better than before my course.
I was rather pleased with that."I can put any old tat in my sig, put quotes around it and attribute to someone of whom I've heard, to make it sound true."
- Voltaire/Benjamin Franklin/Anne Frank...Comment
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Originally posted by Cliphead View PostI can almost tell the difference between Aussie and Kiwi but it catches me out sometimes.
I don't have much of the west-country burr that I should have based on where I grew up but my mother is not one of them and I didn't hear that accent much at home when I was growing up, I think that had an influence.Comment
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Originally posted by BlasterBates View PostEe by gum, nay lad.
I used to know a bloke who every time someone said "Ee by gum" would say "Manchester".
"Nay lad" works perfectly well in Yorkshire though, and can be a good deterrent when someone offers you a fight in the car park.
You do need to follow it up with a bit of humour though.Behold the warranty -- the bold print giveth and the fine print taketh away.Comment
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