Scottish, I just nod and smile
Which English accent is the hardest to understand for you?
I'm not so sure that I would label NCVS influenced accents as GA. I have an accent from the Inland North, and the GA that I hear on television generally sounds heavily accented. I won't say that I dislike all GA, but I don't care for the accent variations that most modern American news reporters use. It doesn't seem to bother me as much with film and television actors, but most modern news reporters come across as sounding annoying and pretentious. This is just my opinion; don't kill me over it.
>>I'm not so sure that I would label NCVS influenced accents as GA. I have an accent from the Inland North, and the GA that I hear on television generally sounds heavily accented. I won't say that I dislike all GA, but I don't care for the accent variations that most modern American news reporters use. It doesn't seem to bother me as much with film and television actors, but most modern news reporters come across as sounding annoying and pretentious. This is just my opinion; don't kill me over it.<<
The matter is that NCVS dialects are often quite close to GA genetically, but they often have relatively recent innovations that are quite unlike conservative GA. These include not just the NCVS itself, but also Canadian Raising (which is on the verge of almost being regarded as a variation within GA, like the cot-caught merger) and but other things (which may be more widespread) such as flap elision and palatalalization/affrication of coronals before /w/, /u(:)/, /U/, and /@r/.
The matter is that NCVS dialects are often quite close to GA genetically, but they often have relatively recent innovations that are quite unlike conservative GA. These include not just the NCVS itself, but also Canadian Raising (which is on the verge of almost being regarded as a variation within GA, like the cot-caught merger) and but other things (which may be more widespread) such as flap elision and palatalalization/affrication of coronals before /w/, /u(:)/, /U/, and /@r/.
<<I'm not so sure that I would label NCVS influenced accents as GA. I have an accent from the Inland North, and the GA that I hear on television generally sounds heavily accented. I won't say that I dislike all GA, but I don't care for the accent variations that most modern American news reporters use>>
Interesting comment. It's the first time I've heard an NCVS speaker say that...
Interesting comment. It's the first time I've heard an NCVS speaker say that...
Scottish accents, for me, are quitee asy to understand, but maybe not when the Scot is drunk.
On the other hand, Geordie accents are almost unintellible, even when the Geordie is sober.
On the other hand, Geordie accents are almost unintellible, even when the Geordie is sober.
I lived with a Glaswegian fellow for a year, and at the end of the time, I could understand a wee bit of his accent but not a lot. When he was pished it became less clear, now we only communicate by e-mail which makes it easier for me
***I lived with a Glaswegian fellow for a year.... now we only communicate by e-mail...***
You mean he can actually type out legible words? Are you absolutely sure he's a Glaswegian? :-)
You mean he can actually type out legible words? Are you absolutely sure he's a Glaswegian? :-)
These ones are tough for this American:
Glaswegian, which as has been mentioned, pretty much takes the cake. You know a dialect is incoherent when it has slang words left over from the time of Chaucer.
Working-class Belfast--also pretty rough. Have a hard time understanding what's coming "art of their marths" as they might say in that fine city.
Inner-City Dublin--I don't mean anything approaching a middle-class accent here--I mean the lowest of the lower-class accent, where "pint of porter" sounds like "poyuhnt uh powtah".
Glaswegian, which as has been mentioned, pretty much takes the cake. You know a dialect is incoherent when it has slang words left over from the time of Chaucer.
Working-class Belfast--also pretty rough. Have a hard time understanding what's coming "art of their marths" as they might say in that fine city.
Inner-City Dublin--I don't mean anything approaching a middle-class accent here--I mean the lowest of the lower-class accent, where "pint of porter" sounds like "poyuhnt uh powtah".
<<Many GA speakers, especially in the Midwest, dipthongize their vowels. The long-I sound has an E added (from the viewpoint of a Southerner), and you hear people say words like "by-ack" for "back" and "ee-and" for "and". The "e" sound shortened becomes a "y", so the sound dominates GA speech.
The "y" sound, by its very nature, is cloying. The analogy about the chewing gum fits. >>
Oh, that IS the most annoying sound! But it isn't even remotely GA. It's pretty much restricted to parts of the midwest. I'm a GA speaker, and I never even heard that y-sound until I was in my late twenties and met an acquaintance of my mother's who was from Ohio.
Scottish and northern English accents can be a little challenging. I once saw a commercial where that was the point -- the two men holding forth on the couch were utterly incomprehensible, but seemed to be having a very good time.... Indian English can take some getting used to, especially on the phone -- one of our doctors at work is Indian, and you really have to get used to the differences in cadence and pronunciation, even though his vocabulary and grammar are perfect. Irish, South African, and Australian are pretty easy to get. Don't really know anything about Welsh or Singaporean or some of the specific English accents named, so I can't go into more depth there.
The "y" sound, by its very nature, is cloying. The analogy about the chewing gum fits. >>
Oh, that IS the most annoying sound! But it isn't even remotely GA. It's pretty much restricted to parts of the midwest. I'm a GA speaker, and I never even heard that y-sound until I was in my late twenties and met an acquaintance of my mother's who was from Ohio.
Scottish and northern English accents can be a little challenging. I once saw a commercial where that was the point -- the two men holding forth on the couch were utterly incomprehensible, but seemed to be having a very good time.... Indian English can take some getting used to, especially on the phone -- one of our doctors at work is Indian, and you really have to get used to the differences in cadence and pronunciation, even though his vocabulary and grammar are perfect. Irish, South African, and Australian are pretty easy to get. Don't really know anything about Welsh or Singaporean or some of the specific English accents named, so I can't go into more depth there.
Having some "lag" trying to understand my new Aberdeen friend..... goes without saying that´s when I do. Haven´t tried him drunk yet. Seems that when I stop trying to understand him I understand him better..... odd.
GA is easy, specially due to all tv programmes we get nowadays. Geordie is not English :)
GA is easy, specially due to all tv programmes we get nowadays. Geordie is not English :)
***dorisbonkers Sat Jan 26, 2008 3:55 pm GMT
Scottish, I just nod and smile***
Och no! Just think on and imagine just where that could lead you to! Have some self respect and find a reliable friend who can act as interpreter and you should be fine. You don't want to live up to your handle do you?
Scottish, I just nod and smile***
Och no! Just think on and imagine just where that could lead you to! Have some self respect and find a reliable friend who can act as interpreter and you should be fine. You don't want to live up to your handle do you?
as a Scot, I find some American accents hard to fathom. My boyfriend lent me a DVD of a show called The Wire (set in Baltimore) and I was baffled - had to play the same scenes again and again to understand what on earth the actors were saying (e.g. "Merlin" = "Maryland"). Similar bemusement with NYC accents (Noo Yoik?). GA is not very pleasant to my ear but I can usually grasp what the speaker is saying. Kiwi accents are tricky - vowels seem upside down but a few minutes of close listening and I can generally catch it.
I also find Aberdonian Scots pretty hard to understand so I can completely sympathise with non-Scots who find themselves in the Granite City ("furryboots ur ye fae?" - "where are you from") - sounds great though, wish I COULD understand it better...
I also find Aberdonian Scots pretty hard to understand so I can completely sympathise with non-Scots who find themselves in the Granite City ("furryboots ur ye fae?" - "where are you from") - sounds great though, wish I COULD understand it better...
The Wire is not a good barometer. I'm American and I have a hard time with it on occasion. It's the speed of the speech and the slang.