Differences between American & British English

Damian   Sunday, May 23, 2004, 12:38 GMT
Hello Xatufan! I was just pointing out how local accents can vary so widely in the UK even in a very short distance..you do not need a Scottish road map....please just accept that Glasgow and Edinburgh, Scotland's two largest cities, are just 80km apart but the accents are very different. "Wee" is a word used very often by Scots and just means "small" or "little". At just 1,54m tall I am a "wee laddie" for instance. Elsewhere "wee" can mean something else though!
Jo   Sunday, May 23, 2004, 14:09 GMT
i went up to edinburgh a few weeks ago (checking out the uni) and i love the way people speak up there- i just love the northern accents. one of my friends comes from bolton and the way she speaks is great. although i must say i think my fave accent is the irish one- although only when young people use it for some reason :-) - it reminds me of leprechauns! :-)
Damian   Sunday, May 23, 2004, 22:50 GMT
Hi Jo: glad you like our way of speaking....I shall be going back home to Edinburgh when exams are over...I'm at uni in Leeds. The Yorkshire accent is northern of course but quite different from Bolton where your friend comes from. Isn't that Lancashire? Which uni were you checking out? I guess you are from the south of England? Please tell me where. I have a good friend who is a police officer in London but he comes from Guildford, Surrey. He talks quite nicely...think it's called Home Counties accent, yeah? :-) Bit of estuary thrown in.

I like the Irish accent as well. If I was Irish I could be mistaken for a leprechaun not just because I'm young (well, just had my 22nd birthday) but I'm also only 5'1" tall. LOL. I'm not good at balancing on toadstools though..keep falling off.
To Damian   Monday, May 24, 2004, 00:45 GMT
Wow! Midget! 5'1"? And you're a laddie? That's amazing.
Damian   Monday, May 24, 2004, 10:42 GMT
I can assure you I AM a laddie. All my family are short as was my late father but my stepdad is 6'2"..we do NOT see eye to eye in all senses! LOL Never mind. Anyway, midget is one word in the English language I detest but whoever you are who posted the above, I will let you off for using it! I am perfectly formed, btw and a blue eyed blond of Viking stock. I have a great sense of humour to make up for lack of stature. Not sure this is relevant to this site but you brought it up, Mr/Miss/Ms Anon! :-)
Sirako   Monday, May 24, 2004, 13:35 GMT
Talking about leprechauns and linking it to the Irish accent shows you really know nothing about Ireland.

Please post something more sensible and less racist in future.
Jo   Monday, May 24, 2004, 13:45 GMT
How on earth is me saying the irish accent reminds me of leprechauns racist?

im not using the term leprechaun to mean anything other than the little magical men you see in films etc. dressed in green with pipes and 4 leaf clovers- seeing as how whenever you see them they have irish accents, i really dont see the problem.

a little example of political correctness going to extremes again me thinks!

Damian: i was checking out edinburgh uni- and i wasnt too impressed to be honest- just didnt really like the feel of it- so i turned my place down. decided on durham instead! :-) im from east sussex.
Sirako   Monday, May 24, 2004, 14:10 GMT
You don't find it racist as it is not a cartoon image of a stereotype that might affect you.

Doesn't mean it's not!

If I was a black person complaining about the representation of my race through the Black and White Minstrel Show or gollywogs you would have no problem in taking this on board.

Why should an Irish person saying this be treated differently???

BTW what passes for an Irish accent in such films is a crime against the Irish accent. But of course you know this already since you are an authority on Irish accents.
Jo   Monday, May 24, 2004, 15:09 GMT
i never said i was an authority on irish accents... or denied that there werent different varieties... or said that film representations were good... if you said the english accent reminded you of the queen- could i then call you racist because i dont like it?...

oh im not bothering with this- its such a pointless arguement. if it will make you happy i'll take it back- the irish accent does not remind me of leprechauns. there. but saying it doesnt make it true.
Sirako   Monday, May 24, 2004, 15:52 GMT
"If you said the english accent reminded you of the queen- could i then call you racist because i dont like it?..."

Completely pointless comparison as nobody thinks your queen embodies a nation.

Just because this issue does not affect you, you should know that Irish people are sick of the representations of Irish people which are invariably wrong and stem from centuries of British propoganda.

Leprechauns have practically nothing to do with Ireland anyway, bar one story the old tales relate to fairy folk.

"i never said i was an authority on irish accents"

No, but you feel yourself to be competent enough to post on them.
jo   Monday, May 24, 2004, 16:26 GMT
who said leprechauns embodied a nation? i didnt!

i didnt say leprachauns have much to do with ireland- i just said the irish accent reminds me of them.

ireland also reminds me of the colour green- is that racist??

dont judge other people on assumptions youve made yourself.

dammit- i said i wasnt going to bother with this... oh well- screw it- this is my last post on the matter.
Damian   Monday, May 24, 2004, 21:00 GMT
Hi Jo.....sorry you didnt go much on Edinburgh..never mind......I wish you the best of luck in Durham. I am currently in the middle of my final exams. This site is a fantastic place for me to relax and chill between them. Never been to East Sussex I bet it's nice down there..bit warmer than Durham in winter I guess LOL I guess you speak more or less the same accent as my mate from Guildford. He likes my Edinburgh accent which is softer than the Glasgow one.

Sirako....I reckon you need to chill out a wee bit too....don't be over sensitive. I am the same as Jo and have always linked leprechauns to Ireland, and part of Irish folklore. What other accent could they possibly have if not Irish......Serbo Croat? Chill out please, yeah? :-)
Sirako   Tuesday, May 25, 2004, 09:40 GMT
"I am the same as Jo and have always linked leprechauns to Ireland, and part of Irish folklore"

Exactly my point, apart from one story, leprechauns DO NOT feature in Irish folklore.

As for them having a Serbo-Croatian accent, that's pretty much what it sounds like to our ears when we hear (usually American actors) mangle it on screen!!

;)
Damian   Tuesday, May 25, 2004, 11:32 GMT
I will have to do some research on leprechauns and come back to you on this, Sirako. Maybe you know much more about them than I do. As for American actors/actresses using accents other than their own I reckon Gwyneth Paltrow puts on a really cool English accent. Sounds brill to me as a Scot. I think she lives in England permanently now but not too sure about that.

Not so long ago I saw bits of Mary Poppins on TV and the American actor whose name I cant remember had the most unconvincing cockney accent...it was worth listening to for comedy value.
Simon   Tuesday, May 25, 2004, 11:33 GMT
It's really great the way American actors get a pat on the back for doing an English accent well. Why not simply get an English actor?