The American Happy Ending

Scots Irish

I once looked up 'Scots Irish' and 'Appalachians' in Google. I could do it again. But from memory it was referring to the Irish people of Scottish descent who lived in the North of Ireland and who supported the Protestant faith.

People from Northern Ireland, particularly those of the Protestant faith, have a very different accent from people in the rest of the UK. I am sure that those people who live in Belfast have a slightly different accent again.

When I think about this accent, I think about one of the characters in Z Cars (PC Lynch).

Z Cars theme

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL1HnDGTAK8

At one time, my Dentist was a young man from Northern Ireland who came from this background. He was very likeable in many ways. In keeping with his religious convictions he works half the week in dentistry and half the week for the Lord. Unfortunately in order to support this lifestyle the practice that he works for charge very high fees. So, I have changed my dentist and the last time I went I had a Polish dentist.

My Polish partner has enrolled in a practice where all the dentists are Spanish. Such is the lucky dip of the NHS.

I had the misfortune of being sent to an Iraqi dentist. After leading a genocidal rampage against the Kurdish dentist next door, he then went on to whine that the USA and U.K. dentists were unfairly picking on him.

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HEY BOBBY, I GOT A SPECIAL SURPRISE FOR YOU IN THE TOOL SHED. AND IT AINT MAH NEW POWER SANDER. DONT TELL MOM.

<<I rekon you'd be just as perplexed as that lady compatriot of ours set loose on the streets of Glasgow city centre>>

Jasper, my American buddy (isn't that the official American equivalent of our "pal" (Scotland) or "mate" (England)? The above sentence should, of course, have read: "I reckon you'd be just as perplexed as that lady compatriot of YOURS set loose on the streets of Glasgow" - I assure you it wasn't a Scottish plot to abduct this nice lady and force Scottish nationality upon her.

That clip you posted - believe me when I say that a thick Glaswegian accent can and does pose problems even for many Scots not too familar with the Glasgow area itself...lthe third largest city in the entire UK.....like pople from the Highlands and Islands regions where the accent really is beautifully gentle, soft and lilting with none of the hardnosed harshness of the Glaswegian twang among certain sections of the Glasgow population.....such as in the aforementioned East End of the city where there are some large tower block estates where a fair number of people exist on social welfare benefits now virtually all of the former heavy industrial strong-in-the arm type employment has been replaced by high technology occupations requiring more strong-in-the-head skills.

Down in Yorkshire, in the North of England, there is a saying which goes: "Strong in th'arm but weak in th'head!" which means what it implies - often used derogatively to describe a thuggish type bloke who acts on impulse by instantly weighing into a tricky situation with fists flying and feet kicking and mouth spouting forth obscenities without any prior engagement of whatever brain cells there may, or may not, be inside his cranium.

Aggie, the lady with a stomach strong enough to face all those vomit inducing sights in some people's disgusting homes, actually comes from the heart of the Scottish Highlands - a wee village in the Cairngorms region of Scotland - Perthshire or Aberdeenshire somewhere, I'm not sure which without checking. Her accent reflects her origins...I am so proud of your efforts, Jasper - I think I will write to the Queen and suggest that you be awarded the Order of the Thistle and have the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh bestowed upon you...or would you rather it be Glasgow? It can be so arranged......

Edinburgh people regard the Glaswegian accent with disdain and in return, Glaswegians think we are "posh and snooty" - we are nothing of the kind (except old ladies in Morningside) - we are just different. Edinburgh is a lot more "Anglicised" than is Glasgow - it always has been. There will always be a certain amount of rivalry between Scotland's two largest cities.

Uriel: As soon as I get back from Libya for future reference I will check out all the UK airline schedules to see if I can obtain a direct flight to El Paso from either Edinburgh (very doubtful!) or London Heathrow (not too hopeful - I will have to do the journey in hops and skips I reckon).....very grateful to you! ;-)

:) Damian.

What do you think about the fact that I can understand the bulk of the Glaswegian accent on the clip?

I think that because of my origins, I'm wearing different "linguistic ears" than many Americans. After all, Appalachians are Scots-Irish in origin.

At any rate, Scottish accents, to my ear, are warm and pleasant....

There are about 5 million Scotch-Irish in America. Not that many overall.

I don't think El Paso has direct flights to anywhere but points south, Damian -- expect to go through customs in Atlanta or Houston on the way!

Is Damian going to Libya for sex tourism? Is he "active" or "passive"?

Isn't Wintereis gay too?

And I think I might be gay as well...

What's going on here... Did America release the gay bomb???

I'm gay too. Well, not entirely, there's more to it than that. I'm in love with my father. I am waiting for legalised same-sex, same-family marriages.

Damian- I didn't have any problem with any of those clips (yours or Jasper's), but I don't really ever have problems with accents unless it's unknown slang. It might have something to do with the fact that I have perfect pitch, I'm not really sure. Perhaps it's something to do with watching too much low budget BBC crap. Generally I find it takes at most 50 seconds to adjust to an accent I've never heard before, then it sounds native to me.

In any case, nobody in America should have a problem understanding you. Just don't mumble.

I'm not gay. I've wondered sometimes if Antimoon is a gay language site, or just a language site.

I had a very good friend who was gay. He didn't like being gay. Like a lot of gay people I've known, he was molested as a kid. I don't have much tolerance for people who support Man boy love.

Nobody likes being gay. it's like liking being blind or black.

Dear Rene

The BBC delibrately produce programs with regional accents, as do the regional broadcasters.

"I'm not really sure. Perhaps it's something to do with watching too much low budget BBC crap."

It is not 'low budget'.

In reality people mumble - particularly people with broad accents. It is almost like a secret language.

Serge - don't make assumptions based on your own probable standards,and as for the comments made by some other posters are plainly ludicrous. I regard my sexual orienation in much the same way as I regard my innate left-handedness....a blue eyed, fair haired gay Scottish lad who also happens to be a southpaw and I am completely and utterly content and fully accepting with who I am, what I am, how I am and where I am going in my happy life.

How others perceive me or any other person who deviates from the accepted bog standard moulded carbon copy "norm" in any way at all is of no concern of mine whatsoever.....that is their problem and not mine. My way of life is completely within the law of the land in which I was, in my opinion, fortunate enough to have been born and in which it is my wish to continue to live in spite of its problems. I am very far indeed from being alone in this respect.

Granted this would most certainly not be the case were I to live in the country I will be visiting later this month, along with a friend of mine and other members of a British Archaeological group, a visit which has absolutely sod all to do with the sordid reason you mentioned. I would be so, so not into that sort of caper....I have no need for that kind of "tourism", thanks all the same. Anyway, that sort of thing is most emphatically not confined to gay people from western countries either, as you well know.

As I have mentioned before my reason for being in Libya is quoted in the list in the following link. I also went on the trip which took us around some of the Roman sites in Kent and Sussex last August - on the Forts of the Saxon Shore trip - this included the spot on the Kent coast where the first Roman invaders first stepped ashore in the island country they subsequently named Britannia 2,064 years ago, and then built this massive fortress at what is now known as Richborough - amazingly it is remarkably well preserved with the rectangular ancient walls surrounding the vast space within with the remains of what was once a thriving town and fortress overlooking what is now known as the English Channel.

Libya will be an experience, no mistake about that, and we will be happy to respect the Muslim way of life there, including a total hardline ban on alcohol, and plenty of British people go there to explore the very impressive evidential remnants of the once mighty Roman Empire which I am happy to say also embraced much of this island nation c 2k years ago.

I am so glad that Rene, Jasper and Uriel had no problems understanding the Glaswegian accent in those lnks, but I'm quite sure they would have too much of an easy ride if they actually visited Glasgow and spent some time there chatting with "the natives". Rest assured - comprehension problems WOULD occur...big time - probably on both sides of the fence! If another American - Bill Bryson- didn't get off Scot free (excuse the pun) roaming around Glesca city then our American friends in here won't either! I'd bet my life on that one.

http://www.associationromanarchaeology.org/

<<<and as for the comments made by some other posters are plainly ludicrous>>>

Badly constructed - should read: "..and as for the comments made by some other contributors here - well, they are plainly ridiculous!"