Do you have a strong regional accent?

[Daniela]

I don't have a southern accent, even though I grew up in the suburbs outside of Atlanta. This may be because my parents are from Argentina, though. Conversations at home were frequently in Spanglish, although in recent years my parents speak Spanish with me very rarely. I think they try to practice their English as much as possible when I'm with them.

So...do ya'll have accents? :D

[Gemme]

No! Despite growing up in the dirty South (MS, a few minutes from the Miss-Lou bridge). I spent a lot of time in FL and then WA and TX and I'm now in RI so I have a lot of other regional influences on my speech. When I'm around fellow Southerners it comes out a bit more but only really comes out when I'm exhausted or visiting with relatives down home. When I'm in the South, my speech pattern slows down too.

When my customers find out where I'm from, they are often very surprised at my lack of a distinguishable accent.

[Orema]

I don't have a southern accent, even though I grew up in the suburbs outside of Atlanta. This may be because my parents are from Argentina, though. Conversations at home were frequently in Spanglish, although in recent years my parents speak Spanish with me very rarely. I think they try to practice their English as much as possible when I'm with them.

So...do ya'll have accents? :D

I have a soft southen drawl even though I grew up north of the Mason-Dixon line. My parents were from the south and their language is my langauge.

(I work hard not to code switch (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code-switching) because I suspect unhealthy subconscious signals are sent. I have no evidence of yhis, it's just a sneaky suspicion.)

[Daniela]

Interesting...it seems there are a lot of native Southerners here. :) People often do seem surprised to find out you're from the south if you have no detectable accent, at least based on my experience in Jersey City.

[clay]

Yes, I "shore do, ma'am!" Lol. As a Southerner (SC) , I do and I am reminded of it often!

[MrSunshine]

No matter where I go people ask about my accent.

I grew up in Detroit :|

[princessbelle]

I grew up in the South and still reside here. I used to have a very strong accent. I think the older i get the less of an accent i have. However, when i get tired, sleep or cranky, it tends to come out more. :hamactor:

[Shystonefem]

Naaa, no accent....

Now I think I will eat some chowdaa in my caa

lol

[Cin]

I have a really strong accent. It's a mixture of Rhode Island and Boston. I drop my r's but I don't pronounce cot and caught the same way. A RI accent sounds a bit like a NY (Brooklyn) type accent. Anyway it is thick and I have never been able to lose it. I have lived in Montreal for 12 years and it is as thick as it ever was. It makes my French almost incomprehensible. Not that it is very good anyway. But the accent made me stop trying to speak French. I wish I didn't have an accent. My wife loves it though, so that's something.

[SleepyButch]

Stong? no. I tend to pick up the regional accents pretty quickly. Being born in New York, sometimes that accent will come out, especially lately since my ex was also originally from New York and her accent was thick. I've also had a Texas/Oklahoma drawlll and MN ya sure, you betcha! Now that I'm back in Oklahoma, I may have a slight drawl back but still, the others will come out and play with certain words or situations I suppose.

[TruTexan]

I didn't used to have anything but a city accent which is lack of an accent in TX. lmao However, I live in East TX, and hour from Dallas and 2.5 hrs West of Louisiana, and the Tx accent here is a bit of a drawl for sure. I do have that now, and when I'm around other family members that are just outside of Austin, the accent isn't the same there as mine here, so it kinda rubs off on me when I'm in a different area of TX. Texas has a few different drawls or some lack there of in the larger cities like Dallas and Houston. It's interesting to me how many of my family members talk with a different accent. lol
But if you talk to me, you know I'm from the south and have a Texas drawl in my lingo. I say yes ma'am and no ma'am in my mannerisms and stuff. When I lived just outside Detroit MI and worked in that area, peeps knew I was from Tx cause of the yes ma'am no ma'am lingo and the drawl. If they didn't think it was Texan they knew it was from the south.

[Daktari]

Edited for clarification:
Sure do have an accent, just not an overly strong one.

I consider mine a relatively generic northern UK accent which can fluctuate depending on who I'm spending a lot of time around.

[girlin2une]

I do NOT have a strong regional accent although I suppose I do have an accent of sorts... I am Canadian and as such, speak like one. Having grown up with a stay at home mum who has a Scottish accent, I started Kindergarten with a bit of a Scottish accent... I lost it though and began speaking like all my Canadian counterparts! ;) (kids can be so mean!)
Interesting thread!

[RNguy]

I very much do have a strong Appalachian accent .
I was born and raised 5 minutes away from both West Virginia and Kentucky so I definitely sound Appalachian .

[MsTinkerbelly]

Born, raised, and still live in California.

No accent

[Daktari]

Born, raised, and still live in California.

No accent

Just an American one :raspberry:

[Daniela]

Just an American one :raspberry:

Right...we tend to forget that, here in the States. :D I also have a "generic" American accent.

Can you usually detect regional accents on Americans? I can't distinguish between different types of British accents. Sometimes it takes me a little while to tell whether it's Australian, South African or British. :blush:

[dark_crystal]

I didn't used to have anything but a city accent which is lack of an accent in TX. lmao However, I live in East TX, and hour from Dallas and 2.5 hrs West of Louisiana, and the Tx accent here is a bit of a drawl for sure. I do have that now, and when I'm around other family members that are just outside of Austin, the accent isn't the same there as mine here, so it kinda rubs off on me when I'm in a different area of TX. Texas has a few different drawls or some lack there of in the larger cities like Dallas and Houston. It's interesting to me how many of my family members talk with a different accent. lol
But if you talk to me, you know I'm from the south and have a Texas drawl in my lingo. I say yes ma'am and no ma'am in my mannerisms and stuff. When I lived just outside Detroit MI and worked in that area, peeps knew I was from Tx cause of the yes ma'am no ma'am lingo and the drawl. If they didn't think it was Texan they knew it was from the south.

I have that Houston accent! When I used to attempt LDRs, people I would talk to from the Northeast or PNW were always disappointed that I didn't sound more Southern.

However, if you get me around my country cousins (Grimes Co., DeWitt Co.) i do have a twang that will come out real quick. And "ma'am," "sir," and "ya'll" are standard in my speech

[Gráinne]

I grew up in Ohio, now live in Arkansas for several years. I get people guessing I'm from Michigan or Wisconsin, never the South. I did one of those linguistic tests once and obviously came out "Upper Midwest". However, if I'm very tired, a few picked-up Southernisms come out and I sound like a muted Scarlett O'Hara from Cleveland.

[girlin2une]

Born, raised, and still live in California.

No accent

I have a good friend who is from California and he most definitely has an accent to me. :)

[Cin]

Right...we tend to forget that, here in the States. :D I also have a "generic" American accent.

Can you usually detect regional accents on Americans? I can't distinguish between different types of British accents. Sometimes it takes me a little while to tell whether it's Australian, South African or British. :blush:

That's an interesting question. I know here in Montreal, Anglophones can tell immediately I'm from Boston while Francophones mostly cannot.

[Daniela]

I grew up in Ohio, now live in Arkansas for several years. I get people guessing I'm from Michigan or Wisconsin, never the South. I did one of those linguistic tests once and obviously came out "Upper Midwest". However, if I'm very tired, a few picked-up Southernisms come out and I sound like a muted Scarlett O'Hara from Cleveland.

Scarlett O'Hara from Cleveland... :cheesy: hah

I'm going to look up linguistic tests - good idea!

[Daktari]

Right...we tend to forget that, here in the States. :D I also have a "generic" American accent.

Can you usually detect regional accents on Americans? I can't distinguish between different types of British accents. Sometimes it takes me a little while to tell whether it's Australian, South African or British. :blush:

I can only really detect general areas of some accents. Mainly due to tv and fillums.

I can usually tell the difference between a Canadian and American accent.

There are just as many regional accents and lingo here as there are there. I'd say more folks sound Downtown Alley than Downton Abbey, but then I would say that, I'm a "...up t'back ginnel" northerner! ;)

http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/ginnel

[Daniela]

That's an interesting question. I know here in Montreal, Anglophones can tell immediately I'm from Boston while Francophones mostly cannot.

i guess it would make sense that a native English speaker of any kind would be better at distinguishing differences, although perhaps that's not the reason...who knows?! I can always tell when someone speaking Spanish has an Argentinian accent (they sound like my parents!), although I'm a little lost at picking up Cuban vs. Puerto Rican, for example.

[LOQUI]

Living in California but...made, born and raised in Puerto Rico...hmmm yes I definitively have an accent! :bowdown:

[Femmadian]

Do I have a regional accent? Of course. Everyone does (even my American friends who try to say they don't). ;)

Whether it's strong or not depends on who you ask I suppose. Most Americans tend to be able to pick up on it as just generally Canadian. People from the UK often assume I'm American (http://www.toffeetalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/shaking%20fist.png) and most other Canadians can tell I'm from somewhere on the East Coast.

In casual conversations I also tend to talk at a fast clip which I'm told is a fairly regional thing. Americans often tell me to slow down, especially those from the deep South. Out here "our" sounds like "are" and "right" sounds like "rate." The D's and G's in words like "old" and "going" are usually dropped. R's towards the end of words like "car" and "dart" sound a bit hard and I have a friend originally from BC who says all Maritimers sound like pirates, especially when drunk. I guess?
:pirate-steer:
I think it would be neat if people were to include a little video clip of an example of their regional accent. Mine would probably be closest to Sarah McLachlan in the early days before she started really sounding like a Vancouverite. :p

4Ar55J-JYBQ

I've had a couple people from Toronto ask me if I was originally from Newfoundland. :| (cue jokes about Toronto :p)

For those not familiar with that regional accent, here is an example:

8Tg92ZBNPkU
Not. Me. :p
(though I really like it!)

I love this thread! :thumbsup: I often wonder what the voices of the people I'm talking to here actually sound like!

[imperfect_cupcake]

I have a mess of an accent. Several places.

But, I have a low, husky tone, FM radio announcer type voice (one of my exes said it's similar to Kathleen Turner's) with punctuated upper middle class articulate pronunciations (theatric, I suppose) and a soft hint of London that floats in and out as I speak.

When I had been in the UK for ten years my accent was so baffling to people they could not tell where the hell I was from. I got asked if I was scottish, australian, welsh, New Zealand.... ?

Amused the hell out of me.

[Kelt]

I remember conversations in the seventies about how broadcast news and the increased watching of television was ruining the regional differences in the US, and homogenizing the country culturally. I think it's happening, the differences are fading more all the time. I like it when I hear dialects and differing word usages, mostly folks from other countries. Helps me get out of my own little box.

I sound west coast/PNW/Canadian (western), at least that's what I'm told.

*Really glad I didn't end up sounding like Walter Cronkite*

[Corkey]

Not generally, but I do pick them up depending on where I live. Hawaii was a freeking trip... in a good way. Now I don't say y'ouse but I hear it a lot.

[stargazingboi]

OK...sooo I've been told I have an accent. I've been told it's abrasive *shrugs* I don't see it...do you?

feuNeJewzDo

[Amulette]

I find it interesting how anyone outside "our" region sounds different, and that "ours" is normal. And how there can be layers of both cultural and region speech patterns that mix.Throw in the ability to speak more than one language and and the layers deepen. Such a varied field of flowers, us humans.

[randrum]

I've been told I have a Chicago accent. Personally, I don't think I do. But I think it's harder to recognize an accent in yourself than hearing it in other people. A good friend of mine always makes me repeat the word "quarter". Apparently I say it funny.

What I do notice more is the slang and colloquialisms I have a tendency to use. Like sitting in the "front room", wearing "gym shoes", and drinking "pop".

[Ginger]

OK...sooo I've been told I have an accent. I've been told it's abrasive *shrugs* I don't see it...do you?





To say someone's accent is "abrasive" seems oppressive to me. Maybe classist, definitely regionalist. Some accents are "deeper," in my opinion, than others—more thoroughly immersed in the way of speaking in a certain region. Why is that a bad thing? An "abrasive" thing?

My dad had a different accent than I do. He had a masculine, upbeat, Texan twang. He was the only person in my world with that accent. I can still hear it. I channel his encouraging words.

I went to an Ivy League graduate school and there, for the first time in my life, people corrected my pronunciation of certain words (for example, I would say IN-sur-ance, not in-SUR-ance) and grammar. Some constructions, like "lay" and "lie" will never come naturally to me, but I know how to do it right.

When I'm with my sister, I don't bother self-correcting.

[Trev]

One particular conversation comes to mind when I read the title of this thread. I was asked during this conversation, "can you repeat that without your accent?" I actually thought for a moment to Myself if that was possible. After I was finished laughing, because she was darn cute and serious about it, I did try. You'll never take the country out of this good ole boy.

So, I will defer to Ms. Candelion, who can answer this better than Myself.

[Daniela]

I've been told I have a Chicago accent. Personally, I don't think I do. But I think it's harder to recognize an accent in yourself than hearing it in other people. A good friend of mine always makes me repeat the word "quarter". Apparently I say it funny.

What I do notice more is the slang and colloquialisms I have a tendency to use. Like sitting in the "front room", wearing "gym shoes", and drinking "pop".

It's interesting to hear the different colloquialisms people use.

People often say "cut the lights off," instead of "turn the lights off," in GA. I have a friend from St Louis who said she never heard someone say "shot a bird" instead of "flip a bird." Of course everyone drinks Coke, so there is no "pop." :)

[Candelion]

One particular conversation comes to mind when I read the title of this thread. I was asked during this conversation, "can you repeat that without your accent?" I actually thought for a moment to Myself if that was possible. After I was finished laughing, because she was darn cute and serious about it, I did try. You'll never take the country out of this good ole boy.

So, I will defer to Ms. Candelion, who can answer this better than Myself.


It's slower and thicker than molasses in January. His accent, that is. :p

[Rockinonahigh]

I have a mix of Italian,cajun and southern drawl,understandable ??Ask Fever.

[homoe]

Being born and raised in Upper Michigan I never heard pop called Soda till I moved to the big city of Milwaukee:nerd:

Another thing they said in the city that I'd never heard of "we're going to go by so and so's" I never understood why they said "by" instead of "to" so and so's I mean to me going by someone's place meant to just drive by not stop and visit!

[Ascot]

Regional, no. Pedantic, alas, yes.

[stargazingboi]

Being born and raised in Upper Michigan I never heard pop called Soda till I moved to the big city of Milwaukee:nerd:

Another thing they said in the city that I'd never heard of "we're going to go by so and so's" I never understood why they said "by" instead of "to" so and so's I mean to me going by someone's place meant to just drive by not stop and visit!

yes, different parts of the country have different words and wordings for things, like:

In Mass...we say: where is the bubblah?
translation: where is the water fountain/drinking fountain

In Mass...bang a left at the light
translation: take the next left

In Mass...I'm gonna swing by the packie, you want somethin?
translation: I'm heading to the liquor store, would you like me to pick you up something?

In Mass....that is wicked cool!
translation: That's great!

I could go on....but yeah...it's an interesting little thing to observe. Sometimes it's like we aren't even speaking the same language when I am talking to folks here in the midwest

[Gemme]

Stong? no. I tend to pick up the regional accents pretty quickly.

I can do this. A weird thing about me is that I pick up speech impediments.

:blink:

If I'm talking to someone with a lisp, I will catch myself subconsciously replicating it. I'm a vocal chameleon but I can't 'do' accents on demand. They sneak up on me.

I can always tell when someone speaking Spanish has an Argentinian accent (they sound like my parents!), although I'm a little lost at picking up Cuban vs. Puerto Rican, for example.

I wish I could help with this. I've dated both a Puerto Rican and a Cuban and they had very similar speech patterns but both lived in South Florida, so I'm sure their dialect is different from those who live in Puerto Rico or Cuba.

To say someone's accent is "abrasive" seems oppressive to me. Maybe classist, definitely regionalist. Some accents are "deeper," in my opinion, than others—more thoroughly immersed in the way of speaking in a certain region. Why is that a bad thing? An "abrasive" thing?


Abrasive means rough, not good or bad. Just like some people have gravely voices. Their voice might be described as 'gritty'. Some make careers out of it, like Joe Cocker.

Some accents are more rough, like Bostonians and some native Rhode Islanders. Part of it is the accent itself and part of it is the delivery. Very 'you talkin' to me?' when excited and 'eh, whataya gonna do?' when relaxed. Thick; rich with character.

I find English accents to feel very smooth, like water flowing down a quiet creek (pronounced CREAK by me and CRICK by my dad, who has been in MS all his life). The words flow seamlessly and, from my experience, the peaks and valleys are not as distinguishable as with North Easterners. It's very relaxing to me and I could listen to it for hours. I love Scottish and Australian accents too.

Here, there are a lot of stops and starts and the volume goes up, up, up. Most days it feels like home, because I am Italian and that's how I am, but some days it feels like someone broke the control button on the speakers.

[Kätzchen]

I am not sure that I have much of a regional accent. My voice is soft, more a long the vibrational sound of an alto. Slightly smokey. Sometimes people will ask where I am from, trying to place me where they think I might belong.... but even then, I dont think my voice belongs to a regional place known for 'accents'.

I do have quite a few relatives in the south (Texas, Tennessee, Carolina areas and a few other southern/mid-western regions), but I was born and raised in Idaho.

I am a resident of the Pacific Northwest, of many years now.

[grenade]

To say someone's accent is "abrasive" seems oppressive to me. Maybe classist, definitely regionalist. Some accents are "deeper," in my opinion, than others—more thoroughly immersed in the way of speaking in a certain region. Why is that a bad thing? An "abrasive" thing?

I'm the someone who found and still finds it abrasive at times. :)

It's the harshness, the bluntness. It's foreign to me. It's been explained to me numerous times and I certainly try to not take it personally. Sometimes, I try and fail. It is what it is.

I grew up in Kansas and Texas. I grew up with slow drawls, "honey, sugar, and baby". "Yes, ma'am" and "where y'all headed?" Life here is slow paced and laid back.

It's more of a cultural difference issue than one of oppression.

[cinnamongrrl]

Seeing how I'm Massachusetts born and bred, people expect me to have a strong accent. I have to explain that I grew up in western and central Mass, anf only out further east do you really get THAT accent...

But everyone who is from here knows that I'm from "away" as they say in New England. And not even so much by my accent but by how fast I talk. That's a New England trait I'm not likely to lose lol

[imperfect_cupcake]

I found some enlgish accents to be hard on my ears. I *hate* plummy accents, they make my brain curl. And all the different dutch accents, I loved amsterdam the most - hard, and guttural with sharp edges but everything is sweet and diminutive lol. But I dislike "RP" (properly announciated and upper class educated style) dutch. It sounds like they have a piece of cheese stuck in the back of their throat.

Some accents will sound pleasing and lovely to a listener's ear. I loved West Country UK accents the best. Then south east working class London, then Geordie and Yorkshire accents. But plummy makes me want to pull my ears off.
There is nothing wrong with the people who have those accents.

I also can't stand certain kinds of music because it hurts my ears, the way it jangles in my brain. Doesn't mean they are crap musicians. I love accents many people hate. Some people probably don't like the sound of mine. In fact, having been a foreigner, I know they don't. I've been told. Oh well.

[Daniela]

I found some enlgish accents to be hard on my ears. I *hate* plummy accents, they make my brain curl. And all the different dutch accents, I loved amsterdam the most - hard, and guttural with sharp edges but everything is sweet and diminutive lol. But I dislike "RP" (properly announciated and upper class educated style) dutch. It sounds like they have a piece of cheese stuck in the back of their throat.

Some accents will sound pleasing and lovely to a listener's ear. I loved West Country UK accents the best. Then south east working class London, then Geordie and Yorkshire accents. But plummy makes me want to pull my ears off.
There is nothing wrong with the people who have those accents.

I also can't stand certain kinds of music because it hurts my ears, the way it jangles in my brain. Doesn't mean they are crap musicians. I love accents many people hate. Some people probably don't like the sound of mine. In fact, having been a foreigner, I know they don't. I've been told. Oh well.

Ok, I had to look up "plummy"...is it a snooty upper-class British accent? One example gave Hugh Grant as an example. But yeah, I'm not a big fan of snootiness in any culture/language. lol

[Gemme]

Ok, I had to look up "plummy"...is it a snooty upper-class British accent? One example gave Hugh Grant as an example. But yeah, I'm not a big fan of snootiness in any culture/language. lol

I was wondering too! Thanks for doing the research on that because I'm lazy.

:)

I actually like Hugh Grant but as a whole package...the next time I see something with him in it, I will pay better attention to his voice and less about his mannerisms.

[Cin]

yes, different parts of the country have different words and wordings for things, like:

In Mass...we say: where is the bubblah?
translation: where is the water fountain/drinking fountain

In Mass...bang a left at the light
translation: take the next left

In Mass...I'm gonna swing by the packie, you want somethin?
translation: I'm heading to the liquor store, would you like me to pick you up something?

In Mass....that is wicked cool!
translation: That's great!

I could go on....but yeah...it's an interesting little thing to observe. Sometimes it's like we aren't even speaking the same language when I am talking to folks here in the midwest

LOL! Sounds like home. Love that Dirty Water.

Nobody knows what a coffee frappe is here, my dad always called it a coffee cab, either way you can't get one. They don't have coffee anything. Except coffee. And it's only recently that I've been able to get iced coffee. I would go to a coffee place and ask for an iced coffee and they would look at me strange and say they don't have it. I'd be like do you have coffee? Do you have ice? Put 'em together. They'd just shake their head no.

And it's always trash here, even when it's clearly garbage or should I say gahbidge cause that's how it sounds when I say it. I'd say put it in the garbage and people would just look at me. It's put it in the trash or put it in the poubelle.

I had to stop saying I was going to take the T. People thought I was getting a cup of tea.

You can't get an elastic here, it's a rubber band.

Here it's not a packie or a liquor store. It's the SAQ.

But everybody knows what wicked pissah is!

[Daktari]

The Grant fella is an oik when you watch/listen to proper 'plummy' or RP English. Best example I can think of is in a film such as Anthony Asquith's The Importance of Being Earnest [1952]...the one with the inimitable Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell and Micheal Redgrave as Ernest. Now *that's* RP!

If you're a Wilde fan then this version is a must see.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044744/news?ref_=tt_nwr_sm

[Daktari]

*snipitty*
But everybody knows what wicked pissah is!


Not everyone! Iz like bostin', mint or rippah?

[Cin]

Not everyone! Iz like bostin', mint or rippah?

LOL. Let me clarify. I meant everyone I've met in Montreal seems to be familiar with the term wicked pissah. As soon as they hear my Boston accent they say "Hey you're from Boston aren't you? Wicked pissah."

I didn't mean everyone in the world. Sorry. Poor communications skills :|.

[Blade]

If you are from here then no I don't have an accent. If you are not from here then yes, I have been told I have a thick accent. I have spoken with many people who loved it and one person who continually corrected me and even told me she didn't know if she could date someone who talked like I do. LOL she was an English teacher go figure. Said she had dated someone from my general area and hated listening to them talk.

[Daniela]

LOL. Let me clarify. I meant everyone I've met in Montreal seems to be familiar with the term wicked pissah. As soon as they hear my Boston accent they say "Hey you're from Boston aren't you? Wicked pissah."

I didn't mean everyone in the world. Sorry. Poor communications skills :|.

The Grant fella is an oik when you watch/listen to proper 'plummy' or RP English. Best example I can think of is in a film such as Anthony Asquith's The Importance of Being Earnest [1952]...the one with the inimitable Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell and Micheal Redgrave as Ernest. Now *that's* RP!

If you're a Wilde fan then this version is a must see.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044744/news?ref_=tt_nwr_sm

Not everyone! Iz like bostin', mint or rippah?

Ya'll aren't makin' much sense right now. I need some translatin' up in here. Where ma Southern peeps at?

[Daniela]

The Grant fella is an oik when you watch/listen to proper 'plummy' or RP English. Best example I can think of is in a film such as Anthony Asquith's The Importance of Being Earnest [1952]...the one with the inimitable Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell and Micheal Redgrave as Ernest. Now *that's* RP!

If you're a Wilde fan then this version is a must see.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0044744/news?ref_=tt_nwr_sm

But seriously, I had to look up "oik" too. :cheesy:

So Hugh Grant's not a good example? And you don't like him? ;)

[girlin2une]

But everybody knows what wicked pissah is!

I had no idea what "wicked pissah" is but looked it up... It is "the way a person in New England would describe something as being really awesome"...

[Cin]

I had no idea what "wicked pissah" is

I meant everybody where I live knows what it means. I really need to brush up on my communication skills. Sorry about that.

[imperfect_cupcake]

Ok, I had to look up "plummy"...is it a snooty upper-class British accent? One example gave Hugh Grant as an example. But yeah, I'm not a big fan of snootiness in any culture/language. lol


No. Hugh Grant is an actor and thus speaks RP english. What BBC broadcasters use and with a slight southern, thus very slight plummy accent. A strong plummy accent is far more pronounced. But he does have a bit of one. Edit to add: now that I think of it, some of his roles have had stronger plum than others...

It's not snooty. Snooty is more of an attitude. The queen speaks with a Strong plummy accent. It's hooking the back of the tongue softly against the palate at the end of "o" and prolonging certain vowels - like you are talking around a plum. Strong plummy accents are also called "horsey" accents.

It's a bit nasal, long open vowels and over articulate. People try to make it stronger to appear more upperclass. And that's when it's gets very annoying.

The accent I picked up was a cross between sauf an' east london, yeah? South London is very relaxed and sloppy and east London is choppy so along with my west coast canuck and Polari slang, people had no clue where the fuck I was from after 10 years.

So to explain, a south London accent is Lauren (and her best best mate) in this clip, whereas david tennant (dr who/the teacher), is speaking with a very soft and "educated" scottish accent.

South London and Scottish (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YHAJ4VFStUE)



And an east London accent is Dell in this clip:

East London accent, expressions and slang (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A0fNaH5fBXo)


I managed to pick up quite a bit a bit of Polari living in the east end (London drag queen/queen chat-slang and wot-not) gay scene. Click on the link

a fabulous drag queen explains Polari (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r0FE3rIHU1o)

[imperfect_cupcake]

LOL! Sounds like home. Love that Dirty Water.

Nobody knows what a coffee frappe is here, my dad always called it a coffee cab, either way you can't get one. They don't have coffee anything. Except coffee. And it's only recently that I've been able to get iced coffee. I would go to a coffee place and ask for an iced coffee and they would look at me strange and say they don't have it. I'd be like do you have coffee? Do you have ice? Put 'em together. They'd just shake their head no.

And it's always trash here, even when it's clearly garbage or should I say gahbidge cause that's how it sounds when I say it. I'd say put it in the garbage and people would just look at me. It's put it in the trash or put it in the poubelle.

I had to stop saying I was going to take the T. People thought I was getting a cup of tea.

You can't get an elastic here, it's a rubber band.

Here it's not a packie or a liquor store. It's the SAQ.

But everybody knows what wicked pissah is!


Lol a closes friend of mine that I used to do research with is from Boston. I used to take the piss out of him (tease the shit out of lol) when he got drunk and argumentative (in a fun way) "poor bugger, he's got three 'R's in his name and he can't pronounce a single one."

[Daktari]

bIemPxHSb6Q


Received Pronunciation

Rp: a Social Accent of English

Received Pronunciation, or RP for short, is the instantly recognisable accent often described as ‘typically British’. Popular terms for this accent, such as ‘The Queen’s English’, ‘Oxford English’ or ‘BBC English’ are all a little misleading. The Queen, for instance, speaks an almost unique form of English, while the English we hear at Oxford University or on the BBC is no longer restricted to one type of accent.

RP is an accent, not a dialect, since all RP speakers speak Standard English. In other words, they avoid non-standard grammatical constructions and localised vocabulary characteristic of regional dialects. RP is also regionally non-specific, that is it does not contain any clues about a speaker’s geographic background. But it does reveal a great deal about their social and/or educational background.

Well-known but not widely used
RP is probably the most widely studied and most frequently described variety of spoken English in the world, yet recent estimates suggest only 2% of the UK population speak it. It has a negligible presence in Scotland and Northern Ireland and is arguably losing its prestige status in Wales. It should properly, therefore, be described as an English, rather than a British accent. As well as being a living accent, RP is also a theoretical linguistic concept. It is the accent on which phonemic transcriptions in dictionaries are based, and it is widely used (in competition with General American) for teaching English as a foreign language. RP is included here as a case study, not to imply it has greater merit than any other English accent, but because it provides us with an extremely familiar model against which comparisons with other accents may be made.

What’s in the name?
RP is a young accent in linguistic terms. It was not around, for example, when Dr Johnson wrote A Dictionary of the English Language in 1757. He chose not to include pronunciation suggestions as he felt there was little agreement even within educated society regarding ‘recommended’ forms. The phrase Received Pronunciation was coined in 1869 by the linguist, A J Ellis, but it only became a widely used term used to describe the accent of the social elite after the phonetician, Daniel Jones, adopted it for the second edition of the English Pronouncing Dictionary (1924). The definition of ‘received’ conveys its original meaning of ‘accepted’ or ‘approved’ — as in ‘received wisdom’. We can trace the origins of RP back to the public schools and universities of nineteenth-century Britain — indeed Daniel Jones initially used the term Public School Pronunciation to describe this emerging, socially exclusive accent. Over the course of that century, members of the ruling and privileged classes increasingly attended boarding schools such as Winchester, Eton, Harrow and Rugby and graduated from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Their speech patterns - based loosely on the local accent of the south-east Midlands (roughly London, Oxford and Cambridge) — soon came to be associated with ‘The Establishment’ and therefore gained a unique status, particularly within the middle classes in London.

Broadcaster’s choice
RP probably received its greatest impetus, however, when Lord Reith, the first General Manager of the BBC, adopted it in 1922 as a broadcasting standard - hence the origins of the term BBC English. Reith believed Standard English, spoken with an RP accent, would be the most widely understood variety of English, both here in the UK and overseas. He was also conscious that choosing a regional accent might run the risk of alienating some listeners. To a certain extent Reith’s decision was understandable, and his attitude only reflected the social climate at the time. But since RP was the preserve of the aristocracy and expensive public schools, it represented only a very small social minority. This policy prevailed at the BBC for a considerable time and probably contributed to the sometimes negative perception of regional varieties of English.

There’s more than one RP
A speaker who uses numerous very localised pronunciations is often described as having a ‘broad’ or ‘strong’ regional accent, while terms such as ‘mild’ or ‘soft’ are applied to speakers whose speech patterns are only subtly different from RP speakers. So, we might describe one speaker as having a broad Glaswegian accent and another as having a mild Scottish accent. Such terms"]Sounds Familiar HomeRegional VoicesLexical VariationPhonological variationGrammatical variationSocial VariationChanging VoicesYour VoicesCase StudiesActivities
Received Pronunciation

Rp: a Social Accent of English

Received Pronunciation, or RP for short, is the instantly recognisable accent often described as ‘typically British’. Popular terms for this accent, such as ‘The Queen’s English’, ‘Oxford English’ or ‘BBC English’ are all a little misleading. The Queen, for instance, speaks an almost unique form of English, while the English we hear at Oxford University or on the BBC is no longer restricted to one type of accent.

RP is an accent, not a dialect, since all RP speakers speak Standard English. In other words, they avoid non-standard grammatical constructions and localised vocabulary characteristic of regional dialects. RP is also regionally non-specific, that is it does not contain any clues about a speaker’s geographic background. But it does reveal a great deal about their social and/or educational background.

Well-known but not widely used
RP is probably the most widely studied and most frequently described variety of spoken English in the world, yet recent estimates suggest only 2% of the UK population speak it. It has a negligible presence in Scotland and Northern Ireland and is arguably losing its prestige status in Wales. It should properly, therefore, be described as an English, rather than a British accent. As well as being a living accent, RP is also a theoretical linguistic concept. It is the accent on which phonemic transcriptions in dictionaries are based, and it is widely used (in competition with General American) for teaching English as a foreign language. RP is included here as a case study, not to imply it has greater merit than any other English accent, but because it provides us with an extremely familiar model against which comparisons with other accents may be made.

What’s in the name?
RP is a young accent in linguistic terms. It was not around, for example, when Dr Johnson wrote A Dictionary of the English Language in 1757. He chose not to include pronunciation suggestions as he felt there was little agreement even within educated society regarding ‘recommended’ forms. The phrase Received Pronunciation was coined in 1869 by the linguist, A J Ellis, but it only became a widely used term used to describe the accent of the social elite after the phonetician, Daniel Jones, adopted it for the second edition of the English Pronouncing Dictionary (1924). The definition of ‘received’ conveys its original meaning of ‘accepted’ or ‘approved’ — as in ‘received wisdom’. We can trace the origins of RP back to the public schools and universities of nineteenth-century Britain — indeed Daniel Jones initially used the term Public School Pronunciation to describe this emerging, socially exclusive accent. Over the course of that century, members of the ruling and privileged classes increasingly attended boarding schools such as Winchester, Eton, Harrow and Rugby and graduated from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Their speech patterns - based loosely on the local accent of the south-east Midlands (roughly London, Oxford and Cambridge) — soon came to be associated with ‘The Establishment’ and therefore gained a unique status, particularly within the middle classes in London.

Broadcaster’s choice
RP probably received its greatest impetus, however, when Lord Reith, the first General Manager of the BBC, adopted it in 1922 as a broadcasting standard - hence the origins of the term BBC English. Reith believed Standard English, spoken with an RP accent, would be the most widely understood variety of English, both here in the UK and overseas. He was also conscious that choosing a regional accent might run the risk of alienating some listeners. To a certain extent Reith’s decision was understandable, and his attitude only reflected the social climate at the time. But since RP was the preserve of the aristocracy and expensive public schools, it represented only a very small social minority. This policy prevailed at the BBC for a considerable time and probably contributed to the sometimes negative perception of regional varieties of English.

There’s more than one RP
A speaker who uses numerous very localised pronunciations is often described as having a ‘broad’ or ‘strong’ regional accent, while terms such as ‘mild’ or ‘soft’ are applied to speakers whose speech patterns are only subtly different from RP speakers. So, we might describe one speaker as having a broad Glaswegian accent and another as having a mild Scottish accent. Such terms

http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/find-out-more/received-pronunciation/

[girlin2une]

A long read, but well said!! ❤️

bIemPxHSb6Q


Received Pronunciation

Rp: a Social Accent of English

Received Pronunciation, or RP for short, is the instantly recognisable accent often described as ‘typically British’. Popular terms for this accent, such as ‘The Queen’s English’, ‘Oxford English’ or ‘BBC English’ are all a little misleading. The Queen, for instance, speaks an almost unique form of English, while the English we hear at Oxford University or on the BBC is no longer restricted to one type of accent.

RP is an accent, not a dialect, since all RP speakers speak Standard English. In other words, they avoid non-standard grammatical constructions and localised vocabulary characteristic of regional dialects. RP is also regionally non-specific, that is it does not contain any clues about a speaker’s geographic background. But it does reveal a great deal about their social and/or educational background.

Well-known but not widely used
RP is probably the most widely studied and most frequently described variety of spoken English in the world, yet recent estimates suggest only 2% of the UK population speak it. It has a negligible presence in Scotland and Northern Ireland and is arguably losing its prestige status in Wales. It should properly, therefore, be described as an English, rather than a British accent. As well as being a living accent, RP is also a theoretical linguistic concept. It is the accent on which phonemic transcriptions in dictionaries are based, and it is widely used (in competition with General American) for teaching English as a foreign language. RP is included here as a case study, not to imply it has greater merit than any other English accent, but because it provides us with an extremely familiar model against which comparisons with other accents may be made.

What’s in the name?
RP is a young accent in linguistic terms. It was not around, for example, when Dr Johnson wrote A Dictionary of the English Language in 1757. He chose not to include pronunciation suggestions as he felt there was little agreement even within educated society regarding ‘recommended’ forms. The phrase Received Pronunciation was coined in 1869 by the linguist, A J Ellis, but it only became a widely used term used to describe the accent of the social elite after the phonetician, Daniel Jones, adopted it for the second edition of the English Pronouncing Dictionary (1924). The definition of ‘received’ conveys its original meaning of ‘accepted’ or ‘approved’ — as in ‘received wisdom’. We can trace the origins of RP back to the public schools and universities of nineteenth-century Britain — indeed Daniel Jones initially used the term Public School Pronunciation to describe this emerging, socially exclusive accent. Over the course of that century, members of the ruling and privileged classes increasingly attended boarding schools such as Winchester, Eton, Harrow and Rugby and graduated from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Their speech patterns - based loosely on the local accent of the south-east Midlands (roughly London, Oxford and Cambridge) — soon came to be associated with ‘The Establishment’ and therefore gained a unique status, particularly within the middle classes in London.

Broadcaster’s choice
RP probably received its greatest impetus, however, when Lord Reith, the first General Manager of the BBC, adopted it in 1922 as a broadcasting standard - hence the origins of the term BBC English. Reith believed Standard English, spoken with an RP accent, would be the most widely understood variety of English, both here in the UK and overseas. He was also conscious that choosing a regional accent might run the risk of alienating some listeners. To a certain extent Reith’s decision was understandable, and his attitude only reflected the social climate at the time. But since RP was the preserve of the aristocracy and expensive public schools, it represented only a very small social minority. This policy prevailed at the BBC for a considerable time and probably contributed to the sometimes negative perception of regional varieties of English.

There’s more than one RP
A speaker who uses numerous very localised pronunciations is often described as having a ‘broad’ or ‘strong’ regional accent, while terms such as ‘mild’ or ‘soft’ are applied to speakers whose speech patterns are only subtly different from RP speakers. So, we might describe one speaker as having a broad Glaswegian accent and another as having a mild Scottish accent. Such terms"]Sounds Familiar HomeRegional VoicesLexical VariationPhonological variationGrammatical variationSocial VariationChanging VoicesYour VoicesCase StudiesActivities
Received Pronunciation

Rp: a Social Accent of English

Received Pronunciation, or RP for short, is the instantly recognisable accent often described as ‘typically British’. Popular terms for this accent, such as ‘The Queen’s English’, ‘Oxford English’ or ‘BBC English’ are all a little misleading. The Queen, for instance, speaks an almost unique form of English, while the English we hear at Oxford University or on the BBC is no longer restricted to one type of accent.

RP is an accent, not a dialect, since all RP speakers speak Standard English. In other words, they avoid non-standard grammatical constructions and localised vocabulary characteristic of regional dialects. RP is also regionally non-specific, that is it does not contain any clues about a speaker’s geographic background. But it does reveal a great deal about their social and/or educational background.

Well-known but not widely used
RP is probably the most widely studied and most frequently described variety of spoken English in the world, yet recent estimates suggest only 2% of the UK population speak it. It has a negligible presence in Scotland and Northern Ireland and is arguably losing its prestige status in Wales. It should properly, therefore, be described as an English, rather than a British accent. As well as being a living accent, RP is also a theoretical linguistic concept. It is the accent on which phonemic transcriptions in dictionaries are based, and it is widely used (in competition with General American) for teaching English as a foreign language. RP is included here as a case study, not to imply it has greater merit than any other English accent, but because it provides us with an extremely familiar model against which comparisons with other accents may be made.

What’s in the name?
RP is a young accent in linguistic terms. It was not around, for example, when Dr Johnson wrote A Dictionary of the English Language in 1757. He chose not to include pronunciation suggestions as he felt there was little agreement even within educated society regarding ‘recommended’ forms. The phrase Received Pronunciation was coined in 1869 by the linguist, A J Ellis, but it only became a widely used term used to describe the accent of the social elite after the phonetician, Daniel Jones, adopted it for the second edition of the English Pronouncing Dictionary (1924). The definition of ‘received’ conveys its original meaning of ‘accepted’ or ‘approved’ — as in ‘received wisdom’. We can trace the origins of RP back to the public schools and universities of nineteenth-century Britain — indeed Daniel Jones initially used the term Public School Pronunciation to describe this emerging, socially exclusive accent. Over the course of that century, members of the ruling and privileged classes increasingly attended boarding schools such as Winchester, Eton, Harrow and Rugby and graduated from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge. Their speech patterns - based loosely on the local accent of the south-east Midlands (roughly London, Oxford and Cambridge) — soon came to be associated with ‘The Establishment’ and therefore gained a unique status, particularly within the middle classes in London.

Broadcaster’s choice
RP probably received its greatest impetus, however, when Lord Reith, the first General Manager of the BBC, adopted it in 1922 as a broadcasting standard - hence the origins of the term BBC English. Reith believed Standard English, spoken with an RP accent, would be the most widely understood variety of English, both here in the UK and overseas. He was also conscious that choosing a regional accent might run the risk of alienating some listeners. To a certain extent Reith’s decision was understandable, and his attitude only reflected the social climate at the time. But since RP was the preserve of the aristocracy and expensive public schools, it represented only a very small social minority. This policy prevailed at the BBC for a considerable time and probably contributed to the sometimes negative perception of regional varieties of English.

There’s more than one RP
A speaker who uses numerous very localised pronunciations is often described as having a ‘broad’ or ‘strong’ regional accent, while terms such as ‘mild’ or ‘soft’ are applied to speakers whose speech patterns are only subtly different from RP speakers. So, we might describe one speaker as having a broad Glaswegian accent and another as having a mild Scottish accent. Such terms

http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/find-out-more/received-pronunciation/

[Ginger]

Gemme wrote:

Abrasive means rough, not good or bad. Just like some people have gravely voices. Their voice might be described as 'gritty'. Some make careers out of it, like Joe Cocker.



I hear what you're saying, but "abrasive" will always have negative connotations to me. It means something that gets on someone's nerves.

Anyway that's what it means to me, in my lexicon. Which I'm sure is limited.

Interesting discussion. It's so easy to associate "types" with accents. I feel like my (non?) accent makes me even more invisible.

[Strappie]

It's funny some people here in MN say I am truly a Minnesotan because of how thick my O's are. Like minnesoooooota. LOL but others don't point it out.

I think a lot of it depends on if I'm tired or not.

[Gemme]

South London and Scottish (https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YHAJ4VFStUE)





What the fuck is she saying?

Buffered? Buverette?

What???

:|



I hear what you're saying, but "abrasive" will always have negative connotations to me. It means something that gets on someone's nerves.

Anyway that's what it means to me, in my lexicon. Which I'm sure is limited.

Interesting discussion. It's so easy to associate "types" with accents. I feel like my (non?) accent makes me even more invisible.

I see what you are saying. Fran Drescher could be an example of an abrasive voice as it plays on people's nerves but I love her. Not all abrasive things are rejected.

-O29ZA24Jao

I just completely disagreed with the oppressive comment.

You are the mistress of your own destiny. Want to be seen? Then show us you! You're not invisible. :)

[Match]

southern slang, yes ma'am

[imperfect_cupcake]

Lol.... "Bovvard" = "bothered"

It's confused a bit because she is using south London accent and slang to pronounce Elizabethian terms. Which I find rather clever and amusing.

Also, her smart ass humour has me in stitches. Catherine Tate (the comedian who plays her) cracks me up.

[Gemme]

Lol.... "Bovvard" = "bothered"

It's confused a bit because she is using south London accent and slang to pronounce Elizabethian terms. Which I find rather clever and amusing.

Also, her smart ass humour has me in stitches. Catherine Tate (the comedian who plays her) cracks me up.

THANK YOU!!!

I kept playing it over and still couldn't get that part.

I'm not one for 'British' humour as a general rule....and I could only watch a few seconds of Daktari's clip (WTF was THAT?)....but I did like the Doctor Who clip. Except I wanted to smack her on the ass but that probably had nothing to do with her accent.

:eyebat:

[imperfect_cupcake]

Yeah, what she is doing is called "taking the piss" which is teasing (sassy/smart ass) and I *love* that kind of playful stuff. As the audience did, obviously.

Quoting perfecte Shakespeare and then slapping the desk and saying "bite me, alien boy!" Is beautiful.

Admittedly, I have a bit of Lauren in me. Especially as a sub ;)

[Ginger]

What the fuck is she saying?

Buffered? Buverette?

What???

:|



I see what you are saying. Fran Drescher could be an example of an abrasive voice as it plays on people's nerves but I love her. Not all abrasive things are rejected.

-O29ZA24Jao

I just completely disagreed with the oppressive comment.

You are the mistress of your own destiny. Want to be seen? Then show us you! You're not invisible. :)


What do you want me to show you?

[Ginger]

What the fuck is she saying?

Buffered? Buverette?

What???

:|



I see what you are saying. Fran Drescher could be an example of an abrasive voice as it plays on people's nerves but I love her. Not all abrasive things are rejected.

-O29ZA24Jao

I just completely disagreed with the oppressive comment.

You are the mistress of your own destiny. Want to be seen? Then show us you! You're not invisible. :)


Gemme, when you say "us" it makes me think you're saying there's an "us" and a "me."

I don't feel that way. Just saying!

[Ginger]

(Between cable shows)


I do live in a borough of NYC, but I'm surrounded by so many accents. I think people move so much, the accents we have are kind of merging. A theory anyway.

[Gemme]

(Between cable shows)


I do live in a borough of NYC, but I'm surrounded by so many accents. I think people move so much, the accents we have are kind of merging. A theory anyway.

Absolutely! I spent more than 2 decades in FL and that's where everyone from the PNWers to the NEasters comes to retire and hang out. It's a giant melting pot of accents, dialects and speech anomalies.

[Gemme]

What do you want me to show you?

That's not the question you should be asking.

What do YOU want to show others?

And then do it!

:)

[JDeere]

I get told by many folks who I just meet or talk to over the phone that I have twang, when I talk.

IDK I think I sound just fine! lol

[Gemme]

I think we should all get on the phone and see who has the strongest accent out of the bunch.

[Daniela]

I get told by many folks who I just meet or talk to over the phone that I have twang, when I talk.

IDK I think I sound just fine! lol

In order to properly assess your accent, we will need a short video of you singing "Mary Had A Little Lamb." :cheesy:

[JDeere]

In order to properly assess your accent, we will need a short video of you singing "Mary Had A Little Lamb." :cheesy:

HAHAHAHAAHAH omg that is too funny! :|

[Daniela]

HAHAHAHAAHAH omg that is too funny! :|

I'll do it if you do! not really...

[JDeere]

I'll do it if you do! not really...

Uh huh I see that NOT REALLY at the end. :p

[ruffryder]

I have a Midwestern accent being born in Cornhusker land. We have our own language and words. When I was younger I used the word "pop" now living in CO and FL I say "soda" Most times I say "you guys" sometimes you may find me saying "y'all"

[ruby_woo]

Depends who you ask. I was raised in Cincinnati, but currently live in Vancouver, British Columbia. Some people here in Vancouver tell me I can be a bit twangy, while my dad has informed that I'm "starting to talk like a damn Canuck."

At this point, most people just assume I'm from Alberta.

[CherryWine]

This has been a fun thread to read, Daniela. :)

I definitely have a strong accent. I'm Southern, born and raised. This lady's accent fits me to a tee aside from her pronunciation of "theatre."

t5RBOHvN72Y

[afrcnqueen]

No I do not! I was born in South Africa..moved to the U.S at age 13. By the end of my teens I had lost my South African accent...lived in Philly, Phoenix and Cali and now back to Philly.
Who knows what I sound like..lol