'British' accents
 

As my wife knows, I have a bit of a bee in my bonnet about the phrase 'British accent'. Every time someone uses it here (in sunny California) it drives me up the wall, since a 'British' accent doesn't exist. I suppose you could mix up English, Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish into an accent, but that would sound very peculiar …

Are Canadians at least able to distinguish between English/Scottish/Welsh/N.Irish accents, and name them as such? Please tell me so, because if one more American says 'British accent', I'll do something I won't regret.

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Canadians think the English have an accent.

Mostly because we think we don't have one.

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My god man there are much bigger things to get your knickers in a twist over.:confused::p

Relax it's not really that a big deal.

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Im sure the mercans and canuks would argue just as vigourously that there is no such thing as an "american" or "canadian" accent...lets face it, those countries are a LOT larger and have more scope for variation as a result, and although I pick some of them up, often they all sound the same to me, so its not worth getting bothered about.


Im just gratefull not to be accused of being Australian too often, although it does happen from time to time.:curse:

Frankly Im impressed that they know about "Britain", I thought most north americans geographical understanding of the motherland was that there was England and that was about it unless they had a long lost scottish/ irish relative. No one talks of wales at all as far as I can tell.

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No such thing as British Accent but most certainly there are British Accents, one of few places in world where you can identify a person's region of origin and social class as soon as they speak.

People we knew in Kensington were sending their son to a particular school so he would have the right accent.

You have to be nuts to argue that someone from Devon sounds like some one from Battersea, and that some one from Huddersfield sounds like some one from Surrey.

I have a very strong American accent, my Brothers sound like they just got off the boat.

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I remember an American friend in the 70s thought I sounded Scottish.
I'm from Bristol but the accent has Somerset influences.

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Do I sound American?

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Dunno, how do you spell colo(u)r? Does your car run on gas or petrol, and do you keep stuff in the trunk or the boot?

Do you vote for/despise (delete as applicable) the Liberals or the Democrats?

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Colour
Gas(oline)
Stuff in the trunk, foot in the boot.

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Yes. No. Wait, what do you mean? I guess it depends.

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I nearly hugged a Latina shop assistant in Michigan who asked "Are you from Scotland?" :thumbup: Her fluent English colleague had thought I was Canadian :o

I can't tell a Louisiana from a Texas, an Albertan from a BCer, why should I expect them to?

Anything that isn't RP throws them. The OH's father has a thick Welsh accent and everyone here assumes he's South African :lol:

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You are definately northamerican, but that last one is the clincher to decide which side of the border you are on:)

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Nope!

You better not come here then! :eek:

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Yep! :p

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Nope austrailian!! :rofl::rofl:

Actually, we've been to the US (New Hampshire/Boston) on numerous occassions and quite a lot of the US folk thought we had Irish accents. And worst of all I had an American ask - now wait for it - hope your sitting down - ask if I was a Canadian!! Sorry it made me laugh so hard. How could you possibly mistake Scottish for Canadian (where would that have come from?:blink:). Maybe it's that Manchester mix (my Grandparents were from Machester) that's throwing them!! :rofl:

I think accents are great. I love hearing different terms and chatting to folk about what they call things. I had a discussion with a girl from Surrey who was on the same nursing course as me and every week we did a "scottish" word and she had to guess what it was (she asked to do this for a laugh!). Like Oxters! Gave us a good laugh.

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General accents are not very noticeable unless it has a really thick twang sound to it. Cockney, Scouse or Brummie say for instance stand out for their unique tones in the UK. in Canada, unless you are an ex-brit or have family members from certain regions it would not be so familiar.

Here in Canada, it can be hard trying to locate a particular accent. My scouse accent has been distinguished as Irish, Australian, and South African. However over 50% of citizens living here in Toronto were born in other shores, so nobody notices accents a great deal or they do but are just way too polite to say anything. I treat the local dialect as a treat to hear and it's all part of the fun when interacting with people.

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New hampshire....relatively close to the maritimes, and nove scotia isnt called that for no reason....

Probably most of the canadians they meet in the NE states have more than a twang of celtic brogue about them, so I can sort of understand that.

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Yeah, that makes sense. Ta :):)

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A majority of Canadians think that we sound Australian!!

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I lived here for 45 years this coming May and in that time not one person has ever thought I was Australian.

I have always been asked where in England I am from.

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:rofl::rofl::rofl:

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When asked 'What is your accent?', one simply replies 'Culture.' ;)

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Maybe is't the cockney rhyming slang that gives you away Steve....ha ha!

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I've heard a few speak as if Britain and England were interchangeable names for the same place.

As for Wales, I've heard "Wales, England" as in "London, England" a few times.

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Now that's an insult to a scouser...:p:rofl:

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I'm from Northern Ireland just north east of Belfast. I was asked recently if I was from Newfoundland and when I was back in Ireland at Christmas I was told by some people I sound really Canadian and others said my accent hadn't changed one bit.:confused: Mind you my accent changes slightly depending who I'm talking to, it's a very bad habit:blink:

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Americans think that Canadians say "aboot". :lol:

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Try being from Northern Ireland and explaining why I am British and not Irish!!

We have only been here two weeks and most people call us the new Irish guys and when we speak they think we are Scottish and when we say we are from NI some have asked which part of England that is in:confused::rofl:

It is quite hilarious really, from now on ii am just going to say I am from Indian Head, Saskatchewan adn see what reaction I get then.

It's nice though when they want us to talk all the time just to hear our lovely accent:thumbup:

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God Howard, you really are a prat, aren't you?


They came from America by boat? Actually, I'd be interested in your family origins. Your inability to properly use capitals marks you as a non-native English speaker. But you're not American either.

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I'm from Bristol, I sound a lot like Vicky Pollard (Little Britain) but if I had a dollar for every time someone here asked me which part of OZ (or Scotland, now & again) I am from I'd be a wealthy woman!! :D

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I get asked if I'm Scottish all the time too. I've had people ask if I'm from England and when I say no Ireland (no point in saying Northern Ireland as a lot of people don't know the difference) they apologize thinking they've really insulted me as all Irish people must surely hate the English:rofl:

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I speak with near enough RP* and still get asked not infrequently if I am from Australia. It's a puzzlement but not restricted just to Newfoundland or indeed Canada, as I got asked the same thing when visiting USA.

* the RP sometimes goes a bit "Estuarial' which I put dahn to livin' in Essex all thoze years. I usually do it to annoy the wife who doesn't feel that 'Awlright Treacle?' is an acceptable form of address.;)

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Yes that is true too, we have had that as well:rofl: Sometimes I say NI and then they say "oh Dublin" and I'm like...... oh this is a lost cause:p

The Scottishness would be even stronger in your accent though Elaine than in mine, you being from Larne and all that, us mere mortals from South Down don't have just as strong a Scottish accent as you lot up there in the wilds of Antrim:rofl:

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But (Howard would no doubt like to know) how many times did they ask about your social class?

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I am a Lord doncha know? Bloody colonials.;)

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Well, of course, I know that. But you'd never guess from your accent.

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You make a good point Larne is only 20 miles from Scotland!

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Same here, the majority of new Canadians meet ask why I moved here from Australia. Seems they find it difficult to differentiate between an antipodean and an English accent.

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It's all just payback for the confused looks and comments we get when traveling in the UK ;)

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I've mentioned this before but it's fun to repeat.

We used to have a flying instructor at the airport I worked at who also came from Liverpool. So one day as a joke I issued his take-off clearance with a thick scouse accent.
His student turned to him with a totally befuddled look and asked what language that was?
The instructor calmly stated it was English, why what did it sound like to him?
The poor student replied he thought it might have been Korean?:rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Needless to say had I not lost a substantial amount of my accent prior to 1972 I doubt I would ever have been employed as an Air Traffic Controller. :(

Cheers
Steve