edsask

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.

rwin

Canadians think the English have an accent.

Mostly because we think we don't have one.

Steve_P

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

Relax it's not really that a big deal.

iaink

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.

Howard1944

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.

BristolUK

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

rwin

Do I sound American?

iaink

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?

rwin

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

rwin

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

Biiiiink

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

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

iaink

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

Alberta_Rose

Nope!

You better not come here then!

Alberta_Rose

Yep!

MrsLauder99

Nope austrailian!!

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?). Maybe it's that Manchester mix (my Grandparents were from Machester) that's throwing them!!

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.