Former Lancastrian

No not the Hyundai one you are driving or thinking of buying but the one you speak with.
I came across this article in the Globe & Mail stating that Brits were now starting to seek out persons to help them with their elocution.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/...ticle11644743/

Now while there might be some element of truth to this article is it really that bad that some Brits can't be understood
If they were applying for jobs in Canada then yes I could see more emphasis being placed on this but jobs within your own country?
Imagine paying up to 90 quid an hour to speak like some posh git or like some of our southern pansy shandy drinkers errr no thanks.
I wonder what the Geordies, Scousers and Essex people think of this?

While many of his clients have stunning qualifications on paper, and a number are professionals such as doctors and lawyers, they believe their accents are holding them back.“People at the top speak with a kind of posh accent and so others want to speak like that,” he said.

Eee by gum lad thats areet loada bollox if thas asking me.

cheeky_monkey

I find that immigrants to Canada from other countries tend to learn to understand English spoken with a Canadian accent so when presented with a British accent they get confused..i often have to repeat myself time and time again when presented with immigrants from non English speaking countries..once i had to write down what i wanted as the girl just didn't get it at all.

magnumpi

Totally true.

Coffee Mocha becomes "Coffee with milk" Double Double gets x triple? And 2=3 huh?

Yes I mainly have this issue at Tim's, so what?

Souvy

I wouldn't change my poncy southern accent for all the tea in China. It is a total chick magnet in Quebec. They may loathe the Brits but they adore the accent.

dbd33

I tried to avoid verbal interaction with people in shops and the like. If I do have to purchase something directly from a person then I point at it and wave fingers for "how many". If I buy coffee then I settle for anything warm rather than trying to specify that I don't want milk or sugar. I failed completely the other week in trying to explain to a succession of people in different locations (mostly immigrants) that I wanted to buy a bundle of logs for the fire, finally driving to a shop where the Indian owner keeps them on palettes visible from the till. In the local shop they moved the grits and I wasn't able to ask their new location until I wrote "grits" down (that's a cradle shop).

There are exceptions, of course, the cheese guy is Greek but he, and everyone in his shop (workers from the four corners), speaks good, non-metric English. Most people I encounter don't so in shops I think it best to assume that no one is going to understand me if I ask for something. If I don't see it on the shelf then I go home and order it from the internet.

magnumpi

Same, but it's a butch northern accent. :@)

Former Lancastrian

I have been here just over 25 years and people still have a problem with my accent
As I deal with a substantive amount of people on a daily basis I have developed a standard response to people asking about my accent.
Are you Scottish?
Do I look like the type of guy who would wear a skirt in public?
Are you Irish?
Answer as per the Scottish one.
Are you Australian?
Do I look like a criminal?
Are you Welsh?
I much prefer women than sheep.
So eventually once they establish Im English then comes the Oh you dont sound like you are English.
Have you ever heard of Coronation St?
Oh yes my mum or gran watch that.
Then that where I am from.
Im sure there are days when a client leaves the Immigration office they have no idea of what was said to them but happy to have been issued with a work/study permit

bats

My accent changes depending on the situation. Most Canadians think I am Irish, actually many English people did too.

I did have speech lessons at school and can, if I choose to, speak in perfect RP.

Atlantic Xpat

Absolutely old boy. One seeks to retain one's RP at all costs.

luvmeboys

eerrmareseatoatsandoeseatoatsbulilllambseativyakid lleativytoowouldntyew??

Former Lancastrian

Is that written on your resume
Which also brings up another good point I wonder what certain job applications look like when they ask them to write why they are applying for the job or describing themselves?

Well like Im 19 and a fun person. I C u are offering a decent wad for the job so Im intrested innit. BFF if I get it.

Oink

You may scoff, you have a job but in today's uncertain global employment marketplace I think its obvious that people are trying to better themselves. Anything to give you a competitive advantage.

Shard

The Globe article isn't exactly headline news is it...people wanting to "posh-up" their accent. (Unless your Northern of course.)

Is there a Canadianism for the word posh? From recollection it isn't used frequently in Canada.

jamesmc

So how is your accent?...............on a friday night sounds good to me but no one in the bar understands me,seems i speak faster (back to normal Border Scottish speed)
even worse when my Ulster buddy joins us not forgeting my dutch mate lol. Though i recon the local french/english/belgium mix &match is a worse accent than mine.
jimmy

Oakvillian

My kids laugh at me if I try to mimic their Canadian accents. I shall just continue to employ the time-honoured technique of repeating myself increasingly slowly and loudly if people persist in misunderstanding my RP