RoadWarriorFromLP

I once met a Scottish kid who was quite obviously distraught because he had difficulty being understood during his travels. "I tried to order a foosh supper and they couldn't understand me. Can you understand me???"

I understood him, and I'm a Yank. But he had quite a bit of difficulty being understood during his holiday in the north of England, just a couple of hours from his hometown.

Nutek

Probably best not to do that in a bank.

Nutek

Someone asked me the other day, if I was from Alabama. So that's new.

rbackhouse

I had someone suggest the same many years ago

"You're not from around here are you. Alabama ?"

I think he was taking the piss though

chawkins99

I spent 10 years living in Birmingham (Alabama). As a native of Birmingham England, I took extreme pleasure whenever asked where I was from... Nobody wanted to believe me.

jackattack

I will never order at the drive through. We only do it on road trips though, when the whole family is in the car. I'm driving and I make hubby, who is sitting in the passenger seat, shout across me to put in the order.

I typically put it down to the fact that the reception in those speakers isn't great plus often the order taker isn't a native English speaker in the first place.

It's a bonus because it stops me from having sneaky drive through meals when out and about!

jackattack

Slightly OT, but still relevant to accents. And the Herts reference made me remember. I too, have the standard news reader BBC accent. Herts born and bred. No discernible accent.

Ten or so years ago, I was traveling in wine country, California with my American fiancee and his parents. Hubby and I had just got engaged and we were announcing this to his parents plus told them that we were going to get married in small Herts town where I grew up (they'd never heard of Hertfordshire before let alone this small town).

Anyway, about to eat lunch, our server at small restaurant came out and took our drinks order. He was a Brit. When he went inside to get our drinks, I told my in-laws "that guy's accent sounds just like mine". When he delivered our order they asked him "where are you from?" He said England, and when pressed for more detail he said Herts and then even better - the SAME town. My in-laws jaws hit the floor (mine too, to be honest). We then had the classic English conversation about which school we went to and which pubs we used to drink at.

When faced with conversations like that, I'm not surprised that many Americans think that everyone in the UK knows or is related to each other!

Pulaski

I'm going to guess from Glasgow, not just "Scotland". ..... Glaswegians often have difficulty been understood outside the Glasgow city limits. In fact I knew someone from Edinburgh who complained that they had difficulty understanding Glaswegians!

scrubbedexpat099

Rab C!

MarylandNed

My wife is English but my Norn Iron accent must have had an effect on her as she has been "accused" (her word) of being Irish and Scottish. Although she has also been accused of being Swedish, German, Australian and South African.

SultanOfSwing

I'm fine being understood 99% of the time, but for some reason nobody can understand me when I say 'eight', or the letter 'H'. I just took five goes spelling my last name on the phone to my doctor's office, because it has an 'h' in it.

I can't explain how the Northern Ireland (and some Scottish) accents pronounce the 'eɪ'(IPA) sound (like 'place', 'make') - it's more like how the word 'real' is said by everyone. Even when I say 'eight' and 'H' in a closer approximation of how an English or American person would pronounce it, they still take a few goes to understand me.

Everything else (even when I say 'zed' instead of 'zee', or say 'garridge' instead of 'gar-ahh-ge') nobody has issues with, just those two.

MarylandNed

Also from NI but I have "anglicized" my '8' and 'H' and don't have a problem. I do have a problem with 'how', 'now', 'brown' and 'cow' though. Basically any word with that same 'ow' sound in it - 'town' is another one.

Nutek

S. M. E. G. H. E. A.... No... H... H.... Yes... for horse.

SultanOfSwing

Even when I 'anglicize' my '8' and 'H', they still don't get it. I think I end up coming somewhere in between and sounding like a bloody Newsline anchor or something. You know, the 'BBC NI' accent .

The -ow sound is the same for me. Also 'towel' comes out as 'toul' and short of speaking in an English accent (can't do American to save my life, I sound like a drunk Canadian), I just have to grin and bear it as I attempt to translate.

kimilseung

My guess would be a Doric speaker, thats what I have had most difficulty with in Scotland, from up around Aberdeen in the North East.. You know those times when you just nod.