General Chat

Me too GinN... :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)

I've lost a lot of my Geordie accent since moving to Norfolk 30 years ago, and it saddens me. People outside the North East recognise it, but Geordies don't. I do lapse back when I visit Tyneside, though. :-) :-) :-)

I too love different dialects - they should be lauded, not smothered :-|

Strange the things done when publicity may be involved.
Many years ago, the Tour de France went through Winchester.
The (pedestrianized) high street had been newly flagstoned only a couple of years before ,at great expense. The only problem was, it was extremely slippery. Many people (including me) had slipped in the rain, complained etc only to be ignored.

Anyhoo - the Tour de France was due - so workmen were sent out to put a special 'non-slip' coating on the flagstones - at yet more expense to the council tax payers.

Nice to know the council didn't give two hoot for the locals isn't it, but as soon as something involving publicity is around, they take action.?!!

A couple of years later, the flagstones were changed to a non-slip variety - possibly due to the number of complaints about hypocrisy

Couldn't agree more with my Geordie neighbour :-D

Am happy with my Geordie accent and despite enforced elocution lessons at school haven't lost it.

I'll drop the colloquialisms when I'm talking with people from outside of the region but as regards the accent, if people don't like it then that's their problem.

cant stand Scouse, or Brummie,,,,,,,,,,,,, and some Scottish accents all set my teeth on edge,,,,,any on TV is quicky removed,,,,,, :-D.

our friend comes from Fraserboro and you'd have more luck understanding him if he did sign lanuage.

:-D

I love to hear different accents now being Scottish people say my accent is quite strong even though we left 30 yrs ago but it was brought home to me recently when niece from Aus came with her 5 yr old daughter who whispered to her Mummy ...."What language is she talking in"?...opps! :-S

I do worry when I hear that sometimes we have difficulty in understanding a few of our own in conversation - even allowing for diverse regional accents.

I listened, enthralled, to some French & German politicians on a UK radio show recently, as they debated in flawless English. Can you imagine any of our vaunted representatives being invited on to a French or German chat show, and trying to converse in anything other than a laughable version of 'Pidgin English'?

Bearing in mind the forthcoming European Elections, it would be interesting to hear how many of these election candidates would be capable of conducting business at any level.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on our hard-working MEP's?

I once heard of a drunken lorry driver being taken to the cells for the night.

None of the officers could understand him, nor could they identify the language he was speaking but thought it might be some sort of Scandinavian one.

Interpreters were called and could not understand him. Conclusions were drawn about obscure dialects.

Once he sobered up he was a Geordie!

Have to agree with Gins and Foggy - i don't think accents should be toned down at all. It's just people being themselves and I would hate to think we all spoke with the same accent. It helps give an area it's character.

I quite like accents, its what makes this country interesting.

I nursed in Bradford before I became a midwife and had to laugh at all the old boys commenting on MY accent
Completely oblivious to their own
They used to ask me if I was from down South and I would say yes Waaaay down south

Rab, from the garden suburb of Govan?

:-D


btw..... Himself says the Scots don't speak English!

Bring back Rab C Nesbitt.

I stay with my Aunt and Uncle in Perth WA and have no trouble with accent, however they will be coming here to stay with me in June and we will be taking them to where his family are from ( Yorkshire and Newcastle) so that will be interesting, 3 accents including Berkshire :-)

When my husband first heard the expression 'pooark' he hadn't got a clue that it meant 'pork'

He is Welsh :-S

funny thing is.......... we (and our British friends) had to speak slowly when we were in the US...... what's wrong with an Aussie accent? :-D

Full-on Aussie accent for Himself, mine not so much...... I have a mixed up accent because of the different places I've lived..... there's a wee bit of a Scottish accent still there, even though I left Scotland over 50 years ago (not counting going back for visits).

I am already not allowed in Namibia again!

When you're talking to people who have English as a second language, it does help them if you speak more slowly and use more standard English phrases!

For the rest of us, watching regionally produced TV programmes does help us to 'tune in' fairly quickly to a local accent. The Game Makers would probably be only to pleased to explain a local phrase or word.

ooooooooh Sharron, you'll never be allowed in Stockholm again

;-)