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Post by: rubiksnoob
I'm taking French this semester, which I am very excited for, as it's a language I have been interested in learning for some time, and it got me thinking about accents and the connotations we associate with them. I know here in the states French accents are (stereotypically, mind you) associated with general snootiness, lazy men in berets smoking cigarettes, etc. English accents are interesting in that they are often associated with a charming, affable sort of nonsense-speak, (see this Oatmeal comic) while can also be associated with upper class snobbery. Scottish accents are most popularly associated with hairy, sword-wielding men in plaid skirts; Irish with drunkenness and the color green; Italian with mobsters and spaghetti; etc.
What I wonder is how accents are perceived by those outside of the States. Comparing the differences in what we associate with certain accents could make for interesting discussion, I think.
Go!
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Post by: Medium of Death
I have a fairly mild Glaswegian accent and have been told as much.
I've had people asking me if i'm from Edinburgh, somebody said English but I think they were taking the piss.
One of the good examples was when I was on the phone to a colleague in another store, in London to be precise. He informed me that "I 'ad a very fick accent"...
Accents only really become a problem if you use too many slang words/phrases. I generally find American accents to be quite pleasant, probably due to the amount of really nice American tourists that i've met.
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Post by: Cheesecat
Take German instead it's easier because English is a Germanic language (that being said English does have some similarities to french but not as much as German). Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish and Danish are some other Germanic languages you might want to look into.
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Post by: Alfndrate
I talk with MrDWhitey, purplefood, and Avatar 720 pretty regularly. I can understand them without issue even though they hail from three different parts of the UK.
I know I have an accent which I actively try and correct as I speak. People from Northeast Ohio pronounce words differently than what some might expect. It's easiest to detect when saying words like cat, (key-at), milk (melk), and pillow (pellow). It's not as pronounced as like the Wisconsin or the Chicago accent (both derivatives of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift), it's still noticeable to some people. Automatically Appended Next Post: Cheesecat wrote:Take German instead it's easier because English is a Germanic language (that being said English does have some similarities to french but not as much as German). Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish and Danish are some other Germanic languages you might want to look into.
Agreed, though for a few hundred years, French was the language spoken in the English royal courts and amongst nobles. Something about some bastard conquering them in 1066.
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Post by: Polonius
Alfndrate wrote:I talk with MrDWhitey, purplefood, and Avatar 720 pretty regularly. I can understand them without issue even though they hail from three different parts of the UK.
I know I have an accent which I actively try and correct as I speak. People from Northeast Ohio pronounce words differently than what some might expect. It's easiest to detect when saying words like cat, (key-at), milk (melk), and pillow (pellow). It's not as pronounced as like the Wisconsin or the Chicago accent (both derivatives of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift), it's still noticeable to some people.
I have, to my dismay, picked up the Cleveland Accent for that long a sound.
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Post by: MrDwhitey
We have to use shorter words for Alf to understand.
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Post by: Polonius
that has, alas, little to do with his accent or yours.
do you have lead pain in England?
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Post by: MrDwhitey
Oh, I know it doesn't, but he mentioned me by name so I was bound to insult him.
If I insult his accent I might accidentally insult others here, and I don't want that now do I!
I'm also not in England. It is a terrible place, full of English people.
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Post by: Polonius
All of "not 'Murca" is the same to me.
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Post by: Alfndrate
Polonius wrote:I have, to my dismay, picked up the Cleveland Accent for that long a sound.
I didn't know I had such a thing until my senior year of high school when a teacher pointed it out to the class (that we all were talking like this).
MrDwhitey wrote:We have to use shorter words for Alf to understand.
I thought that was so purple could understand us when he was three sheets to the wind.
MrDwhitey wrote:Oh, I know it doesn't, but he mentioned me by name so I was bound to insult him.
If I insult his accent I might accidentally insult others here, and I don't want that now do I!
I'm also not in England. It is a terrible place, full of English people.
You might not be in England, but you are in Wales, and that's full of sheep.
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Post by: MrDwhitey
Patriotic Sheep.
And what do you mean when? Surely for it to be a when, it has to stop at some point?
I think, accents wise, what amused me most is how Chowder and a certain other American have quite literally the exact same voice, accent and all. I'm not even sure what accent it is, I thought it was Bostonian but after just watching a video of it, I'm not so sure.
Alf, aid me in this.
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Post by: Monster Rain
I have less trouble understanding what mattyrm says as far as the accent is concerned, but it's the wide array of UK slang that I have trouble deciphering.
I do enjoy the liberal use of the old "c-word" that happens over there, though.
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Post by: Alfndrate
MrDwhitey wrote:Patriotic Sheep.
And what do you mean when? Surely for it to be a when, it has to stop at some point?
I think, accents wise, what amused me most is how Chowder and a certain other American have quite literally the exact same voice, accent and all. I'm not even sure what accent it is, I thought it was Bostonian but after just watching a video of it, I'm not so sure.
Alf, aid me in this.
Chowder, his buddy Igloo have a New England accent, the Bostonian accent is harsher and sounds closer to an Irish accent. Also they're 12, so of course they will sound the same. I can pick up differences between yours, Purps, and Avatar's voices and I can tell the difference between New York, Boston, and Georgian accents.
Perhaps it's because you think we all sound like slack-jawed idiots?
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Post by: MrDwhitey
Monster Rain, this is my gift, to you. Cherish it, for I give it only once:
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/ (my favourite is "backs to the wall" for it's utter absurdity)
Alf, Chowder and WarOne sound like exactly the same person. I'm fairly sure they're not though. And thank you, I was wondering what accent it was.
I don't think all of you sound like slack jawed idiots, that's unfair. You certainly though.
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Post by: Monster Rain
MrDwhitey wrote:Monster Rain, this is my gift, to you. Cherish it, for I give it only once:
This is amazing.
Some of this makes very little sense.  "Bacon Sarnie"? Why?
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Post by: Alfndrate
MrDwhitey wrote:Monster Rain, this is my gift, to you. Cherish it, for I give it only once:
http://www.peevish.co.uk/slang/ (my favourite is "backs to the wall" for it's utter absurdity)
Alf, Chowder and WarOne sound like exactly the same person. I'm fairly sure they're not though. And thank you, I was wondering what accent it was.
I don't think all of you sound like slack jawed idiots, that's unfair. You certainly though.
I sound nothing like WarOne and Chowder. WarOne, while from that area of the country has a slight New York Italian accent, Chowder sounds like a typical New Englander
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Post by: MrDwhitey
MR, I have no idea. Some slang is simply what rhymes and has the same amount of syllables. Some not even that.
Alf, I said Alf to address you, I also hate grammar.
Chowder sounds more cultured than you.
You're also now the Harem's Shrike.
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Post by: Alfndrate
MrDwhitey wrote:MR, I have no idea. Some slang is simply what rhymes and has the same amount of syllables. Some not even that. Alf, I said Alf to address you, I also hate grammar. Chowder sounds more cultured than you.
Chowder is a part of a yacht club, he is immediately more cultured than I am. I, however, have not needed to go on a vision quest and find my spirit animal.
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Post by: rubiksnoob
Okay, what's going on here? You can't have it both ways!
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Post by: purplefood
I'm told I have a fairly upper class accent...
Not entirely sure about that but I don't have the accent of my home county that's for sure... (Herefordshire if anyone wants to know...)
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Post by: gossipmeng
I honestly don't even pay attention to accents anymore. In Toronto you'll meet people from everywhere... all the time.
It was amusing how people perceived my "accent" though. I'm not sure how a NA accent sounds to others. This summer I went to London and Rome, the experience was completely different in both. In London people would quiet down when walking or sitting nearby to listen to us speak (NA accents are not rare I'm sure, but amusing in person I bet.) In Rome it was the opposite, they couldn't care less (or at least were very good at hiding their interest  ).
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Post by: Dark Apostle 666
I'm a Wiltshire boy, but because I'm a precocious git, I speak "proper English", so I end up sounding posh.
Though how posh/well-spoken I am depends on who I'm speaking to.
The only accent I really have trouble with is the South African one, because my brain can never decide if they're Australian, or Dutch!
Which made District 9 really hard to watch!
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Post by: purplefood
Dark Apostle 666 wrote:I'm a Wiltshire boy, but because I'm a precocious git, I speak "proper English", so I end up sounding posh.
Though how posh/well-spoken I am depends on who I'm speaking to.
I believe the term is 'received pronunciation' or Queen's/King's English
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Post by: Alfndrate
purplefood wrote: Dark Apostle 666 wrote:I'm a Wiltshire boy, but because I'm a precocious git, I speak "proper English", so I end up sounding posh.
Though how posh/well-spoken I am depends on who I'm speaking to.
I believe the term is 'received pronunciation' or Queen's/King's English
Yarp, this is the proper term. Sheesh, even an American knows that
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Post by: purplefood
Alfndrate wrote: purplefood wrote: Dark Apostle 666 wrote:I'm a Wiltshire boy, but because I'm a precocious git, I speak "proper English", so I end up sounding posh.
Though how posh/well-spoken I am depends on who I'm speaking to.
I believe the term is 'received pronunciation' or Queen's/King's English
Yarp, this is the proper term. Sheesh, even an American knows that 
It's also called BBC English.
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Post by: Kovnik Obama
rubiksnoob wrote:I know here in the states French accents are (stereotypically, mind you) associated with general snootiness, lazy men in berets smoking cigarettes, etc.
I feel somewhat offended to be judged snooty and lazy on account of my accent, and not for the fact that I'm generally snooty and lazy.
English accents are
horrible on men, hot on women.
Scottish accents are
pure awesome on men, hot on women.
Italian
A dangerous level of competition on men, hot on women.
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Post by: Jihadin
Half Asian with a southern accent. Due to being station most time at Ft. Campbell, KY and Ft Bragg NC. I'm a trip when I go to Seattle at Pike Place.
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Post by: Ma55ter_fett
My accent is not as strong as the police lady in the movie fargo... except when I'm drunk.
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Post by: MrDwhitey
Drunkenness reveals your true self.
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Post by: Slaanesh-Devotee
Kia ora bro, wanna come round the whare for some kai with my whanau? Chur.
New Zealand is picking up more words from the native Maori culture, which I've found funny when I accidentally use them in conversations with people not from here.
This video has a (slightly exaggerated) Kiwi accent. It was made by Aussies to laugh at the Kiwis, but I can't fault them!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdVHZwI8pcA
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Post by: Andrew1975
Alfndrate wrote:Polonius wrote:I have, to my dismay, picked up the Cleveland Accent for that long a sound.
I didn't know I had such a thing until my senior year of high school when a teacher pointed it out to the class (that we all were talking like this).
MrDwhitey wrote:We have to use shorter words for Alf to understand.
I thought that was so purple could understand us when he was three sheets to the wind.
MrDwhitey wrote:Oh, I know it doesn't, but he mentioned me by name so I was bound to insult him.
If I insult his accent I might accidentally insult others here, and I don't want that now do I!
I'm also not in England. It is a terrible place, full of English people.
You might not be in England, but you are in Wales, and that's full of sheep.
What part of Cleveland are you guys from? The only place I know of where they say Melk, pellow and keyat is Mentor and parts further east. I never hear that in say downtown or the west side, except from transients. The Ohio accent is pretty neutral and is taught in many journalism schools. We do however stress some things funny like the hard are in car and we say, wader instead of water.
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Post by: Velour_Fog
I'm from the midlands, UK. I used to sound posh (my dad's side of the family is) , but I dropped the "ar" sound like in dance, chance, last etc. because people took the piss in school for me being the "posh kid". (glad I did anyway, I'm not posh by any stretch of the imagination). Now I don't think I have that much of an accent though people I know might say otherwise.
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Post by: MrMoustaffa
Jihadin wrote:Half Asian with a southern accent. Due to being station most time at Ft. Campbell, KY and Ft Bragg NC. I'm a trip when I go to Seattle at Pike Place.
Kentucky accent is a weird one.
We're just low enough that we get southern accents, but not far enough South to have a true Southern drawl. The obvious exception is the mountains, where you get that mountain speech that is borderline impossible to understand without alcohol in your system. A funny example I found recently is from a guy's memoirs from life as a tanker in WWII. In the very beginning he has to travel through Louisville to reach Fort Knox, where he mentions that the locals pronounced it "Loowavul". Many people I know pronounce it this way even now, which gave me a good laugh.
The few times I've been travelling, I've been told I have a strong southern accent. It tends to get far more pronounced when I'm angry, tired, or drunk though. When I went to West Virginia, it only got worse, especially on days where I worked with local crew. By the time I got home even my own family could barely understand me
Only accents that give me trouble are North eastern accents and British if they talk too fast. When they slow down and talk like normal human beings I'm usually fine.
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Post by: Andrew1975
French= Snooty
British= There are so many different British Accents. Some are charming, some are cool, some sound pretty effeminate. How does such a small country have so many different accents?
Scottish= Kickass
Irish= Fun
Aussie= Free spirited
Italian= Nice on the Ladies, smarmy on guys
German= Very serious
Russian/Slavic Eastern Blok- Super hot on Ladies rolling their Rs, ok on guys, but I instantly put my guard up around guys. Russian men are squirrely.
Middle east- Like fingers on a chalk board
Spanish/Mexiacan/Central or South American= Fingernails on Chalkboard. I made my wife turn off Modern Family the other day, I can not stand that woman's voice!
African American= Don't get me started, don't axe me why
Southern US= Hick (So I'm in Huntsville Alabama talking to a Rocket Scientist and all I could focus on was his southern accent, probably one of the smartest engineers I will ever meet....but he sounded like Gomer Pile)
West Coast USA= Dude
Pittsburgh= Holy crap, its as unintelligible as Cajun, but far less charming! How does anyone understand you people with your Gumbands, Jags, yins, yuns and Pantsn'nat?
Long Island= Worse than fingernails on chalk board! Maybe the worst of all time.
Asian accents= not a fan, YOU CAN NOT BE COOL WITH AN ASIAN ACCENT! Indian being the worst (I know its a sub continent..Whatever)
Indian girl with a British Accent= Holy hotness batman.
Here is a good one. I divide English accents into two categories. American and Non American, as to me it seams like two different groups. I think Brits, Scots, Irish and Aussies kind of sound alike, while most American accents sound more similar to each other. Is that an American Bias?
Also what is with the A and R shifts? You Brits invented the language and you keep confusing the letters. Its Monika's Hair, not Monikers Haia.
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Post by: Velour_Fog
Andrew1975 wrote: British= There are so many different British Accents. Some are charming, some are cool, some sound pretty effeminate. How does such a small country have so many different accents? Scottish= Kickass Scotland is part of Britain. Andrew1975 wrote: Also what is with the A and R shifts? You Brits invented the language and you keep confusing the letters. Its Monika's Hair, not Monikers Haia. Say whaaat? Also, I think you're confusing England with Britain Sorry to be a pedant!
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Post by: Andrew1975
Skarwael wrote: Andrew1975 wrote:
British= There are so many different British Accents. Some are charming, some are cool, some sound pretty effeminate. How does such a small country have so many different accents?
Scottish= Kickass
Scotland is part of Britain.
Andrew1975 wrote:
Also what is with the A and R shifts? You Brits invented the language and you keep confusing the letters. Its Monika's Hair, not Monikers Haia.
Say whaaat?
Also, I think you're confusing England with Britain
Sorry to be a pedant!
No, I just couldn't think of the context properly. I mean if I said English....well English is a language too. I didn't want to say English English, American English and so on and so forth.
The A and R shift is more of an English English and Aussie thing I think. They say "thea" instead of "there", "Bruva" instead of "Brother"
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Post by: SilverMK2
Skarwael wrote:Also, I think you're confusing England with Britain
Sorry to be a pedant!
To be fair Scotland and Wales are just glorified counties of England
I know I have a reasonably strong regional accent, however I have been told quite a few times that I have an excellent speaking voice (most recently by a patient I was speaking to a couple of days ago  ).
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Post by: PredaKhaine
Ayup yoth, you'n gorra right cob on ther an yer? Is possibly as near as I can get writing down what my accent should sound like (south derbyshire). However, because I like communicating with people from further than 5 miles away I left that accent well alone Other favourites include Stick it int window bottom - put it on the window sill Stick on ont dog shelf - put it on the floor And 'Its Black as Bill's motha's house' - this one means it looks like rain. No one now remembers who Bill was or why his mothers was important. I love the english language. What I find really weird is I can do accents - I do a passable imitation of a fair few places round the uk - but I can't do the one I'm supposed to have...
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Post by: Jehan-reznor
If i speak my local accent (lingo) than Northern Dutch will not understand me.
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Post by: Alfndrate
Andrew1975 wrote:
What part of Cleveland are you guys from? The only place I know of where they say Melk, pellow and keyat is Mentor and parts further east. I never hear that in say downtown or the west side, except from transients. The Ohio accent is pretty neutral and is taught in many journalism schools. We do however stress some things funny like the hard are in car and we say, wader instead of water.
I was raised between W. 100th and W. 150th. And it's common throughout the Cleveland area. A lot of people that I grew up with make those vowel shifts. Like I said, once it was pointed out to me, I stopped saying them, but I do hear it occasionally..
Also I'm not sure if Polonius is a Cleveland native, I know he's at least a college transplant (going to school at Case). Automatically Appended Next Post: Andrew1975 wrote:
Pittsburgh= Holy crap, its as unintelligible as Cajun, but far less charming! How does anyone understand you people with your Gumbands, Jags, yins, yuns and Pantsn'nat?
I dislike the Pittsburgh thing... Beyond my distaste for Steelers fans, it's impossible to understand them when they get going. I had a fling with a Pittsburgh lass (nothing like sleeping with the enemy  ), but her dad was yinz'ing and what not over everything, and I just couldn't take it. She turned out to be crazy, so bullet dodge!
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Post by: mega_bassist
Luckily, I don't have much of an accent. I grew up in midwest Illinois, in a town where everyone sounds like a stereotypical American news anchor
But, one of the coolest things about my job is that I get to talk to people all around North America. Most of our business comes from the east coast, especially south east. It's crazy how different accents from Missippi, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, and other Southern states are. Also, how different it is between New York, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire. The one weird thing to me - most people I've talked to from Texas don't really have much of a southern accent! And then there's the accents between Wisconsin and Minnesota...they're almost Canadian, but not quite. Nothing else really sticks out...other than the Hawaiin accent, but it sounds just like it does in the movies.
As for Canadians, most accents sound the same to me...except for those folks from Newfoundland. I dated a girl who was born/raised in Picton, Ontario and she had some family from...somewhere in Newfoundland. I swear, I needed her around to decipher what the heck they were saying half the time.
I have spoken to a couple people from the UK that have moved to the US, but I have no idea where they were from...except for the guy from Scotland.
...I know that my ramblings don't have much to do with my preceptions of accents, but I just think it's really nteresting how much different a language can sound from different areas/countries.
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Post by: Polonius
I grew up in detroit, but moved to cleveland for undergrad,and been here more or less continiously for 15 years.
I think the hard A is pretty universal throughout cleveland. It's definitely not confined to the eastern counties.
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Post by: Crazy_Carnifex
I have been told that my accent is excellent for a tour guide, and it has been variously pegged as Brittish, Ausy, Kiwi and New Yorker (One of these things is not like the other), and I have been to none of these places.
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Post by: Swan-of-War
I have a West Coast accent, so pretty standard. Never though about it until I lived in Texas and was picked out as a Northna' because I enunciate my words.
To which I replied - "Newscasters pay good money to have an accent like mine."
Once I overheard a (rather loud) conversation between two Southern women meeting each other up here in Seattle. Both had heavy drawls, South Carolina I think. One had been living here awhile and mentioned that she couldn't be taken seriously by the locals with her accent so she had to learn to speak "west coast" in order to do business (real estate?). I'd say that's pretty accurate. Unfortunate, but accurate.
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Post by: Cheesecat
I don't really think about accents other than trying to remember what they sound like and the differences between them also this thread seems to have become a breeding ground for ethnic stereotypes the first thing you assume someone is snobby cause they have a French accent, really?
Or that a British accent somehow makes you classy.
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Post by: Some_Call_Me_Tim?
rubiksnoob wrote:I'm taking French this semester, which I am very excited for, as it's a language I have been interested in learning for some time, and it got me thinking about accents and the connotations we associate with them. I know here in the states French accents are (stereotypically, mind you) associated with general snootiness, lazy men in berets smoking cigarettes, etc. English accents are interesting in that they are often associated with a charming, affable sort of nonsense-speak, (see this Oatmeal comic) while can also be associated with upper class snobbery. Scottish accents are most popularly associated with hairy, sword-wielding men in plaid skirts; Irish with drunkenness and the color green; Italian with mobsters and spaghetti; etc. What I wonder is how accents are perceived by those outside of the States. Comparing the differences in what we associate with certain accents could make for interesting discussion, I think. Go! I always associate French accents with artsyness and romantic predilections. Also, sexiness. In general, though, I don't really attach that many ideas to accents. They're just accents, different ways of saying the same words. Though I'm not very fond of Asian accents, but that's only because I associate them with the super-driven Asian families that don't seem to quite get that you're supposed to be quiet in libraries. ~Tim?
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Post by: gunslingerpro
I grew up with a Missouri (by way of St. Louis) and a New York (by way of Queens) accent in my home via my parents. While living in New Hampshire. My speech patterns are all over the place.
But I will say, once you've heard a Mainer (can't get theah from eah), a Bostonian (wicked cool cah kid), and a New Yorker share coffee, you'll get a new appreciation for the North East variety.
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Post by: Some_Call_Me_Tim?
gunslingerpro wrote:I grew up with a Missouri (by way of St. Louis) and a New York (by way of Queens) accent in my home via my parents. While living in New Hampshire. My speech patterns are all over the place.
But I will say, once you've heard a Mainer (can't get theah from eah), a Bostonian (wicked cool cah kid), and a New Yorker share coffee, you'll get a new appreciation for the North East variety.
I grew up in MO as well, and I gotta say, I don't really have any kind of accent, at least to my ears. I have some cousins that went to NZ, and apparently everyone thought they sounded really Southern, so I guess I must have some kinda accent.
~Tim?
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Post by: gunslingerpro
Some_Call_Me_Tim? wrote: gunslingerpro wrote:I grew up with a Missouri (by way of St. Louis) and a New York (by way of Queens) accent in my home via my parents. While living in New Hampshire. My speech patterns are all over the place.
But I will say, once you've heard a Mainer (can't get theah from eah), a Bostonian (wicked cool cah kid), and a New Yorker share coffee, you'll get a new appreciation for the North East variety.
I grew up in MO as well, and I gotta say, I don't really have any kind of accent, at least to my ears. I have some cousins that went to NZ, and apparently everyone thought they sounded really Southern, so I guess I must have some kinda accent.
~Tim?
yeah, it's tough to pick up on unless you've got something to directly compare it to (during a conversation). Only my grandmothers have retained the accents enough now for me to hear it.
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Post by: Soladrin
What is this accent nonsense all about? I have never heard of such a thing.
Also, Alf, you excluded me, you will pay for this.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Jehan-reznor wrote:If i speak my local accent (lingo) than Northern Dutch will not understand me.
Do I smell a Limburger?
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Post by: Alfndrate
Soladrin wrote:What is this accent nonsense all about? I have never heard of such a thing.
Also, Alf, you excluded me, you will pay for this.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Jehan-reznor wrote:If i speak my local accent (lingo) than Northern Dutch will not understand me.
Do I smell a Limburger?
Jos, I was specifically speaking about the UK members of the harem... You sir, sound like the foreign dutch Jesus-y looking Devil that you are. I have no trouble determining when you're speaking
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Post by: Tyranidcrusher
I've got an accent of an upper middle class Pompey lad.... Or so I'm told...
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Post by: Manchu
Polonius wrote:I think the hard A is pretty universal throughout cleveland.
I also heard it a lot in MI. But I'm from Richmond, VA, and may be particularly sensitive to it. My wife accuses me of dropping Rs following As, so comparitively soft is the Richmond A
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Post by: purplefood
Alfndrate wrote: Soladrin wrote:What is this accent nonsense all about? I have never heard of such a thing.
Also, Alf, you excluded me, you will pay for this.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Jehan-reznor wrote:If i speak my local accent (lingo) than Northern Dutch will not understand me.
Do I smell a Limburger?
Jos, I was specifically speaking about the UK members of the harem... You sir, sound like the foreign dutch Jesus-y looking Devil that you are. I have no trouble determining when you're speaking 
I resent that this implies I sound like a dirty northerner.
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Post by: Avatar 720
I'm a dirty Northerner and I don't even sound like one of us. We're learning. We're adapting. Soon, we shall sweep down from the Pennines, to deliver the judgement of the North unto the heretics of the south, and you cannot hope to stand against us, for should we fail, then the Scots shall surely rise against you, also, and your weakened southern backs shall be bent and broken upon the heroin needles, thistle branches, whiskey bottles, and overcooked haggises of the Scots.
With your backs to the sea, the French might also choose to invade up your freshly exposed backsides, and where shall you be then, should you not have already accepted the dominance of the North?
Your days are numbered, southern scum, be ready when that number reaches 5, or 32, or whichever number comes last in the alphabet!
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Post by: Jehan-reznor
Soladrin wrote:What is this accent nonsense all about? I have never heard of such a thing.
Also, Alf, you excluded me, you will pay for this.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Jehan-reznor wrote:If i speak my local accent (lingo) than Northern Dutch will not understand me.
Do I smell a Limburger?
Hey i am not the one that smalls like Gouda cheese!
And on your question, yes i am a proud member of the LBF (Limburg Bevrijdings (Liberation) Front)
The south will Arise!
Ich how dich mit mien shroebloemel op dien kup!
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Post by: Bullockist
One thing that has always confused me about English accents is that there seem to be localised areas where certain letters are forbidden to be pronounced. R's being the most amusing example.
On Aussies saying thea instead of there , I didn't even realise till a friendly Israeli informed me that is said bea instead of beer, I thought about it for a minute then realised he was right, who ever says being overseas is a journey of discovery was right. I also learned that women from certain areas in England talk way to much at way to loud a volume. I thought I'd met the fat slags from viz.
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Post by: Hyenajoe
@ Rubiksnoob: the funny thing is there are many different accents in france. The northern accents (Ch'timi or Picard) are completely different from the southern accents, and any of these accents sound very different from the "neutral" french accent when speaking English (and french too).
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Post by: dogma
I don't have an especially pronounced accent unless I'm very drunk, in which case I pick up a slight northern cities vowel shift.
My only real peculiarity of speech is that I tend to use words in ways that aren't common within the United States. For example, I freely switch between "vacation" and "holiday" when discussing the same concept. I also tend to use "fethed" in the sense of "I got really, really drunk.", which has lead to some interesting misunderstandings. Then of course there's the, again when intoxicated (or distracted), tendency to use words from other languages without realizing it.
As to how I perceive accents: There are a few that have a special appeal to me (Australian, English, and French) for various reasons, but I don't otherwise find any particular accent to be emotionally resonant. Though bear in mind, I'm speaking about accents people commonly possess when speaking the English language. The accent a person might have while speaking a different language is an entirely different matter. For example, my accent when speaking English is minimal and unremarkable, but my accent when speaking Spanish is quite strong and unpleasant.
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Post by: PredaKhaine
Does anyone else have that special problem when you're talking to people with an accent and yours starts to shift?
I find myself getting more and more rp english at times - if I'm talking to people from another english speaking country its worse...
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Post by: chromedog
I spent 6 months of high school in Santa Monica, CA.
Most of the rest of my life has been spent in Oz.
From 20-35 or so, I did frequent trips to melbourne (stays for up to a week at a time every few months) - and I did pick up some elements of their 'accent' (it IS distinct from Sydney - though not as distinct as the Adelaide or Hobart ones).
I say drapes instead of curtains. Some people wonder where I'm from because my accent is "all over the place". There's bits of Cali, bits of Donegal, bits of melbourne, some Dutch and Hungarian. I can't be picked out as someone from "sydney", or from any other large city, and I speak too quickly to be from the bush.
I can tell a Canadian (usually) from an American (it's not like they hide it, though. Americans don't wear as many USA flags as canadians wear maple leafs).
A kiwi from a Seth Efrican.
Edinburghers from Glaswegians (I can't understand Glaswegians, though. I can just tell them apart from the others). Geordies from scousers and a few others.
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Post by: PredaKhaine
I was talking to a lady in a little shop in scotland - she had an almost stereotypical 'little old lady' scottish accent. It was fantastic to listen to. By the end of the conversation, my english had gone from 'lazy,T's pronounced as R's' to 'Hugh Grant'
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Post by: Da Boss
Apparently and Irish accent is a bonus when you want to sound angry or passionate, according to my co workers. I find their accents (english) to be pretty good at making people feel small and guilty (we're all teachers in an international school). I can tell northern and southern US apart, identify most regions in the UK, and tell the various germanic speakers apart if I listen really carefully. The only one that has an effect on me is recieved pronounciation - it makes me awfully self concious about my own accent!
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Post by: Tibbsy
Avatar 720 wrote:I'm a dirty Northerner and I don't even sound like one of us. We're learning. We're adapting. Soon, we shall sweep down from the Pennines, to deliver the judgement of the North unto the heretics of the south, and you cannot hope to stand against us, for should we fail, then the Scots shall surely rise against you, also, and your weakened southern backs shall be bent and broken upon the heroin needles, thistle branches, whiskey bottles, and overcooked haggises of the Scots.
With your backs to the sea, the French might also choose to invade up your freshly exposed backsides, and where shall you be then, should you not have already accepted the dominance of the North?
Your days are numbered, southern scum, be ready when that number reaches 5, or 32, or whichever number comes last in the alphabet!
Exalted, because I am also a dirty Northerner!
I'm not quite from Liverpool, I'm from the Wirral, which is the little peninsula that separates Liverpool and Wales. I don't really have an identifiable accent. At least not one that I can identify!
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Post by: Tyranidcrusher
Tibbsy wrote: Avatar 720 wrote:I'm a dirty Northerner and I don't even sound like one of us. We're learning. We're adapting. Soon, we shall sweep down from the Pennines, to deliver the judgement of the North unto the heretics of the south, and you cannot hope to stand against us, for should we fail, then the Scots shall surely rise against you, also, and your weakened southern backs shall be bent and broken upon the heroin needles, thistle branches, whiskey bottles, and overcooked haggises of the Scots.
With your backs to the sea, the French might also choose to invade up your freshly exposed backsides, and where shall you be then, should you not have already accepted the dominance of the North?
Your days are numbered, southern scum, be ready when that number reaches 5, or 32, or whichever number comes last in the alphabet!
Exalted, because I am also a dirty Northerner!
I'm not quite from Liverpool, I'm from the Wirral, which is the little peninsula that separates Liverpool and Wales. I don't really have an identifiable accent. At least not one that I can identify! 
Dude, My cousins and Aunt live in the Wirral!
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Post by: Soladrin
Jehan-reznor wrote: Soladrin wrote:What is this accent nonsense all about? I have never heard of such a thing.
Also, Alf, you excluded me, you will pay for this.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Jehan-reznor wrote:If i speak my local accent (lingo) than Northern Dutch will not understand me.
Do I smell a Limburger?
Hey i am not the one that smalls like Gouda cheese!
And on your question, yes i am a proud member of the LBF (Limburg Bevrijdings (Liberation) Front)
The south will Arise!
Ich how dich mit mien shroebloemel op dien kup!
Sorry heur maar ich kom toch auch echt oet limburg.
To everyone else, have fun translating that, it's not even a real language!
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Post by: chromedog
Da Boss wrote:Apparently and Irish accent is a bonus when you want to sound angry or passionate, according to my co workers. I find their accents (english) to be pretty good at making people feel small and guilty (we're all teachers in an international school). I can tell northern and southern US apart, identify most regions in the UK, and tell the various germanic speakers apart if I listen really carefully. The only one that has an effect on me is recieved pronounciation - it makes me awfully self concious about my own accent!
I've worked with some Irish folks in a warehousing job.
We had a little thai lady supervisor, who brooked no bad language from most of the other english speakers - but she could never actually understand when the irish ones were swearing.
It was the "oo" (book) sound they used instead of "u" (cup) that did it, I think.
It used to crack me up.
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Post by: PredaKhaine
I don't know about the rest of england, but everytime I hear a french accent I don't think of "(stereotypically, mind you) associated with general snootiness, lazy men in berets smoking cigarettes". I think of footballers. 'Erm,I'm sorry I did not see zat' said Arsene Wenger, manager of Arsenal FC everytime he's on tv.
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Post by: Alfndrate
PredaKhaine wrote:Does anyone else have that special problem when you're talking to people with an accent and yours starts to shift?
It's that phenomenon when you throw 1 white kid in with a group of a few black kids, the white kid will pick up pieces of their slang, their pronunciations, vowel shifts, etc.... It's an interesting thing to see happen and I've done it myself.
I took a class on the history of the English language in college, and it was a fun class, learned much about English and its development, but the best (and worst) part was when we had to do a project on the various accents of English... I chose (like a fool) Yorkshire, mainly because we had a professor from Yorkshire and I thought interviewing her for the project would help immensely. The worst part of the project was having to attempt to speak with that accent... It was terrible, the only thing that my professor could say about it was, "you tried" and "You've taken Latin and German in your past haven't you?"
Feth the Yorkshire accent!
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Post by: PredaKhaine
Ee by gum, its grim oop north, put t'kettle on lad...
My wife is from lancashire - the mortal enemies of yorkshire.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wars_of_the_Roses
At uni, she lived with a fair few people from yorkshire - she now has trouble with her accent and occasionally gets accused of being from yorkshire...
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Post by: Frazzled
I like an Argentinian accent the best, followed by Brazilian. Peruvian accents are good but they talk too fast. I think its an insecurity thing.
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Post by: wowsmash
I love accents. I never noticed it tell I wad shipped off for basic training and they through all of us together in on place. Funnily enough all of our accents and slang started to blend together into something different. When I got home my family had trouble understanding me.
My favorites would be Russian, Australian and Scottish for the win on women. Russian being the top. Southern drawl as an honorable mention. If I hadn't of met my wife. I'd be doing some traveling looking for the right women from one of those locations.
I have been told that french is the best language to curse in however
Canadian accents are cute though. Like kitten cute. You just want to go awww.
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Post by: Alfndrate
wowsmash wrote:Canadian accents are cute though. Like kitten cute. You just want to go awww.
I thought it was more of an "eh" rather than an "aww"
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Post by: mega_bassist
Frazzled wrote:I like an Argentinian accent the best, followed by Brazilian. Peruvian accents are good but they talk too fast. I think its an insecurity thing.
I've had the chance to speak to two Brazilians in person, and I found myself having to really focus to catch everything said.
And to be honest, I was a little disappointed to not hear either one of them do the stereotypical "huehuehue" laugh.
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Post by: Alfndrate
mega_bassist wrote: Frazzled wrote:I like an Argentinian accent the best, followed by Brazilian. Peruvian accents are good but they talk too fast. I think its an insecurity thing.
I've had the chance to speak to two Brazilians in person, and I found myself having to really focus to catch everything said.
And to be honest, I was a little disappointed to not hear either one of them do the stereotypical "huehuehue" laugh.
I went to school with a gorgeous young lady from Brazil... it was fantastic listening to her speak
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Post by: gunslingerpro
Alfndrate wrote:PredaKhaine wrote:Does anyone else have that special problem when you're talking to people with an accent and yours starts to shift?
It's that phenomenon when you throw 1 white kid in with a group of a few black kids, the white kid will pick up pieces of their slang, their pronunciations, vowel shifts, etc.... It's an interesting thing to see happen and I've done it myself.
It's a psychology based reaction. Sympathetic Elocution or Accent Syndrome or something of the like. I studied it a bit in college. It's a reflex to make the person feel more comfortable or to make yourself blend in to your surroundings. It's stronger in some people than others.
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Post by: Mathieu Raymond
Apparently, the main thing stopping adults from attempting to learn a second language is the fear of not having a native-like accent.
I know we get presented English as having a single monolithic accent here in Québec, because most of us never meet a live speaker through their life.
My ex-wife's kids were disappointed that I didn't have a thick French-Canadian accent, they thought I was a New Englander. (hint, I sound nothing like a New Englander)
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Post by: Soladrin
Mathieu Raymond wrote:Apparently, the main thing stopping adults from attempting to learn a second language is the fear of not having a native-like accent.
I know we get presented English as having a single monolithic accent here in Québec, because most of us never meet a live speaker through their life.
My ex-wife's kids were disappointed that I didn't have a thick French-Canadian accent, they thought I was a New Englander. (hint, I sound nothing like a New Englander)
Second and third language are pretty much standard in education here from age 10 and up.
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Post by: Andrew1975
I have been told that french is the best language to curse in however
You have not hung out with many Russians then. That is the language of swearing. They work in profanity like the French work in pastels or Italians in marble, its quite amazing actually.
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Post by: chromedog
wowsmash wrote:
I have been told that french is the best language to curse in however
"French is my favorite. Fantastic language. Especially to curse with. [actual french phrase here not included. Even in French, I think it would breach the language rating restrictions for this site.] It's like wiping your arse with silk. I love it. "
Best line from Matrix:Reloaded. Spoken by the Merovingian.
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Post by: Mathieu Raymond
I dunno... when French people swear, it tends not to phase Québecers, because it sounds very pedantic to our ear. They tend to have a higher register.
Quebecers use almost exclusively religious language when swearing and it comes from deep in the core. But it's not an art form... we lack vocabulary, I would say. It gets very repetitive.
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Post by: Inquisitor Ehrenstein
I can tell the difference between Scottish, English, and Welsh. Welsh and Irish sound the same. German sounds fabulous.
Dark Apostle 666 wrote:I'm a Wiltshire boy, but because I'm a precocious git, I speak "proper English", so I end up sounding posh.
Though how posh/well-spoken I am depends on who I'm speaking to.
The only accent I really have trouble with is the South African one, because my brain can never decide if they're Australian, or Dutch!
Which made District 9 really hard to watch!
South Africans and Australians sound like redneck Brits.
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Post by: Andrew1975
chromedog wrote: wowsmash wrote:
I have been told that french is the best language to curse in however
"French is my favorite. Fantastic language. Especially to curse with. [actual french phrase here not included. Even in French, I think it would breach the language rating restrictions for this site.] It's like wiping your arse with silk. I love it. "
Best line from Matrix:Reloaded. Spoken by the Merovingian.
Here is art (Он бьет дерево с его член, чтобы получить плоды) Roughly (he gets fruit out of a tree by beating it with his #$%%^% (manhood). This is how a russian calls you lazy
That is how you swear
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Post by: Bullockist
I think the maltese swear the best my favourite being leave or i'll urinate in your arse.
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Post by: Snrub
Andrew1975 wrote:
Here is art (Он бьет дерево с его член, чтобы получить плоды) Roughly (he gets fruit out of a tree by beating it with his #$%%^% (manhood). This is how a russian calls you lazy
That is how you swear
How would you pronouce that in English?
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Post by: chromedog
Google a cyrillic to Latin alphabet conversion.
C&P the cyrillic text into the boxes.
On b’et derevo s ego člen, čtoby polučit’ plody
Comes out something like this.
The only thing that confuses me is the 'c' sounds. I believe they are closer to a "ch", but I could be wrong (Dad spoke Russian fluently, but he's been dead 8 years now).
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Post by: purplefood
Inquisitor Ehrenstein wrote:I can tell the difference between Scottish, English, and Welsh. Welsh and Irish sound the same. German sounds fabulous.
Dark Apostle 666 wrote:I'm a Wiltshire boy, but because I'm a precocious git, I speak "proper English", so I end up sounding posh.
Though how posh/well-spoken I am depends on who I'm speaking to.
The only accent I really have trouble with is the South African one, because my brain can never decide if they're Australian, or Dutch!
Which made District 9 really hard to watch!
South Africans and Australians sound like redneck Brits.
Now I'm not entirely sure what qualifies as 'redneck' but I'm going to say farmer.
South Africans and Australians don't sound like farmers... mostly because you can understand what they're saying...
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Post by: Ezuli
Im pretty sure that hearing average finnish guy speak english is propably among the most horrible sounds you ever have to hear. Sounds really clunky. English words just dont fit to how we speak.
But I still think that if you want to swear properly, finnish is the way to go.
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Post by: Soladrin
purplefood wrote: Inquisitor Ehrenstein wrote:I can tell the difference between Scottish, English, and Welsh. Welsh and Irish sound the same. German sounds fabulous.
Dark Apostle 666 wrote:I'm a Wiltshire boy, but because I'm a precocious git, I speak "proper English", so I end up sounding posh.
Though how posh/well-spoken I am depends on who I'm speaking to.
The only accent I really have trouble with is the South African one, because my brain can never decide if they're Australian, or Dutch!
Which made District 9 really hard to watch!
South Africans and Australians sound like redneck Brits.
Now I'm not entirely sure what qualifies as 'redneck' but I'm going to say farmer.
South Africans and Australians don't sound like farmers... mostly because you can understand what they're saying...
Irish and Welsh sound the same? What?
Also, offcourse South African accent sounds like Dutch, Afrikaans is mostly based on the Dutch language.
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Post by: Corpsesarefun
Alfndrate wrote:I talk with MrDWhitey, purplefood, and Avatar 720 pretty regularly. I can understand them without issue even though they hail from three different parts of the UK.
I know I have an accent which I actively try and correct as I speak. People from Northeast Ohio pronounce words differently than what some might expect. It's easiest to detect when saying words like cat, (key-at), milk (melk), and pillow (pellow). It's not as pronounced as like the Wisconsin or the Chicago accent (both derivatives of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift), it's still noticeable to some people.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Cheesecat wrote:Take German instead it's easier because English is a Germanic language (that being said English does have some similarities to french but not as much as German). Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish and Danish are some other Germanic languages you might want to look into.
Agreed, though for a few hundred years, French was the language spoken in the English royal courts and amongst nobles. Something about some bastard conquering them in 1066.
What about me Alf :(
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Post by: Alfndrate
I said regularly, whenever you're on, all I hear is "witch, I'm lugubrious" but with that being said, your voice is distinctive enough to tell the difference from everyone else.
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Post by: KingCracker
Alfndrate wrote:I talk with MrDWhitey, purplefood, and Avatar 720 pretty regularly. I can understand them without issue even though they hail from three different parts of the UK.
I know I have an accent which I actively try and correct as I speak. People from Northeast Ohio pronounce words differently than what some might expect. It's easiest to detect when saying words like cat, (key-at), milk (melk), and pillow (pellow). It's not as pronounced as like the Wisconsin or the Chicago accent (both derivatives of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift), it's still noticeable to some people.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Cheesecat wrote:Take German instead it's easier because English is a Germanic language (that being said English does have some similarities to french but not as much as German). Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish and Danish are some other Germanic languages you might want to look into.
Agreed, though for a few hundred years, French was the language spoken in the English royal courts and amongst nobles. Something about some bastard conquering them in 1066.
I dunno how you understand Purple with all that drunkenness
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Post by: Soladrin
KingCracker wrote: Alfndrate wrote:I talk with MrDWhitey, purplefood, and Avatar 720 pretty regularly. I can understand them without issue even though they hail from three different parts of the UK.
I know I have an accent which I actively try and correct as I speak. People from Northeast Ohio pronounce words differently than what some might expect. It's easiest to detect when saying words like cat, (key-at), milk (melk), and pillow (pellow). It's not as pronounced as like the Wisconsin or the Chicago accent (both derivatives of the Northern Cities Vowel Shift), it's still noticeable to some people.
Automatically Appended Next Post:
Cheesecat wrote:Take German instead it's easier because English is a Germanic language (that being said English does have some similarities to french but not as much as German). Dutch, Norwegian, Icelandic, Swedish and Danish are some other Germanic languages you might want to look into.
Agreed, though for a few hundred years, French was the language spoken in the English royal courts and amongst nobles. Something about some bastard conquering them in 1066.
I dunno how you understand Purple with all that drunkenness
We never said we did.
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Post by: poda_t
the other interesting thing about accents in north america is the instant assumption that because you have a foreign accent, it makes you either slowed or uneducated. My parents got handled like crap again, this time by a cableguy who earns less than either of my parents independently. I also don't see the wisdom of telling a hardware designer how the wiring could have gone to hell, randomly without anyone touching it, when the only possible problem is a piece of hardware with sensitive electronics inside the box, which said cable guy didn't even look at (if I was him, I would have noticed two furnaces in a closed poorly ventilated space, and noticed that the box was reasonably warm to touch, and thought to myself, "ah, maybe something fried in this box due to heat"). Especially when that hardware designer has been at it for 30 years and earns in excess of $100K annually, when this cable guy is about 30 years old and earns something near $40K a year.... last summer some moron who spent 20 years doing landscaping exhibited an inability to comprehend that mixing up the soil that had weeds in it, and burying it liberally over the yard was going to be a disservice. He tried to tell my mother, who has a bachelors in horticulture, and worked directly under the minister of agriculture of slovakia back in the day, that he's been at it for 20 years, all the while ignoring the fact that the entire back yard was overgrowing with plants and flowers of every stripe from the front of the house, all the way around both sides, and to the back of the property (that is to say, not one blade of grass. There's a deck, a stone tiled area, and the rest is growing something or other edible, or decoration...) And this supposed land scaper is the head of his company.... well.... sorry frank, small bloody wonder you've been at it 20 years, and you're still on a work crew. It's because you're incompetent..... anyway, for some reason there seems to be an assumption that people out of eastern Europe are troglodytes. Some are, but it's like assuming everyone with a southern drawl is a troglodyte. You're welcome to make the assumption, and you're also welcome to get a boot up the ass while you're at it.....
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Post by: The Grumpy Eldar
I hate my accent when I'm talking in english. People I usually game with online tell me I have somewhat of a Brittish accent. I don't hear it myself and I think my accent sounds like nails to a chalkboard.
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