British/Irish accents

Stopper · Post by **Stopper** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 8:50 pm

I have to admit, when I meet people who speak English in a foreign dialect, I often find the way they speak attractive, even when they're men. In fact, even when they're American - despite the fact that, like most British people, I hear American accents on a near-daily basis in the media - I still find it appealing when I hear one in the flesh. I really liked the film Fargo, and most of the appeal was hearing this Minnesotan accent I hadn't heard before. (Although how accurate it was, I'm sure is open to debate.)

I have no real idea why this should be, though I have particular preferences - French and Chinese, for some reason. I'm curious to know whether this is reciprocated by people of other nationalities toward "British" accents, or perhaps it's only particular British accents, such as Cockney, or Glaswegian.

DeCaptain · Post by **DeCaptain** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 8:54 pm

yea ya betcha we all talk like dis in minnesooota.

stinkycheese · Post by **stinkycheese** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:06 pm

I'm American and I love the accents in Fargo. So you're not alone there. I've never actually heard anyone speak in that Minnesotan accent though either. And ya, British accents are very sexy.

Stopper · Post by **Stopper** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:18 pm

Well, I often go to IMDB, and over there there is a thread on the accents. It seems that Minnesotans both deny & accept that the accents in Fargo are accurate. Problem is, none of the actors are actually Minnesotan, so they're all putting it on. I suppose it will have to remain a mystery.

Mind you, there are always Minnesotan students in my town, from St Cloud's or something like that, so I could try to get a better idea from them, but that seems too much like hard work. Bit weird, going up and asking about their accents, you know?

DeCaptain · Post by **DeCaptain** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:28 pm

if they are from St. Cloud they probably wont have the "fargo" accent. the only place to hear the accent is up north near canada in small towns. most minnesotans do not speak like that.

flashleg8 · Post by **flashleg8** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:18 pm

DeCaptain wrote:if they are from St. Cloud they probably wont have the "fargo" accent. the only place to hear the accent is up north near canada in small towns. most minnesotans do not speak like that.

Ya, Ya

Edit: He was a funny looking guy, you know funny looking.

btownmeggy · Post by **btownmeggy** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:33 pm

I like most non-American English accents, but I must admit that I have a hard time understanding many of them. When I watch a British movie where people talk in a dialect that deviates from the BBC newscaster's norm, I have to turn on subtitles. I was once neighbors with a couple of 'Brits' and our relationship was a comedy of misinterpretation.

Scottish accents are a completely different language to me. Seriously, I understand practically NOTHING of them.

South African and Australian accents are pretty easy for me to understand. New Zealanders nearly sound like Americans, to my ears.

Oh--Canadians? Mundane enough to just sound stupid.

btownmeggy · Post by **btownmeggy** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:36 pm

DeCaptain wrote:if they are from St. Cloud they probably wont have the "fargo" accent. the only place to hear the accent is up north near canada in small towns. most minnesotans do not speak like that.

Most Minnesotans don't have that accent, but it's not ONLY up north that you'll hear it. You're just most LIKELY to hear it there because there are lots of isolated communities with little internal migration in that part of the state.

I have a good friend whose family has lived in Mankato (far Southern Minnesota) for generations, yet she has a very strong and distinct "Fargo" accent.

neoni · Post by **neoni** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:40 pm

i always find it weird when americans talk about 'british accents', unless you're using it as an umbrella term for literally hundreds of completely different accents, then it's meaningless. from east to west they're nothing like each other, and from cornwall to inverness they probably wouldn't understand each other at all.

flashleg8 · Post by **flashleg8** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:40 pm

btownmeggy wrote: Scottish accents are a completely different language to me. Seriously, I understand practically NOTHING of them.

awa' n' bile yer heid.

neoni · Post by **neoni** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:41 pm

flashleg8 wrote:
btownmeggy wrote: Scottish accents are a completely different language to me. Seriously, I understand practically NOTHING of them.

awa' n' bile yer heid.

the funniest thing is when i'm speaking gaelic and americans think it's just a heavy accent

btownmeggy · Post by **btownmeggy** » Sun Feb 18, 2007 11:51 pm

neoni wrote:i always find it weird when americans talk about 'british accents', unless you're using it as an umbrella term for literally hundreds of completely different accents, then it's meaningless. from east to west they're nothing like each other, and from cornwall to inverness they probably wouldn't understand each other at all.

It's definitely an umbrella term, though everywhere in the world has extensive dialectical variation. In the sparsely-populated, insular region I come from, I can tell the difference in accents from people who live just 15 miles away from each other, especially among the old who tend to have less standardized accents. A person from outside the region, other than a trained linguist, would find my father's accent nearly identical to that of someone from 1,000 miles away. In EVERY language and EVERY language family (as a rule of linguistics, so far as I know), the place of origin of the language or family has the greatest variation. For example, all but one of the 10 branches of the Austronesian language family, spoken from Madagascar to Easter Island, are found on the island of Taiwan, that language family's origin. Likewise, the British Isles have much more extensive variation in the English dialects spoken there than any other English-speaking regions.

stinkycheese · Post by **stinkycheese** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:04 am

How bout the Gypsy (Brad Pitt) in Snatch. That's the coolest accent I've ever heard...does it exist?

flashleg8 · Post by **flashleg8** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:15 am

stinkycheese wrote:How bout the Gypsy (Brad Pitt) in Snatch. That's the coolest accent I've ever heard...does it exist?

He puts on a kind of half Irish accent, as a lot of our gypsies come from over there. But yes - the gypsies I know from the camp up the road are indecipherable if they want to be! (not new age travellers, they're just hippy style drop outs).

Jesse, Bad Boy · Post by **Jesse, Bad Boy** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:23 am

I am proud to say that I am accentless. I grew up in Moundsville, West Virginia, so I had a southern-ish drawl for quite a while. Later, I moved to New Hampshire, and gained the nasally New England accent. Later on still, in the Navy, I spent a good portion of my time in Great Lakes, and picked up the Midwestern accent (Aeggs, as opposed to ehggs). When I left the Navy, I took up residence on Long Island, New York, and commute to the City. Before that however, I spent a summer in Brittany and London, so I picked up a bit up a bit of a European accent. After that, it's pretty hard to distinguish where I really am from, and I never have a hard time understanding the most thickest accents, or poorly pronounced words.

mmbears00 · Post by **mmbears00** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 12:30 am

I moved from the Chicago area to the Twin Cities area and there is barly any accents in the people of my area. There are a few terms people use here such as ya know? and stuff but thats about it. As for me I still consider myself from Chi Town.

GO BEARS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They'll be in XLII for sure.

lord twiggy1 · Post by **lord twiggy1** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:24 am

DeCaptain wrote:yea ya betcha we all talk like dis in minnesooota.

oh ya you betcha

lord twiggy1 · Post by **lord twiggy1** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:25 am

and irish accents are awesome

Kayla · Post by **Kayla** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 1:43 am

should hear alan roper on his mic, yum

Titanic · Post by **Titanic** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:22 am

I can understand most British accents, but I cant understand the Scottish one. I was working in a shop and a guy who'd just come back from Scotland asked me for a football pump, I asked him to repeat it 3 times, the directed him to my uncle, who understood him first time.

I like the Midlands accent and speech, as imo its not really that much of an accent as using different words as almost everyone can understand it.

reverend_kyle · Post by **reverend_kyle** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:48 am

I wouldnt know whether I have an accent.

Dariune · Post by **Dariune** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:51 am

I love irish accents. Cant get enough of them. Never understood why some find the english accent hot though.

Kahless · Post by **Kahless** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:52 am

neoni wrote:i always find it weird when americans talk about 'british accents', unless you're using it as an umbrella term for literally hundreds of completely different accents, then it's meaningless. from east to west they're nothing like each other, and from cornwall to inverness they probably wouldn't understand each other at all.

What I don't get is when English people have trouble telling a Belfast accent apart from Dublin or even Cork

Koba · Post by **Koba** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 6:03 am

I speak in a westcountry accent, I don't think it's that strong but everyone seems to notice it (hense everyone calls me a farmer). Thing is, when I went to America, they thought I was Australian, as they don't seem to realise it's a variant of a British accent.
But I love speaking to my Irish relatives, that is the best accent to listen to! They're from County Claire, generally.

Genghis Khant · Post by **Genghis Khant** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 9:24 am

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British/Irish accents

What do you, as a foreigner, think of British/Irish accents?

British/Irish accents