Accents - A hindrance?
 

Does having a strong regional accent affect peoples lives? Is there an accent you'd never take seriously? For instance if in court and there was a judge with a strong regional accent, would you be taken aback and just never expect it? Could you imagine a teacher speaking like Jade Goody? A solicitor speaking like John Bishop?

Well not everyone who has the same accent Jade Goody has would speak like she did in BB3. Very uneducated etc, so I don't think it's the accent but more the person.

And there's lots of Liverpudlians who are solicitors and things like that. I work with a scouser who uses a telephone voice where she doesn't speak with a thick accent but tries to sound clearer in meetings. If she sat there and spoke like a scouser at a football match; slurring and speaking very fast then yeah but people speak differently in different situations.

So, it's not the accent but more how the person themselves come across and the tone of voice they use.

And the twins from BB8, if they were in a courtroom you couldn't take them seriously but someone else with their accent would be more grown up and formal. lol

There is probably more positive discrimination for regional accents now than negative such as in the dumbing down of the BBC, although some top universities have been known to take a really snooty attitude to regional accents.

Accents don't bother me,in fact nothing about people would make me not want to be friendly to them or learn more about them, whether it was accents,how they sound,the way they look and dress.

You just have to get on with it. If you don't understand what people have said just ask them to repeat themselves. Understand accents? That's the least of our problems in this country! What about understanding a load of ethnic minorities who can't speak English?

Send them back.

:hugesmile: I know most can speak English. But there is still some that hardly speak any of it! Have a job in England and still expect us to understand them! :S

Your opinions are a bit like Hitler's in a way

Accents dont bother me at all.

There has actually been a website set up called Aye Can were you can go and listen to Scottish people from different areas speaking to see if you can understand what they are saying, surely our accents arent that difficult to understand :conf:

well Janet street Porters accent is not hugely different to Jade Goodys and they couldnt be more opposite. JSP is regarded as a strong independent woman and respected journo.

Its more about what you say than how you say it. These days strong accents are very prevelent in the media so theyre certainly far more accepted. Even newsreaders have them which was unheard of not so long ago.

I have quite a lot of family up in Northumberland and I often struggle to understand their Geordie accent :laugh: They're normally fine though, but there are some accents which grate on me lol

My accent is mixed (London/Kentish/Sussex/Devonshire) so I have quite an understandable and clear accent. Not many people struggle with mine.

Although some deep Cornish/Devonshire accents are sometimes hard to understand down in these parts.

I like Janet Street Porter and the way she talks. I like people with a strong, clear voice. That what Janet has and what her personality is like. I love her on Loose Women!

I understood Jade as well. I mean she was quite limited in her vocabulary. But bless Jade. She was mostly harmless. Bar the racism.

I am from Yorkshire and have quite a clear, understandble accent. It's not strong Yorkshire. Probably quite suttle Yorkshire. Sometimes people say I speak Posh! Usually I do round people I don't know too well and if I am nervous. I talk a bit slow too. I know talking slow can get on people's nerves but I can't help it. I had to go to Speech therapy when I was younger. I should move to America. A lot of Americans speak slow and that. I think I would feel at home there! :)

Most Scottish no, but from the Highlands indeed they can be difficult. I have a few family from there and struggle so much to understand them.

Karly from bb10. Lol a few times she was a bit hard to understand.

I watched a documentory about a Scottish womens prison last night and they put subtitles up for some of the actual Scots. Have to admit I was surprised. :shocked:

Im starting to find strong welsh accents annoying. Too many on TV now.

its like tv bosses think theyre the in thing. No.

I don't think shows like 'The only Way is Essex' help. Never watched it but saw a few on Alan Carrs show and just wanted to slap one silly cow

:lovedup:


sorry but my taste is way way downmarket at times...

Capital of India? :laugh3:

I'd sometimes struggle to understand a strong Scottish accent but I love it so much I don't care what ye are saying:joker:

I lived in Boston for a small bit when I was younger and they couldn't understand me at all, ended up having to speak really, really slow to save myself repeating everything I said 50 times. I also lived in London for a couple of years but I didn't have much trouble there, people seemed to understand me fine mostly (or else we were having completely different conversations all the time:shocked: )

ah wa ya chaten abut thurs natun wron wit ma accen ya wee britiss scum. ifv a wanne speack how a speack a do that.

In all honesty, I don't really think they are now. Most people can merge from their general accent to a slightly more clearer diction. Those that go speaking in slang/very heavy accent in inapropriate situations I feel have personal skills that hinder them rather than their accent.

yeah, I agree with that ^

I believe regional accents are fading forever. A young person from Leeds now doesn't sound like a Hovis commercial from 50 years ago. Eventually the entire worlds population will all have the same accent.

People from Leeds have awful accents :bored: