I noticed how close places like Liverpool, Bolton, Manchester and Wales are to each other yet their accents are so amazingly unique and they sound great. I know communities used to move around less in the past but was has caused such contrasts in the way these people speak?
2006-09-10 06:49:50 · 17 answers · asked by Jabba_da_hut_07 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
i absolutely ADORE Australian accents their soo sexy and brooklyn accents are pretty kool my mom's from brooklyn and i laugh everytime she says socca (meaning soccer)
2006-09-10 08:00:22 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'm French and have been leaving in London for almost a year. In London alone, you hear so many different accents, because people have moved to London from different places in the UK (I won't go into accents from different parts of the world).
I love British accents. I can never guess where people are from, but I don't know why, it's great! But it's not just the accent: it's also how you pronounce vowels differently.
For the man who talked about the queen's English... The problem is not the accent, I think. The "problem" is when people don't speak correctly (bad grammar, etc.). We have the same problem in France. Well, I guess it's everywhere, anyway.
My favourite accent is the working-class accent from Manchester. It sounds very manly - well, that was my ex-boyfriend's accent, so that may explain why I like it so much!
The only thing that I find a pity is the fact that accents are not only linked with regions or towns, but with social class. And Britain is class-conscious. I mean, I'm sure we are also class-conscious in France, but definitely not as much as in Britain. I guess that's why Mr queen's accent despises other accents: he must be afraid of being mistaken for someone from a different social class!!! Ridiculous!
Anyway. I hope I'll be able to understand all your accents one day, and maybe even be able to locate where people are from. But it's really deifficult, above all when you live in London because it's really mixed so you don't get used to one accent only. Also, there are people from all over the English-speaking world, so that makes things even more difficult.
2006-09-10 16:18:54 · answer #2 · answered by Offkey 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My own little theory as a linguist is that accents actually change slower than languages, and are explained by the original language/accent of people who used to live in an area.
Even a small country like Ireland has 3 very distinctive groups of accents, Germany has at least 5 groups of very different dialects, with many subdivisions.
The difference of Britain to other European countries is the snobbery. In other European countries regional accents mean just that, they don't denote inferiority to the standard, as long as they are understandable.
2006-09-11 07:46:35 · answer #3 · answered by haggesitze 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I understand the Liverpool accent is essentially Dublin. Have you ever been to Nottingham and Mansfield? They are only ten miles apart, same county, but the accent could hardly be more different, yet the accents in Lincoln, Derby and, to a lesser extent Leicester, are almost totally alike! Fascinating!
I sometimes find myself listening to the accent rather than the meaning, and so lose track of what is being said. Bit embarrassing, really.
2006-09-10 14:17:47 · answer #4 · answered by ALAN Q 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Accents are fantastic, not only in english but in many other languages. I know/recognize most regional accents from Spain, some from France and a couple from Italy. Then there are all the british ones, plus the brogue from Ireland, and the Scots. Then the ones in the US, southern "drawl" or texan "twang" Bostonion "propah" english, and the australian accents too. I wish I could remember all!!
2006-09-10 20:06:22 · answer #5 · answered by abuela Nany 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I've never really thought about it.
However I do struggle to get my head round the idea of other nationalities having regional accents as we do.
I think this goes both ways as many foreigners can't spot different british accents.
2006-09-10 13:53:23 · answer #6 · answered by Kingy 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yeah they're cool. Apparently the Lancashire accent was originally so because women mouthed quite a lot of their words to be understood over the noise of the mills!
2006-09-10 13:55:51 · answer #7 · answered by gerbiltamer 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Accents give each place their own identity I read phlodgeybodge's reply what a hypocrite if he wants Queens English he shouldn't use a name like that
2006-09-10 13:59:53 · answer #8 · answered by braveheart321 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I like the italian accent
2006-09-10 17:56:27 · answer #9 · answered by Sky 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I Do!!
I Think British And South African Accents Are awesome!!!
2006-09-10 13:53:17 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
I like listening to different accents but it's weird people finding your own amazing/funny etc.
2006-09-10 14:16:40 · answer #11 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋