Who Speaks like This???

[TapA321 0]

Hi all,

Some of you may already have seen this woman, perhaps on youtube, and also perhaps on British TV, where I can remember them discussing her ridiculous impression. Basically, she's "teaching" the audience to speak in a typical British accent, which I presume is meant to be the typical southern English accent - there is no such thing as a British accent. Anyway - I saw her video again today and I've never heard such rubbish in my life. They were originally posted by a group called "expertvillage", but were removed by that user - probably to save the woman embarassement. Here are two examples:

I believe many Americans are also laughing at this!

Cheers,

George

[allardjd 1,853]

I hate to burst your bubble, but to this old, (admittedly not so acute any more) American set of ears and the brain in between, she doesn't sound too far off - 80% maybe. I caught several expamples where the inflection wasn't quite what I'd expect to hear from a native Brit, but not far off on most of it, from what you sound like to me.

 

I don't know the context in which the videos were made or to whom she's speaking but the pronunciations, for the most part, were pretty close to what I would expect to hear from a native Brit.

 

As for accents, I can't buy into your statement that there's no such thing as a British accent. We all have accents to someone whose inflections and speech patterns are different from ours. I suspect there are many regional differences in speech patterns in the UK too, though most of that is lost on those of us not living there - they are more alike than different to our ears, which are mostly unaccustomed to them. Scots and Irish accents are discernable, but again, much more like what we hear in England than what we hear in New England, to our ear. I doubt I could tell a Welshman from any other UK resident.

 

Most likely you would have more difficulty discerning an American Mid-West accent from someone from the Pacific Northwest - the differences are subtle but definite. New England and deep-south accents are stronger.

 

The New York/New Jersey accent is a bit like that of New England, but somewhat stronger yet and discernably different to us. You might not notice it so much, being unaccustomed to it.

 

Anyway, its certainly nothing to get in an arguement over, but I thought you might be interested in the American take on this.

 

John

[TapA321 0]

Hi John,

I'm interested to hear your examples of difference in American accents - and you're right, it is difficult for, say an American, to pick up on all the different accents that we have here in the UK, but there is still no such thing as a British accent. Made up of four countries - England, Scotland, Wales and N.Ireland, each of these places have completely different accents (the most obvious of which is the difference between the English and the Scottish accents.) Some would argue that you can refer to a British accent for any region in the UK - which is understandable, considering the four countries and therefore all the accents within these countries make up Britain and so can be referred to as a British accent. However, 99% of the time, when Americans/Australians/Canadians or any other English speaking country refer to a British accent, they are always talking about the typical southern English accent that the woman in these videos is trying to immitate. In my opinion, the accents of Britain can be generalised to English, Scottish, N.Irish and Welsh, but just to say "British" is too general.

I imagine you could probably give the same argument for many other places around the world.

Also, I'm afraid I do not agree with what you said about her being 80% correct. I have lived in this country all my life and I have never ever heard anyone speak some of the things the way she does. Nobody in this country says Coff-eh or Bobb-eh or dorg. All you have to do is listen to any British person saying Coffee, and you will realise that nobody speaks like that. I have absolutely no idea where she got that from. All she had to do was listen to any person say that and she'd realise, but somehow she managed to get it wrong.

Regards,

George

[simi_av8r 0]

@ George,

i totally agree!! What on Earth is 'Coffeh' ?? and who exactly is this 'Bobbeh' person?......oh, and i heard that next door lost their Dorg, apparently it flew away with the Zorg aliens on their flying saucer!!

@ John,

Although in the most part you're correct regards regional differences in accent, i really can't belive you think we spoke like that! Most in the UK, myself included, would say that the lady in that video was speaking with an accent that can only be described as a "posh" or "high-society" accent of the early 1900's and very rarely seen today....Both me and 'her in charge' watched the video last night and laughed so much we cried.... i'd suggest that for some real Britsh (mostly English) accents, the Americans should take a look at "Eastenders", "Coronation Street" and "The BIll" on the old and faithful YouTube, i'm pretty sure you'll all be dissapointed if you expected us all to talk like that video posted above!

[allardjd 1,853]

Her renditions of "coffee" and "bobby" were among the ones that I didn't think sounded quite right.

 

Is there much of an accent difference between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland?

 

I'm of the opinion that the differences between her pronunciations and what you hear daily are probably very distinct and jarring to you, but rather more subtle to those that aren't exposed to it all the time.

 

I understand now what you meant by no British accent - I took that to mean that those in the UK were without accent and only the rest of us had accents. I see now that's not what you meant at all.

 

I've heard Americans from most every part of the country claim to be accent-less and that everyone else has the accents.

 

What's the story on Cockney?

 

John

[simi_av8r 0]

What's the story on Cockney?

Cockney is another kettle of fish entirely! It takes some doing to try and speak, let alone understand the Cockney accent! For example, if i said that i were off ter da Cream Cookies ter put a macaroni on April Fools or that i were off to have an Apple Fritter down'ter Battle Cruiser you'd probably have very little idea what i were saying, much less so if it were in the proper cockney accent!

for those curious, here's the translations:

off ter da Cream Cookies ter put a macaroni on April Fools = Im going to the book makers to put a

[TapA321 0]

Simi, you can speak Cockney!!??

I used to have a DT teacher who was cockney, and his favourite saying was: "Stop fiddling with the Vice Handles", which always made me laugh...

Cheers,

George

[simi_av8r 0]

not exactly fluent in it, but its not really that hard...i mean try this for one:

Mutleys Hangar is the best place to talk about flight sim with great people and the truly greatest host!

becomes

Mutleys 'angar is the Mae West Drum ter Rabbit and Pork abaht flight sim wif mother's pearly gate people and the truly greatest Pillar and Post!

then you have Yorkshire dialect:

ah say me lad, Mutleys 'angar is t' best place ta call abaht fleight sim wi' girt fowk 'n t' truly greytest 'ost!

and finally, in a 'Jolly Well Spoken' accent, like in the video!:

Mutleys hangaaar is cracking place to chinwag about flight sim with spiffing old beans and ah truly spiffing host!

[SEATAC 400]

I'm an American but my wife is from England and I showed her that video. She laughed and laughed and thinks the woman is a complete moron. She never heard anyone speak like that.

[wisemanp 0]

Is there much of an accent difference between Northern Ireland and the rest of Ireland?

John

There is quite a large difference (to our ears) between the Northern accent and Republic accent. The north can be described as much harsher whilst the southern accent is soft. Of course, there are quite discernable differences between someone from Dublin and someone from Limerick or Cork...

[hurricanemk1c 195]

There is - Ulster is harsher and you need subtitles for someone from Cork or Kerry!

[allardjd 1,853]

Quote

There is - Ulster is harsher and you need subtitles for someone from Cork or Kerry!

 

That is probably the funniest line I've ever seen from you.

 

John

[wisemanp 0]

I would not be surprised if it's true though!

I was once on holiday in Austria (Who speak a dialect pretty close to High German), when on the news there was a piece from Switzerland, and they had to have subtitles, even though the Swiss man was speaking German as well!

[Aircraft Aviation 2]

Who the heck says Coffee like that!

[CSoul 182]

At first I thought it sounded right, then some holiday memories kicked in and it didn't sound right anymore. I don't recall the 'coff-eh' but I do remember one flight attendant saying 'coffeeee' with the 'eee' going on longer than what I'm used here in South Africa.