Question Of The Day, Saturday 20th Of June.

[Norachan]

Good morning!



What accents do you like? Are there any accents that you really can't stand to listen to?

I really like Southern Irish accents, they sound so musical! Russian accents are cool too, I love the way some words are stressed and stretched out in Russian pronunciation.

I'm not too keen on New York accents, New Yorkers always sound like they're kind of annoyed with everyone. Birmingham accents aren't that nice either. Somehow people who speak with a Brummie accent sound bored.

How about you? What do you think about different accents?

 

[Jem]

I love an Irish accent and Australian accent. I also love a Scottish accent (think Sean Connery)
As for accents that aren't my favorite, I'm not a fan of thick Indian accents or french African / Haitian accents. Not because of how they sound or the people. It's just my ears can't hear thru the accent and I can't for the life of me understand what they are saying. I feel embarrassed when I have to get them to repeat 3, 4, 5 times just to get a hint of what they said.
There is this woman, she is lovely but she speaks french and is from Haiti, and I've had to converse with her for work. I swear she must think I am either chronically constipated or always angry because I concentrate so hard on trying to understand her on the first try. I don't have a poker face at all so you can read me like a book.

 

[Mia6]

I like OZ accents, Irish, Scotch, British, French, Italian. I can't think of any I don't like.

 

[Lola3791]

I like most accents. I love listening to people talk with accents (is that weird?). My grandfather has a thick Mainer accent and it is interesting to listen to.
The only accent I can think of that I do not like is Canadian (sorry TCS Canadians).

 

[susanm9006]

Minnesota has its own accent (see the movie Fargo). I do not have the strongest of it, which I call the Norwegian bachelor farmer accent, but it is still clearly Minnesotan. If you want to hear the bachelor farmer accent pull up an old video of a children’s show called Axel and His Dog.

 

[Jem]

The only accent I can think of that I do not like is Canadian (sorry TCS Canadians).

Not offended, just curious...
What is it about our accent you don't like? I know there are few little differences between our pronunciation and US pronunciation but I honestly don't hear much of a difference (unless you compare us to the southern drawl or NY accents for example). FYI, the "stereotypical" Canadian accent you hear used for comedic reasons is not how we all talk, that's more in the eastern provinces.
I know people tend to not be able to hear their own accents, but I know we don't sound THAT different....do we?

 

[maggiedemi]

Accents are so sexy! I love Australian, British, Irish, Scottish, and Southern USA.

 

[maggiedemi]

The only accent I can think of that I do not like is Canadian

Canadians have an accent? I don't notice it. They do say "Eh" a lot, but other than that, I think they sound like us Upstate New Yorkers.

 

[susanm9006]

Canadians have an accent? I don't notice it. They do say "Eh" a lot, but other than that, I think they sound like us Upstate New Yorkers.

I can always pick out a Canadian by their accent. I think though it, like US accents, are regional. The “Eh” is definitely a tell but not as much as the Minnesota “Uff Dah”.

 

[Lola3791]

Canadians have an accent? I don't notice it. They do say "Eh" a lot, but other than that, I think they sound like us Upstate New Yorkers.

Yes, some Canadians do. They say words like out and house differently.

 

[Willowy]

The only accent I can think of that I do not like is Canadian

Oh soarry, dontcha knoh. I'll get oat of the hoase (O sounds like the sound in boat. Some people say it sounds like "oot" but I hear "oat").

I think middle Canadians have an accent similar to Minnesotans. I do catch myself having a Minnesotan accent sometimes. An Eastern South Dakotan accent is mild but somewhere between a Western twang and Minnesotan. Gets thicker as you go North. Yes, the Fargo accents were exaggerated but not by much!

I tend to like the British-type accents, although some are so thick I can't understand. I can't think of any I don't like, although Germans always sound angry to me (or maybe that's years of conditioning from movies having Germans as the bad guys ).

 

[Lola3791]

Not offended, just curious...
What is it about our accent you don't like?
I know people tend to not be able to hear their own accents, but I know we don't sound THAT different....do we?

No, you do not sound that different. Your accent only comes out with specific words (like out or house). I can not really explain why I do not like that accent; it is just different.

 

[denice]

I like the British accent that is often referred to as BBC accent. I think it is from the London area. It is what most people in the U.S. think of as British. When I was stationed in Germany I met some people from northern England and their accent is very different. It took me a little time to acclimate to it so I could understand them.

 

[Jem]

Your accent only comes out with specific words (like out or house).

I do catch myself emphasizing the "U" in those words sometimes eh! lol!

 

[GingersFloofs]

I like Irish, Scottish, British, and Australian accents the best. I can't really think of any I don't like, but I do find some hard to understand.

 

[jcat]

For native English speakers, Scottish (though the Glaswegian accent is too thick) and South African. For non-native speakers, French, though most of them seem to hate the way they sound when speaking English. I find it charming. I'm so used to German-accented English (I taught English to German students for decades) that I really can't judge it (though hearing some Germans try to pronounce "squirrel" can be hysterical).

 

[Lola3791]

though hearing some Germans try to pronounce "squirrel" can be hysterical.

How do they pronounce it?

 

[jcat]

How do they pronounce it?

It's so hard for them there are even YouTube videos:

 

[susanm9006]

I am not so keen on the Boston accent. All those missing “R’s” kind of bother me.

 

[Willowy]

Hehe. I know a guy with a strong. . .I think New York accent. It sounds Bostonian but I'm pretty sure he's from NYC. His grandson's name is Parker. When the kid was born he said "Pahkah, what kinda name is Pahkah?!?" I told him if he said it right it would sound better, lol.

I thought the stereotype of Canadians saying "eh" was exaggerated, because all the Canadians I've met around here are from middle Canada and they just sound like Northern Minnesotans. But I went to Niagara Falls with some friends once and all the border agents were like "lemme see your passport eh" and we thought that was so funny. It's not a question or emphasized, just eh.