Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 The London accents have evolved, though. Just listen to the soundtracks of newsreels from the fifties or forties and compare with now. Only the older gits like Norman have retained the black and white, Ealing comedy accents of yore. Myself? born in the sound of Heathrow airport on the A40 at Perivale - hardly a true Londoner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
s2rrr Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 My boss is an estuary boy, by eck does he get some stick - behind his back, but he doesn't understand or care he's the only one with a different accent to the locals. Doesn't help the cause of anyone from down South in the slightest. One of his famous quotes was during a reasonably important meeting he just came out with shaaaat aaap, apparently something off TOWIE. To say we were unimpressed with his lack of professionalism and apparent rudeness is an understatement. Never mind it takes all sorts. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Not many true cocknies around the Wigan area , but I did once have the pleasure of playing with one of the most the famous in his day " Nat Gonella " , if anyone here is old enough to remember him , and never had a problem understanding his accent Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Not a trace of an accent, me, as illustrated in the entries in my diary, which were stolen and published without consent in the latest issue of WW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Bernie, Nat was well known around the East End of London. He grew up with Lynne's grandfather and her father also knew him well. His name brings back fond memories of him and his music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Scott, I don't think you have much of an American accent left, but it's still there. I've found that Americans (another generalisation, but from those I've met, about 0.0000000000001%) don't recognise accents. We were on a Mississippi paddle steamer dinner boat thingie at New Orleans. There were 12 people at our table. One chap sitting opposite us had the broadest Bronx accent I think it's possible to get. Straight out of the pre war movies. Anyway, I asked him where he lived now, since leaving the Bronx. I assumed, correctly, that he was retired and living in Florida or, maybe, California. He started to answer, confirming he did indeed come from the Bronx when a blue rinse lady started to exclaim that I must know him otherwise how did I know he came from New York. I tried to explain but she, and the rest of the table, wouldn't believe I knew from his accent. They all swore that I wouldn't be able to tell as he had no accent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pistonbroke Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I dont get this knocking people for having an "accent" , personally I love hearing hearing people speak there own dialect , I pride myself on being able to tell most people where they come from after hearing a few words. The ones I always found most difficult to understand are from North Cumbria , a sort of cross between asmatic geordie and gutteral glaswegian I remember one chap who fooled me though , after hearing him speak I couldn't decide where from , germany somewhere or maybe austrian ? when I asked him he made me play the guessing game which I gave up eventually, he then told me he was Bavarian , to which I replied that if he had clicked his heels a few times whilst talking i would have got it straight off Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M444TTB Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I've always wondered whether it's true that the Austrian accent is the German version of the wider West-Country English accent?! Allegedly this is why Arnie was allowed to do his own voiceover for the Terminator films! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I dont get this knocking people for having an "accent" I didn't see it as "knocking", more like discussing why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham0127 Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I grew up in TOWIE land only 3 miles from the Sugar Hut,I think it was called the White Hart then.It was a very middle class town and I am really lucky to have grown up there........Today Iive twenty miles down the road in the `STICKS` and may as well live on the Moon.........I now think of Brentwood as EastEast London.with a twang of ........well.......weird .......street slang accent......Love real East Enders though me old fruit gums. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Green Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I met my wife 15 years ago.The first WOW was her accent.........still together & still don`t understand her. I can understand this. Yvonne was born in Birmingham so generally, we have a one-sided conversation! In fact, had Yvonne appeared in "Top Gun", she would have "Benny the Brummie" emblazoned on her helmet. I will scarper now. :d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 There are some strange accents about... one I heard recently, on a programe about British POWs who'd settled in this country. This German born chap had married a local and had lived in Scotland since the war... sounded very weird. And, the white Jamaican accent takes you by suprise a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Colonial Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 I remember first coming to the UK in 1987 and hearing Moira Stuart's luscious sexy voice for the first time when she read the news... She's still got a great voice, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M444TTB Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 She's better now I'd say. Slightly less 'stiff' than I remember her sounding on BBC News when I was little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man On The Clapham Omnibus Posted January 1, 2013 Share Posted January 1, 2013 Accents are terrific and fascinating - I often ask near-strangers about their speech because it's the only way to learn the subtleties of the English language. What I do not like much are 'assumed' accents and especially slovenly speech. You can be pleasant to hear from anywhere if you don't swallow your words and speak lazily. From Norfolk to Wester Ross there's going to be someone whose voice is a delight. I met a lavatory cleaner in West Wycombe many years ago and not only did he tell me a lot about the beautiful village of West Wycombe (home of the Hell Fire Caves and St Lawrence Church with the golden ball on top on the Oxford Road towards Stokenchurch) but he had the most astonishing Chilterns accent despite being only a maximum of thirty miles as the crow flies from Marble Arch! Please don't let us all sink to sounding like a synthesiser. Just a few to savour: Toshiro Mifune (Grand Prix film and others), Alastair Cook the late diarist, Richard Burton, Philip Madoc, Charlotte Green the BBC newsreader, and sexiest of all the Cadbury's Caramel Rabbit voiced by Miriam Margolyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.