How many British accents are there?

[Webb]

Siobhan Thompson of Anglophenia gives a wonderful verbal tour of the British Isles, performing 17 of the regional accents found in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

YouTube

I'm rather partial to the Edinburgh accent from Trainspotting (NSFW language).

YouTube

[Fozzer]

In the United Kingdom I can instantly recognise all the various English speaking regional accents, and from what area they originate.

But in the USA, to me, all the American-English accents, from all the various States, all seem to sound the same, with the classic "Red-neck" drawl which we are so familiar with in typical news broadcasts, etc, particularly by the females!

Although they all speak "English", none of them seem to sound anything like our various UK accents, which always make me wonder how the "English" language came to be the dominant language in the USA, with so many immigrants from non-English speaking countries all round the World!

...just look at all those German-speaking Germans!....>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigratio ... ted_States

Paul...fascinated by languages and accents..... ...!

My natural accent is "Cockney English" from the London area where I was born, slightly modified by my Herefordshire accent where I now live.

Counties:...>>> http://county-wise.org.uk/counties/ ...all speaking slightly differently!.... ...!

[Webb]

The "redneck drawl" is middle America and is interpreted as no accent.

I can identify several other Southern accents - Gulf Coast, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Carolinas/Virginia ...

Then we have the northeast - think "Kennedy" and if you have ever seen Fargo or Great White North a northern midwest, almost Canadian, eh.

Fargo

[Steve M]

Most interesting US accent that I've heard is Cajun from southern Louisiana, New Orleans maybe, southern dialect with some old world French mixed in. UK Accents.. probably Scottish because if they talk to fast I can't catch up. British accent for me would be around Liverpool, trying to keep up requires all of my attention.

[H]

How many?
All are accidents.... oops, accents.
A true Englishman circa 1066 would have a difficult time understanding the Norman-English-derived modern iteration, regardless of accents; that's inclusive of the @ 50% that is actually derived from the original Old English since the pronunciation has drastically changed even in England. Obviously, there will be other differences according to where the language is used in the world.

[Fozzer]

Webb mentioned the North Dakota area accent in the film "Fargo"....>>>>

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TF3z-j8o39I

Every time I watch that film and listen to the accents....it shouts to me...DUTCH! (Northern European).

I suspect that many immigrants in the Northern States bordering Canada, came from Holland, Scandinavia, etc, and still retain some of that accent?

Yeah?

The accent which grates on my teeth the most, is the Southern "Alabama" area accent.
New Yorkers seem "normal"....(neutral)... ...!

Paul.... ...!

Scottish accent?...>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7VoFiagfs ...figure that out!.... ...!

[mustangaroo]

Thankfully I have mastered OKINESE [okie speak] which seems to translate well except for isolated pockets near Fargo, Bemidji, Cohasset, and Grand Rapids....all of these are on the way to Duluth going from west to east. Those locals will stare with mouths agape just hoping for some words of wisdom....or more anticipation of coffee shop gossip. For the most part I do like the west texas word chewers because they seem to taste the words before saying them.

[H]

Scottish accent?...>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7VoFiagfs ...figure that out!

When William the Bastard/Conqueror took the English crown and his henchmen were given possession of formerly native English land, many native English jumped the Roman walls, my own ancestral Anglo-Saxon family included (joining the McDonalds and deriving our own tartans). However, the Scottish influence on our pronunciation seems to have been lost on our migration from Scotland to the U.S. via the Isle of Mann. The paternal side of my Mom's family originally ranged from Ireland and across the Irish Sea in Scotland but, I think, her speech (and, thusly, mine) was influenced more by her mother (Costain). You'd never a clue to my Scottish ancestry by my speech.
As to the U.S. northern midwest, there were many Lutheran churches that I was involved in making furniture and decorations for, especially in Minnesota and Wisconsin; very many Scandinavian immigrants relocated in the midwest.

[Fozzer]

Of the various English accents, I think my favourite is the Yorkshire accent...solid!
The Birmingham (Midland) accent is comical.... ...!
The West Counties, (Somerset, Gloucestershire, etc) is "countryfied"....Baaaa!
The Home Counties (surrounding London) are neutral English accents.

My least favourite accent is the Liverpool (Lancashire) Merseyside accent... ...>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouse

Paul....Accentuating the positive.... ...!

[Hagar]

Scottish accent?...>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7VoFiagfs ...figure that out!

When William the Bastard/Conqueror took the English crown and his henchmen were given possession of formerly native English land, many native English jumped the Roman walls, my own ancestral Anglo-Saxon family included (joining the McDonalds and deriving our own tartans). However, the Scottish influence on our pronunciation seems to have been lost on our migration from Scotland to the U.S. via the Isle of Mann. The paternal side of my Mom's family originally ranged from Ireland and across the Irish Sea in Scotland but, I think, her speech (and, thusly, mine) was influenced more by her mother (Costain). You'd never a clue to my Scottish ancestry by my speech.
As to the U.S. northern midwest, there were many Lutheran churches that I was involved in making furniture and decorations for, especially in Minnesota and Wisconsin; very many Scandinavian immigrants relocated in the midwest.

8)

There is more than one Scottish accent. Rab C Nesbitt in that clip is a caricature of the almost unintelligible rough Glaswegian dialect. Football manager Sir Alex Ferguson has lived in England for many years but still retains his strong Glaswegian accent. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY6SH8vzWtQ

Billy Connolly is another example of a Glaswegian while Sir Sean Connery hails from Edinburgh, just 50 miles to the east. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xvkbs6xYM94

[BLAZE]

... ...

{ Great white north eh! }

[alrot]

never mind this thread, American accent is the best TAKE A LOOK


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4Dfa4fOEY


and if someone has any idea what they're saying let me know



Alex

[Fozzer]

never mind this thread, American accent is the best TAKE A LOOK


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4Dfa4fOEY


and if someone has any idea what they're saying let me know



Alex

That's not English, Alex.... ....

...that's American!

I can spot the difference right away!

Paul....In England.... ...!

..... ....!

[Rifleman]

Is Geordie really considered an accent or just an altogether different language in itself......howay then !

[Hagar]

never mind this thread, American accent is the best TAKE A LOOK


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vt4Dfa4fOEY


and if someone has any idea what they're saying let me know



Alex

That's what most modern films sound like to me these days. I have to enable the subtitles on my TV to understand what they're mumbling.

Is Geordie really considered an accent or just an altogether different language in itself......howay then !

Not an accent but a dialect. Difference between accent & dialect