Originally Posted by Zaphod

I would imagine the whole lot of you have strong accents to me.

I don't have a strong accent, really. Well, maybe to you folks I would. When I lived in Texas a guy came very close to identifying where I was from originally by saying western Pennsylvania (I grew up just south of Pittsburgh in West Virginia). But I probably sound a lot like American TV newscasters you might hear with an occasional southern "ya'll" thrown in for good measure.

I had never really considered such a thing as an "American accent" until a girl from Ipswich once said to me "I love your American accent!" I'd always thought of a southern accent, a Brooklyn accent, a Boston accent -- but never an American one. You live and learn, I guess....

I like most of the American accents but there are some I don't. I wouldn't have a clue where they came from though. An educated American accent is typical of the kind I like, perhaps someone like a newsreader, like you said. I do like the New York city accent and probably my favouite 'talker' of all time, not necessarily his accent, was Carl Sagan.

the only American person i know is a lass at my brothers uni. she has a well sexy accent from Arizona

Originally Posted by jonesy

Same as Welsh accents, most people think we all sound the same, but West, South and North are all very different. Not to mention Cardiff and Newport who has accents all of their own.

I know what you mean. Not long ago I was watching a series on History International (originally produced by ITV, I think), called The Adventure of English. I was shocked to learn that there were so many variations in accent around the U.K. Not just English, Welsh, Scottish and Cockney! Apparently we here in the states do have far less variations because the original British settlers came from so many different places and all the different accents merged and dropped away -- giving you us!

Originally Posted by Zaphod

I know what you mean. Not long ago I was watching a series on History International (originally produced by ITV, I think), called The Adventure of English. I was shocked to learn that there were so many variations in accent around the U.K. Not just English, Welsh, Scottish and Cockney! Apparently we here in the states do have far less variations because the original British settlers came from so many different places and all the different accents merged and dropped away -- giving you us!

I know dialect and accent fascinate me. I guess when you speak more than one language it helps to see the patterns in speech. We've some great dialects over here, virtually languages in their own right. Geordie's a good example, as is Tyke and Cockney.

A lot of Welsh first settled in Pensylvania didn't they? Or have I got that wrong?

Originally Posted by gbnine

I like most of the American accents but there are some I don't. I wouldn't have a clue where they came from though. An educated American accent is typical of the kind I like, perhaps someone like a newsreader, like you said. I do like the New York city accent and probably my favouite 'talker' of all time, not necessarily his accent, was Carl Sagan.

I always liked Carl Sagan myself. I was fascinated by his "Cosmos" series.

I find all accents interesting, really. The accents in New England sound the most "British." Southern accents can be quite charming if they're not too rough. The accents around New York City (Brooklyn, Queens, New Jersey, etc.) are just funny. A lot of people in Appalachia are Scots-Irish and you can still detect a bit of it in the accents. I don't really notice much of a difference between my accent and people from the midwest or the western states, but there are differences.

Originally Posted by jonesy

I know dialect and accent fascinate me. I guess when you speak more than one language it helps to see the patterns in speech. We've some great dialects over here, virtually languages in their own right. Geordie's a good example, as is Tyke and Cockney.

A lot of Welsh first settled in Pensylvania didn't they? Or have I got that wrong?

No, you're absolutely right. A lot of Welsh settled in Pennsylvania and here in Virginia. I even know of a town in Pennsylvania called Gwynedd! I mean, how Welsh is that?!! A lot of the Quakers who settled in Pennsylvania were Welsh.

I have a proper Northern accent... and by Northern, I don't mean Geordie as they are a compass point on their own - they don't count as Northern!

Hartlepudlians sound very similar to Smoggies so yea, a strong Northern accent.

I'd say I like the Scottish accents (Chewin' the Fat is a hilarious Scottish sitcom for those of you who haven't heard it before and think that all Scottish accents are the same! (Still Game was a spin off of Chewin' the Fat))

I also like the cockney accent and I sometimes like the Scouse accent - but I hate whiney voices so I'd probably say that a man's accent sounds better than a woman's.

Originally Posted by jonesy

I love scouse accents, well cute! Yes I've got an accent... Pretty strong too, I would imagine.

Originally Posted by wednesday4life

scouse accents get on me tits- the men sound female, and the women.................

Originally Posted by Artetas Gem

i have a wigan with a scouse twang in it hehe

I love a scouse accent,the scottish and the irish

Originally Posted by Middlesbrough No1 Fan

the is a total difference. don't sound anything alike.
i like the scouse accent on a woman but cant stand it on blokes

I have always noticed that women love our accents and The fellas hate it (Jealousy ey?)

Originally Posted by jonesy

Yes I guess its probably regional within the area. Which area of L'pool has the squeaky accents and which has the nice ones?

More a case of the personality than the region.
I am from the South of the city & have mates who sound just like Carra who is from Bootle(North Liverpool)

Oh, the Irish accentS are lovely as well!

I not only love the Scottish accent, but I love their slang, too! "Dober" means "idiot", "how" means "why" and "dict" means "clean"

A: I'm going to the shop ye wee dober
B: How
C: Fih polish tee harrrv a wee dict aboot

Originally Posted by wednesday4life

scouse accents get on me tits- the men sound female, and the women.................

We have to live with the fact that the Crowd from over the water often get mistaken for being Scouse!
Well let me put you right- "Jerk-in-bed" is not a part of Liverpool! I know they pretend to be when they are on thier hols but they are totally different to us! They try & talk like us but Thier Gay-ness always shines through!

You may or not remember the Kop song from the 90's:

"He Runs down the wing & he talks like a Queer- Hey McAteer"

i don't really have an accent although i'm Cornish born and bred, people are somtimes mistaken when they think of the cornish accent they think we are all 'oo-er me 'andsome' but the majority of us aren't. i'm from mid-cornwall so its not as bad here, but the closer u get to lands end the stronger the accent gets.
accents i like is the geordie accents (thats growing up with Ant and Dec) and i dont mind a cockney twang to a voice. but my fav accents are foreign people talking english, especially the spainish and italians

Originally Posted by gunner_girl91

i don't really have an accent although i'm Cornish born and bred, people are somtimes mistaken when they think of the cornish accent they think we are all 'oo-er me 'andsome' but the majority of us aren't. i'm from mid-cornwall so its not as bad here, but the closer u get to lands end the stronger the accent gets.
accents i like is the geordie accents (thats growing up with Ant and Dec) and i dont mind a cockney twang to a voice. but my fav accents are foreign people talking english, especially the spainish and italians

Que????

Originally Posted by gunner_girl91

i don't really have an accent although i'm Cornish born and bred, people are somtimes mistaken when they think of the cornish accent they think we are all 'oo-er me 'andsome' but the majority of us aren't. i'm from mid-cornwall so its not as bad here, but the closer u get to lands end the stronger the accent gets.
accents i like is the geordie accents (thats growing up with Ant and Dec) and i dont mind a cockney twang to a voice. but my fav accents are foreign people talking english, especially the spainish and italians

Do you just like the London accent though, or the cockney accent? Because a cockney accent is very specific to a certain part of London, not just "daaan Saaaooouth" lol.

I have to agree I love the Italians speaking English! It is very ooo-errr!

Oh, and everyone has an accent, GG, even if it's not a "strong" recognised one!

Originally Posted by poolie_chick

Oh, and everyone has an accent, GG, even if it's not a "strong" recognised one!

true, but i think if you heard me talk you wouldnt be able to guess where i'm from

Mikel Arteta talking in any accent is sexy (english,catalan,basque,spanish,porteguise italian,french he is very talented)