One of the responses to a Vampreycat post mentioned how poorly americans do with Brittish accents
Are the specific local and regional accents in Great Britain disappearing? I know in the US a lot of the old local accents are pretty much gone or close to being gone with only the older folk still speaking in the local accent.
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 11:57, 39 replies, latest was 16 years ago)

I still can't understand most people from Scotland
so no.
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:00, Reply)

I would agree
Undoubtedly the very local distinctions between accents have been eroded due to the ubiquity of travel these days, but some places still have very strong accents and/or dialects.

The north east of Scotland is a case in point. Even I have trouble understanding someone from deepest Aberdeenshire, and it's only 80 miles away!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:05, Reply)

Doric is incredibly hard to understand.
Coming from the far North though and living further south now, I've had great experience in adjusting and adapting my ear and my tongue (oo-er) for whatever situation.
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:10, Reply)

Give me a lot of alcohol.
And a recording device.
( Cawl, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:03, Reply)

No they're not disappearing
I find a Geordie colleague particularly hard to understand.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:06, Reply)

The Geordie accent
is my favourite of all the accents. Never fails to make me smile.

Unlike Scouse, which makes me subconsciously grab hold of my wallet for safekeeping.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:10, Reply)

Michael from Partridge
Is Geordie at its best. (Despite the actor not being from Newcastle but hey ho)..
( whenanimalsattackhumans clad in global hypercolour, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:11, Reply)

Geordie's lovely
I actually like a Scouse accent, but the Scally accent is horrific. Scally is all forced and phlegmy, Scouse is gentle and flowing.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:11, Reply)

Well said wor lad.
:)
( Davros' Granddad a voice of calm reason in a world of spastics., Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:18, Reply)

There's about fifteen noticeable accents
within a twenty-mile radius of my town.

So, no.

Plus, I think the American stereotype English accent we see in films and tv is based on World War 2 movies and is incredibly out of date.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:11, Reply)

As far as I've seen,
American film makers don't seem to realise there are more accents in th UK than upper-class posh twat and cockney.
(Applebite Uh! A cow!, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:15, Reply)

:(

( Cawl, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:17, Reply)

Ive still got a bit of a farmers twang
And I be's a young-un
(Is this a good idea? ... Yes this is definitely a good idea, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:13, Reply)

Many people from the south of England
can't differentiate between regional Scottish accents. (This is merely an observation, not a criticism, by the way, as I'm the same with many English accents). This leads to howlers like that character in EastEnders who's supposed to be from Edinburgh but speaks with the broadest of Glasgow accents likely to be heard on national television.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:14, Reply)

I can tell the difference between a glaswegian accent and an edinburgh accent
Glaswegian sounds like they're about to punch you no matter what they're actually saying, whereas Edinburgh flows more and is softer
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:18, Reply)

Yes
Glaswegian has more of a tonal variation, in that the inflections are greater. Edinburgh accents tend to be 'posher'. Then again, Edinburgh people tend to be posher too. Or at least they have that opinion of themselves!
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:21, Reply)

I think there is a difference
between differentiating, and actually knowing which one is which. I know there is a difference between the various bits of scotland (with edinburgh/glasgow being one obvious one) and if you had two people I would know they were from different places, but couldn't just tell you which one was which from listening to it.
(Bazongaloid, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:18, Reply)

I've noticed recently
that in almost any american film or tv show that if they have a british person then they make them say "bloody" all the time, just to show that extra little bit of britishness.

bloody twats
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:17, Reply)

Wankers!
Bollocks!
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:20, Reply)

Bugger!
Arse!
(Applebite Uh! A cow!, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:22, Reply)

DRINK!

(Is this a good idea? ... Yes this is definitely a good idea, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:48, Reply)

No
Judging by the people sat around me.

I hate the Scouse accent. And find the Brum one funny.
(Land of Green Ginger It's dreamy weather, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:18, Reply)

You really couldn't take anyone with a West Midlands accent seriously

( fuck shit up the best you never had, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:23, Reply)

Get one of them to read Latin
It's hilarious
(Land of Green Ginger It's dreamy weather, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:24, Reply)

I bet
shit, need to find one now
( fuck shit up the best you never had, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:31, Reply)

You know where to try, don't you?
The West Midlands.
(Land of Green Ginger It's dreamy weather, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:36, Reply)

I did Latin GCSE
But don't have a Brummy accent. Keep trying.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:38, Reply)

Dulce et decorum est
pro patria mori.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 13:20, Reply)

I've been spending
A lot of time in Wales of late.
The accent isn't much of a problem for me, but some of the words they use are either totally made up, or have a different meaning to the English-version.

I got warned that I "might get skagged" when we were walking around an abandoned military base.
Of course, I set about looking for discarded, dirty needles.
Turns out that "skag" means "scratch", not "heroin".
( Cawl, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:23, Reply)

I love the Welsh accent
I blame Catherine Zeta-Jones.
( Noeli overtheshoulderboulderholderthingstraplatchboobs, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:24, Reply)

Of course
Welsh has regional variations too. It's just that most non-Welsh people can't hear them.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:26, Reply)

Yeah!
I'm getting the hang of the South Wales ones now.
I can kinda tell if someone's from "The Valleys" or Newport by their voice.
Or if they're from Cwmbran, I can tell by their cold, dead eyes.
( Cawl, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:28, Reply)

try living there
you soon won't like it.

my ex was welsh, welsh was her first language. used to get woken up by high-pitched, swansea accent, welsh at 7 on a saturday morning if her arse of a father phoned her.

not fun
( Vipros. clever got me this far, then tricky got me in, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:30, Reply)

Oh, I see, SuperK
You mean scarted?

Or scrieved?

(to use but two Scottish equivalents)
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:24, Reply)

Thanks,
this is really interesting.
(MichaelS wasn't picked again, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:37, Reply)

Thanks for sounding
So very interested...
( Cawl, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:38, Reply)

Talking about accents
British accents in a porn film seem wrong. Hearing some cockney wideboy saying "Oh yeah, spread that arsehole for me, darlin'", or a Yorkshire lass shouting "Stick that fat cock up me arse" is not arousing.
( Labia Majora You keep on talking but it makes no sense at all, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:45, Reply)

You've become conditioned
to expect American accents in your Porn, as American pornstars are all gorgeous and sexy. You associate British accents with the depressing reality of your own awkward, unsatisfying fumblings.
( The Light in Chains don't touch the Pope's boner, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 13:22, Reply)

Not over my way
I was brought up in a little village. Unless you are actually from that little village it is quite likely that at some point during the conversation you will accuse me of mumbling, ask me to repeat myself, both of these, or nod and smile.
( SpikeyPickle wishes he was mabazaritchie, Wed 3 Jun 2009, 12:57, Reply)