This is true, you don't sound all that Manc when you're down here in London
Though I'd be very interested to see if you exhibit a similar trend to my father, whose strength of accent seems to increase as a linear function of his proximity to Leicestershire.
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:21, 2 replies, latest was 15 years ago)

No, I worked hard on making my accent not too Norrrthern.
as opposed to my sister, who so very proud of being Northern so bigs up the accent.
( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:27, Reply)

Always the younger ones, isn't it?
If you ever meet my sister, I'd like you to have a chance to hear her before you see her. Because from our voices, you'd never believe we were related.
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:29, Reply)

What, what does she sound like?
Is she ashamed of where she's from?
( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:31, Reply)

I think it's more a contrast in who we adopted our accents from.
She used to hang around with a lot of people who basically spoke 'mockney' before the term was coined. That sort of "Saarf Laahndun" accent, and she really used to lay it on thick when she was around some of them. She's grown out of it now, thank god, but she still speaks with a slightly dumbed-down sounding accent.

I, on the other hand, had Radio 4 for company at that age.
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:34, Reply)

Ah, I see.
Sister isn't incredibly strongly Manc, just a lot more than I am. Maybe it's the Radio 4 in my childhood too.
( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:37, Reply)

So, you sound like Sue MacGregor, then?

(Cave Duck, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:38, Reply)

He sounds exactly like the sort of person who'd call you a cad and a bounder.
AND HE DOES.
( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:39, Reply)

You said 'hard on' huh-huh-huh

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:46, Reply)

Lololololol
I like dick.
( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:46, Reply)

It's that attitude
that gets you into so much trouble.
( Kroney, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:48, Reply)

Nonsense he was great in Mary Poppins

(Cave Duck, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:49, Reply)

Haha

( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:55, Reply)

:(
I might be adickted.
( Lampito rise with the moon, go to bed with the sun, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:50, Reply)

On family holidays,
as soon as a sign appeared saying 'Scotland 180 miles', my father, who moved to Canada when he was three, would suddenly become 'Wee Jockie McSporran'*, much to the delight and savage mockery of my brother and me.

*telling us to 'wheesht', as we were 'scunners' etc.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:29, Reply)

Oh dear. At least my father had the excuse that he didn't manage to flee the Midlands until his mid-20s
But I guess it's not quite as bad as the thousands of American College Jocks who 'decide' they're Irish every 17th of February.
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:32, Reply)

And thus celebrate st paddy's day a month early.

( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:36, Reply)

Whoops! Sorry, that's spelt "February" but pronounced "March," folks.
(But then why should I care? I'm not Irish!)
(LongJohnBaldry, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:37, Reply)

For all the fuss they make, it may as well last a month.

( Bartleby A dead man on vacation, Mon 18 Oct 2010, 17:41, Reply)