The Scottish Dialect

[Pandabean]

It is pretty interesting and I have thought about it a few times, especially when at work where I have been accussed of being English because of the way I speak. But at work there are many different nationalities so speaking proper English helps with that and I seem to loose my accent. When I am around firends and family I am straight back into my local (Central Belt) way of saying things and even taken on some of the local Doric words. Ken fit a mean like?

Sometimes in conversations with work mates random Scottish words come out like hoose (house) or roond (around).

 

[northumbrian]

it is pretty interesting and i have thought about it a few times, especially when at work where i have been accussed of being english because of the way i speak. But at work there are many different nationalities so speaking proper english helps with that and i seem to loose my accent. When i am around firends and family i am straight back into my local (central belt) way of saying things and even taken on some of the local doric words. Ken fit a mean like?

Sometimes in conversations with work mates random scottish words come out like hoose (house) or roond (around).

being accused of being english ????

 

[Toddy]

My cousin, the one who lives in Hampshire, comes up to visit
He says that when he meets up with neighbours when he's back home he gets accused of being Scottish

It happens both ways.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Goatboy]

being accused of being english ????

Oh it's a terrible sin

I do think that accents are becoming (in general) more homogenised due to electronic media. Also fashion with some younger kids finding it cool to adopt an American accent.

Accents do change over time though, Living in rural Perthshire / Angus I notice that the kids don't nearly have such a teuchter accent (a word only the Scots may understand) and listening to an older Glaswegian compared to a young one is like night and day (I much prefer the older accent).

 

[Toddy]

The older Lanarkshire is softer; the younger one is often a kind of East Kilbride/Glasgow one. I find it harsh, tbh. My sons sound like Graham_S; indeed I can mistake Graham for Jamie at first on the phone, but that's considered a 'polite' accent nowadays.

cheers,
M

 

[shaggystu]

....And why is a Slovenian accordian player recording American pop tunes from the 1950s?......

I have no idea but it sounds awesome, you got a link?

 

[BlueTrain]

Well, the accordian player is Robert Goter, who might be better described as an entertainer because he does a lot of novelty stuff, both on stage and in his recordings. The tune is "Caravan," which is from the 1930s but I think it was also on the flip side of "Rockin' Robin," a 45-rpm recording in the 1950s. In fact, he has two versions on the CD, along with a medley of TV and movie theme songs and pop numbers. I couldn't find a youtube video of that particular number by him.

Like languages, music travels widely and styles influence one another. The best musicans have their own styles, eventually. Both Gene Autry and Vladimir Putin have performed "Blueberry Hill." I used to listen to a lot of Scottish dance bands about 30 years ago, which is about when I started really liking accordian music. Most of the live musicians I've heard were from Ontario. But these days, it's all German. Elvis Presley was stationed in Germany when he was in the army, in fact, in the same town my son was stationed nearly 50 years later. I suspect that German pop music was influenced by Elvis and vice versa. He even recorded an old German song, "Muss i denn," as "Wooden Heart."

 

[shaggystu]

Well, the accordian player is Robert Goter, who might be better described as an entertainer because he does a lot of novelty stuff, both on stage and in his recordings. The tune is "Caravan," which is from the 1930s but I think it was also on the flip side of "Rockin' Robin," a 45-rpm recording in the 1950s. In fact, he has two versions on the CD, along with a medley of TV and movie theme songs and pop numbers. I couldn't find a youtube video of that particular number by him....

Thanks for that

 

[BlueTrain]

Best I could do. Speaking of Scotland, I regret not having make it to Perth. I wanted to see the "Inch" first hand. We saw the state regalia in Edinburgh Castle but we didn't see the Inch of Perth. Saw Robert the Bruce's tomb, however.

 

[santaman2000]

Oh it's a terrible sin

I do think that accents are becoming (in general) more homogenised due to electronic media. Also fashion with some younger kids finding it cool to adopt an American accent......

I think the kids are adopting the accents of whatever the latest film star has. Scottish Australian was the accent de jour here after the early James Bond films, Australian after the Crocodile Dundee films, English after the Transporter film, etc.

 

[Goatboy]

I think the kids are adopting the accents of whatever the latest film star has. Scottish Australian was the accent de jour here after the early James Bond films, Australian after the Crocodile Dundee films, English after the Transporter film, etc.

It's funny, most folk here think that there are maybe only a few American accents. Deep South, California and standard newscaster. From what I make out it seems as rich as anywhere else. Though there are still a lot of them I cant always place, but then my exposure is relatively limited.

 

[santaman2000]

It's funny, most folk here think that there are maybe only a few American accents. Deep South, California and standard newscaster. From what I make out it seems as rich as anywhere else. Though there are still a lot of them I cant always place, but then my exposure is relatively limited.

I've seen a documentary on the history channel that said there were over 7 separate southern accents alone IIRC. Not sure I'd completely agree with that; I'd say instead of them being completely separate that they probably overlap and merge at times.

The same documantary also said that a southern accent didn't exist at all until a short time after the Civil War. That would mean that it developed in arelatively short time. With that in mind, I suspect that what we may view as accents "becoming homogenized," is really just the normal evolution of accents (and indeed, language itself) as living languages do.

 

[BlueTrain]

I'm always suspicious when someone makes a definite statement about accents. They simply aren't that clear cut, so to say. And an individual can and will vary his accent according to circumstances, assuming they're brighter than a 40-watt light bulb. One neither wants to sound like one is uneducated or putting on airs either. But some things are hard to cover up and other things are difficult to imitate. The thing is, an accent is a complicated thing. It includes not only the way various words are spoken but the tempo of speaking and the vocabulary itself. It generally won't come through in written communication, mainly because most people don't write the way they speak. Accents vary not only by locality but by class and education and I suspect by occupation to some extent, at least with vocabulary. I also believe that sometimes people will intensify their accent (accent their accent) for the humorous effect. And obviously, people will pick up an accent a little, which might be more accurately described as losing an accent. It's something that happens when you move somewhere else.

Then there's the accents of non-English speakers speaking English. It's something you hear in the movies but it isn't always accurate but of course, they won't all have equal command of English, either. We have a relative who has a most interesting Hollywood Russian accent, only she isn't Russian and doesn't even speak it. She's Serbian.

One curious American accent is what might be called Southern coastal, in the Chesepeake region and further South. Some say it sounds Elizabethan, though I have no idea how anyone would know. But some words are pronounced in an odd way, like "dog," pronouced with a long "o." Little things like that are hard to catch unless you're listening for them. Once, in college, 45 years ago, an Englishman going to the same school asked me how I liked my 'state car." We had a little session of twenty questions before I realized how he liked my "estate car" and was referring to my Land-Rover station wagon. I liked it very much, thank you!

 

[Dave-the-rave]

Funny thing accents. I had a college tutor once who I assumed was Scottish. I mentioned it once for whatever reason and he said he was Welsh. He had moved to Boston USA from Wales when he was about five, returning at around 30 years old with an accent which was as Scottish as mine. Funny thing, life.

 

[santaman2000]

......One curious American accent is what might be called Southern coastal, in the Chesepeake region and further South. Some say it sounds Elizabethan, though I have no idea how anyone would know. But some words are pronounced in an odd way, like "dog," pronouced with a long "o.".....

To be perfectly honest, I've never heard it pronounced any other way. Not in the south (Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida) Nor up north (Illinois, Wisonsin, Pennsylvania, and Ohio) Nor out west (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Colrado, and California) Nor from anyone I ever met in over 21 years service with people from all around the rest of the US.

But it's only been in the last 15 years or so that I've seen them actually trying to deliberately emphasize it; even going so far as to spell it "dawg."

 

[Dave-the-rave]

It can't be a recent thing mate. Deputy Dawg was around when I was only little.

 

[santaman2000]

True enough. LOL. But now you see it everywhere, not just the cartoons. Especially common with sports mascots though.

 

[Paul_B]

A lot of non-english speaker learn english from hollywood films i once heard. Not convinced but i do find most Europeans ive met from germany or scandinavian countries speak english with us accent. However i did once run into a Swedish barman in Gothenburg who spoke with a perfect but milder liverpool accent. Gave me a shock.

My sis came back from a year working in italy having learnt italy. Trouble is she couldnt stick to one language but kept starting sentence in english, finishing in italian. She also communicated perfectly well talking to a french speaking belgian in italian. Neither spoke the others language. The most interesting thing is her italian was the accent/dialect of near Naples where they dropped the word endings. Made for easier learning but italians would think you lower class/common.
Me? I have lived in a few areas of england. I have picked up bits from them all however if i spend time in liverpool ill start speaking with their accent. Same happens with other areas ive lived in too.
Btw ive heard liverpool accent is irish with a cold. Truth is its irish and welsh and english with a good cocktail shake to boot. It has got stronger over last 10+ years. Towns around liverpool where people moved out to tend to have stronger scouse accent.

As far as Scottish goes the hardest ive heard to understand was from Newton Stewart. One guy i knew out there had an accent so strong even his own family struggled to understand. A couple of his mates were the only ones to.understand his accent in full flow. For all others it had to soften and slow down. For me and my english mates he slowed it down another step or two. Anyone else think its a strong scottish accent down there? Anywhere else stronger?

 

[BlueTrain]

Clearly it is difficult to get across the sound of an accent in print. The pronunciation of "dog" that I was referring to rhymes with "rogue." It wasn't "dawg." In regard to Southern American accents, however, I suspect they developed by sometime in the 18th century. Supposedly George Washington had a Southern accent. My wife is descended from, among other, the last owner of Mt. Vernon and is naturally much interested in Washington family history. In any case, you know you're hearing a Southern accent when "yes" is pronounced with two syllables as is "Coca-Cola," and tea is usually "iced" (which of course is pronounced "ice tea"). My boss grew up in what was then Northern Rhodesia and graduated university in South Africa. But he's lost almost all of his accent. I only guess that he "wasn't from around here" when "clerk" came out as "clark" one day. Sometimes I am embarrassingly aware of my own accent but mostly I've ceased to be really embarrassed by very many things anymore. By the way, in case your wondering, it's "yeah-us" and "Co-Cola." I thought it important that you should know this.

 

[Goatboy]

Good Post Blue Train, I must say that I knew a lass from "The South" and found her accent pretty beguiling. Though some say it's syrupy which I'm not keen on as a description. Honey dipped would have been a better description I think. As well as the accent itself I found her phraseology nicely old fashioned. (She was also very pretty)

We used to tease a New Yorker we knew with "doity boids eatin' woyms" which he took well.

The South African and Rhodesian accents are also good ones, very expressive. Certain dialects and languages lend themselves to certain things. I find dogs (and children) respond to German very well, and it is quite a commanding language/accent.

I do like lapsing into phonetic spelling and vernacular with the likes of Toddy on the forums, can be fun and entertaining. Some folk may think it rude as it may seem to exclude non speakers but it's only done for fun. I think proper English is one of the most descriptive ways to get a point across as the language can be so precise if used properly. And as I've said before if you can use it properly then you should be allowed to play sometimes. It's like painters like Picasso say who although famous for his expressive abstract work was also a brilliant "conventional" painter.