Most incomprehensible English accent?

[aaglo]

Outer-hebridean tweed-weaver's accent
I talked to one, and I didn't even recognize it as english.

But generally, I love scottish (Sco'ish) accent

 

[Masquerouge]

I'm French. In my work I have to deal with Indians and Chinese people, speaking about highly technical stuff.
It's really hard. I think my English is pretty good (or so people tell me), but to understand someone that is badly speaking English is the hardest challenge I've faced yet. It's very embarrassing to make someone repeat itself more than two times in a meeting because you do not understand him.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

A couple of things that puzzle me about certain British accents: For instance, saying Afriker, Chiner, Americer. (replacing 'A' with 'er')

Probably the worst in the West Country, with it's strong "R"s.

 

[Atropos]

Welsh can be pretty bad.

 

[diablodelmar]

Don't take me wrong, the pure and clear British English is fantastic, but when I hear the opinions of people from the streets of London, I don't understand a word. They speak something only remotely similar to English I've been taught. The same for other parts of Britain.

Ironically, thanks to the US movies and TV shows, I can probably understand their slang better then yours.

What is "their" and "yours" slang?

 

[Mirc]

I haven't heard in real life any native english speaker, except a man from UK.

 

[bhsup]

<< rant about Americans butchering English >>

Which is why I think we need to make a break and officially call our language "American" instead of "English". Acknowledge that there are enough differences to merit a seperate language title altogether.

 

[.Shane.]

English speech accents: http://accent.gmu.edu/browse_atlas.php

That's an interesting site.

Since its all relative, I can't really answer the question. However, when I visited London I was amazed and how many distinct accents I heard that are related just to that city.

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

Which is why I think we need to make a break and officially call our language "American" instead of "English". Acknowledge that there are enough differences to merit a seperate language title altogether.

Travel across the M62 Motorway and you'll find enough differences between Lancashire and Yorkshire Accents to warrant a separate language also.

No matter how much you attempt differentiate you're still speaking da mutha tongue.

 

[bhsup]

No matter how much you attempt differentiate you're still speaking da mutha tongue.

Well, could you all at least stop calling the hood of a car the "bonnet"? That sounds soooo wrong.

 

[diablodelmar]

Well, could you all at least stop calling the hood of a car the "bonnet"? That sounds soooo wrong.

I don't call it that! Would you please stop calling the other end of the car a "Trunk"?

 

[Turner]

A couple of things that puzzle me about certain British accents: For instance, saying Afriker, Chiner, Americer. (replacing 'A' with 'er')

Me mum does that with Idea. Er, Idear.

And she's native californian.

 

[PrinceOfLeigh]

Well, could you all at least stop calling the hood of a car the "bonnet"? That sounds soooo wrong.

We'll swap "bonnet" if you arrange for this site to be spelt correctly "Civilisation Fanatics Forum"

 

[Turner]

From a recent post of mine:

blah blah blah hono(u)r blah blah blah

.

I've edited out the boring stuff...

 

[aaglo]

Colo(u)r...
Lei(che)ster...
Armo(u)r...
Centre(Center)...

 

[Phlegmak]

'Ello, guvna.

Americans and Britons clearly speak the same language. I can listen to BBC anytime of the day and understand every word.

Languages evolve. Speakers separated by large distances will have greater differences in their speech over time. So Americans aren't going to spell words like armor and aluminum the same as Britons do.

English, as far as I can see compared to other languages, is an amazingly malleable language, and it has far more room to evolve than something like German. My German teacher told me that the German that modern Germans speak is the same as the German that was spoken 500 years ago. Not so with English. So the differences between American and British English will only increase over time.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

.Lei(che)ster...

I thought it was Leicester.

 

[Truronian]

Americans and Britons clearly speak the same language. I can listen to BBC anytime of the day and understand every word.

Reminds me of a poem I had to study for GCSE:

this is thi
six a clock
news thi
man said n
thi reason
a talk wia
BBC accent
iz coz yi
widny wahnt
mi ti talk
aboot thi
trooth wia
voice lik
wanna yoo
scruff. if
a toktaboot
thi trooth
lik wanna yoo
scruff yi
widny thingk
it wuz troo.
jist wanna yoo
scruff tokn.
thirza right
way ti spell
ana right way
to tok it. this
is me tokn yir
right way a
spellin. this
is ma trooth.
yooz doant no
thi trooth
yirsellz cawz
yi canny talk
right. this is
the six a clock
nyooz. belt up.

 

[Chukchi Husky]

I remember that. Isn't it supposed to be a Scottish accent?

 

[El Justo]

i find some Scottish and some Irish tough to understand.

in the US - no question - South Carolina. i have to really bend my ear to understand some of them.