Question for Britons

[superunknown]

I've been wondering about british english and its different accents. Can you britons in this forum help me with this?

How is for example the accents of London and Liverpool different? And what is cockney? Is that the way they speak in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels? In that movie there are two Liverpool guys but they sound more scottish to me.
I would be really glad if I got this sorted out. Its been bugging me.

 

[Hamlet]

Accents vary in tone and some elements of language - usually only select unique words or phrases - those are the main differences.

The Liverpudlian accent is called 'Scouse'. (Pronounced 'Scowse')

And yes, Cockney is the accent of Londoners.

 

[Pillager]

Variations in pronunciation are due to accent, variations in words or phrases are due to dialect.

It'd be hard to explain in depth the differences in British accents without going in to phonetics. Plus the fact that there are literally dozens of different accents across the island. Accents can vary quite noticeably over distances as short as a couple of dozen miles.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Originally posted by Hamlet
Accents vary in tone and some elements of language - usually only select unique words or phrases - those are the main differences.

The Liverpudlian accent is called 'Scouse'. (Pronounced 'Scowse')

And yes, Cockney is the accent of Londoners.

Cockney is not the accent of Londoners.

It is:

To be a true Londoner - a Cockney, you have to be born within hearing distance of the bells of St. Mary Le Bow, Cheapside, in the City of London.

See "Cockney Online": http://www.cockney.co.uk/cockney.htm



For an informative webpage concerning the regional variation of language in Britain see:

http://elt.britcoun.org.pl/i_regide.htm

 

[Hamlet]

Originally posted by kittenOFchaos
Cockney is not the accent of Londoners.

It's a very distinct defintion. Pardon my ignorance.

 

[Hamlet]

Originally posted by Pillager
Variations in pronunciation .

Forgot to sufficently espouse that, heh.

 

[TrailblazingScot]

Originally posted by Hamlet


It's a very distinct defintion. Pardon my ignorance.

I looked it up on google as I knew the definition was more precise

 

[Hitro]

Originally posted by superunknown
Is that the way they speak in Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels?

That movie was indeed problematic to follow. While watching it I wished it was set in L.A. instead.

 

[Rodgers]

Basically, Southerners talk like poofs while Northerners talk like proper blokes.

Hope that helps

 

[Pillager]

Originally posted by Rodgers
Basically, Southerners talk like poofs while Northerners talk like proper blokes.

Hope that helps

Ooh, can't let that pass.

Southerners talk properly, northerners sound like thickos.

 

[col]

Only nancy southerners would put "ly" on the end of proper.

 

[Eklektikos]

You misspelled "on t'end 'f"

 

[CurtSibling]

Originally posted by Pillager


Ooh, can't let that pass.

Southerners talk properly, northerners sound like thickos.

And none of us understand each other!

 

[Pillager]

Originally posted by CurtSibling


And none of us understand each other!

I suppose you have a rasping, gotteral Scottish accent?

Nothing wrong with that though, better than, say, Scarborough or Sheffield

 

[CurtSibling]

For instance, we Glaswegians sound very different from our arch-enemies the denizens of Edinburgh!

Their whining, nasal voices and habit of saying 'Like' after every sentence is far removed from the lilting tones of we people of the Clyde river!

 

[CurtSibling]

Originally posted by Pillager


I suppose you have a rasping, gotteral Scottish accent?

Nothing wrong with that though, better than, say, Scarborough or Sheffield

Rasping eh?

At least we Scots can spell 'Guttural'.

You southern softy!

 

[Pillager]

Originally posted by CurtSibling


Rasping eh?

At least we Scots can spell 'Guttural'.

You southern softy!

Damn.

 

[polymath]

Heh heh, my brother is a cockney, but raised 'oop north'...I was born in Southport, a sturdy Lancashire lad.
Southern softies also tend to insert 'r's into words over-frequently. e.g.
'barth' instead of 'bath'
'carstle' instead of 'castle'
Oddly, they don't seem to have the same trouble with words like 'cat' and 'bat'.
I think Rodgers summed it up well enough...Southerners just ponce around the words without really getting stuck into them...

 

[MrPresident]

I don't really have any accent but I do kind of go a little Yorkshire when I am mad. I do agree though that Southerners talk like poofs (I prefer calling them pansies). And I thought most Londoners speak Thames English rather than cockney.

 

[Stapel]

What is Tony Blair's English? poof or pansy? If so, what is Thatcher's?

And Gary Lineker's? I like that. Not as much as Alan Hansen's though!
I've been in Glasgow twice. The first Glaswegian I met, did speak a language which could have easiliy been Russian. He did understand what I said, so all was fine!

Slightly off topic: In Holland (smaller and less people) we have several accents / dialects: A 150 mile ride is enough to come in to Babylon! No way an Amsterdam born and raised person would understand a Maastricht dialect speaking person

Do Londoners understand a Liverpudlian speaking his 'street language'?