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Author Topic: Grating Accents!  (Read 956 times)

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Mozo

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Grating Accents!
« on: August 23, 2007, 06:53:45 AM »
Having lived, off and on, in different countries, and Australia for some time, why is my ear so offended by several accents

The Japanese and Chinese accents and above all, the Aussie accent.

The former, because they seem difficult to understand, and the latter, because of it's harshness and sentences finishing with the interrogative rising terminal ie. all spoken sentences sounding like whining questions from a demented galah!

The Ausssiinfluenzae male is bad enough, but his young female counterpart is so nasal that she sounds perpetually like a snot dripping flu victim before taking Codril or some miracle cure in a TV commercial.

I have no objections to English regional accents, even Cockney, but I think I shall go mad if i hear another Aussie checkout lady whining, "ow er you, turd eye?" or "ave a good eye", or even the mandatory "neow problim".

Am I the only one who is a gibbering phonophobic with some accents? Banghead

Offline Snoopy

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Re: Grating Accents!
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2007, 07:24:00 AM »
Accents from certain parts of the USA are pleasing to the ear whilst others really are irritating. A scouse accent, in fact most Lancashire accents I find irksome, whereas I don't mind the Yorkshire accent. Australians can't help but sound boastful or interrogative. I put it down to the fact that their forebears were mostly from the criminal classes, from northern europe and thus not used to the bright sunshine. They were forced to screw up their eyes and ultimately their faces hence the silly accent. The rising intonation I cannot figure and I personally counter it by treating everything the say as a question ~ which really annoys them ;) The Irish can sound very pleasing but Nor'n Iron (As in  Dr Paisley) drives me to distraction. Scots accents are as variable and whilst I am happy with the way the Queen speaks I hated the phoney sloaney of Lady Diana and Sarah Ferguson's voice drives me up the f*cking wall.
BUT we cannot change these people ~ best to ignore them I feel.
I used to have a handle on life but it broke.

Mozo

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Re: Grating Accents!
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2007, 07:31:53 AM »
Accents from certain parts of the USA are pleasing to the ear whilst others really are irritating. A scouse accent, in fact most Lancashire accents I find irksome, whereas I don't mind the Yorkshire accent. Australians can't help but sound boastful or interrogative. I put it down to the fact that their forebears were mostly from the criminal classes, from northern europe and thus not used to the bright sunshine. They were forced to screw up their eyes and ultimately their faces hence the silly accent. The rising intonation I cannot figure and I personally counter it by treating everything the say as a question ~ which really annoys them ;) The Irish can sound very pleasing but Nor'n Iron (As in  Dr Paisley) drives me to distraction. Scots accents are as variable and whilst I am happy with the way the Queen speaks I hated the phoney sloaney of Lady Diana and Sarah Ferguson's voice drives me up the f*cking wall.
BUT we cannot change these people ~ best to ignore them I feel.(quote)

Don't think I haven't tried, but the average Aussie female has a normal converstional voice that can be easily heard over a jackhammer!

Offline Landlady

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Re: Grating Accents!
« Reply #3 on: August 24, 2007, 08:59:34 AM »
Hi Mozo  smile:

I have a younger sister who has lived in New Zealand for the past 25 years and she now has this upward questioning added to what used to be her normal SE UK accent - weird.

Also at times she doesn't seem to remember common English words - expamle: Me to sister - 'Can you please pass me the cling film?'' Sister to me - No response just blank look! Me to sister - 'Can you please pass me the cling film, now?' Sister to me - 'What do you mean?' Me to sister - 'Please just pass me the cling film - bottom drawer by you!' Sister to me - First opening drawer and finding cling film - 'Oh you mean the GLADWRAP!' Me to sister - 'No I mean the sodding cling film but thanks anyway for the great assistance!'

Hi Snoopy - How do SE accents from the Windsor borough rate ????

Offline Snoopy

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Re: Grating Accents!
« Reply #4 on: August 24, 2007, 11:07:04 AM »
V Posh
I used to have a handle on life but it broke.