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How do accents work
Former Member
Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
in General Chat
I can understand the accent when the language you're speaking isn't your native or first language, but why do we all speak different? Why do I sound different than everybody here cuz I grew up two states away, why do americans sound different from you and scots are different than irish and all that. The dictionaries have the same pronounciations so why do we all speak different?
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However, they evolve differently in different places. Therefore they become different. They merge a bit as people travel, so you get a 'language' over a large area thats mutually understood (except scotland ) but in different areas there are different dialects.
My friends Dealer hasa really really strong belfast accent and is a massive chav and he said how you can understand a word he's saying.
eta: also for somereason (jsut the way they talk), every second thrid and maybe forth work is 'fok' for 'fok-leek'
your accent will also probably change as you move around too. for example if you moved down to london from lincoln you might gradually develop a londoner accent (like my sister!).
it varies from say county to county or city to city just like in america. only thing is england is much smaller.
I'm sure it's all in the pronunciation of consonants or something like that.
the others :no:
When a person speaks a foreign language, they produce a word of that language but use sounds of their own that sound close to the corresponding sound of that language. That's what an accent is; I can't say "ee" in the same way an English person could, I use the closest sound to "ee" that's found in the greek language. Similarly, I can make a couple of sounds that English people can't (that's why they have trouble pronouncing my name, or why I can't pronounce the difference between "leave" and "live").
Of course, people can learn making the sounds of the foreign language, but it's not as easy as learning its words or grammar. So many of these "accents" aren't the sounds of the person's own language, but partly failed attempts to make the sounds of yours.
There are people, however, who can learn the sounds (almost) perfectly, and although they're foreign, you'd think they have the same accent as you.
(possibly!)
No, it's not just you at all. All girls in Newcastle are insanely hot and don't have any STDs or crazed ex boyfriends lurking by the swing bridge waiting to slice and dice you with a broken bottle of dog.. :flirt: :thumb:
I don't know how anyone couldn't love the Geordie accent it's geet canny leik. I'm partial to a Scouse and Manc accent, too. Not one for posh accents on the whole, though.
It's baffling when you start to think about why we all speak so differently... so I won't bother, it'll make my head hurt.
Scouse and Irish accents are hot!
After about the age of 5 most of the 'difficult' phonological issues are acquired, making it more difficult for kids who move from one area to another to acquire the new area's accent. After about 14, it's really very difficult for people to acquire new accents regardless of the amount of exposure to the new accent. As Zalbor's point, this is to do with 'principles and parameters' where what happens is that when a language principle is set (say, the way to pronounce a vowel) it is very difficult to 'un-set' this principle. In French, they have a characteristic /r/ sound which English English doesn't have. Thus, when English kids are growing up their principle for /r/ is set in such a way that when we are exposed to a 'new' /r/ sound (from French, say), it is very difficult for us to 'un-set' our principle and acquire a new phonological or phonetic form. So, um, yeah, hope that helps
What was the name of the fake school ... Belten High or something?
ETA: this is my attempt in paint and from memory. The first one is with a normal /r/, the second with a trilled /r/
want to know what i HATE? i grew up on the south side of chicago so when i went away to school in central IL, EVERYONE said i had a chicago accent but i never heard it. it's interesting.
where did you grow up?
Although facinating, whtas been said in this thread, I don't understand a damn bit of it and am still as confused as before