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Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:11 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by AW77
This is a question for all you native speakers on this forum:
I watched some BBC reports by a journalist named Anna Holligan today (
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25547203) and wondered what her accent was. My first guess was: a slight hint of Scottish. Is that right? (I'm always curious about identifying the origin of a person by his way of speaking, in English or my native German.)
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:15 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by DRT
Yes, she is Scottish, probably from Edinburgh going by the accent.
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:16 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by djewesbury
AW77 wrote:This is a question for all you native speakers on this forum:
I watched some BBC reports by a journalist named Anna Holligan today (
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-25547203) and wondered what her accent was. My first guess was: a slight hint of Scottish. Is that right? (I'm always curious about identifying the origin of a person by his way of speaking, in English or my native German.)
That, my dear André, is a Northern Irish accent. You're right to detect a hint of Scots in there. On the north coast, where I work, the accent is often indistinguishable from a Scots accent. But then Scotland is only 12 miles away, at the closest point..
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:17 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by djewesbury
DRT wrote:Yes, she is Scottish, probably from Edinburgh going by the accent.
Piffle. See above.
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:20 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by LGTrotter
Ignore Daniel, Derek is right. I would further say the thing that disguises it is the public school, or possibly elocution lessons, followed by Oxbridge.
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:20 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by DRT
djewesbury wrote:That, my dear André, is a Northern Irish accent.
"Made in Scotland"?
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:22 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by djewesbury
LGTrotter wrote:Ignore Daniel, Derek is right. I would further say the thing that disguises it is the public school, or possibly elocution lessons, followed by Oxbridge.
Hmm. I only listened to a few words. But posh Belfastards sound like that.
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:23 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by djewesbury
I listened to a few more words. The similarity between Edinburgh and posh belfast / north Down is amazing.
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:25 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by DRT
djewesbury wrote:The similarity between Edinburgh and posh belfast / north Down is amazing.
To people from England.
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:25 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by djewesbury
DRT wrote:djewesbury wrote:The similarity between Edinburgh and posh belfast / north Down is amazing.
To people from England.
Careful. You need my vote remember.
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:26 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by djewesbury
You need to listen to some of the BBC Newsline team here. Like they're drowning in treacle.
Re: Accent on the BBC
Posted: 02:28 Sun 05 Jan 2014
by AW77
Thanks for your feedback. I was somehow sure it was a Scottish accent.
Should we go on and take this example to talk some more about sociolinguistics?