I'm a regional reject. Londoners say I sound northern, with my flat "u" sound when I say words like "stuff", and the fact I use expressions like "at the minute", which are apparently unknown down South, where they prefer the slushier "at the moment".
Northerners say I sound posh and a bit southern.
I can't even imitate the East Midlands accent where I grew up.
My accent has been a bit of a mish-mash for the last twenty years or so: Loughborough, Bristol, London have all had their input. But until I was six I lived near Sheffield and had - I am told - a fairly strong Yorkshire accent. I really, really like the Yorkshire accent - perhaps because I associate it with my childhood.
Here's the weird thing... despite losing the accent totally once we moved to Loughborough, it sometimes switches itself back on again. I'm away with work on a course this week, and the lady sitting next to me is from Leeds. The more I talk to her, the more I find my speech patterns slow down, and this evening I even caught myself saying, "We've worked a right long day today, 'ant weh? I've not worked eight while eight ferrah long time."
Eight while eight? Really? Really, really? (Translation for Southerners: Yorkshire folk will say "while" to mean "until" - i.e. "I can't leave tonight while six 'o clock" means "I'm leaving at 6").
I'm sure the Leeds lady thought I was deliberately taking the piss. But I wasn't.
By the time I get home on Friday, I bet you anything, anything I've grown a flat cap and a whippet.
2 comments:
The use of 'while' instead of 'until' led to many deaths, injuries and near misses in Rotherham when the light-controlled pelican crossings were first introduced. Why? I hear you ask...
They are obedient folk..
'Do not cross while red light is flashing'
True!
RSN
My accent is a mish-mash if you will as well, however being from Texas the big thing is fixin, or differnt. Depending on what location I'm at.
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