The D4 Accent - And how it gets around

Repolho

I'm originally from Offaly too but haven't lived there in over 12 years, having done stints in dublin, galway, tipp and cork.

I think I have the generic irish accent that some people have mentioned.

My wife tells me though that whenever I am up home or after watching Pure Mule that my Offaly accent is much heavier!

I think that if you are surrounded by an accent it is going to influence you. This is probably why alot of people on TV & Radio have this accent which might be some of the reason that it is spreading?

znv6i3h7kqf9ys

It's all about the vowels. I find it as annoying as I find the put on Northside accent funny. If you go to Bray they have a very distinctive accent. Go a few miles down the Road to Greystones and you get alot of over pronounced vowels. This of course makes them more important just like it makes the middle class kids with the working class accent less so. If you go to Balbriggan (just foe teen miles from Drawda) you hear some of the Strongest inner city apples and oranges accents. Insecure idiots me tinks

Diddler82

My name is URL wrote: »

I have relations in Donnybrook and they sound nothing like the roish crowd

it's all a fcuking act with the people that use the accent, and they need a slap

Agree completely!!

Working in recruitment I come across these very regularily.

The worst and definitely most pretentious was a young lady last week who told me that she would be out of the office tomorrow but she would be contactable on her "Blackberry".

Its a glorified fcuking mobile phone and she was not called again!

Hamiltonion

I'm from the midlands but moved up to D2 (the city centre, not the dive of a club) for college, accent hasnt changed at all apart from the 'th' thing, but I think thats more to do with the fact that its easier to understand than anything else. Friends still laugh the most at my pronounciation of horse ie 'Herse'

lightening

Diddler82 wrote: »

Working in recruitment I come across these very regularily.

The worst and definitely most pretentious was a young lady last week who told me that she would be out of the office tomorrow but she would be contactable on her "Blackberry".

Its a glorified fcuking mobile phone and she was not called again!

Very professional. Don't call people back cause you don't like their accent or phone. Accents don't bother me, the D4 Accent has been around for generations, it has been mimicked by people all over the country. Big deal.

brummytom

pikachucheeks wrote: »

I personally blame MTV and various other American media that's infiltrated Ireland.

My cousin watches loads of different American TV on Nickelodeon : 'Drake and Josh', 'Hannah Montana' etc ... When she was seven, she asked me who I had a "super crush" on! Scary.

Their lingo and accents are infectious. Never mind Swine Flu, Americanisms are the real danger, roysh!

I don't understand this - the accent freaks me out.
I've never heard anyone over here talking with an american accent, and all of our kids TV was American (Kenan and Kel sort of stuff).

I can't get people putting on a ridiculous accent; it's not just the D4s, it's the polar opposite aswell, the 'wannabe gangsters'. Why can't everyone just talk normally?!

pikachucheeks

Salvelinus wrote: »

No, it says a lot more about Ireland than MTV or America.

Well, obviously, considering Ireland's the one picking up their accent.

Lux23

I find people who are geniune D4, wealthy types don't really have this accent or if they do its not half as bad as people from areas like Rathgar or Rathfarnham. The worst one I ever came across was a girl from Limerick who had a half Limerick accent (not the soft one, the real strong one) mixed with D4. It was horrible and it was so obvious that she picked it up after one week in UCD.

But people put alot of stock into accents when really they mean nothing at the end of the day, you really can't judge people by them. I went to good schools and as a result I speak very well yet I am from Swords, grew up in a council house and my Dad is a taxi driver. But people always assume I am from a wealthy background and a nice southside suburb, they go on like I am putting it when they find out.

Snowie

I know 2 girls with a D4 accent = some of them have stupidly stupid names like scarlet or loyd, or something, and there parent drive 89 Volvos because they have a central heating bill of 10 k a year because they live in an ancient house, and goo halves on a yacht with there friends and generally are as bad a scum bags for being complete and utter arse holes.

I dislike D4 people because there fvcking fake.

Oh and whats the deal with walking around with quick silver cloths on trying to look like surfer's?

MUPPETS

Tim Robbins

Lux23 wrote: »

I find people who are geniune D4, wealthy types don't really have this accent or if they do its not half as bad as people from areas like Rathgar or Rathfarnham. The worst one I ever came across was a girl from Limerick who had a half Limerick accent (not the soft one, the real strong one) mixed with D4. It was horrible and it was so obvious that she picked it up after one week in UCD.

+1
The auld anglo Irish - Church of Ireland Southsiders are fine.
It's the nouveau riche southside wannabe's that really exaggerate the hole D4 thing.

As a Northsider, I find it cringe inducing.

I have amazing diction myself. I should have made it in the media but I just didn't bother trying.

Epic Tissue

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Did you see the two 17 year old twins from Dublin on the X-Factor?

First question Simon Cowell asks them is "If you're Irish, why are you talking with an American accent?"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1yXqTsU6WA

Diddler82

lightening wrote: »

Very professional

Not really but meh...she annoyed me.

lightening wrote: »

Accents don't bother me, the D4 Accent has been around for generations, it has been mimicked by people all over the country. Big deal.

Fair enough its not a big deal but its damn annoying when you speak to someone from Galway/Cork/**insert small rural town anywhere in Ireland** who sounds like they were brought up in D4 on Dubes and Donnybrook Fair.

hidinginthebush

genericguy wrote: »

i think it's become more widespread since the heads of the D4 jedi council started sending groups of young men out to nightclubs to kick those without the accent to death.

them's stabbing fighting words there mister!

Epic Tissue

Diddler82 wrote: »

Not really but meh...she annoyed me.



Fair enough its not a big deal but its damn annoying when you speak to someone from Galway/Cork/**insert small rural town anywhere in Ireland** who sounds like they were brought up in D4 on Dubes and Donnybrook Fair.

Why does that annoy you?

BraziliaNZ

I have 3 cousins from big house in Dalkey who sound more Dublin than I do, and I'm from the Northside.
Irish girls nowadays, moreso the middle/upper class ones, are obsessed with rich Americans and their way of life, so now they sound like Paris Hilton etc.
Miriam's accent is awful, she should know better than to talk like that at her age.
Did anyone see that Debs program on TV3 the other day, I had to turn it off after 5 minutes.

Tim Robbins

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I have 3 cousins from big house in Dalkey who sound more Dublin than I do, and I'm from the Northside.
Irish girls nowadays, moreso the middle/upper class ones, are obsessed with rich Americans and their way of life, so now they sound like Paris Hilton etc.
Miriam's accent is awful, she should know better than to talk like that at her age.
Did anyone see that Debs program on TV3 the other day, I had to turn it off after 5 minutes.

I don't like mis correlation with Leinster rugby. How many of the Leinster team speak with D4 accents at present?

Zero.

BraziliaNZ

Tim Robbins wrote: »

I don't like mis correlation with Leinster rugby. How many of the Leinster team speak with D4 accents at present?

Zero.

Brian O'Driscoll anyone?

Cianos

As we grow we are way more influenced by our peers than by our parents. Genetics are passed down, but for everything else we gather influence way more from our surroundings than our parents. As an example of this in relation to accents, is that very often you will have children of immigrants with a thick local accent so long as they have grown up in the country - think of all those Asian americans with twangy American accents, sounding nothing like their parents.

So I think the D4 accent is a product of the fact that TV is the main focal point common in nearly all youngsters, because of course most TV is of American origin, thus the American twang finds its way in to otherwise quite neutral accents (south Dublin accent being one of them).

Lux23

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Brian O'Driscoll anyone?

I don't think so, I think he just speaks well. Shane Horgan who is a meath man should be shot, his accent is almost certainly acquired, the retarded lisp makes it even worse.

Diddler82

Epic Tissue wrote: »

Why does that annoy you?

Because it is like just losing your identity.

I much prefer to hear someone with a Cork/Galway/whatever accent as you can tell where the person is from and it gives them a bit more identity than the masses who sound exactly the same despite being from all different parts of the country.

So to you answer you, it annoys me that people cannot remain true to themselves and feel they have to change for whatever pathetic excuse they convince themselves with.

eirebhoy

Fratton Fred wrote: »

Did you see the two 17 year old twins from Dublin on the X-Factor?

First question Simon Cowell asks them is "If you're Irish, why are you talking with an American accent?"

I was about to mention that.

It's called a D4 accent but it has nothing to do with being from Dublin 4. Take a trip down Ringsend for a true D4 accent which is no different than any working class area. More of a South Dart line thing.

paddy54321

Fratton Fred wrote: »

My Niece has me in stitches with her accent. she grew up in south West london and although she has irish parents, her accent was very Souf Lahndan. She's been at School in Dalkey for three years now and although she stills greets me with a "Awright Fred, ows it goin...innit" when she with her mates everything is "like todally awesome like"

Yea but I think if you grew up abroad with Irish parents and you eventually moved to Ireland you would pick up an Irish accent very quickly because literally everyone in her world would be talking that way. Also shes probaly only trying to fit in at school..

Tim Robbins

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

Brian O'Driscoll anyone?

That's most definetly not a D4 accent.

He would say Dart not Dort.

As another poster has pointed out Shaggy's would be closer to D4 (but still wouldn't even be D4) even though he's from Meath and didn't even go to a private school.

BraziliaNZ

well BOD sounds posh to me. Shaggy from Scooby do??

Tim Robbins

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

well BOD sounds posh to me. Shaggy from Scooby do??

BOD possibly went to elocution lessons. I'll grant you that. But the D4 accent is a mis-pronouciation of vowels.

"a" becomes "o" as "dart" becoming "dort".

Other words just come out through the nose. Which again is incorrect because there are no nasals sounds in English.

Several boggers conflate well spoken, D4, middle class and anglo irish accents (Mr. Norris for example) all into the one accent.

I worked with a bogger once who was convinced I was Ross O'Carroll Kelly.
D4 poshies would probably consider me stereotypical Northside. It's pathetic!

3hn2givr7mx1sc

I actually cringed when I saw(and heard) them twins with they're 4 foot tall hair,Dubes and American accents, tbh I much prefer the way people from abroad saw us as Alcoholic farmers, rather than ghey Americans.

I hate the D4 accent with a passion, I was at my cousins wedding(all Church of Ireland on that side of the family), the accents of some of the guests were so annoying, as well as there attitudes.

I find myself picking up accents in a conversation or watching tele. Whenever I'm talking to a person from Dublin I find meself saying things like 'woooork' instead of work or calling someone 'bud', I never use this word unless I'm talking to a Dub(usually Northsider tbf). The worst is when I'm watching a film about London gangsters or soccer hooligans, watched Green Street 2 a few days ago and I was talking like a Cockney for the rest of the day:o.

Julesie

Well I may as well shoot myself at this point as I am from Leixlip and now that I live in London I often get asked (generally by non-native english speakers it has to be pointed out), if I am American.

I can't speak for my subconcious but it's definitely not me trying to be cool or put on any "airs and graces". It is just how my accent sounds.

Apart from purposely trying to imitate someone else I can no more change how I sound than someone with a thick Kerry, Cork, Louth, <insert any other place name>, can change theirs.

Now, perhaps mine isn't as pronounced or seemingly put on as some of those "d4" accents other posters are berating but it does make me more self-concious.

Are people judging me as being fake somehow as I don't have a typical Dublin/North Kildare accent? What is a typical accent for someone from Leixlip? What's influenced how I sound?

Oh well, at least I can't properly pronouce my "th's" so I'll always be a little bit Irish.

bullpost

The more affected of these accents seem to be getting scarcer in the last 18 months. I'm putting this down to the recession.

Anyone else notice this?

Tim Robbins

[QUOTE=Lance Savory Griddle;61782941
I hate the D4 accent with a passion, I was at my cousins wedding(all Church of Ireland on that side of the family), the accents of some of the guests were so annoying, as well as there attitudes.

[/QUOTE]
You do know the difference between Anglo Irish / Old skool C.O.I. and D4 though?

Please tell me you do?

Borneo Fnctn

I have a dub accent and talk through my teeth. If I spend time abroad, people don't pick up everything i say. I came home from a holiday last year and I had gotten rid of all my bad habits. In order to make myself understood, I had to enunciate and so on. It only lasted a few hours though.