Unintelligible accents.

StormWarrior

How do you cope if you're talking to someone whose accent is so strong that you can't understand a word they're saying? Today I went down to the bus stop and arrived too late, my bus was just driving off. It was about half an hour until the next one, but after a minute a taxi pulled up to let an old woman out. I asked the driver, "Are you free?" He garbled something in a Scottish accent so strong that it might as well have been double-Dutch for all the sense I could make of it. I asked him again, "Are you free?" Again a volley of gibberish Scotch was blasted in my direction. I decided to guess what he was saying and thought maybe he was asking me where I wanted to go, so I told him, "I want to go to Sainsburys." He shook his head and spewed forth more gobbledegook. This carried on for another minute with me asking him if he would take me and him making incomprehensible noises. Finally I gave up. I threw up my hands and said, "I can't understand you." He made a phone gesture, shouted something else I couldn't understand and drove off. I assume he was telling me I had to phone for a taxi.

Anyone else really struggled to understand a strong accent?

Sunnyisland

Been around a few scousers lately and when there talking I find it very hard to understand them, other wise there boss.

Princess Consuela Bananahammock

StormWarrior wrote: »

How do you cope if you're talking to someone whose accent is so strong that you can't understand a word they're saying? Today I went down to the bus stop and arrived too late, my bus was just driving off. It was about half an hour until the next one, but after a minute a taxi pulled up to let an old woman out. I asked the driver, "Are you free?" He garbled something in a Scottish accent so strong that it might as well have been double-Dutch for all the sense I could make of it. I asked him again, "Are you free?" Again a volley of gibberish Scotch was blasted in my direction. I decided to guess what he was saying and thought maybe he was asking me where I wanted to go, so I told him, "I want to go to Sainsburys." He shook his head and spewed forth more gobbledegook. This carried on for another minute with me asking him if he would take me and him making incomprehensible noises. Finally I gave up. I threw up my hands and said, "I can't understand you." He made a phone gesture, shouted something else I couldn't understand and drove off. I assume he was telling me I had to phone for a taxi.

Anyone else really struggled to understand a strong accent?

You sure he was speaking English?

StormWarrior

Princess Consuela Bananahammock wrote: »

You sure he was speaking English?

I assume so, he was definitely Scottish.

scream

I have the same problem with heavy Irish accents. The heavier Limerick accents always cause me trouble. Had a sky engineer round to fix our dish a while back and had to guess at half the stuff he was saying and hope for the best.

biko

I have been working with some guys from Eastern Europe lately and while I understand them, they don't understand me. It's a weird sensation when you're yapping away and someone is staring at you like you have two heads.
I have started speaking slower and clearer and now all's well again

DEFTLEFTHAND

I find it very difficult to understand South Africans at times.

Here a lot of the rural accents can be hard catch on to, North Tipp, South Offaly old bachelor farmer types. They've their own little dialect nearly.

Hotfail.com

I cannot for the life of me understand any of the Norn Iron accents.

Sir Arthur Daley

StormWarrior wrote: »

I assume so, he was definitely Scottish.

He could have been speaking Scots Gaelic.

Madam

StormWarrior wrote: »

I assume so, he was definitely Scottish.

You asked if he was free (how very English of you)? Not done in Scotland, your supposed to ask if he's for hire! I know what you mean about some Scottish accents(especially a working working class wedgie one) though and I live here:)

Fat Christy

You Cork people, I can't understand ye atal. I just sort of nod and smile. If I'm on the phone it'll be 'Hmmm, yes, sure thang'.

major bill

Mine is very strong...so strong when I ran Dell support the Indian on the other line transferred me straight away because ''I don't understand you''

the Irony of it

suicide_circus

A guy from rural Louisiana, didn't have a blind notion what he was saying.

Menas

I find Danish accents very hard to understand.

But in fairness, I dont speak danish.

SEPT 23 1989

suicide_circus wrote: »

A guy from rural Louisiana, didn't have a blind notion what he was saying.

Creole accent is difficult to get your head around

Hotfail.com

Fat Christy wrote: »

You Cork people, I can't understand ye atal. I just sort of nod and smile. If I'm on the phone it'll be 'Hmmm, yes, sure thang'.

cournioni

Was down in Limerick and Kerry at the start of last month, could not understand A WORD of some of the guys with thicker accents.

Naid23

Met my boyfriends extended family from cork a few weeks ago... Couldnt understand a word they said. I just smiled and nodded and laughed when they did. Really thick cork accents- even my fella struggled to understand.

Very awkward altogether. Dont know how many times i heard 'ah the jackeen girlfriend'. That i could understand haha.

efb

There was Limerick or Cork people interviewed about living in social housing, I had no idea what one interviewee was saying

LizzieJones

StormWarrior wrote: »

I assume so, he was definitely Scottish.

Maybe he was speaking Doric.

I just nod and smile a lot when I cannot understand anyone.

The Backwards Man

Ah canny unnerstan anywans way a tackin south a Monaghan. Is tarra.

Neon_Lights

I hear a lot of prudes speaking in d4 or wannabe d4 accents lately, generally what I hear them say lacks intelligence

CrazyRabbit

scream wrote: »

I have the same problem with heavy Irish accents. The heavier Limerick accents always cause me trouble. Had a sky engineer round to fix our dish a while back and had to guess at half the stuff he was saying and hope for the best.

Oh that's normal for Sky Engineer, regardless of accent.

For me, the Glaswegian accent can be hard. Also, the cockney accent combined with a low deep voice is unintelligible to me. I had a Team Lead years ago with such an accent/voice combination and in over a year I don't think I understood more than 2 sentences he spoke.

kneemos

Three customer service,good English but definitely have to listen hard to get the jist.

_Whimsical_

This happens to me quite a bit. I know a few people from London who speak incredibly fast and I've no idea what they're saying very often.

In general is it more polite to just nod and smile and chance a "yeah" than to ask "what?" several times?
I'm never sure. Just going "yeah" must come across as being dismissive or "I couldn't care less what you're saying"

harry Bailey esq

some nordie accents can be quite tricky,especially the nordie culchie accent that can be found around magherafelt and the surrounding area.a few people seem to have deep hatred of the cork accent,but far worse accents can be found,somebody mentioned the Scottish accent,now that's just gobbleygook.But if your drunk listening to a Scotsman you'll understand every word,clear as a bell.

Adamantium

Clare accent. Seriously what the hell?

Lia_lia

I'm from Kerry and I can't understand the Kerry accent a lot of the time.

Remmy

a strong Tipperary accent that sounds like the person is drunk and slurring their words

Madam

I suspect you all understand this guy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7VoFiagfs

efb

kneemos wrote: »

Three customer service,good English but definitely have to listen hard to get the jist.

Better that Meteor's Dub scrotes- yeah- wha- story

zetalambda

I was walking past Winters bar in Dundrum one evening a few years ago. There was quite a few groups outside in the seated front area and it sounded like they were all talking French. I was thinking to myself that a lot of French people seem to drink there which is strange as it was around Christmas time and you would only expect hoards of foreigners in the summer. But then I realised that they were not French people but drunk southsiders!

YellowFeather

Apparently mine. I'd have a few mates from abroad and I'm conscious to try and speak at a reasonable pace with them. But then I'd get excited about something and start garbling on at a million miles an minute. Happened a while ago and one of the guys said afterwards - I have no idea what you were on about. One of the others said - it's grand. She was just telling one of her stories.

My stories are hilarious!!

On the plus side, I have them all saying 'grand'.

dodderangler

Dundalk accent is worst accent I've ever heard.

Sam Kade

Lia_lia wrote: »

I'm from Kerry and I can't understand the Kerry accent a lot of the time.

You need to get off the computer and out of the house more often

Ken.

Really strong Kerry accents are tough. When any of the Healy-Rae's are on the radio or tv I cannot understand them.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5

I used to work with a Polish guy who'd lived in Italy for ten years and was in the process of learning English in Cork. That was...interesting.

I struggle with some really strong wesht of Ireland accents too but it's mostly the fact that people tend to talk really fast and really low if they have that.

Lia_lia

Sam Kade wrote: »

You need to get off the computer and out of the house more often

I'm just not from the country!

blueser

Fat Christy wrote: »

You Cork people, I can't understand ye atal. I just sort of nod and smile. If I'm on the phone it'll be 'Hmmm, yes, sure thang'.

Absolutely. Some of the people Sky have in their call centre down there; you really have to concentrate HARD to understand them. Also, some of those Indian (Asian?) people who call, telling my that my windows PC has a serious problem. One small problem; I use a Mac!

Oink

Angie Vast Pasta wrote: »

I struggle with some really strong wesht of Ireland accents too but it's mostly the fact that people tend to talk really fast and really low if they have that.

THANK YOU!! I thought I was going deaf! I simply cannot have a conversation in a pub down there they talk so low. I've even tried my luck at lip-reading...

stefan idiot jones

The Ballydesmond accent. The Cork/Kerry frontier, unintelligible.

dd972

Used to work with some, let's say, earthy Glaswegians, ( of the Donegal / c'mon the Bhoys ilk needless to say ) great blokes but needed subtitles.

Oink

stefan idiot jones wrote: »

The Ballydesmond accent. The Cork/Kerry frontier, unintelligible.

That's different. If you just move away from the duelling banjos it makes things much easier.
:-)))

harry Bailey esq

The folk in west waterford speak funny.Its fairly easy to decipher,but the way they pronounce things weird,and they also use words you won't hear anywhere else. For example he word 'now' is pronounced neeow,really long and drawn out,like a cat purring. It sounds especially weird when its a young woman speaking,its like looking at a dubbed over kung fu film..
lovely people though

Sam Kade

Lia_lia wrote: »

I'm just not from the country!

No cities in Kerry

fryup

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaadphJyy50

Lia_lia

Sam Kade wrote: »

No cities in Kerry

There are towns.

On a related note, haven't a clue what these lads are saying!

Teyla Emmagan

My Dad's business partner is from Kerry (Tralee, not the wild west). I have known him all my life, but used to be terrified of talking to him as a child/teenager. He'd be chatting away, and I'd just nod my head. I swear, I understood about a quarter of what he was on about. He's a lovely man, but I used to be terrified when he asked me a question. However I have either honed my ear over the years, or he has lost the accent a bit, because I understand about 90% of it now!!

steddyeddy

A lecturer we had was Sri Lankan and had a very unique accent.

Sam Kade

Lia_lia wrote: »

There are towns.

On a related note, haven't a clue what these lads are saying!

You wouldn't have to go very far in any town in Kerry to reach the countryside
Jaysus just watched that video I could only figure out a few sentences, what's with yourman with the lamb and bottle of milk?

Satriale

Lia_lia wrote: »

There are towns.

On a related note, haven't a clue what these lads are saying!

Those lads can speak better English than the queen, they'rejustwindin'yeupforthecraicandtheconfusedlookonye'refaces.