Difficulty with Irish accents abroad!

HalloweenJack · 02-05-2012 04:07PM

I'm an English teacher and I have a fairly strong accent which is a mix of Wicklow and working class Dublin. I've been told by several students that I have the strongest accent they've ever heard. It can cause quite a few problems in class.

That said, I've never had problems being understood by other native speakers, only on unfamiliar vocabulary.

Also, I wouldn't say there's any difficulty when dealing with other native speakers. In my experience, American girls in particular love an accent.

PeterB11 · 02-05-2012 04:46PM

cocokay wrote: »

in new york my other half asked for to-mah-toes on his sandwich instead of to-may-toes and she looked at him like he had 2 heads, i had to repeat "to-may-toes" for her. they don't sound THAT different, do they? i thought it was a bit mad in a city like ny that has so many different nationalities all speaking with different accents & pronunciations

Mate of mine in London one time asked for "ta-mah-has".

To a response of "ta-what?!"

It can be a tricky one no matter where in the world you are :pac:

mikemac1 · 02-05-2012 05:13PM

What's with Clare Daly TD

Pure Dub accent

She's from Kildare!

I reckon it's put on, trying to be like the locals except she's taken it way too far

DEFTLEFTHAND · 02-05-2012 05:26PM

Only time I encountered difficulty in England was when seeking directions to the town of Bath. You must adopt an upper class accented pronunciation of the word to have any hope of been understood.

ejmaztec · 02-05-2012 05:34PM

DEFTLEFTHAND wrote: »

Only time I encountered difficulty in England was when seeking directions to the town of Bath. You must adopt an upper class accented pronunciation of the word to have any hope of been understood.

They probably knew where the city of Bath was, but had never heard of the town of Bath, hence the confusion.

quinny · 02-05-2012 05:43PM

Jimoslimos wrote: »

Really? Have lived in England for over 5 years and to the best of my knowledge rubber is exclusively used as slang for condom. The girl wasn't English though, although grew up there from an early age.

Never heard anyone use 'grand' (to mean fine, ok) other than the Irish

What part of England are you in? I'm in the west midlands and have just asked 5 of my English colleagues did they have a rubber and every one of them knew I meant an eraser. As for whoever said there are no Taytos in England that's incorrect, Asda have stocked them in the past and Home Bargains currently sell them for 20p a packet (though they are the Norn Irish ones)

Funnyonion79 · 02-05-2012 05:46PM

When I worked in Belfast, they didn't understand that when I said "press" I meant "cuboard", when I said "rashers" I meant "bacon" when I asked for a "bun on my burger" I was met with blank looks. When I tried to explain, I was told that a "bun" was always only ever a cake and what I should be asking for, was a "bap" for my burger.

Equally, it had to be explained to me that a fish supper was just fish and chips with mushy peas.

In Australia whe I worked for a credit card company, the customers could never understand when I asked them for their "card" number. "Code" number??? Oh, you mean you want my caaaaaaaaaaad number"

Eh yeah - you called me. About your CREDIT CARD!!!

mikemac1 · 02-05-2012 06:05PM

I say half past two [for the time]
In Yorkshire it was half while two

Meet you in the pub at half while eight
Twas confusing until I got the hang of it

Faith+1 · 02-05-2012 06:13PM

Funnyonion79 wrote: »

In Australia whe I worked for a credit card company, the customers could never understand when I asked them for their "card" number. "Code" number??? Oh, you mean you want my caaaaaaaaaaad number"

Eh yeah - you called me. About your CREDIT CARD!!!

Don't get me started on the Aussies....

Me- Can I have a coffee please
Barman- Beeeeer it is
Me- No, Coffffeeee
Barman- Be earrrrr

Agricola · 02-05-2012 06:23PM

What about Irish accents when speaking a foreign language. Last time I was in Paris, thought I'd be a bit swish and order "deux bieres".
After a blank look from the barmaid I put up two fingers.....
"Bieres, sil vous plait, Jaysus, Bee.....Airs????" Nothing.

I pointed at the stella Artois.

"Ohhhhh, BIERE monsieur! Je suis desole!"

Fúckin French.

retalivity · 02-05-2012 06:26PM

teaching english in korea...first 2 months consisted of completely rearranging how i spoke.
Slow everything down, and enunciate all the time. And that was only for the american co-teachers.

pablomakaveli · 02-05-2012 06:26PM

Since moving to England i've found the way i say words beginning with "th" greatly amuses them particularly the way i say three.

No way am i changing the way i say it though.

dd972 · 02-05-2012 06:33PM

why do so many Irish people put on an Eastenders/Essex accent when mimicking an English accent.

85% of English people don't come from the South-East or speak like that, just wondering

LordSutch · 02-05-2012 06:39PM

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Since moving to England i've found the way i say words beginning with "th" greatly amuses them particularly the way i say three.

No way am i changing the way i say it though.

But maybe you are saying Tree instead of Three? in which case they may well be amused

)

mikemac1 · 02-05-2012 06:41PM

Hate how they speak on Cornation Street, that Manchester/Lancashire accent

Worse then anything we have in Ireland.

mikemac1 · 02-05-2012 06:42PM

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Since moving to England i've found the way i say words beginning with "th" greatly amuses them particularly the way i say three.

No way am i changing the way i say it though.

If they give you hassle just tell them you fink they should shut it ya facking cant

fasttalkerchat · 02-05-2012 06:43PM

pablomakaveli wrote: »

Since moving to England i've found the way i say words beginning with "th" greatly amuses them particularly the way i say three.

No way am i changing the way i say it though.

Tirty tree parcent langar!

Funnyonion79 · 02-05-2012 06:45PM

Also forgot to mention the "butter" conversations whilst working in Oz.

So I'd be in a cafe or restaurant trying to order a sandwhich and I don't eat butter so I'd politely ask if there was butter on the sandwich or I'd give my order and say "no butter please".

Well. The confusion was unreal.

Me: Does that come with butter on it?
Waiter: Sorry what?
Me: Sorry, butter. Is there butter on the sandwich?
Waiter: I'm sorry, what?
Me: Butter. Spread. I can't eat butter. Can I get no butter on the sandwich?
Waiter: *very confused* Busher? I'm not sure what this is...?
*Cue my friends pissing themselves laughing and me getting embarrassed*
Me: No, buTTer. As in from the dairy, yellow stuff.
*The waiter then starts eyeing me very suspiciously now cos my friends are laughing and he thinks I'm taking the piss out of him*
Waiter: Sorry I don't know what you're talking about.
Me: Badduh. No badduh (said in a completely awful Australian accent).
Waiter: OHHHHHH you mean baaaaaduh! No, there's none on the sandwich.

Jesus. Painful.

Faith+1 · 02-05-2012 06:48PM

Funnyonion79 wrote: »

Also forgot to mention the "butter" conversations whilst working in Oz.

So I'd be in a cafe or restaurant trying to order a sandwhich and I don't eat butter so I'd politely ask if there was butter on the sandwich or I'd give my order and say "no butter please".

Well. The confusion was unreal.

Me: Does that come with butter on it?
Waiter: Sorry what?
Me: Sorry, butter. Is there butter on the sandwich?
Waiter: I'm sorry, what?
Me: Butter. Spread. I can't eat butter. Can I get no butter on the sandwich?
Waiter: *very confused* Busher? I'm not sure what this is...?
*Cue my friends pissing themselves laughing and me getting embarrassed*
Me: No, buTTer. As in from the dairy, yellow stuff.
*The waiter then starts eyeing me very suspiciously now cos my friends are laughing and he thinks I'm taking the piss out of him*
Waiter: Sorry I don't know what you're talking about.
Me: Badduh. No badduh (said in a completely awful Australian accent).
Waiter: OHHHHHH you mean baaaaaduh! No, there's none on the sandwich.

Jesus. Painful.

Lol at least you got your sandwich, I ordered a coffee and got a beer. Aussies.....

fasttalkerchat · 02-05-2012 06:50PM

Funnyonion79 wrote: »

Also forgot to mention the "butter" conversations whilst working in Oz.

So I'd be in a cafe or restaurant trying to order a sandwhich and I don't eat butter so I'd politely ask if there was butter on the sandwich or I'd give my order and say "no butter please".

Well. The confusion was unreal.

Me: Does that come with butter on it?
Waiter: Sorry what?
Me: Sorry, butter. Is there butter on the sandwich?
Waiter: I'm sorry, what?
Me: Butter. Spread. I can't eat butter. Can I get no butter on the sandwich?
Waiter: *very confused* Busher? I'm not sure what this is...?
*Cue my friends pissing themselves laughing and me getting embarrassed*
Me: No, buTTer. As in from the dairy, yellow stuff.
*The waiter then starts eyeing me very suspiciously now cos my friends are laughing and he thinks I'm taking the piss out of him*
Waiter: Sorry I don't know what you're talking about.
Me: Badduh. No badduh (said in a completely awful Australian accent).
Waiter: OHHHHHH you mean baaaaaduh! No, there's none on the sandwich.

Jesus. Painful.

When Dublin people used to shop up North in their droves I got asked things like:
Where's your buher?
Do yeee sell Maaaaaaaarz Baaaaaaarz?

And you ask them if they want to use a Debit or Credit card? Lazer...
So is that Debit or credit?
Its lazer.
Do you pay a bill each month or is it from a bank account?

You get these differences 10 miles down the road and the other side of the world!

Funnyonion79 · 02-05-2012 07:03PM

It's crazy all the different accents you can hear, just by goig a few miles down the road.

Slightly off topic but I always found it odd that you can have a Dublin accent and a Cork accent for example, which are two COMPLETELY different accents only 150 miles apart, yet in Australia, which is a massive country, you only get two types of accents: city accent and country accent. That's it. Why??

Ireland and the UK must have the most varied accents over such a small area, in the whole world. Like there's no comparison between a geordie accent and a brummie one. Sometimes it's hard to determine if they're even speaking English, yet they're not that far apart, distance-wise...where do accents come from and why so varied in our part of the world??

fasttalkerchat · 02-05-2012 07:14PM

Funnyonion79 wrote: »

It's crazy all the different accents you can hear, just by goig a few miles down the road.

Slightly off topic but I always found it odd that you can have a Dublin accent and a Cork accent for example, which are two COMPLETELY different accents only 150 miles apart, yet in Australia, which is a massive country, you only get two types of accents: city accent and country accent. That's it. Why??

Ireland and the UK must have the most varied accents over such a small area, in the whole world. Like there's no comparison between a geordie accent and a brummie one. Sometimes it's hard to determine if they're even speaking English, yet they're not that far apart, distance-wise...where do accents come from and why so varied in our part of the world??

Compare North and South Armagh accents!
Armagh City:

Culaville:

Slightly exaggerated...

RGM · 02-05-2012 07:15PM

Some of my family up in the north of Donegal lay it on pretty thick. I generally don't have a problem with accents though.

fasttalkerchat · 02-05-2012 07:19PM

RGM wrote: »

Some of my family up in the north of Donegal lay it on pretty thick. I generally don't have a problem with accents though.

Girls with Donegal accents :eek::eek::eek::p

RGM · 02-05-2012 07:26PM

fasttalkerchat wrote: »

Girls with Donegal accents :eek::eek::eek::p

I'm an American, therefore I like just about any accent. Especially on a girl.

OT: How does Ireland feel about Americans these days?

Morpork · 02-05-2012 07:33PM

NeonCookies wrote: »

I'm teaching English in Japan at the moment. I teach one to one lessons, so maybe 8/ 10 students a day. NONE of them can understand me when I say "fun" (which I say to nearly every one of them - "Was it fun?" etc.) or "often" (I have to pronounce it offen). This is mainly due to them learning English from Americans and English people.

I had similar issues with those 'u' sounds in Japan. I actually had a running gag going with some of my students about it. The fact that they are taught American English in school just made my life more difficult and I tried my best to convert them lol.

I found that many Japanese people though Irish people didn't speak English as a first language and the amount of people that mixed up Ireland and Iceland was amazing. For these reasons it was a little difficult to get private students.

Generally though students found me easy to understand and when I came home I found out why. Apparently I "lost" my Irish accent. I had an accent from "nowhere"! It's back now though!

fasttalkerchat · 02-05-2012 07:40PM

RGM wrote: »

I'm an American, therefore I like just about any accent. Especially on a girl.

OT: How does Ireland feel about Americans these days?

I have nothing against American's personally and sweeping generalisations make no sense anyway!
As for other people, on TV we see the worst of America so the dumb, super-patriots stereotype is there.
Once the American soldiers leave the middle east the popularity of American people here will go back to normal:)

SteoL · 02-05-2012 07:56PM

kfallon wrote: »

When abroad just keep saying 'Turty-tree and a turd' and you will forever be loved by those who inhabit the country you are visiting!

Also good for a laugh are the following:

Thursday
Thought
Thief
Throw
Through

etc etc

An English mate of mine used to make me say 'Turkey' over and over. Found it hilarious.

MissMoppet · 02-05-2012 08:03PM

People struggle understanding my North Donegal accent in Galway of all places.. I've been shouted at at work 'Ere do ye speak English?' :rolleyes:

xflyer · 03-05-2012 12:29AM

You get some great reactions in America particularly in places not particulary used to foreigners. I spent some time in Tennessee. Went to McDonalds with an English friend and ordered. The girl behind the counter looked perplexed then suddenly ran off giggling. Eventually the supervisor appeared and apologised saying that she simply didn't understand word we said.

Another time in Vermont, a gang of us went into another fast food place. Our accents brought out the entire kitchen staff to have a look. But this time it was our turn for confusion when they asked us what 'side' we wanted. We had no idea what they were on about.

Difficulty with Irish accents abroad!

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