Why is Rory McIlroy putting on a fake American accent?

24-11-2015 01:20PM

It's just just America. Someone I know was over in England doing a course in radio production and they were told to try and flatten their accent as much as possible. Rory McIlroy was likely told the exact same thing. Hell.. people tell me I sound American, because I speak clearly and pronounce things fully.

hardCopy · 24-11-2015 01:26PM

SeantheMan wrote: »

McGregor has the worst accent, the way he tries to pronounce and enunciate all his words with T's...drives me mad. You can tell it's not his real accent at all.

To be fair to McGregor. He has a massive media presence in the US and they would have needed subtitles if he hadn't adapted his speech. At least he has been left with an over affected Irish accent rather than taking the easy option and just picking up an American one.

FortuneChip · 24-11-2015 01:29PM

He probably put it on to destract people from that stupid debate over what country he'll represent in the Olympics.

Not least because golf has NO place being in the Olympics

RobertKK · 24-11-2015 01:37PM

Maybe the Americans find him hard to understand.

I say this as I was with a friend in the US, I don't think my voice is any great shakes but the Americans seemed to understand me better, when my friend spoke with his rougher Irish accent, they didn't understand him some of the time and I was like an interpreter

SEPT 23 1989 · 24-11-2015 01:42PM

topper75 wrote: »

Ulster Scots had big influence in early days of the U.S.A. There is still a mild echo of their accent in the American accent today.

But that is only a part of the story. Much of Rory's changeover is probably rooted in his own insecurity.

Hillbilly

Mr Freeze · 24-11-2015 01:46PM

Did anyone mention Steven Mcclaren and him speaking English with a dutch accent?

Pure cringe it is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZnoP4sUV90

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZnoP4sUV90

R.D. aka MR.D · 24-11-2015 01:48PM

This kinda ****e really pisses me off!

He's not 'putting on an accent'. It's not some affectation. It's being understood.

I'm from Donegal and my first couple of weeks in college in Dublin, I would come in and sit down and say 'Ah it's wile cowel day the day' and they would look at me like I had 15 heads.

You soon learn than even your fellow countrymen can't understand you. You have to slow down and use 'proper' words. It's really annoying to be accused of 'putting on a fake accent' when all you're trying to do is help people to understand you. What's so wrong with that?

With Americans they find it really hard to understand even British people sometimes (My OH is American and he found this girl from Newcastle that we used to work with totally incomprehensible and her geordie accent was the mildest I've ever encountered!). They aren't exposed to as many Irish/British accents as we are American because of the pervasiveness of American pop culture so at the end of the day, the easiest thing to do is compromise and help them to understand you by using words etc that you know they know.

Special Circumstances · 24-11-2015 02:02PM

Accent fluid. Brave.

Cienciano · 24-11-2015 02:23PM

Mr Freeze wrote: »

Did anyone mention Steven Mcclaren and him speaking English with a dutch accent?

Pure cringe it is.

Joey Bartons is worse

24-11-2015 02:35PM

My accent is all over the shop and while you'd prob still know I'm from Ulster, I know OP would be disappointed in me.. And that makes me happy.

Turfcutter · 24-11-2015 02:51PM

topper75 wrote: »

Ulster Scots had big influence in early days of the U.S.A. There is still a mild echo of their accent in the American accent today.

I remember some linguistics study that pointed out the similarities between the Ulster accent and the Southern United States accent. A lot of the same twangs and intonations.
Obviously a lot of the Ulster Scots settled there back in the day.
It isn't such a huge jump for McIlroy, McDowell and Nadine Coyle to veer into American accent territory.

Menas · 24-11-2015 02:59PM

When I was practicing for my driving test I took some lessons. The instructor had this mad Texan drawl and dressed like something out of Dallas. The thing is that when I was doing the actual test all I could hear in my head was his Texan voice telling me to check my mirrors, keep my distance etc etc. I passed the test.

I found out years later that the instructor had never been outside of Connaught in his life and put on the Texan accent only when giving lessons so people would remember what he said. Genius.

kneemos · 24-11-2015 03:16PM

FortuneChip wrote: »

He probably put it on to destract people from that stupid debate over what country he'll represent in the Olympics.

Not least because golf has NO place being in the Olympics

Ooohhh! Controversial.

The Backwards Man · 24-11-2015 03:22PM

K-9 wrote: »

"I could murder a fag" gets an odd reaction there too.

Of course there are also times when we forget ourselves and the Donegal comes out regardless.

Wander into Walgreen's halfcut,

'Hai, go on a gi us a box a fags there hai'

Cashier looks stunned, hand on the panic button 'Excuse me, Sir?'

'Aye, throw us out twenty Marlboro Light there'

Cashier goes to get a carton

'Naw, ya eejit, fcuking apt, I only want the wan twenty'

Andrew Laeddis · 24-11-2015 04:02PM

When I come back from a weekend in Leeds I lose the ability to say 'the'

"I'm going down pub to get pint'

Tarzana2 · 24-11-2015 11:57PM

Deleted User wrote: »

There's one poster on here (who shall remain nameless) who picks up accents very quickly. We were out one night and chatting to an Ulster native. The drunker he got the thicker his ulster accent got despite him trying to stop. By the end of the night he would have given Gerry Adams a run for his money

Well who doesn't want to sound like Gerry Adams?

:pac:

Bubbaclaus · 25-11-2015 12:01AM

American girlfriend and spends majority of time in US.

NotASheeple · 25-11-2015 12:13AM

Grid. wrote: »

Has to keep up with McDowell:rolleyes:

Couldn't thing of that sap's name. He wins a major and turns into a yank. Bad enough when it happens to a student working for the summer. But coming from a man of his age, it's beyond embarrassing.

castletownman · 25-11-2015 12:17AM

Putting on accents happens quite often in Ireland actually. It's particularly prevalent among young female culchies that move to Dublin and "develop" a South Dublin jersey over-night. Usually accompanied by a rugby jersey too.

dirtyden · 25-11-2015 12:53AM

NotASheeple wrote: »

Couldn't thing of that sap's name. He wins a major and turns into a yank. Bad enough when it happens to a student working for the summer. But coming from a man of his age, it's beyond embarrassing.

He has been living there for about 10 years.

Bubbaclaus · 25-11-2015 01:27AM

NotASheeple wrote: »

Couldn't thing of that sap's name. He wins a major and turns into a yank. Bad enough when it happens to a student working for the summer. But coming from a man of his age, it's beyond embarrassing.

Misinformation here is astounding. Went to college there in the late 90s and has spent the vast majority of his time there since. His family lives there.

To claim he's a sap because his accent slightly changed in the 16 years he has been in the US is an odd one.

Banjoxed · 25-11-2015 01:31AM

Bubbaclaus wrote: »

Misinformation here is astounding. Went to college there in the late 90s and has spent the vast majority of his time there since. His family lives there.

To claim he's a sap because his accent slightly changed in the 16 years he has been in the US is an odd one.

Indeed. He hardly misses d*cks commenting on his accent here when he's in the States.

Why is Rory McIlroy putting on a fake American accent?

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