Can people in the South discern between different Nordie accents?

SharpshooterTom · 05-03-2019 9:56pm #1

I'm originally from England but have been living in Northern Ireland (Omagh and Belfast) for the past 18 years. I'm just curious as to whether people in the south can discern between the different accents up here? I.e. Differences in Belfast accents, Derry accents, Tyrone accents (where people pronounce Car as Kyee-ar Cabbage as Kyee-abbage etc) , North Antrim accents (i.e. people like Brendan Rodgers who sound Scottish at times).

Like if someone in Dublin spoke with a thick Tyrone or Derry accent, would people figure out he was specifically from Tyrone or Derry before he announced it? Or do people think Nordie's generally sound all the same?

gmisk · 05-03-2019 9:58pm

In my experience not generally in Dublin. I am originally from county Antrim and get "what part of Scoland are you from?"...a lot.

Sunrise_Sunset · 05-03-2019 10:00pm

No, I can't differentiate them

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1 · 05-03-2019 10:00pm

It depends on where the listener is from. We who live along the border can tell most northern accents apart, yet I have come across people in Dublin, and further south, who thought a Dundalk accent was from Belfast and a Monaghan accent was Donegal.

amcalester · 05-03-2019 10:01pm

I grew up 5km from the border and it’s all just Nordie to me.

There’s varying degrees of annoying but I couldn’t place them on a map.

Ipso · 05-03-2019 10:01pm

I’m from Donegal and was confused as Scottish a few times, had to go home and cry into my Irn Bru.

An Ri rua · 05-03-2019 10:02pm

Ey spose it dapends onn da sidjiachon hai

The Bishop Basher · 05-03-2019 10:02pm

I’d know Donegal and Cavan border but away from that I wouldn’t have a rashers.

Immortal Starlight · 05-03-2019 10:06pm

I know the difference between Donegal Derry or Belfast accents so I’m not too bad.

Gwynplaine · 05-03-2019 10:07pm

An Ri rua wrote: »

Ey spose it dapends onn da sidjiachon hai

Communiddy.

Spanish Eyes · 05-03-2019 10:15pm

I can distinguish a Derry accent from a Belfast one.

But I have no doubt that there are differences all over. Those are the ones I remember and recognise. Derry accent is lovely. Some high end Belfast ones are ok too.

As someone else said, it depends on how they pronounce Situation. LOL>

Your Face · 05-03-2019 10:15pm

I can usually tell before they open their mouths.

Ipso · 05-03-2019 10:17pm

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

I can distinguish a Derry accent from a Belfast one.

But I have no doubt that there are differences all over. Those are the ones I remember and recognise. Derry accent is lovely. Some high end Belfast ones are ok too.

As someone else said, it depends on how they pronounce Situation. LOL>

The Derry accent is similar to the Inishowen one, sir.

Yer Da sells Avon · 05-03-2019 10:19pm

"Date of birth, fifteenth of the sixth, eighty-five, making me a Gemini and... em... what date of birth did I say...?"

SharpshooterTom · 05-03-2019 10:20pm

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

I can distinguish a Derry accent from a Belfast one.

But I have no doubt that there are differences all over. Those are the ones I remember and recognise. Derry accent is lovely. Some high end Belfast ones are ok too.

As someone else said, it depends on how they pronounce Situation. LOL>

Would you be able to discern a Tyrone accent? Like I said in my OP where they pronounce my car "me kyee-arr hey"

SEPT 23 1989 · 05-03-2019 10:20pm

How now brown cow

OldMrBrennan83 · 05-03-2019 10:20pm

If they pronounce Hughes with a Q then they're from Tyrone (Thrrrone).

marley1 · 05-03-2019 10:22pm

It all depends on how many whistles they make in a sentence

mfceiling · 05-03-2019 10:22pm

Spanish Eyes wrote: »

Derry accent is lovely.

No...No it isn't. Think Nadine Coyle and how many nails you can scratch down a blackboard.

Purple Mountain · 05-03-2019 10:23pm

Nope.

Dante · 05-03-2019 10:23pm

I've lived with dozens of Nordies through the years and they still all sound pretty much the same to me, just varying levels of Nordieness.

I find the further north you go the more yarry they get. ie car becomes cyar, Spar becomes Spyar and so on so forth.

mad muffin · 05-03-2019 10:23pm

Yes. There’s Northern Irish. Scottish. Geordie.

SharpshooterTom · 05-03-2019 10:24pm

Its interesting in this video how Donegal accents vary quite a bit. North Donegal (e.g. Letterkenny) sounds like an extension of Derry, whereas other parts sound like Tyrone or Fermanagh (obvious I suppose).

Feisar · 05-03-2019 10:27pm

I lived in Belfast for a couple of years and work with a load of lads from Derry so I’m not to bad

riffmongous · 05-03-2019 10:31pm

Yeah I can tell the main ones apart, once I fixed a few reference voices from certain people. It's mostly just familiarity anyway, like I could tell a wexford accent from a ross one from a scalder, but I would suggest with any from the Wesht

Spanish Eyes · 05-03-2019 10:35pm

I swear I was listening to a clip on radio this morning (sorry but I can't remember what station), and I really though it was Peter Casey.

Turned out to be someone else entirely. And I must be doting but I can't remember who it was either.

Can anyone help me here?

Pythagorean · 05-03-2019 10:52pm

There is a noticeable variation in accents in the Republic, we would instantly identify a Cork accent over a Dublin accent, I wonder if the differences are so obvious up North ? I can identify some regional variations from listening to Joey Dunlop,( North Antrim) Gerry Adams,(Belfast), Martin Mc Guinness (Derry), but that's about it.

JupiterKid · 05-03-2019 10:55pm

Yes there is a considerable variation in Northern accents. Belfast and Antrim tend to be quite nasal and strong, but Tyrone, Derry and Fermanagh have a softer brogue.

Donegal has a brogue not unlike Derry and Monaghan is quite like Armagh and Tyrone. Down varies the closer to Belfast you get, with a North/South divide.

Louth has IMO the least Northern brogue, and the Cavan accebt gets. More northern the closer to the border.

SharpshooterTom · 05-03-2019 11:07pm

Pythagorean wrote: »

There is a noticeable variation in accents in the Republic, we would instantly identify a Cork accent over a Dublin accent, I wonder if the differences are so obvious up North ? I can identify some regional variations from listening to Joey Dunlop,( North Antrim) Gerry Adams,(Belfast), Martin Mc Guinness (Derry), but that's about it.

I'm going to generalise here, perhaps a bit unfairly, suggest it might depend your background.

People from catholic and nationalist backgrounds would have a more of an appreciation of differences in southern accents and understanding of them than people protestant or unionist backgrounds, who from my experience, think everyone sounds the same, or no interest in knowing the differences.

Dr. Kenneth Noisewater · 05-03-2019 11:10pm

I'm from Roscommon and when I lived in Donegal I was often asked if I was from Dublin, Cork etc.

I can tell a Donegal accent apart from other northern or Ulster accents generally, after that I'm guessing.

Wheety · 05-03-2019 11:12pm

You mean Catholic v Protestant accents?

_Brian · 05-03-2019 11:12pm

Some can easily, my wife can give a good guess on the local of northern accents.

wakka12 · 05-03-2019 11:17pm

No I wouldnt be able to. But Ive not met a lot of northern irish people tbh, Im sure I could tell the accents apart if I started meeting lots of people from different areas of NI and talking to them a lot

Im not that good at even telling southern accents apart though I can tell Cork, galway, mayo, kerry accents and a few others, but I dont know what somebody from like Wexford or Carlow or cavan are supposed to sound like

Sam Hain · 05-03-2019 11:25pm

OldMrBrennan83 wrote: »

If they pronounce Hughes with a Q then they're from Tyrone (Thrrrone).

That is incorrect.

OldMrBrennan83 · 05-03-2019 11:26pm

Sam Hain wrote: »

That is incorrect.

That is incorrect.

Spleerbun · 05-03-2019 11:33pm

All sound the same to me. And I'm not very fond of the accent(s) to say the least

Ipso · 05-03-2019 11:38pm

True story, there was a man from Derry on Mastermind. It came to his time for the special subject, Magnus introduces Mr Doherty and asks him his specialist subject, Mr Doherty replies “Jazz, sir”.
The round begins:
Magnus Magnusson: Which instrument did Lionel Hampton introduce to jazz?
Mr Doherty: Don’t know, hey, sir.
Magnus Magnusson: Stylistically, cool jazz is the opposite of bebop. True or False.
Mr Doherty: Don’t know, hey, sir.
Magnus Magnusson: Duke Ellington led a big band and played what instrument?
Mr Doherty: Don’t know, hey, sir.

And so on it went and Mr Doherty didn’t get any of his questions correct.
After the cameras stopped, Magnus said to Mr Doherty “Sorry, I don’t meant to be rude, but do you know anything about jazz? You didn’t get any correct answers and this hasn’t happened before.”
Mr Doherty replied “Aye, jazz sir. That film with the big shark, sure I must have seen it a hundred times.”

Mad_maxx · 05-03-2019 11:40pm

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

I'm originally from England but have been living in Northern Ireland (Omagh and Belfast) for the past 18 years. I'm just curious as to whether people in the south can discern between the different accents up here? I.e. Differences in Belfast accents, Derry accents, Tyrone accents (where people pronounce Car as Kyee-ar Cabbage as Kyee-abbage etc) , North Antrim accents (i.e. people like Brendan Rodgers who sound Scottish at times).

Like if someone in Dublin spoke with a thick Tyrone or Derry accent, would people figure out he was specifically from Tyrone or Derry before he announced it? Or do people think Nordie's generally sound all the same?

West ulster accent is softer, unionists tend to have sharper accents regardless of location

Technique · 05-03-2019 11:44pm

Most southerners can't pronounce Tyrone, never mind distinguish the various accents.

Mad_maxx · 05-03-2019 11:45pm

Ipso wrote: »

True story, there was a man from Derry on Mastermind. It came to his time for the special subject, Magnus introduces Mr Doherty and asks him his specialist subject, Mr Doherty replies “Jazz, sir”.
The round begins:
Magnus Magnusson: Which instrument did Lionel Hampton introduce to jazz?
Mr Doherty: Don’t know, hey, sir.
Magnus Magnusson: Stylistically, cool jazz is the opposite of bebop. True or False.
Mr Doherty: Don’t know, hey, sir.
Magnus Magnusson: Duke Ellington led a big band and played what instrument?
Mr Doherty: Don’t know, hey, sir.

And so on it went and Mr Doherty didn’t get any of his questions correct.
After the cameras stopped, Magnus said to Mr Doherty “Sorry, I don’t meant to be rude, but do you know anything about jazz? You didn’t get any correct answers and this hasn’t happened before.”
Mr Doherty replied “Aye, jazz sir. That film with the big shark, sure I must have seen it a hundred times.”

Frank Carson joke?

"way ya tell em" perhaps?

retalivity · 05-03-2019 11:48pm

Im from west donegal, living in dublin, was asked yesterday by a cork man if i was from belfast.

Wile carry-on altogether.

DundalkDuffman · 06-03-2019 12:03am

Rennaws wrote: »

I’d know Donegal and Cavan border but away from that I wouldn’t have a rashers.

Get your map out you Leitrim denialist !

SharpshooterTom · 06-03-2019 12:09am

There's supposed to a real difference between the Lancashire and Yorkshire accents in England, but to most southerners (like me) they all sound the same.

People from those two counties think its dead obvious. And that there are differences reportedly between a Bolton accent, a Manchester accent, and Sheffield accent, a Leeds accent. Wouldn't have a notion personally, but the people up there its obvious.

dd973 · 06-03-2019 12:42am

Came across a very interesting book years back about linguistic patterns in Ulster, apparently many rural Anglican settlers west of the Bann came from the English West Country and to this day have softer, milder accents and political/cultural affiliations than the Scots Presbyterian settlers.

A far as identifying them I can generally only spot the urban working class Belfast area accent, the middle class Belfast area one which is more associated with Unionists but is shared by middle class Catholics, the North Antrim Brendan Rodgers one which could pass for Scottish and a generic rural one, a Donegal or Cavan native would probably have to tell me they weren't from 'the North'.

Apparently on a localised level there's linguistic patterns and twists which differentiate Falls and Shankill people whom are only about a mile part, if that.

dd973 · 06-03-2019 12:46am

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

There's supposed to a real difference between the Lancashire and Yorkshire accents in England, but to most southerners (like me) they all sound the same.

People from those two counties think its dead obvious. And that there are differences reportedly between a Bolton accent, a Manchester accent, and Sheffield accent, a Leeds accent. Wouldn't have a notion personally, but the people up there its obvious.

Bolton : Peter Kay

Manchester/Salford : Kevin Webster out of Corrie, has a slight Scouse ring to it.

Leeds : Jimmy Saville

Sheffield : Neil Warnock, they're phobic about the definite article in South Yorkshire for some reason, 'I was going up 'road 'other day'.

Kevin Finnerty · 06-03-2019 12:53am

retalivity wrote: »

Im from west donegal, living in dublin, was asked yesterday by a cork man if i was from belfast.

Wile carry-on altogether.

I've done that. Riles them no end, you need to hold the face for it. Maybe he meant it though, theres thickos here too.

Franz Von Peppercorn · 06-03-2019 1:04am

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

There's supposed to a real difference between the Lancashire and Yorkshire accents in England, but to most southerners (like me) they all sound the same.

People from those two counties think its dead obvious. And that there are differences reportedly between a Bolton accent, a Manchester accent, and Sheffield accent, a Leeds accent. Wouldn't have a notion personally, but the people up there its obvious.

I can definitely tell scouse from Sheffield. Bolton I don’t know. I mean Liverpool is very distinctive.

SharpshooterTom · 06-03-2019 1:13am

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

I can definitely tell scouse from Sheffield. Bolton I don’t know. I mean Liverpool is very distinctive.

Do you think most Irish people can tell a Scouse and a Geordie accent?

I don't think most Americans/Canadians can (if they can even understand one in the first place)

Ipso · 06-03-2019 1:14am

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Do you think most Irish people can tell a Scouse and a Geordie accent?

I don't most Americans/Canadians can (if they can even understand one in the first place)

Aye, Aye Mr Partridge!

Franz Von Peppercorn · 06-03-2019 1:29am

ThomasFlynn wrote: »

Do you think most Irish people can tell a Scouse and a Geordie accent?

Definitely. I definitely can. The difference between them to me is night and day.

I don't think most Americans/Canadians can (if they can even understand one in the first place)

But we watch more English TV. Soccer etc.

The difference between Steven Gerrard vs Alan Shearer is clearly obvious to my ears. And most Irish people.

Birmingham is also fairly distinctive. I get London accents too. East from west.

JupiterKid · 06-03-2019 1:30am

Belfast born myself and nearly all my close relatives are Nordies so I can pretty easily discern differences. There does seem to be a broad East-West divide with the 3 western counties and Donegal generally having a softer brogue. The Tyrone and Fermanagh accents in particular can be very soft.

Also a class divide as well-heeled South Belfast and North Down are very distinct from East or West Belfast or South Antrim.

And there's a noticeable difference between Derry city and the county.

Can people in the South discern between different Nordie accents?

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