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?

Can people in the South discern between different Nordie accents?

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