What's the deal with the Irish accent?

tampopo · 22-05-2007 1:01pm

Jimmy Hissing Munchies wrote:

Ottawa isn't a French speaking city - I know loads of monolingual English speakers from there. To most people they just sound American. I hear the difference in the vowels - it's cliche but they really do say 'aboat' instead of 'about' and the intonation is a little different. The French Canadian accent is a completely different matter!

Yeah, you're right, twas only afterwards I realised I'd mistaken Ottawa for Quebec.

While in Ottawa I stayed in Kanata, before travelling up the Gaspe peninsula. I agree with what you say.

bullpost · 22-05-2007 3:40pm

There was huge emigration from South East Ireland to Newfoundland in the nineteenth century. The communities were pretty isolated and self-contained and therefore retained traces of their original accents. TG4 showed a documentary on it recently. If you saw some of the clips they showed you'd bet money it was rural Ireland.

Jimoslimos wrote:

Never used my accent to score - only my handsome good looks and witty personality (might have to rethink that strategy there;) )

Craziest accent I've heard - Newfoundland, its not north american, its not Irish but kinda something in between.

WindSock · 22-05-2007 3:52pm

And a lot of Irish were sent over to Jamaica too, I have a theory that 'dey talk like dis' because they learnt english from the irish

_blank_ · 22-05-2007 4:09pm

They drink Guinness by the bucketload too.

Exit · 22-05-2007 11:41pm

bullpost wrote:

There was huge emigration from South East Ireland to Newfoundland in the nineteenth century. The communities were pretty isolated and self-contained and therefore retained traces of their original accents. TG4 showed a documentary on it recently. If you saw some of the clips they showed you'd bet money it was rural Ireland.

"traces" is a bit of an understatement. I remember the first time I heard the accent in Canada whilst watching a comedy programme, and I honestly thought they were taking the piss out of Irish people. Turned out they were just Newfies.

thelordofcheese · 23-05-2007 12:49am

Well, i don't know why, but the girls over here seem to like it alot.
I'm not complaining....

Manic Moran · 23-05-2007 10:58pm

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone know if a certain mobile 'phone advert from a couple of years ago ever made it to Youtube? The one where a good looking girl slips a good-looking guy her number, and he ruins it at the very end by opening his mouth. "Hiya, it's yar mahn fram da barr..."

NTM

Ruu_Old · 23-05-2007 11:04pm

I think it was for Digifone (now O2). I haven't seen any sign of it on youtube.

WindSock · 23-05-2007 11:20pm

Manic Moran wrote:

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone know if a certain mobile 'phone advert from a couple of years ago ever made it to Youtube? The one where a good looking girl slips a good-looking guy her number, and he ruins it at the very end by opening his mouth. "Hiya, it's yar mahn fram da barr..."

NTM

Hello Kayshe (kate) itsh me de guy from de byarr.....ah no, honestly it is.

InFront · 24-05-2007 12:01am

boreds wrote:

And a lot of Irish were sent over to Jamaica too, I have a theory that 'dey talk like dis' because they learnt english from the irish

Yeah, I overheard a Caribbean guy in town recently who I could have sworn was from Cork until I listened more carefully. It can also sound Welsh.

I used to have big problems telling the Northern Ireland accent apart from the Scottish one until I became friends with some people from the North.

MooShop · 24-05-2007 11:31am

well im going to england tonight for the weekend so hope to use my accent to my advantage, especially with such words like, 33, 3 and tree. for some reason english women always ask me to say these when im chatting to them.

NeMiSiS · 24-05-2007 11:39am

Heh, make them say "Ride me like a bold donkey paddy!".
TK

Kell · 24-05-2007 12:04pm

The Irish accent is sexy because its musical with lots n lots of intonation. Not surprising from a musical country. A lot of other countries dont have the ups n downs in pace, intonation and of course healthy doses of expletives.

As for me, I can spot dialects from most parts of most countries. Its easy.

K-

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 25-05-2007 1:23pm

yeah, newfies are great.. when I was in canada people kept asking me where on the island I was from

but like I said, newfies are great so I didn't get upset

WindSock · 25-05-2007 1:29pm

MooShop wrote:

well im going to england tonight for the weekend so hope to use my accent to my advantage, especially with such words like, 33, 3 and tree. for some reason english women always ask me to say these when im chatting to them.

English people are always asking me to 'say fir'hy fwee and a firrrd'.

shane86 · 05-06-2007 9:16pm

Possibly heading to Glasgow for the weekend, apparently they like the accent, although tbh I can never recall a Scots bird on the phone in the call centre complimenting mine compared to the amt of English who did. Slightly on topic, are many Scottish women fine? I dunno, its just I can think of barely any famous Scottish women, Ive never seen a British porno featuring Scottish women, thyey sound rough over the phone, and tbh Ive only ever even met two scottish birds, one of whom was fine as **** mimd.

Still, that schoolgirl yoke from Trainspotting more than met the standard

Right Ive decided, if I get my rocks in Glasgow I have to end it with "Christ, I havent felt that good since David O`Leary scored in Italia 90"

Echelle · 30-06-2007 11:21pm

Worst regional accent has to be the Dundalk/Drogheda accent ie as per Steve Staunton , but even his is tame in comparison to some.

FunkZ · 30-06-2007 11:51pm

Echelle wrote:

Worst regional accent has to be the Dundalk/Drogheda accent ie as per Steve Staunton , but even his is tame in comparison to some.

Heeore! And I'm not even gonna try and type out "yes"!

walrusgumble · 30-06-2007 11:56pm

agamemnon wrote:

I love the Donegal accent. It's softer and more lyrical than other northern accents and it's very sexy on a woman.

ha ha , that can change very quickely when they het angery with ya. i lived up there for a couple of years. ye the girls accent can be sexy, furhter up donegal it can sound very aggresive, not a bad thing in certian areas of the house he he. i could barely understand what people from gweedore, particularily lads were saying, booring accent (no offence fine people)

i have a love / hate for the accent, very twangy in some parts.

What's the deal with the Irish accent?

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