To worry about DCs picking up very strong regional accent?

[honourinoneeye]

DH has been looking for a job near his elderly father for a while, and secured one last month. The in-laws live in an area that is pretty much synonymous with deprivation and poverty - their home and immediate area (street, estate) is lovely but the area as a whole is pretty dire.

I have been concerned about the effects living somewhere like this may have on children but one thing in particular I'm a bit worried about is the accent. It's very, very thick - even "well spoken" people have what I and most others would consider to be a broad accent.

At any rate, this week we have been in a premier inn to buy a house and find schools and get things sorted for September. My twins will be going into year 2 and their teacher 'mocked' my dd's accent - not nastily, but nonetheless it was there. I also noticed the TA spoke with a strong accent with numerous grammatical errors - "you was staying in a hotel?" complete with dropped 'h's'

I was a teacher pre DC and have worked in some very deprived schools but such an accent would undoubtedly hold people back, I really can't explain how strong it is! I don't mean I'm judging people for it (I do for the bad grammar) but just the same, I can't pretend I'd be happy about my children picking up such a thick accent and I do feel it would be detrimental to their future.

So - any ways around this?

[LoxleyBarrett]

Ok we have...

• Sara Cox
  
• Peter Kay
  
• Carr's Pasties
  
• Sir Ian McKellen
  
• Fred Dibnah
  
• a fantastic Town Hall
  
• Bed pans
  
• Jason Kenny
  

And finally...

• the most dedicated parking wardens in the world

[ModreB]

I understand OP. I was born and brought up in a Northern city, to Southern parents. I had accents for school, accents for home, and accents for visiting family. DC's will adapt. I was always told I was posh at school, common at home, and unusual when visiting family.

But, my DC's, who have always lived in the Northern city have the same accents as I do, with a bit of International pronunciation as DH grew up overseas, and the way that they speak is universally accepted. And, every one of them is fantastic at Languages at school, which I put down to learning several dialects in English

[honourinoneeye]

For the fifth time or so, DH has a Lancashire accent.

My children currently speak in a fairly neutral accent. That's typical of round here. I suppose that if/when we move, they pick up a local accent, they sound different, to me and to my family.

Of course, there are worse things.

I suppose that with most things, you do become self conscious as time goes on. I'm a bit scared to post this now, but if let's say you were of Asian origin and lived somewhere where others were too, and you were moving to an area without many people who were from an Asian background but you didn't think it would be a problem.

But then people were unpleasant and asked you question after question and were rude to your children and made you feel unwelcome. You wouldn't think "well to fit in here, we must be just like these people and adopt their attitudes" would you? You'd probably want to cry your eyes out which I have repeatedly this afternoon.

I don't know what we'll do.

I'm not awful, though.

Thanks.

[PuppyMonkey]

Trying not to get cross with your dismissal of this perfectly awful local accent, but maybe I can also offer a word of reassurance.

I was brought up in a rough council estate in Nottingham where the accent was a (IMHO) brilliantly strong and characterful "ey up me duck" think Su Pollard. But my parents were both Irish. And so I've not really ended up with the strong local accent, just the general East Mids way of speaking but not classic notting-um.

I think YOUR accent will have a big influence on how your kids end up speaking and the way they say things. They might not end up talking proper Wigan at all.

As for them mocking you, give it time - they'll get over it. I think you're just looking for excuses not to move there tbh .

[AMillionNameChangesLater]

Now Now Birds we all know that Bolton is far superior! We have erm, erm, erm...

Let me get back to you...

ha ha! We have, erm, Middlebrook?

[honourinoneeye]

Thanks Modre :)

[Lambstales]

drudgetrudy My DF was in academia and mocked for his accent. It just 'didn't cut the mustard' in the hallowed halls of Oxbridge. He soon lost it to further his career.
DF was red rose, my DM was white rose but with RP (think the Queen).

Put DF with his old RAF mates and it's pure Lancs again..... you never lose it.

[LoxleyBarrett]

How could I forget the wonder that is Middlebrook - even people from Wigan come here to shop!

[honourinoneeye]

Looking for excuses not to move here.

If only I could! But the move unfortunately is an established fact, I was fine with it, until I got spoken to like shit on a shoe because of my voice.

People have spoken a lot about identity - I wonder if it has occurred to those people I have my own identity and don't like it being mocked and jeered at.

Must stop justifying but gosh, it is difficult, very difficult.

[Ifpigscouldfly]

Totally share your pain. I'm from the west mids - Black Country worse than Brummie. Got ripped to pieces when we moved down south for last few years of school. Started to try and pick up a southern/ less regional accent.
Best thing that came out of the move. People took me a lot more seriously when I didnt sound as thick as two short planks and they can understand what I'm actually saying.

Thick accents are not usually associated with money/success or class in my experience. Not saying it's right but does seem to be the case.

[FergusSingsTheBlues]

It's crap, and I feel for you. I'm scottish, brought up internationally and speak with an RP accent,,,. I live in the city of my birth and have done so for twenty years yet I'm still slagged off for being English, or posh, or BOTH.
It makes you feel such a stranger when people make big fuss about how you speak.

So. Your kids will be far happier if you help them assimilate by never mentioning the accent to them, and leave them to it. Your natural family accent will modulate it naturally.

Assimilate ans accept, but please don't judge.

[Ifpigscouldfly]

Although to be fair Black Country is a dialect not accent which is even harder to understand so it's a bit different.

[honourinoneeye]

it makes you feel such a stranger when people make a fuss about how you speak yes!!

[douchbag]

Lancashire by any chance!?

[douchbag]

Ps I'm not being horrible as I too have a Lancashire accent

[alienbump]

Which part of Wigan are you planning on moving to? (In fact, give us a budget and we could just turn the thread into a nice property porn one, some gorgeous houses in the Wigan area)

[Marylou2]

I'm feeling sorry for you OP so DH and I have been compiling a list of nice places you could live within a 30 minute commute of Wigan.Our favs are Crank, Knutsford, Lymm, Mere or Stockton Heath. Would it not be possible to live elsewhere? Also South Manchester area has some great prep and independent schools that are not too far away.

[ernesttheBavarian]

I am from the north east. Have a new colleague at work. Sounds as posh as anything. Born and bred in Newcastle. Apparently. So I can confirm it is possible to grow up somewhere with a very strong regional accent and come out unscathed.

My cousin was born and grew up in Essex. But his geordie parents would die of shame and horror if he had a southern accent. He has the strongest geordie accent imaginable even though he has never lived there.

[MortaIWombat]

You need the , op!

[shockinglybadteacher]

People have spoken a lot about identity - I wonder if it has occurred to those people I have my own identity and don't like it being mocked and jeered at.

OP, yeah. I had that as a working class kid with a London accent who went to school somewhere where everyone spoke with a strong Scottish accent. I was "posh" "'Australian" "like Eastenders" and God knows what else.

I am Scottish, I live in Scotland, I still I have to explain and defend my own identity. This is not, particularly, unusual. It's not the end of the world.

[thegreylady]

When we moved to Wigan my son rapidly acquired a strong local accent as a sort of 'protective colouring' to the extent that it was more pronounced than some who had been born there. But...he didn't use it at home, at Pony Club or when visiting friends and family outside the area.
My own North Eastern accent only really emerges when I go back 'home' to see family. It isn't conscious but it happens. Your dc will have a home accent where they speak like you do and a local accent with their friends.
My ds now has a job which requires precise and accurate use of English. He has an MA in a branch of linguistics but still slips happily into Wiganer mode when he is visiting friends there.
YABU don't worry.

[thegreylady]

There are excellent schools etc in some areas of Wigan, Standish, Appley Bridge, parts of Shevington and Orrell.
Its funny that when I wrote my previous post I didn't know it was Wigan you meant! We lived in Appley Bridge :)

[ElphabaTheGreen]

Reading with interest as DH and I are a little concerned about our DSs growing up with broad Wigan accents!

This is how I reassure myself however, OP:

• Ian McKellan - lived ages 0-18 across the road from Mesnes Park. He did go to Bolton School, though which may have knocked the 'Booz' (bus), 'per' (pear) and 'skee-ul' (school) out of him
• My DH - clearly northern, but not plainly Wigan (but also went to Bolton School so above may apply)
• My MIL - most definitely, indisputably Wigan, but is at pains to say 'weren't you' instead of 'wasn't yuh' (and the like) and never drops 'h's (unless incensed about something)
• Colleague in her 20s at work - born, raised and attended school in Wigan, but sounds neutral Lancashire because she decided she Did Not Want To Sound Like That.

Maybe a little brainwashing of our DCs in the latter attitude is in order? (And maybe Bolton School.)

Interestingly, I have never had any locals comment on my accent unfavourably at all, but probably because I'm an Aussie which makes me a) a novelty and clearly not posh and b) fair game for a bit of banter in a rugby league obsessed town.

[TheBuskersDog]

Please can someone enlighten me regarding the 'correct' way to pronounce bucket?