Accent, does this happen to anyone else?

[BigPinkBall]

I’m originally from the North East, like many people I went to school with I’ve got Scottish parents, but I’ve never lived in Scotland. I grew up near Sunderland, so on some words I stretch the vowels and I use a soft r sound, because I’ve lived in the South for the last decade I speak clearly and a little slower than I would in the North East. However I have, on numerous occasions had people ask where in Scotland I’m from, and when I tell them I’m not Scottish they insist that I have a Scottish accent. I find is so strange because I would totally understand not hearing the difference between Sunderland/Newcastle/Middlesbrough but Scottish is a very different sound.

Does this happen to anyone else or is it just me?

When we visited the west coast of Scotland, we’d not long crossed over the border via Cumbria and we stopped off at some services.

The lad and lass who served us both had the most amazingly soft Scottish accent. It was beautiful and I was amazed and could have listened to them for hours.

Mackem is nowt like Scottish though 😂

JustPut took me about 3 years to get my head around it that and "what happened was" now just rolls off the tongue

I was born in portsmouth and moved to east anglia (peterborough) 8 years ago. Some people have said i sound like i have a fenland accent (i.e sound like a farmer) 🤷‍♀️. But at my wedding 4 years ago we had our family from Bristol come and for about a week after I had a tick bristol accent.

I think you can adopt accents from the people around you too, even if you have never been there. I have a friend who is Scottish and after a couple of hours with her I tend to adopt a slight Scottish accent and turns of phrase. Then for a few days afterwards everyone is Hen.

I had (maybe still have) a noticeable but not broad Yorkshire accent. The head of a small media company that the (much much bigger media) firm I worked for sometimes employed would say things like "Eee bah gum" in meetings. For no reason. Just come out with it. I don't even think they were being snide, they were just triggered by my hard vowels or something and had no self control.

Fast forward a decade. I am no longer middle management, I am a director. Others make the decisions on the floor. I get told the results. I learn that the "eeh bah gum" person (still head of the company but their company has not grown at all in the intervening years, still very much a three man band) put in a proposal for an international ad campaign we were running and was turned down because the (overseas) clients could not understand his (Essex) accent in the promo video.

Funny how things turn out, innit?

I doubt it has anything to do with your parents. I'm from the NE too and when I've lived in or visited other places in the UK most people have asked if I was Scottish or Irish. No they don't sound alike at all but I think they are somehow linked in people's heads.

But op, I'm interested that you say you're not Scottish. Surely you are if both parents are Scottish? I understand the accent thing and that you've never been there, but I'm just interested in how people determine their nationality

Yes that's very interesting. I was born in Scotland to two Irish parents. I 100% thought of myself as Irish. We all moved back to Ireland when I was in my 20's but even before that I never 'felt' Scottish.

kab It just makes no sense !
'I sees him' instead of 'I saw him' still drives me bonkers.

I'm from Sunderland, and when I lived in London, was regularly asked where in Ireland I was from!

Yes that's very interesting. I was born in Scotland to two Irish parents. I 100% thought of myself as Irish. We all moved back to Ireland when I was in my 20's but even before that I never 'felt' Scottish.

Well my parents are only 2nd and 1st generation Scottish, and haven’t lived there in 40 years, they’re certainly not ‘proud to be Scottish’ wear a kilt at any opportunity types.

@soapboxqueen I think you’re probably right, I’m thinking well obviously I’m not Scottish, I’m not even close but in the South anything above Birmingham is North and there’s no distinction, like someone from Paris and Belgium would both sound French to me

Well my parents are only 2nd and 1st generation Scottish, and haven’t lived there in 40 years, they’re certainly not ‘proud to be Scottish’ wear a kilt at any opportunity types

Maybe the difference for me was that lots of Irish people(including lots of their friends and family from home) had moved to our town for work so most visitors to our house were Irish as were all my aunts and uncles.

I'm in northumberland. Down south I'm considered Scottish and in Scotland I'm a Geordie lol

My husband is a geordie mixed with another very strong accent from the country he lived in till he was 7,which had now been softened by living "down south" (Yorkshire-so southern!). People can never place his accent. A lot of people think he's from Cumbria.

I am a Brit in Australia and what happens to me is this. I go into a shop and ask a mundane question such as "Hi, can you tell me where the sugar is please?"

And the assistant will say "What?"

And I will repeat myself. Then they usually understand. For the record I have a very slight Northern English accent....but dilluted after years in London.

WHY CAN'T THEY EVER UNDERSTAND ME FIRST TIME ROUND??

It's every time I go into a shop where I am not known and every time I ask for something...anything! Could be "Do you have the time please?" or "Where are the ladies' toilets please?"

Aaaagh! I am usually steeled for it but try to be extra clear when speaking but it always happens.

Yes this happened to me.

I am from Darlington so not geordie but mayne a mix of that and Yorkshire.

I did supply teaching around London.
Every school I went in at least one child asked if I was Scottish.

I’m from the Midlands and people are always adamant that I’m Swedish!
They get very insistent about it when I tell them where I’m from. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I am from N Ireland, of N Ireland parents, Irish grandparents, great grandparents etc. But almost every Scottish person I meet thinks I'm Scottish too. Accents are funny things.

Bizarrely, no, not quite & I am pretty much exactly the same as you. Grandmother Scottish, & I grew up in the north east too. DH is from Sunderland, I'm from nearby.

I've never been accused of being Scottish. German, Welsh, Lancashire & other such weird ones over the years but never Scottish

I'm a northerner who has lived in the south for 40yrs. I absolutely do not sound northern, really I don't.

Except all my friends say that I do and strangers ask me where I'm from "up north"

But then I go home to visit my family and they all take the Micky because they say I sound southern, or Wiltshire

I think chocolate is nasty

Oh, how I envy this. Spend far too much of my time resisting chocolate and waiting until it’s the next day so I can have a portion again!

Oops, wrong thread, backs out of this thread slowly, hoping no one will notice...

Accents absolutely fascinate me! I once walked from Wirral to Manchester as apart of a March Against Austerity- it was 65 miles (walking friendly route ie avoiding motorways) over 3.5 days.

Amazed me how accents gradually changed from 'Scouse' to 'Mancunian'

We south wales people like to piss of those in north wales by asking them about their liverpool accents. Tee hee hee.

My nephews live abroad. Their mum is from Northern lreland and after their whole liife there with school friends etc they still have a strong trace of Northern lreland in their accent. They think they don't and can't really hear it themselves but its very clear to me.