To find her accent annoying?

[violentendsdelight]

Friend comes from Scotland. Doesn’t sound in the slightest bit Scottish, says when she goes home her accent comes out in full force. Talks non stop about Scotland and put out little snippets of her Scottish accent.

Then today found out she’s lived in England since she was 4 months old.

Well said western!

If her parents have a Scottish accent that'll be why. I used to date someone who had a Birmingham accent when with his parents yet he'd never lived there.

DH and I are both from the South East and have been described as well spoken by others. We live sort of around an area that would be described as the very North of the Midlands but some may argue is the North itself.

DS goes to the local comprehensive and he sounds just like us except he says the odd word with a flat vowel sound. So he says bath like a Southerner but grass like a Northerner. He is described by his
Contemporaries at school as very posh.

I grew up rurally my Mother was having absolutely none of her dc sound like a mangel wurzel as she described it, apologies to anyone with that sort of rural accent this is my Mothers opinion. So she corrected us constantly. I can however slip in to a gert lush accent if I want to because that's what everyone sounded like where I grew up. My sisters and I would sing I got a brand new combine harvester in the local accent to annoy her :)

She was born in Scotland to Scottish parents....so she is Scottish.

My father's family are Scottish and even though I'm born and bred English, my accent switches as soon as I speak to a Scot - this includes a conference call last week with our new client who hails from Aberdeen.... It also comes out during arguments and when I'm drunk.

A lot of people do it, and English people with Scottish heritage tend to be the most proud Scots myself included even my DS5 does it and he is very much English.

Martin Compton is from Greenock.

If she has Scottish parents then it makes sense that she would have a Scottish accent at times.
I was born and raised in West Yorkshire until about 6yrs old so had developed their accent but then moved to Scotland and 20 odd yrs later have an unidentifiable Scottish accent with some of my original English notes. Meaning I haven't got a regional accent of either place and no one can say where its from if that makes sense.

Been told it sounds classy so I'm happy with that, I am one of those accent changers though, if I spend any length of time with my English relatives I start speaking just as they would and also randomly sounding Irish at other times.

Also I have friends that came with young dc from different places who speak rp/regional English and those kids haven't changed one but despite many yrs living in Scotland.

Actually One of the dc at the moment is having a phase of switching accents from English to italian and Scottish because that is what he is exposed to. Brains are funny things.

I thought for a second you were talking about me wyf, but I don’t have a Welsh name. I was born in England and have a neutral, English accent but Welsh parents (my dad’s side all speak with the RP English accent too, but they are still Welsh going back for generations - my mum has a Cardiff accent). I have always lived in England but have spent a lot of time in Wales throughout my life. I say things like cwtch and achyfi because I have picked them up from my mum, I support Wales in the rugby - I don’t bang on about it all the time but I certainly feel pretty Welsh. This thread isn’t very nice really - lots of people in the UK are a mix of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish - are we supposed to just ditch our background and adopt the country of our birth without a backwards glance? If we were talking about other nationalities this thread would be racist.

I have two (different nationality) accents, though mirror regional accents depending on where I am. I wish I could use one accent all the time but it’s impossible - it switches without any conscious thought on my part.

My brother recently asked my mum if I knew I spoke in a different accent to my family as I do to DH! I do know I’m speaking in a different accent, I just can’t choose to speak in the other one.

No response OP? Does the fact it’s quite common make you feel less badly about your friend?

Thinking about it the actor John Barrowman is a good example of this kind of dialect switching. He was brought up in Scotland until he was 9 yo and moved to the USA.

He uses an American accent unless he is speaking to his family or is visiting Scotland. I’ve heard him
on Scottish Radio using a Scottish accent too.

Whilst it’s fine for her to be proud of her history and heritage as I assume her family before her is Scottish, but she for all intents and purposes is English.

She's Scottish!

I was born and brought up in Scotland to an English father and Scottish mother. Both my parents speak with RP accents (mum was brought up in Scottish aristocracy) as do I.

Bold fail!

A lot of people seem to change their accents as it takes them away from the humdrum boringness of their daily lives and Scottish/Irish accents are seen as cool or romantic.

My kids pick up bits of Scottish and I've been told I sometimes sound Scottish when I say certain things. My husband is Scottish and eldest but we moved to Wales when he was a baby. It's not conscious when I say things that sound a little Scottish, nor for my kids. It's just picking up accents and words of each other. Just like my Scottish husband can say welsh words correctly.

@Burnername
Sorry I had a bold fail. I meant bold the Yer claimed part, as my bottom sentence was the Weegie reply..
I love Scotland and would never leave

@Katedotness1963 - "Martin Compston is from Greenock."

I know he's Scottish. I was having a joke because so many people think he's English because of Line of Duty. There was even a thread in Telly Addicts with the title "LOD: Steve Arnott is Scottish!" which made me laugh.

I remember him as a young whippersnapper in Monarch of the Glen! I'm slightly enchanted by his accent in LOD because I think he does it so well! Mind you, I'm a kiwi, so what would I know?

My dear dad was from the Orkney Islands though. (Miss you Dad )

We moved to the US for a while after living in a non-English speaking country, so my children spoke English with my accent. Semi-posh London. My daughter was told at school that she sounded funny, she said "it depends who is listening". That was the last time her acent was mentioned. She has gone back to my accent now as we're in a non-english country but if she's talking to an American she'll break out her Texas twang. I don't think she realises she's doing it.

My daughter is Scottish, like myself and her father, moved to England aged three, has an English accent, you'd never know she was Scottish. Same with one of my friends, mid forties now.

I'd say she was putting the accent on a bit.

I'd say she was putting the accent on a bit.

I agree.

Pinkgirl - I'm assuming that was sarcasm as Martin compston is in fact scots? Ah and I see you were!

There's quite a few scots actors who use English or much softer scots accents for their acting work. Sometimes even American accents.

Ewan mcgregor
Gerard butler
Richard Wilson
Laurie Brett (as already mentioned)
David McCallum
Annette crosbie
Phyllis Logan
Ellie Haddington
Hannah Gordon
Gordon Jackson...

I have a 'forces accent' which is a mish mash of scots (which I am, born here scots parents), various English counties, welsh and tinged of Dutch and German. All places I've lived.

As well as bidialectalism there's 'accommodating' where you slip into the accent of who you're talking to, or a strong accent you've been listening to. My dd picks me up on it if I've been watching an Australian show or one with a presenter with a strong accent or been speaking to family or friends with clear accents. Don't know I'm doing it, it's a subconscious act believed to be with the aim of being understood/accepted within a community.

It's REALLY hard to get back to my 'normal' voice.

If I'm drunk or tired I'll also sound more scots. I did live in Scotland for 7 years as a child but not all in one go.

As this thread shows it's very common. If she is genuinely a friend why does it bother you?

"It depends who is listening" I'm so stealing that next time someone takes the piss!

I do like having fun with people who ask where I'm from - as they'd never guess from my accent! Plus I'm back living nearby and they assume I'm not from here - taxi drivers don't get away with taking me the long route

Pinkgirl - I'm assuming that was sarcasm as Martin compston is in fact scots? Ah and I see you were!

Yes. I assumed people would see that I was joking but those who didn't probably thought I was the plonker!

I don’t bang on about it all the time but I certainly feel pretty Welsh. This thread isn’t very nice really - lots of people in the UK are a mix of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish - are we supposed to just ditch our background and adopt the country of our birth without a backwards glance?

You don't need to ditch your background, but you can accept the country you live in as well. The person I'm talking about would often say things like "I was listening to music from the National Eisteddfod yesterday. It's a shame England doesn't have any culture!" The second part of that is completely unnecessary.

I lived half my life in another country. When talking to people who have links to that country, I might say "when I was doing my brevet..." but to English people I would say "when I was doing my exams" or "the French version of GCSEs". Some people might naturally use non-English words when talking, but at other times I feel like it's just a way of looking different.

It sounds to me like this person is unhappy generally. She's projecting her unhappiness onto England. I know someone that's spent the last 20 years moving from place to place, changing degrees, doing other courses, changing career. Now his new mission is Canada and that's the solution to all his problems. Except it won't be, if he gets there the happiness won't last, it never does. The happiness he needs will never come from outside because the problem is within and maybe one day he'll stop projecting internal feelings into inanimate places and face that. It sounds like your friend might be a bit like this too.