To not be ashamed of my regional accent?

[ethelfleda]

I’m from the midlands - and you can tell when I speak. I’ve spend a good few years trying to ‘tone it down’ a little.

I’ve also met a lot of people in my new job that speak with completely neutral accents and I’ve been surprised to find out that they’re actually from the Black Country, or Birmingham or Leicester etc. Nearly all of them have said that they’ve toned their accents down either because they’ve been advised to by recruitment agents, or their own family forced them to speak differently from a very young age.
I find this quite sad. Whilst there is absolutely nothing wrong (and actually, a lot right) with an RP or a neutral accent - isn’t variety what makes us interesting? I’ve decided to stop ‘toning down’ my midlands accent and be proud that I don’t pronounce the word ‘laugh’ as though it rhymes with ‘scarf’

I grew up in a roughish council estate in the Home Counties and now live up North and people comment I sound ‘posh’ I really don’t, my SIL has a strong Dudley accent and I’ve overheard her taking the mickey out of my accent and encouraging my niece and nephew to join in. Dudley trying to talk ‘posh’ has an accent all of its own.

I have no.problem with people taking the piss out of my accent but i am not keen on pride in accents, just because you happened to be born there, who cares?

I love accents, I'd be proud as long as it's clear and professional in a working environment. The Liverpool accent can be hard to understand if they speak fast, I found it so hard to understand a work friend because he spoke so fast (he was from Liverpool) but then he had to start doing public speaking and he learnt to slow down. Still his accent, but he is so much clearer now.

Wasn't there a place in the Black Country where the dialect had retained a great deal of Anglo Saxon language? I wonder if it's still the case.

Meanwhile, I have a Leicestershire accent, which sometimes seems almost neutral to me.

I grew up in a town in S.W. Scotland in the 1970s and 80s, the accent was not too bad andthe language used was a mixture of Scots, English and Ulster Scots, although my Mum made us speak properly. I moved away in my teens and spent the next 20+ years with the R.A.F so mixed with every accent going. I have now returned to my local area and cant believe who awful the accent has become, it now so guttural and hard to understand, it is bloody awful. I have cassette tapes that were recorded in my Primary scool and i have listened to them to see if i had just forgotten how bad it was, but no, there has been a huge change. Just goes to show how language and accents change

Thing is, it depends how you use your accent. Take the Labour leadership contest as an example.

You can be like Lisa Nandy and speak with your true accent, but say things that are considered, truthful and thoughtful. You don't have to hector people, bully them, or play professional victim, you just speak as you find and be who you are.

Or you could be Jess Phillips.

I grew up in Derbyshire, and I’m very proud of my accent. Deliberately ‘losing’ your accent displays social insecurity.

I had a very strong mix of West Country/welsh but was 'encouraged' to have elocution lessons at prep school so now have a dull accent with no regional origins,

I'm from the East Midlands and have very little accent because my mum and gran spoke "properly" and that's just how I spoke too. My father was from the city I now live in and he had a bit of an accent. The people in this city do have an accent and pronounce quite a lot of words differently and it's taken some getting used to. Even my fiance says if he hears someone on the radio with the accent he cringes! Overall though I just speak how I speak! I do like to hear different accents although odd ones can be hard to understand if they are very strong!

I don’t even think about the fact I have a strong welsh accent. It is what it is. I’m proud of my heritage and my language and my accent comes with that.
I’m a SALT and we are taught in uni that when helping speech issues we don’t ‘correct’ regional accents. And quite rightly so.

I love accents but I'll be honest I struggle to understand people who have a strong regional accent a lot of the time.

My accents a bit odd though, raised by my nan who's from elephant and castle and my mum who thinks shes posher than she is!

My ex had a very strong Geordie accent and was asked to stop responding "aye" to customers at work and use "yes". Must be difficult when you've been taught that is the correct response for 30 years

I love accents. Especially Irish and Scottish.

Geordie accent here but mine is very mild indeed compared to DH who is broad Geordie.

I'm in the south west. At work there is a Brummie and a Yorkie, every week this rep comes in and starts jibing about their accents, what can start out as fun ribbing has escalated in the past. Comments like 'say that again in your broadest accent / what's it like to be surrounded by factories / its grim up north' lol etc

One time the whole office stopped to listen and they all started climbing on the bandwagon laughing at them both and recalling tales / comedy sketches / jokes etc. It went on for a good half hour until one of the quieter ladies had to step outside visibly upset.

It was on the verge of bullying but she didn't want to escalate as she said it would look like she couldn't take a joke.

People should not be made to feel shame for having an accent.

My mum grew up in the East End of London in the 40s, but has a very posh accent somehow, which she insisted I adopted too. I've toned it down, but I still wish I spoke with more of the regional accent of where I'm from rather than BBC English.

I'm currently pregnant and my child will be learning Welsh from me, and hopefully English with DP's regional accent from him. My mother thinks my child will need to learn to 'speak properly' as well but I don't see why. IMO having a regional accent is 'speaking properly'.

I love my West Mids. accent.
Not quite Brummy but close.

No. Nowt wrong with accents. I like the fact people have different accents, it would be a boring country if we all spoke RP.

Unpopular opinion - I like the Scouse accent.

You should be proud. 🏅
I am only aware of my accent when I visit the inlaw it takes us a while to get with it. I talk very fast they're very northern.
My DC have mixed dialect accent mixed North and South with some American though it makes them sound posh.

I’m foreign and love hearing British regional accents. Very sad to read some of these replies.

I lived in Birmingham for four years after university and I loved it. Whenever I hear the accent I smile.

I knew you’d be from the midlands just from the thread title.

Going against the grain here and I fully expect to be flamed and be called a snob. We’ve just had to move to the Black Country from London, had no choice but to move here.

Dh is from here. He’s had to tone down his accent considerably as it was holding him back in his career.

My youngest is 7. She speaks wonderfully and I’m terrified she will pick up the accent. I’m heartened by stories of those who didn’t.

It’s like cheese graters to my ears. Dh family have accents so strong. Of course it’s coloured by my unhappiness in having to move here and my dislike of where I’m living but I don’t want her picking up the accent. I’m also pregnant again.

I'm in the south west. At work there is a Brummie and a Yorkie, every week this rep comes in and starts jibing about their accents, what can start out as fun ribbing has escalated in the past. Comments like 'say that again in your broadest accent / what's it like to be surrounded by factories / its grim up north' lol etc

One time the whole office stopped to listen and they all started climbing on the bandwagon laughing at them both and recalling tales / comedy sketches / jokes etc. It went on for a good half hour until one of the quieter ladies had to step outside visibly upset.

I'm Yorkshire and I got this in Newcastle. Mainly a load of farm jokes, Emmerdale, Monty Python "back in my day" etc and accent mocking. It's really ignorant and when you're ganged up on with everyone laughing AT you it crosses a line.

The Python sketch is totally amazing though I'll admit "There were a hundred and fifty of us living in t' shoebox in t' middle o' road"

To add it’s also changed some of our names for the new baby which would sound horrendous spoken in a strong Black Country accent.

I’m northern, but live in Derbyshire. I honestly cannot tell what the Derbyshire accent is

Nothing wrong with an "accent", BUT you have to be easily heard and understood, so you need to speak clearly and not use "regional" words that others won't understand. That's probably what people mean about "toning it down" rather than expecting you to speak in what used to be called "BBC" English.

I love a Geordie or Scouse accent, but only if they aren't mumbling. It is possible to speak clearly with whatever accent, dialect, etc. You don't have to give it up, you just have to be a bit slower and clearer if you have a strong accent.

Oh and people in Derbyshire take the piss out of the way I speak heavily. Not necessarily the accent so much, but more the words I use. Have had people pretend they can’t understand me which is just fucking rude, especially considering my accent is very mild!