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’

@Kazzyhoward that's not what people mean by toning it down at all. The only person who has been unable to understand my clear Yorkshire accent was an Italian with limited English. I don't use regional slang as it's all pretty globalised in my age group.

They mean tone it down... stop your accent because it makes you look lower class. It is very clearly this.

There is definitely a point to be made about being understandable. If you move from one area of the country to another, and have a strong accent and regional dialect, people will struggle to communicate with you. I struggled so much at uni with a NI lecturer, who, in addition to speaking at the speed of light, kept banging on about paaaaaar. For the life of me I couldn't figure it out, and couldn't find anything in the textbooks. I was baffled in all of his lectures. Just before our exams it hit me - power! Quite important in lectures on constitutional and administrative law... I felt such an idiot.

A friend with an enormously strong Derry accent once complained to me that he couldn't understand one of my acquaintances. Said acquaintance spoke with the most 1960s BBC accent I have ever come across. And my mother was canned for putting on a "posh" accent at school in Cheshire. The teacher didn't realise until meeting my grandparents that the family had recently moved up from Essex, and my mum (aged 7 at the time) simply had an Essex accent.

I like this thread. Reading all the comments in my head in the posters regional accents

I find it really weird when people tell me I have a Leicester accent. I didn't think it's a particularly noticeable one.

Oh yes, people doing bad impressions of your accent and thinking they’re being hilarious. I get this all the time, it gets rather annoying.

Firstly, I’m not from Birmingham. Black Country accents and Birmingham accents are quite different, and secondly, you just sound like a knob.

I have never understood why people are encouraged to tone down regional accents. I cannot for the life of me see any justification other than snobbery. I don't buy this "clarity" argument either. You just have to open your mind and pay attention.

I suppose I had the "advantage" if you call it that of being raised in an affluent home counties city so I have an RP accent but have lived in London most of my life. Maybe I'd feel different if I'd spent my life having people take the piss.

But from my perspective, accents are part of the flavour of life. Live it loud and proud. Life is bland enough without having to delete any trace of where you come from in order to appeal to the lowest common denominator all the time. Anyone who genuinely thinks less of you because of your accent is an arse and should be disregarded.

m.youtube.com/watch?v=WgZMBwYysTI

I have a Geordie accent and worked as a barrister in London. That was 30 years ago, and I did feel the only one. It's changing now.
I perfected a death stare when (normally male) colleagues started imitating me. They did me a favour really, as that death stare now helps me a lot in court.

I'm from a part of the north east and I love my unusual accent. I wouldn't tone it down for anyone. How small minded must people be to think your accent has any bearing on anything.

yam yam and black countries - my friend asked me what they meant - She did her citizenship / Life in the UK test a few years ago, but it was not part of the test!
I think it should be

(sorry for completely derailing your post OP @ethelfleda )

I love regional accents and as a proud Brummie I've never felt the need to tone it down. My dad moved from Ireland in the 70s and some people still only get every few words he says

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

Women from the Black Country have a stronger accent than the men. There's a song about it.....The Female of the Species is More Dudley Than The Male.

I'm a Geordie living in Leicester. My accent has muted, mainly because I got absolutely ground down with repeating myself and the obnoxious "What are you saying??" comments as no one could understand me (especially on the phone at work). I don't feel embarrassed about it my accent though, but I do inwardly roll my eyes when people claim they don't understand me. I don't find many Leicesterians have a strong accent either though.

I'm a Geordie (lots of stuff) but I do inwardly roll my eyes when people claim they don't understand me

But that's because.......PEOPLE CAN'T UNDERSTAND YOU!!!!!

does this still happen? You wouldn't get a job with the BBC in the 1950s but it is now 2020.

as long as you don't use 'like' as a preposition and don't start every answer with 'so' then bring it on.

YANBU. One of my friends used to hide his accent, no idea why. It just sounded weird, anyway.

Firstly, I’m not from Birmingham. Black Country accents and Birmingham accents are quite different

This! I get called a ‘yam yam’ sometimes and I live the other side of Birmingham. Definitely nothing wrong with a Black Country accent but can people really not tell the difference? My midlands accent is actually quite specific to the town I live in so it’s not quite a Brummie’Peaky Blinders’ accent. But slightly closer to it.

I melt for an Irish accent though - any region of the Island of Ireland, that is. My DH is from Ireland

I melt for an Irish accent though - any region of the Island of Ireland, that is. My DH is from Ireland

Ahhh yes...the dulcet tones on Dr Ian Paisley

I’m from the East Midlands and didn’t notice my own accent until I moved south and so many people commented on it !
I am what I am though and won’t change how I speak for anyone

Yeah I’m from the East Midlands but you can’t really tell apart from I don’t do “ barrrrth” and “grarrrssss” unlike my DD7 who is born and raised in Surrey. Mind you some East Mids is awful... although my DSis and I do like to “ tret our sen” on occasion.

I saw an interview with Scottish actor Elaine C Smith about being told at school she wasn't speaking properly and her finding it really confusing as a child because she was brought up hearing her family speak with an accent. It's a shame if we haven't moved on from this, it's silly. I love an accent.

I love accents but I can let you know, having worked with recruiters in London, a few have found it hard to place candidates into jobs because of their accents. It isn't proven but that's what they suspect is the case. It's sad I know.

I melt for an Irish accent though - any region of the Island of Ireland, that is. My DH is from Ireland

I'm from Ireland and I find it difficult to believe that this Irish accent would make you melt. I find some Cork and Kerry accents completely unintelligible.