Aibu to be annoyed to change how I speak

[Passedmybedtime]

I have a strong accent and like others in my area we talk faster than others, a new colleague has started work and English isn't that persons first language, I have already changed how I speak to help the person understand and I was barked at by management to speak slower, and that annoyed me, I was offended if I'm honest. I can't help how I speak and I thought I was speaking more clearer and slower for the other person to understand. I dont know what else I can do?? I feel I'm being unreasonable asking this and I tried my best to acdondate the new start esp since it was the person's first day and trying to show the ropes even with a language barrier. I can't go into much details of my work but I feel a annoyed and upset to get into trouble at work when I was trying my hardest to help the person

Am I wrong to feel annoyed?

Aberdonians, folk from the Western Isles, Devon and Cornwall, Birmingham and Northern Ireland are far harder to understand than Glaswegians. Glaswegian is easy.

OP you need to be inclusive of your colleague and adapt your speech.

My favourite accent reminds me of my Dad.

God I loved Rab C Nesbit.😂

Are you in Glasgow and has this person chosen to come and work in Glasgow? If so, YANBU at all. You're already trying to accommodate them. They'll pick it up soon enough. I've worked in different parts of France and there are strong regional accents (except in Paris where they speak French 'properly' as they'll tell you themselves at the drop of a hat). I've usually found it fascinating to try and understand the vernacular.

your manager is a knob and if you wanted to get technical, you cannot be discriminated against because of your accent - ie you can't be told to modify your speech.

Stone of Destiny is bang on re lazy listeners. I’ve had this too - lost count of the number of times the reaction to me opening my mouth is greeted by an immediate look of irritation. Just because my accent is from somewhere else. Not far from Glasgow.

incidentally, if the Glasgow accent is such a problem, why was that city one of the more favoured call centre locations?

It's like when I call up a call centre based in England and have to repeat myself over and over even in a slower accent, does that make the call handler xenophobic because he or she hasn't accommodated to my needs? I'm response to the person calling me a xenophobe.

How good is her English? Maybe you need to drop in some gestures, too? I can sympathise, having learnt another language then having you contend with dialects, too. It's not easy in the beginning.

Now my hearing is deteriorating, too, so I struggle with different voices - not just accents but voices at a certain pitch. I know I am really annoying with it.

I would actually start at the me Tarzan, you Jane stage and work your way up, following her lead

@Passedmybedtime How dare you have a Glasgow accent! Totally unacceptable and xenophobic of you not to change for one person.

I have a Glasgow accent and know how you feel it's frustrating.

Not everything is xenophobe or ulterior motive. I work with a wide range of people from the 4 corners, and we all get on great and understand each other, nor do I mind on breaks when they chat amongst themselves in their native languages, i dont expect them to not talk their first language, if im on a break with colleagues who are indians I never expect them to chat in English, as at that moment I'd be odd one out, its break time and whatever they chat about is not about work and doesn't concern me.So to call me a xenophobe is ridiculous and also a lie.

Non-native speakers will have learned RP (Received Pronunciation). It used to be referred to as Oxford, BBC or The Queen’s English, so a very Southern, sanitised English.

When you learn a language you also learn at a slower speed. Anything other than super clear news reader English will be incomprehensible to the untrained ear. Nobody should shout at you to modify how you talk, but your new colleague will need some time to tune their ears into Glaswegian.
There are some very funny clips online of American guests on the Graham Norton Show who are meeting people with regional accents.

If i go much slower speaking I'd be spelling it out, and that's patronising, unhelpful and rude imho.

I can't understand the most people from Glasgow either.

Are you in Glasgow op? If the newcomer has come to work in Glasgow then yanbu.
I take phone calls from clients in Glasgow and find it incredibly hard to catch what they are saying. There's no way I could live there 😁

I'm actually not sure, the person barely spoke, but due to person being just off plane from their own country, probably a rabbit caught in headlights and getting over a culture shock as well as leaving family and friends behind.

Yes, because even if you are speaking clearly, vowel sounds and intonation will be completely different to what they have learnt, even assuming it's at a high level - it might not be. The majority of communication is non verbal so a good approach might be keeping sentences very concise while doing a lot of showing- i.e. visual/hands on training . It is rotten of your boss to shout at you as this is not exactly a situation you've been trained for

Are you from Glasgow?

If i go much slower speaking I'd be spelling it out, and that's patronising, unhelpful and rude imho.

Not really. That's what one girl at my work does - it sounds like she's speaking to them like they're stupid (to us)but the person who doesn't speak much English loves her and says she's so easy to understand because she doesn't have a Glasgow accent 😂the lassie is from Springburn and her normal accent is about as strong as you get. She only does it for this one person.

From your last post it sounds like your colleague may not speak much English at all OP?

If that's the case then I would be tempted to suggest to management that while you will try to speak slower to help, perhaps they could also help further by the company footing the cost of English lessons for your new colleague.....

Sorry I hit post too soon!!!

I was trying to say that as an earlier poster said, people are taught English at much lower speed, if your colleague was learning and you were speaking slower you could perhaps help her and you might find you bond more

It may just be your new colleague adapting to multiple kinds of English being spoken - it is difficult. Or it may be coded management discrimination towards a Scots accent.

I remember when I first moved south to university in Edinburgh, I stripped most of the Doric from my speech, but it was still fast and melodic, and the international students I lived with had no trouble understanding me. It was when I moved to the south coast of England that I had to slow way down and flatten out any trace of emotion or expression or melody from my voice. Apparently English native speakers couldn't understand me! Odd that a country with so many distinctive regional accents of its own should be so intolerant of difference.

There's always a joy in hearing a Scot speak on TV or radio, the speed and musicality of us! We live so much of our lives through a weird slowed down flattened out filter.

@MajorCarolDanvers A dinna ken fit yer spikkin aboot, yer haverin x

people also need to make an effort to adapt to understanding your accent

I'm intrigued by how one can adapt to understanding an accent. Any tips?

There's always a joy in hearing a Scot speak on TV or radio, the speed and musicality of us! We live so much of our lives through a weird slowed down flattened out filter.

Definitely, if I had to pick, my first language sounds best (imo) spoken in a Scottish accent (in the broad sense, I know there are many), out of all the accents in the UK.

@girlmom21

Are you from Glasgow?

No

Dinnae fash

Weegie accent is one of my absolute favourite accents, but it really is quite hard to understand sometimes.

It's definitely one of the more difficult to understand English language accents.