To think that many Mumsnetters despise regional accents and dialects?

[binnibonnieboo]

I'm Irish, and I've been on Mumsnet for years. I've seen so many threads fulminating about pronunciation, spelling and grammar. These so often ignore the diverse accents and dialects across the UK and Ireland. There seems to be a view that anything not RP or standard southern English is common, ill educated, Americanised (wrong), and just Not Right. Sometimes (not always) I sense a thinly veiled contempt for how I and others (Scottish, Northern Irish, Welsh, northern English) talk. AIBU to feel this?

It’s not terribly shocking to find some accents hard on the ear, or irritating. Behaving badly towards those people would be prejudiced, but to prefer some accents over others is not. It’s the same mechanism whether you particularly like the sound of an accent or particularly dislike one. I dislike certain northern Irish accents because I associate them with angry voices on the radio in my childhood. They make me a little anxious. I may have misremembered, but was it Ian Paisley who used to rant angrily at length on the radio?

Nope.

I have a standard southern English accent and pronounce draw and drawer the same.

Why would you post that?

@Jlom I occasionally correct a poster's grammar but only if it affects how the post reads. I don't do it because I think I'm clever or because I like to feel smug and superior.

If the post is in Pedants' corner then it's open to scrutiny.

This thread is about regional accents not grammar.

Got to be honest, I don’t much like threads about accent because they get so unpleasant so often. Sometimes because people are unpleasant about a specific (non standard southern) accent, sometimes because people are unpleasant about the standard southern accent.

People aren't ascertaining accents by how they type!

Previous threads have been about accents.

I have a standard Southern accent and definitely pronounce the second syllable in drawer.

How would you pronounce drawer if you were using in as a description of the person who created that drawing? The drawer?

You must have a very different standard southern accent to mine - it’s definitely a single syllable in my accent (unless you are talking about the person doing the drawing, which would be two syllables - but the drawer you put your clothes in is one)

I would never use such a clumsy word. I'd say artist.

(But I'd pronounce drawer with two syllables in that case.)

@MasterBeth , what is a standard southern English accent?

In a non-rhotic accent I'd say draw-uh, the uh being short.
In a rhotic accent I'd say draw-(uh)r.

IPA pronunciations. draw is drɔː, drawer is drɔːr.

It’s the exact same word!!!

Saying you can't stand to listen to someone because of their accent is somewhat different to preferring one over the other

Not in my accent it’s not!

I doubt you’ve heard an actual Essex accent. If you’re talking about those morons from TOWIE, that is not an Essex accent.

I rhyme it with "gone" so same short "o" sound as e.g "gong".

It’s the same mechanism. Like, dislike.
Presumably when you have to, exposure blunts the irritation and you get to know the person behind the voice. I haven’t needed to personally so I wouldn’t know.

NI accent here, suburbs of Belfast, we dont seem very popular speakers on here😁

Thankfully I dont interact with many that 'cant bear' to listen to me, they sound like judgemental twats. Some im not dying about but 'cant bear', wow how dramatic 😁

Years ago presenters all sounded like the Queen, but thankfully we all get a look in now, or nai, as I would say.

I love the various accents, but agree written grammar really grates when its completely wrong, I think its a social media 'in' thing and makes my teeth itch

Give me a bit of Gérard Butler, our local Liam Neeson, and the sadly missed Alan Rickman's accents, could listen to them all night

As long as you don’t shout at me you’re golden! I think it’s that rather than the accent- I may not even recognise a softly spoken NI accent as being the same.

I like all accents except the Black Country accent which i find really unattractive.

I love regional accents and I’m always delighted to hear children speak with my local one, sadly les and less often.

I love it.

i have never seen a thread about accents . Sounds so boring

I can't stand London and SE Home Counties accents - I couldn't live with someone with that accent as I couldn't stand to listen to it all day.

I sound like Christine Bleakly

Sadly im old enough to be her mummy

Oh, she has a lovely voice. I never minded her on the sofa with Adrian!