A cut glass English accent can fool unsuspecting Americans into detecting a "brilliance that isn't there", says Stephen Fry. So is a British accent - of any variety - the route to success in the United States?

See Best of British (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6470095.stm) By Megan Lane from the BBC News Magazine

For myself, I am a complete dope but because I speak with a British accent, people think I am a college prof. . . ;)

I don't have a British accent, I speak pure Scouse.

I find myself speaking more eloquently when speaking to our European friends whilst on the phone in my line of business simply because they can't understand a word I say in my normal scouse.

sorry Ged cant understand you

I think we all put a phone voice on for work.

My mrs still says that she cant understand a word I say when I'am talking to another scouser! But to anyone else she has no probs.

Not a British accent but the Belfast accent can confond alot of people although I can use my professional voice where all the slang is dropped but in full force "Norn Iron" it confuses the hell out of alot of people

What did Ged say...?????

The 'Norn Iron' accent takes some listening to but it's a great accent!! In a book I was reading recently..........'She spoke using more vowels than there are in the English language' Refering to a Belfast person. It does seem like that tho..hehehe.
Think I still have me Scouse accent, I was a taxi driver here in Holland for a while. When speaking Dutch it was obvious to the punters that I was English, it was obvious to some of them that I was Scouse!!! I have 2 lads who were born here they're 23 and 18 now and speak both languages without any accent but there's a bit of Scouse in them.........'u gorra cob on or wot??' How else do u say 'gorra cob on'????...............'Are u in a bad mood'...??? far too posh!!!

What did Ged say...?????

The 'Norn Iron' accent takes some listening to but it's a great accent!! In a book I was reading recently..........'She spoke using more vowels than there are in the English language' Refering to a Belfast person. It does seem like that tho..hehehe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7FY6vMFIyE

watch that and think again :eek: ok ok it is heavily "put on" to the extreme in that video but god... I come from Belfast and it really annoys me in that vid!

When I came to OZ early 60's usual things ten quid pom etc etc ,now I have
just retired from owning a bussiness doing a couple of mill a year UP their's
Mike

its strange anytime i go to edinburgh, london or places in the south, i find myself speaking much slower so people can understand me, and i dont even have a full on scouse accent.

I speak slower to non-Scouse people. :)

Since coming to live down here I,ve put on my accent so that the locals know I,m" not from round here then" As soon as my present neighbour heard my accent he knew where I was from. When I was living and working in Liverpool I had a more controlled accent as I used the phone a lot and I think I was beginning to soften my accent by doing just that over the years. But I,m not ashamed to be a broad scouser.:hug:

I've toned my accent down over the years as coming from Croxteth, I didn't pause for a breath when speaking. Now, I've slowed down and try to pronounce my words, although some people still don't understand anything I say. When I speak to people on holiday I've been told that I sound like I'm from Scotland, Newcastle and even Birmingham. Once, in Amsterdam with my wife, we were on a canal cruise. We had been speaking to an English couple opposite us for over half a hour when the fella's wife asked my wife where about in Holland I was from! Another occasion in a bar in Amsterdam I was asked for directions to other brown bars in the area. I gave directions to the couple, they thanked me and asked where I was from. I told them I was from Liverpool and they said that I spoke good dutch. I told them that I didn't speak any dutch, to which they replied "but you've been ordering all your drinks in dutch" :)

What did Ged say...?????

The 'Norn Iron' accent takes some listening to but it's a great accent!! In a book I was reading recently..........'She spoke using more vowels than there are in the English language' Refering to a Belfast person.

I personally can't stand the Northern Irish accent. I think it is the most grating sounding accent of any ever heard. No disrespect to any decent people over there, that is just my view.

I Have a very watered down Liverpool accent and pronounce the words correctly. One lady on the phone said I had the best voice she had ever heard on a telephone - I was shocked.

Having a Liverpool accent in the south is a distinct disadvantage. If we were collectively black we would have legal case against some organisations. I met one girl who went for an interview and they said to her that she cannot have the job as many people would find her accent "offensive".

In the USA, I get regarded as a "very" intelligent person, as I write with an italic pen and they are astounded. I also know more about the world and history than them. They are in awe at times - to the point I unintentionally intimidate some of them. One company would always run some projects past me, as I thought and looked from a different angle than them.

In the south of England the only way to survive is out dress them. Have a clean crisp white shirt on every day. A dark blue immaculate suit and a Burberry raincoat. Immaculately polished black shoes. They then can't point at you. If you are scruffy you get nowhere. The doormen also call you Sir when dressed that way - just say little to nothing to them, as if they detect the accent the respect drops.

Always be in first in the morning and one of the last to leave. Don't drink alcohol with them at all, as Liverpudlians are drunks aren't they. If you have to, only at company meals, and learn about wine and knowingly order the wine if you can. It helps if you learn French too. Don't willingly socialise with them as they really don't want to know you. Some will make an attempt to be friendly with you, but mainly out of a sense of duty more than anything else.

Follow all that and you will survive. You may not be the first on the redundancy list then.

I Have a very watered down Liverpool accent and pronounce the words correctly. One lady on the phone said I had the best voice she had ever heard on a telephone - I was shocked.

Having a Liverpool accent in the south is a distinct disadvantage. If we were collectively black we would have legal case against some organisations. I met one girl who went for an interview and they said to her that she cannot have the job as many people would find her accent "offensive".

In the USA, I get regarded as a "very" intelligent person, as I write with an italic pen and they are astounded. I also know more about the world and history than them. They are in awe at times - to the point I unintentionally intimidate some of them. One company would always run some projects past me, as I thought and looked from a different angle than them.

In the south of England the only way to survive is out dress them. Have a clean crisp white shirt on every day. A dark blue immaculate suit and a Burberry raincoat. Immaculately polished black shoes. They then can't point at you. If you are scruffy you get nowhere. The doormen also call you Sir when dressed that way - just say little to nothing to them, as if they detect the accent the respect drops.

Always be in first in the morning and one of the last to leave. Don't drink alcohol with them at all, as Liverpudlians are drunks aren't they. If you have to, only at company meals, and learn about wine and knowingly order the wine if you can. It helps if you learn French too. Don't willingly socialise with them as they really don't want to know you. Some will make an attempt to be friendly with you, but mainly out of a sense of duty more than anything else.

Follow all that and you will survive. You may not be the first on the redundancy list then.

You're not the sort of man one meets every day, John. I enjoyed reading that. Every so often one will actually marry you, but, yes, only out of a sense of duty. That's women for you though.

You're not the sort of man one meets every day, John. I enjoyed reading that. Every so often one will actually marry you, but, yes, only out of a sense of duty. That's women for you though.


Hello Squirrel and Waterways

Waterways, I don't doubt that what you say is true, though it still pains me to hear that a Liverpool or northern accent may be viewed as a disadvantage in the job market place down south. Although I am sure that as you imply, you have to do whatever you have to do in these precarious times when one can so easily face the axe. :(

Chris

You're not the sort of man one meets every day, John. I enjoyed reading that. Every so often one will actually marry you, but, yes, only out of a sense of duty. That's women for you though.

I don't want them to marry me. They can earn their own living. :-)

Hello Squirrel and Waterways

Waterways, I don't doubt that what you say is true, though it still pains me to hear that a Liverpool or northern accent may be viewed as a disadvantage in the job market place down south. Although I am sure that as you imply, you have to do whatever you have to do in these precarious times when one can so easily face the axe. :(


Chris, I know some Liverpudlians who were highly qualified and couldn't get jobs, discrimination was so rife. They started a company themselves and quickly employed southerners on the phones and as the front men mainly because of their accents. They did very well. So, like the Jews and Asians before them, Liverpudlians benefited from discrimination.

riding me bike on si today saw a construction worker with everton tatooed on his back. i sang a stave from an old one. oh we ate bill shankly and we ate st john.....made up he was. him sean sweeney. me sean doyle. small world...

riding me bike on si today saw a construction worker with everton tatooed on his back. i sang a stave from an old one. oh we ate bill shankly and we ate st john.....made up he was. him sean sweeney. me sean doyle. small world...

Hello doyler

As you may have gathered, I'm a long-time Red living in Baltimore, but I enjoyed reading this great story of the get-together of two Scouse Blues in an unlikely location. My best to you both. :PDT_Aliboronz_24:

Chris

I always found my accent to be an advantage when I worked in London. All my clients knew it was me that they were talking to when I phoned them (worked in recruitment providing casual hospitality staff).
On the occasions that I actually went out and worked on some of the jobs myself I always found that I wasn't the first scouser to grace their premises, whether it be places as different as Millwall Football Club or a City of London livery hall (well posh and very traditional).
The usual thing was to joke through the boring initial comments "hope I've locked my car", etc. until getting to the point were people actually admitted that theyliked scousers.
The moral of the story is......... don't change your accent, wherever your path leads, or you could turn into Ringo Starr (or Cilla Black if we need a female alternative).

I always found my accent to be an advantage when I worked in London. All my clients knew it was me that they were talking to when I phoned them (worked in recruitment providing casual hospitality staff).


Maybe being in that field. In other fields the accent is clearly not acceptable at all to them.

I believe the accent is not discriminated against in the music and entertainment industry either. Try banking, consultancy, etc, fields were the money is big. Try working your way up the ranks in these companies even if they take you on.

I Have a very watered down Liverpool accent and pronounce the words correctly. One lady on the phone said I had the best voice she had ever heard on a telephone - I was shocked.

Having a Liverpool accent in the south is a distinct disadvantage. If we were collectively black we would have legal case against some organisations. I met one girl who went for an interview and they said to her that she cannot have the job as many people would find her accent "offensive".

In the USA, I get regarded as a "very" intelligent person, as I write with an italic pen and they are astounded. I also know more about the world and history than them. They are in awe at times - to the point I unintentionally intimidate some of them. One company would always run some projects past me, as I thought and looked from a different angle than them.

In the south of England the only way to survive is out dress them. Have a clean crisp white shirt on every day. A dark blue immaculate suit and a Burberry raincoat. Immaculately polished black shoes. They then can't point at you. If you are scruffy you get nowhere. The doormen also call you Sir when dressed that way - just say little to nothing to them, as if they detect the accent the respect drops.

Always be in first in the morning and one of the last to leave. Don't drink alcohol with them at all, as Liverpudlians are drunks aren't they. If you have to, only at company meals, and learn about wine and knowingly order the wine if you can. It helps if you learn French too. Don't willingly socialise with them as they really don't want to know you. Some will make an attempt to be friendly with you, but mainly out of a sense of duty more than anything else.

Follow all that and you will survive. You may not be the first on the redundancy list then.

Superb - really can't decide just how far your tongue is in your cheek!

Having worked in London for a few years, until two years ago, my accent was often picked up on in a very negative way. Took 40 of my students (a lot of them from overseas) to Liverpool - 3 day study visit. They loved it and their attitudes changed totally.

When in the Merch I used to go to New Orleans a lot. Used to get asked if I was Australian, or even from Boston!

I went to a restaurant in down town San Francisco once and they asked if I was Australian. I said that I was from Liverpool and they said "Where is Liverpool" ?

I went to New York some years ago and was asked was I Irish, then Scottish, then Welsh, then Australian and finally New Zealander. I replied 'no from Liverpool'. I got a puzzled look - I just said 'it is in the north west of England...'

Superb - really can't decide just how far your tongue is in your cheek!

Having worked in London for a few years, until two years ago, my accent was often picked up on in a very negative way.


You will know what I am on about then.


Took 40 of my students (a lot of them from overseas) to Liverpool - 3 day study visit. They loved it and their attitudes changed totally.


What did they study?

What did they study?

Tourism Planning.
They had a very lucky escape - Mike Storey was due to speak to them but cancelled at the last minute.

I personally can't stand the Northern Irish accent. I think it is the most grating sounding accent of any ever heard. No disrespect to any decent people over there, that is just my view.

Coming from Northern Ireland but living in the North of Ireland (there is a difference) there are many different accents, we dont all sound the same.

People in other countries think or ask are we from Scotland?.

To me the Northern Irish Accents is as different as all the Scottish Accents. I cannot see where or how people think we sound scottish.

Re: Students

Not sure I haven't posted some of this before so apologies if I'm repeating myself.

When briefing the students (about 6 different European nationalites and a couple from South America) I had to point out the differences between London and Liverpool.

'Don't freak out if people speak to you on the street'.
This would be an alien experience to them in London and they'd be very unlikely to respond.

Within a day they got used to the idea and each time they came back to the hotel they'd tell me about interesting conversations they'd had with complete strangers. One girl from Slovakia had gone in a shop to buy a paper. By the time she left the person serving knew where she was from, what she was studying in London, and why she was in Liverpool.

The feedback I got from my students was amazing and I've never been so proud of the people from my home town. Of all the positive experiences they had, the people made the most impact.

Tourism Planning.
They had a very lucky escape - Mike Storey was due to speak to them but cancelled at the last minute.

What did they like so much about Liverpool in the place not the people? I see the place differently to outsiders.

What did they like so much about Liverpool in the place not the people? I see the place differently to outsiders.

History & culture - museums and art gallery (they were amazed there was so much available), buildings, Albert Dock, Beatles Museum.
In short - so much to see and do.

But also, being 20-year-olds, the atmosphere in bars and clubs.

History & culture - museums and art gallery (they were amazed there was so much available), buildings, Albert Dock, Beatles Museum.
In short - so much to see and do.

But also, being 20-year-olds, the atmosphere in bars and clubs.

They may have been surprised thinking Liverpool was the back of beyond, but "amazed"? Coming up from London, Liverpool is quite small fry when it comes to museums, etc.

Amazed is about right. Most of what they'd heard about Liverpool was based upon stereotypical negativeness. They discovered that the reality is somewhat different.

When we left by coach on the Friday, heading back to London, several stayed behind to enjoy the weekend.

Amazed is about right. Most of what they'd heard about Liverpool was based upon stereotypical negativeness. They discovered that the reality is somewhat different.

When we left by coach on the Friday, heading back to London, several stayed behind to enjoy the weekend.

Where did you take them? I have to take some people to Liverpool soon. I am not up on what is the best pub/bar/club etc.

About the stereotype, I took some French people to Liverpool last summer..here is my post on it..


I went to the Lake District for over a week in July with some French people. On the way up we stopped off in Chester for a night, which they liked. I decide to drop into Liverpool on the way to the Lakes. I never told them. They thought Liverpool was a poor slum not knowing anything about the place apart from the Beatles and that I was from there.

I entered via the Runcorn bridge and went to Woolton showing them the village and John Lennon's house, then Paul McCartney's house, Strawberry Field, then through the leafy suburbs with huge mature oak trees everywhere and through parks to Aigburth then along Riverside drive to the Albert Dock for coffee. They were very impressed with the Albert Dock and with the level of construction, and wondered what the church was with the birds on top - one is from elegant Paris. I was giving running commentaries: the French wall, the dock system, the American connections, the 1.3 million Irish who entered in the famine, etc.

The three Graces impressed them. They were amazed at the size of the cathedral - I told them "the world's largest tower and largest Gothic arches". They were impressed with the red colour not having seen red sandstone churches before - never occurred to me it was that different. I pointed out the world's largest brick building too - the the Tobacco warehouse.

I stopped outside Oriel Chambers and pointed out it that it was the first steel framed glass curtain walled building in the world and all modern building are generally based on it. One said, "it is a very important building then". They were impressed at seeing the White Star Line Building (the Titanic).

I told them about most of the centre being a World Heritage site and buffer zone. They said "how come Liverpool has all these wonderful buildings and supposed to be so poor?" I told them it was one on the richest cities in the world at one time - they were surprised but replied, "it all fits as poor cities do not have buildings like there are here". We went out via Riverside Drive, Rose Lane, Penny Lane and Queens Drive and the M62. We drove through miles and miles of Liverpool and not a slum in sight anywhere. They liked the red sandstone walls around buildings in the south end of the city.

On the way home to France, I overheard them saying to others that they were very impressed with Liverpool and never expected it to be so nice.

Didn't take them to any clubs or bars - they found them themselves.

Good source:

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/entertainment/nightlife/

Didn't take them to any clubs or bars - they found them themselves.

Good source:

http://icliverpool.icnetwork.co.uk/entertainment/nightlife/

Which areas did they stick to? Albert Dock? Matthew St? Hardman St? Which areas did they like the best?

Which areas did they stick to? Albert Dock? Matthew St? Hardman St? Which areas did they like the best?

Didn't work that way. They split up into groups and moved around, different people liking different things. I think a lot of them eventually ended up in the Slater St area.

On the Wednesday night we all went for a meal in Pizza Express (Dale St?). I was paying the bill for all of us (44 people but not my own money) and the gaffer really looked after us with freebie bottles of wine. I guess a group of 44 on a Wed night is quite a bonus!

When we left, three of the girls (one Finn, one Slovakian, one half Brazilian/half Italian) declared they were going to take me and get me pished.
Went across the road to a pub a mate runs but for some reason it was closed. Ended up round the corner in my regular hangout in the 70's - The Grapes in Matthew St. It was a great night. Lots of Liverpool and Porto fans ended up there after Porto had won that night, and the atmosphere was great. Fans singing and drinking together and swapping scarves. The students couldn't believe the friendly atmosphere between the opposing fans.
Each time one of the girls went to the bar they'd come back with a few more men in tow - we ended up quite a large group.

After several pints, they started bringing back Sambuccas as well, which we had to down in one. They certainly got me pished but they were in such a state before that happened that they didn't realise they'd achieved their objective.

My capacity of alcohol became legendary. I never admitted how far gone I was as they were too drunk to notice!