Monday, January 5, 2009

mirror mirror on the wall, who has the fairest ACCENT of them all?

I was listening to Fiona Ritchie and her music program yesterday. She is a Scot, and the music is Celtic. Her accent just slays me. I started thinking about accents in the English world.
I myself, despite living in New England longer than anywhere else, have a typical ZERO accent: the accent of the stretch of Great Lakes from northern Ohio to this part of New York, which is basically NO accent at all. At least that is what I say. It is also true that some people, myself included, might think I have a wee little voice, and I had speech therapy in school because I am very lazy in pronunciations and slur words and sometimes there is a slight stutter---the word just won't come out.
THEREFORE, a person like me is very interested in English accents.

-the Australian, and I am considering New Zealand is probably a bit similar "g'day mate!"
-the Canadian--they have super cute accents, although they don't admit it "oot and aboot, eh?"
-the Scottish, one of the BEST on earth, if you can understand it "a wee dram"
-the English "Oi!"
-some people would say the friendliest and sexiest is the southern "howdy ya'll!"
-Californians don't think they talk this way, BUT THEY DO "duuuude"
-New Yorkers and New Jersey (we don't sound the same in northern NY state) "HEY! UP YOURS!"
-my sister and her family live in Minnesota, and YES they do talk like that "you betcha!"
-New England has different accents like northern "ayup" and Boston area "you can't pahk yah cah in Hahved Yahd", and some people might think that is a wee bit stuck up sounding.....
-and then there's the Irish--the loveliest accents on earth, I think, they simply PURR "next round's on me"

SO VOTE IN COMMENTS: who has the best accents????????????????








34 comments:

Farmer*swife a/k/a Glass_Half_Full said...

I'll take #2, #3, and #5. Though, a lot depends on what they say with that accent.

Russell takes my top vote (even though, he's known to be a hot head). Sean Connery is WAAAAAYYYY hotter in his older age than when he was all slick like that.

I totally love the movie "The Rock" and a second runner up is the one where he was a painting theif with I think, Catherine Zeda Jones?

Happy 1st Monday! Happy "New Monday"!

Anonymous said...

Does Hugh Jackman come as a prize with the Aussie accent? I could be happy with that. ;)

Irish eyes are shining and they do have a lovely way with words. Pass the Guinness, please, and a bottle of whisky.

Put me in Georgia for 24 hours and I'm all over the "all y'all's."

You probably do have an accent Gary. Being from the Pacific NW, we don't have one. Everyone else does. ;)

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Catherine Zeta-Jones is Welsh, and tres sexy. Good point. And Antonio Banderas is (something Spanish related?) and he is AWESOME, but I wasn't counting Spanish accented English....
ZORRO! What a movie.

Di Mackey said...

I have to say the New Zealand accent ... because there are only 4 million of us and we're more softly spoken than the Aussies. They tell me it's a cute wee accent ... after they stop laughing over the way I say things like 'bed' 'guest' 'bread' hmmm 'fish and chips' the number 'six' is well-mocked by everyone including the Aussies, 'pen' 'Ben'...

Could be there's a wee issue with the 'i' and the 'e'

Otherwise, Sean Connery and his Scottish accent and Italians make me melt. Belgian English isn't difficult to listen to either.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Maybe all men wish they could sound like Antonio or Sean....
(tee hee! say "SIX" for us Di!!!!!)

Anonymous said...

I am from California and my accent is somewhere bewtween valley girl and Spanish. I too am a sucker for Scottish accents. I love Gerard Butler!

Jay said...

Liz Hurley has the most beautiful accents EVER! Just look at them!

Oh wait.

I like accents too. Luckily I don't have one. At least I don't have a bad Arkansas redneck accent. That would be annoying.

Anonymous said...

Ooooo - I don't care what #5 sounds like - I'll take HIM! ;)

Anonymous said...

I forgot to mention (well - who wouldn't forget to mention something with that lovely handsome #5 up there staring straight at ya!) that I think you 'do' have an accent, Gary.

At first I thought it was more MA, but when you mentioned the NH factor, then I could really hear it.

Anonymous said...

The South Africans I know all say the Aussies have the worst accents in the world!

cm said...

Irish all the way, baby. Turns me to butter even before the whisky's poured.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

So, and I am biased obviously, the Irish are leading. By a lot. Wish I could think of some gorgeous actresses and actors from Ireland to post their pics, but I am not remembering any.
My accent? Moi? Sometimes there is that New Hampshire thang, ayup.

Anonymous said...

You can deny it but you DO have an accent.

And I'm a sucker for an eastern European accent. So interesting to listen to.

Also, the South African accent.

Oh, and Kiwis (New Zealand) and Aussies don't sound anything alike.

Knight said...

The Scots sound the best. I think it is the most interesting of them all.

Anonymous said...

Gary, the reason you can't think of any gorgeous Irish actresses and actors is the fact that there probably aren't any. It was true when I was at a boarding school in Switzerland years ago and the same fact sadly remains so today.

Fortune Cookies said...

Ooooh! love accents too! But I can't really say which of those is best, I like a French accent, but you're doing English...hmmmm maybe Irish then, it is pretty hot.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

I am starting to wonder who the hell this Slade is, international man of mystery?
I bet there is also a variety of Canadian accents (other than French, the obvious) like Maritimes, Ontario, the big middle provinces and then the western part. Ooot and aboot!

Gordo said...

Naturally, I have no accent at all. It's the rest of you. ;-)

Scottish and Irish accents are my faves.

Gary, apparently, this bland non-accent that you and I have is called "mid-Atlantic". Highly valued in broadcasting.

Anonymous said...

it's funny yesterday i was in montreal talking to 2 people (one from san diego; the other from wash. d.c.) and they couldn't figure out what my accent was. i remember being in prague and a clothing salesman asked where i was from and when i told him america, he said, "no, you're not" then i added, well, my parents are canadians, he replied, "yes, that's it." but i don't really sound canadian either. it doesn't matter if i speak english here or french in europe, my accent is always a mystery. but i, like you gary, had speech therapy as a kid, esp. for my ch, sh, etc.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Denis, I think you sound like what you are: a French Canadian with equally good English.
YES, even Gord sounds cute, eh! Just like Bob and Doug MacKenzie!

Anonymous said...

hmmm choosing accents eh? ok.. I pick... ME! for my oh so lovely east coaster patois ;)

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Greg is the REAL deal when it comes to a certain authentic Canadian accent

Anonymous said...

Here's a handsome Irish actor for you. When he sat down at the typewriter in his Stanfield's in The Wind That Shakes The Barley, it wasn't just the barley that was shaking.

Anonymous said...

Mine, of course.

Lou said...

The Irish purr Gary? I think that's just my accent your thinking of ;) By Irish standards I have a neutral accent, drives people here in Sligo mad because they love to know where you're from :)

I love Scottish accent when Ewan McGregor is using it...mmm..

Anonymous said...

Yes - even though I love love love, #5 - I must vote for John Bailey!

Anonymous said...

My sister-in-law and her family live in Ireland. Her husband is a native, and I am quite partial to the Irish accent (although I occasionally have to ask him to repeat himself because he speaks so quickly! on the flipside, he is easily annoyed with how slowly I speak!). Nothing is as sweet-sounding as their kids, though! :-)

What's REALLY funny is when my BIL imitates native Dubliners. I suppose it's akin to a northerner imitating a southerner. LOL!

My least favorite accents? New Yorkers and New Jersians (is that a word?). Southern accents only sound nice on some people, and mid-western southern accents are just plain weird.

Having lived in Kansas, Washington State, Georgia and now New York, my accent is a little nondescript.

Lynda said...

Oh, I like the Scottish and Irish accents best. You did forget our Cajun brothers and sisters...now, that one, is almost foreign ;-)

J said...

I'm sure there's more, but my favorite Irish actress is Maureen O'Hara ("The Quiet Man", "Miracle on 34th Street"). Yeah, she's 88 years old, but still gorgeous.

Gary's third pottery blog said...

oh yes, Maureen!

Reb said...

Liam Neeson, Irish, handsome! That of Sean Connery. Although Hugh Jackman, can whisper in my ear with his Aussie accent anytime too.

Yes, we Canucks do have a variety of accents, the most obvious two being Newfoundland and Quebec.

Linda Starr said...

When I was working as a waitress putting myself through college (many moons ago) some folks I served said they could tell where I was born. They said I had an Illinois accent. I'd been living in California since the sixth grade but was born in Illinois and only lived there till I was two years old. My mom is from Illinois and my dad is from Arkansas, I guess we unknowingly acquire the accents of our parents. As I recall the folks at the restaurant were linquists - they knew where I was from by how I pronounced one or two words - amazing.

Hilary said...

Oh Irish for sure. Tis a joyous accent.

Ellen said...

We have a Scottish pastor at our church...his accent is interesting, but after listening to him preach, I find it is not my fav. I can't seem to get used to praying to the Lard...

Gary, you did not mention the Caribbean accent. Jamaicans have a wonderful accent. They are taught in very British schools, so they can sound like the Brits, but they maintain the Caribbean sense of joy and slip into Patois if you get them going. It may not be the sexiest accent, but it is the most joyous, and lightens the heart. We have Jamaican friends, and I laugh the hardest and have the most fun when spending time with them and their friends.