Wth her Geordie accent, it's almost identical and more closer to Scotland than London or South East which the Americans may prefer. So some of the audiance believe she would be Scottish?
I see where you're coming from but it's not. The Americans haven't had a chance to prefer a southern accent as they haven't really been exposed to a northern one
[QUOTE=MaxyParkGuy;46798891]There's not actually a huge difference between the Geordie accent and that of the East of Scotland.[/B] The whole east coast of Britain is broadly similar as that was the main route up and down "Britain" from Roman times onwards.
Several invasions from the east and south towards "Britain" over the last 2000 years and easy passage up and down that east coast meant that there was more integration up and down the east compared with the west.
These invasions pushed the ancient Britons mainly west and they were added to by the Irish Gaelic immigration from 1500 years ago, so that there is a much bigger divide between the peoples' culture and accent going east and west - much more so than going north and south. Glasgow is much more like Liverpool than Edinburgh which is more like, say York.[/QUOTE]
I agree with you apart from the bolded bit. I don't sound particularly Geordie.
Wth her Geordie accent, it's almost identical and more closer to Scotland than London or South East which the Americans may prefer. So some of the audiance believe she would be Scottish?
how are we to know what the American will think about Cheryl.
Its just because America has never been exposed to a Geordie accent. If you've never heard it before how are you supposed to know? Anyways, has anyone seen this :
Its just because America has never been exposed to a Geordie accent. If you've never heard it before how are you supposed to know? Anyways, has anyone seen this :
Cheryl's accent has gotten a lot less thick over the three years she's been doing the X Factor plus she speaks slowly and articulates much so I don't think it'll be a problem
Well, I am a Geordie, and I don't speak with an accent that could ever be confused with Scottish, if people will only listen. I think a lot of the confusion arises from the expressions we have in common. Both vernaculars, for example, pronounce 'town' as 'toon'. In Geordie, though, the double'o' dipthong is pronounced flat, as in 'boo'. In Scottish it is highlighted and closer to 'tune' in intonation. Scots roll the 'r'. Geordies don't.
In comparison to other English accents, Geordie is one of the few that does not drop the 'h', therefore even the most impenetrable of Geordie speakers would still pronounce a word like 'Halifax' as 'Halifax', not 'Alifax'.
By the way, not all Geordies speak with broad Geordie accents. The same can be said of cockneys, brummies, scousers etc. etc.
Overall, I think we do Americans something of a disservice in assuming that they are all a bit thick and can't understand anything that is not blindingly obvious. They are the only nation to have put a man on the moon and they do have the world's biggest economy. I don't believe all that was down to pure luck. Whether Cheryl Cole cracks the USA remains to be seen, but she is certainly successful enough in a country where her accent is fairly alien to the vast majority of the population (that country being the UK). She has toned it down as time has gone on to make it more accessible, but that is true of any celebrity who came from a place with a distinctive accent. Sir Ian McKellen doesn't usually speak with his native Burnley burr, but he can if he wants to.
Well, I am a Geordie, and I don't speak with an accent that could ever be confused with Scottish, if people will only listen. I think a lot of the confusion arises from the expressions we have in common. Both vernaculars, for example, pronounce 'town' as 'toon'. In Geordie, though, the double'o' dipthong is pronounced flat, as in 'boo'. In Scottish it is highlighted and closer to 'tune' in intonation. Scots roll the 'r'. Geordies don't.
In comparison to other English accents, Geordie is one of the few that does not drop the 'h', therefore even the most impenetrable of Geordie speakers would still pronounce a word like 'Halifax' as 'Halifax', not 'Alifax'.
By the way, not all Geordies speak with broad Geordie accents. The same can be said of cockneys, brummies, scousers etc. etc.
Overall, I think we do Americans something of a disservice in assuming that they are all a bit thick and can't understand anything that is not blindingly obvious. They are the only nation to have put a man on the moon and they do have the world's biggest economy. I don't believe all that was down to pure luck. Whether Cheryl Cole cracks the USA remains to be seen, but she is certainly successful enough in a country where her accent is fairly alien to the vast majority of the population (that country being the UK). She has toned it down as time has gone on to make it more accessible, but that is true of any celebrity who came from a place with a distinctive accent. Sir Ian McKellen doesn't usually speak with his native Burnley burr, but he can if he wants to.
Maybe your accent couldn't be confused with Scottish but I am sure the typical Geordie accent could.
I don't see that anyone has said that any Americans are thick (although some undoubtedly are) never mind all of them. Confusing accents doesn't have to have anything to do with being thick - just about being unfamiliar. If they recognise it as British but not what they are used to as English, then Scottish is a reasonable guess,
I agree we have a lot of different accents in the US (I'm from the South, which seems to have the most joked about and identifiable accent). But in general, all of our tv personality accents are fairly straight forward.
I also agree that Americans in general, probably would not fair too well on a test to decipher (Australian, Irish, Scottish & English accents). I’ve spent a little time in Scotland, and imo Scottish accents may be slightly heavier than English accents. But in general, to Americans, Au/ Irish/ Scot/ Engl accents are usually all grouped as “British accents.” And although certain ones may be harder to understand than others to the general public, I think it has more to do with how slow/ or fast the person speaks. (hence I always understand Cheryl, yet struggle as times with Ant & Dec). Also I think 9 times out of 10 Females tend to speak slower and have less problems with US understanding. (Amanda may be an exception. I like her personality, looks, etc a lot & her accent was fine on BGT- but I do remember her filling in a day or two on Good Morning America, & when she got excited she would occasionally start talking really fast and a few words may have got lost in translation). But Cheryl is always a fairly measured speaker regarding pace & I’ve never even had to “listen closely” to understand her.
But the US audience will love her & her “foreign accent” (without analyzing much any further). Kate Middleton being in the news over here, quite a bit lately may slightly benefit Cheryl as well (in that some people may have a very positive subconscious association to attractive British brunets at the moment).
a.I agree we have a lot of different accents in the US (I'm from the South, which seems to have the most joked about and identifiable accent).
b. I also agree that Americans in general, probably would not fair too well on a test to decipher (Australian, Irish, Scottish & English accents). I’ve spent a little time in Scotland, and imo Scottish accents may be slightly heavier than English accents. But in general, to Americans, Au/ Irish/ Scot/ Engl accents are usually all grouped as “British accents.”
c.But the US audience will love her & her “foreign accent” (without analyzing much any further). Kate Middleton being in the news over here, quite a bit lately may slightly benefit Cheryl as well (in that some people may have a very positive subconscious association to attractive British brunets at the moment).
a. if you're from the south, you realize there are several accents, from downright hick to southern grace and charm. ala'bammy to 'chaaalsten', south carolina..
b. we really just don't hear a variety of 'over there' accents. Simple as that. Why would anyone expect an American to decipher south, north, geordie, manchester, liverpool or whatever. Some can, many can't. And thats okay. really. it is.
c. you'd be a great candidate for a PR person for her. So positive. I don't share your enthusiasm, but I applaud you for it. I don't think she's anything special and doens't bring anything to the table to be quite honest. Only time will tell.
Well I'm scottish and when I visit the states they either think I am Irish or need to ask where I am from. They really aren't the best at identifying accents .
...at identifying 'your' island nations accents that is.. I guess I'm not sure why we need to be able to identify an across the pond accent when we have our own myriad of accents to deal with... not to point you out specifcally, but the general tone of this thread.. We dont really think about your accents that much. A matter of exposure. It's just as simple as that. Im sure there are some who do and can tell the difference, but you all are the only ones who care if someone thousands of miles away can tell where you're from.
now that i've absorbed the scottish question a bit, i do see a correlation between she and vintage Sheena Easton. Difference is that we really didn't have to understand Sheena's accent because in singing, it mellows out considerably. So, that gave her a leg up on becoming popular. But music was different then and when a star 'broke out' with a song, it was much bigger here than it is now. Her breakout song was a hit and you'd be hard pressed to find anybody who had not heard even a snippet of it. But Chery's song, is a completely different story. Even I could not name a song of hers. But back to Sheena. When we saw her on Miami Vice, she'd been in the US for awhile and her accent wasn't as strong, and who could ever forget when she was killed on the show and sonny.... to be continued
My point was the North East accent is not even remotely close to the Scottish one lol.
You say that, and until recently I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you. I'm from Northumberland and have recently moved to Manchester, I've lost count of the amount of times I've been asked which part of Scotland I'm from. And that is from people from northern England, never mind America!
I'm not sure it even matters to Americans anyway, so long as they can understand her. When I visited America last year, everybody I talked to assumed I was from London despite my accent, possibly because that is where an American is likely to visit.
I'm from Dublin and when I was in the States they thought I was Australian !!! So anything is possible with Cheryl....LOL.
i'm Irish and when I was in Australia they kept asking if I was American or Canadian! My brother had lived in Dublin for 12 years and picked up quite a strong Dublin accent and when he came over he got asked the same question!!!
I used to get confused between the South African, Australian and New Zealand accents. Now I can't believe I used to get them mixed up.
I'm from Birmingham, and last time I went to America people kept asking if I was from Scotland, so its something I could see happening. Didn't some Americans think Vernon Kay was Scottish after he presented Skating with the Stars?
I'm from Chicago and I LOVE Cheryl's accent... plus she is super adorable and seems genuinely sweet! I really wish they would break out here in the US... I would love to see them live!
Wth her Geordie accent, it's almost identical and more closer to Scotland than London or South East which the Americans may prefer. So some of the audiance believe she would be Scottish?
Yes, we are more similar to the Scottish than anywhere else in England. If the people of the south can mistake us for being Scottish, I'd imagine the Americans might as well.
...at identifying 'your' island nations accents that is.. I guess I'm not sure why we need to be able to identify an across the pond accent when we have our own myriad of accents to deal with... not to point you out specifcally, but the general tone of this thread.. We dont really think about your accents that much. A matter of exposure. It's just as simple as that. Im sure there are some who do and can tell the difference, but you all are the only ones who care if someone thousands of miles away can tell where you're from.
Well I appreciate that many americans go through their lives without ever leaving the states - also since most movies have american stars (and even scottish characters in movies are usually played by american actors doing a terrible accent) they aren't heavily exposed to other accents in general. I am quite well travelled and every other country I have visited the natives can immediately tell I'm scottish. There is not really a polite way to say it - america is just quite an ignorant nation.
Comments
I see where you're coming from but it's not. The Americans haven't had a chance to prefer a southern accent as they haven't really been exposed to a northern one
Several invasions from the east and south towards "Britain" over the last 2000 years and easy passage up and down that east coast meant that there was more integration up and down the east compared with the west.
These invasions pushed the ancient Britons mainly west and they were added to by the Irish Gaelic immigration from 1500 years ago, so that there is a much bigger divide between the peoples' culture and accent going east and west - much more so than going north and south. Glasgow is much more like Liverpool than Edinburgh which is more like, say York.[/QUOTE]
I agree with you apart from the bolded bit. I don't sound particularly Geordie.
how are we to know what the American will think about Cheryl.
They have a cheek! Have you heard some of the accents in the US??? Jeez!
http://www.heatworld.com/XFactor/2010/12/Simon-Cowell-thinks-Cheryl-Cole-sounds-like-a-muppet/
Its not that bad! I get her and im american! I dont know if this story is true but I did laugh at the comparison
Swedish Chef is my all time fav muppet, I have a Swedish Chef Doll ,Thanks for the memory
Your welcome! Me too! Im on youtube watching old clips of him now. lol so does this mean Americans will think Cheryl is Swedish?
In comparison to other English accents, Geordie is one of the few that does not drop the 'h', therefore even the most impenetrable of Geordie speakers would still pronounce a word like 'Halifax' as 'Halifax', not 'Alifax'.
By the way, not all Geordies speak with broad Geordie accents. The same can be said of cockneys, brummies, scousers etc. etc.
Overall, I think we do Americans something of a disservice in assuming that they are all a bit thick and can't understand anything that is not blindingly obvious. They are the only nation to have put a man on the moon and they do have the world's biggest economy. I don't believe all that was down to pure luck. Whether Cheryl Cole cracks the USA remains to be seen, but she is certainly successful enough in a country where her accent is fairly alien to the vast majority of the population (that country being the UK). She has toned it down as time has gone on to make it more accessible, but that is true of any celebrity who came from a place with a distinctive accent. Sir Ian McKellen doesn't usually speak with his native Burnley burr, but he can if he wants to.
Maybe your accent couldn't be confused with Scottish but I am sure the typical Geordie accent could.
I don't see that anyone has said that any Americans are thick (although some undoubtedly are) never mind all of them. Confusing accents doesn't have to have anything to do with being thick - just about being unfamiliar. If they recognise it as British but not what they are used to as English, then Scottish is a reasonable guess,
I also agree that Americans in general, probably would not fair too well on a test to decipher (Australian, Irish, Scottish & English accents). I’ve spent a little time in Scotland, and imo Scottish accents may be slightly heavier than English accents. But in general, to Americans, Au/ Irish/ Scot/ Engl accents are usually all grouped as “British accents.” And although certain ones may be harder to understand than others to the general public, I think it has more to do with how slow/ or fast the person speaks. (hence I always understand Cheryl, yet struggle as times with Ant & Dec). Also I think 9 times out of 10 Females tend to speak slower and have less problems with US understanding. (Amanda may be an exception. I like her personality, looks, etc a lot & her accent was fine on BGT- but I do remember her filling in a day or two on Good Morning America, & when she got excited she would occasionally start talking really fast and a few words may have got lost in translation). But Cheryl is always a fairly measured speaker regarding pace & I’ve never even had to “listen closely” to understand her.
But the US audience will love her & her “foreign accent” (without analyzing much any further). Kate Middleton being in the news over here, quite a bit lately may slightly benefit Cheryl as well (in that some people may have a very positive subconscious association to attractive British brunets at the moment).
a. if you're from the south, you realize there are several accents, from downright hick to southern grace and charm. ala'bammy to 'chaaalsten', south carolina..
b. we really just don't hear a variety of 'over there' accents. Simple as that. Why would anyone expect an American to decipher south, north, geordie, manchester, liverpool or whatever. Some can, many can't. And thats okay. really. it is.
c. you'd be a great candidate for a PR person for her. So positive. I don't share your enthusiasm, but I applaud you for it. I don't think she's anything special and doens't bring anything to the table to be quite honest. Only time will tell.
...at identifying 'your' island nations accents that is.. I guess I'm not sure why we need to be able to identify an across the pond accent when we have our own myriad of accents to deal with... not to point you out specifcally, but the general tone of this thread.. We dont really think about your accents that much. A matter of exposure. It's just as simple as that. Im sure there are some who do and can tell the difference, but you all are the only ones who care if someone thousands of miles away can tell where you're from.
You say that, and until recently I would have wholeheartedly agreed with you. I'm from Northumberland and have recently moved to Manchester, I've lost count of the amount of times I've been asked which part of Scotland I'm from. And that is from people from northern England, never mind America!
I'm not sure it even matters to Americans anyway, so long as they can understand her. When I visited America last year, everybody I talked to assumed I was from London despite my accent, possibly because that is where an American is likely to visit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-rIuxvSwoA - 2002
It's really thick sounding there
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygKaODFuIb8 - these days
*bites tongue*
I used to get confused between the South African, Australian and New Zealand accents. Now I can't believe I used to get them mixed up.
So she is understandable.
Yes, we are more similar to the Scottish than anywhere else in England. If the people of the south can mistake us for being Scottish, I'd imagine the Americans might as well.
Well I appreciate that many americans go through their lives without ever leaving the states - also since most movies have american stars (and even scottish characters in movies are usually played by american actors doing a terrible accent) they aren't heavily exposed to other accents in general. I am quite well travelled and every other country I have visited the natives can immediately tell I'm scottish. There is not really a polite way to say it - america is just quite an ignorant nation.
FYI Scotland isn't an island. It's a country.