Taken from This is North Scotland Thursday 27th January 05

CELEBRITY CAMERON DEMONSTRATES WORD SKILLS

Big Brother celebrity Cameron Stout gave hundreds of pupils in Aberdeen an insight into his linguistic skills yesterday.

The reality TV star speaks a number of foreign languages including French, Spanish, Japanese and Norwegian. He told the secondary school pupils from 3rd to 6th years how this helped his career develop, during a language conference at The Robert Gordon University's Aberdeen Business School.

The TV star has worked in France as an assistant curator and also in Spain where he was an English teacher.

Although now living in his native Orkney, his linguistic skills still come in handy in his current job as a fish trader for an international company.

Stewart Spence, owner of city hotel The Marcliffe at Pitfodels, also addressed the conference.

During the event the pupils took part in fact-finding sessions about working and studying abroad, and interviewing representatives from international companies.

These included recent RGU graduates who are already using their language skills here or abroad in the world of work.

TV star ..... ?????

"Celebrity" ..... ??????

He can bore in more than one language.

This reminds us once again that the real Cameron (international businessman, worked in France and Spain, etc) was very different from the one presented on the show.

which was the point that Jon Tickle tried to make on the show but no one could be arsed to listen to him.....

"Although now living in his native Orkney, his linguistic skills still come in handy in his current job as a fish trader for an international company."

t'was just for the tourists.....

Such a gentle wee soul.

But how can this man be so hated?
How can the GBP have got it so wrong?

This man was voted "A Winner" by the majority of the GBP.

Don't know, don't care. He certainly didn't have my support - have little time for bigots.

To be fair, the endemol editing was utterly superb for Cameron, and there was virtually no competition. It was their finest hour. He only really had to show up.

it was like Fed said:"never underestimate the grey vote"

I still don't understand why they thought he'd be a good winner though......unless they thought, a boring winner for a boring show

er ..... not the GBP ..... just the people who watched/heard about/read about the show .....

Well the Tickle can speak Elvish.

I was impressed when he knew exactly where Cameroon was, for the geography task, which perhaps most people, even with a good general knowledge, would not have known. So one could have surmised that he was possibly more international than he was portrayed as.

BTW did he actually ever try to make out himself that he was some country bumpkin from hicksville, or was that Endemol/media portrayal or simply people making assumptions because he was from the Orkneys? I also remember people casting doubt on his accent, but having heard other Orcadians speak on the media, that seems genuinely how they sound.

Everything aside, I commend his multilinguistic ability.

Well, travel broadens the mind... they say...

I can speak bullshit in a variety of languages too - never got me anywhere, mind.

I could mention a few FMs who speak that constantly

Cameron had (and has) a pretty typical Orkney accent. He speaks now in the same way that he spoke on BB.

Some people such as Jon Tickle seemed to feel that if Cameron spoke as he did, then he must be putting on an act. How could an educated, well-travelled person speak in such a funny way? Unfortunately, Tickle merely revealed his own ignorance and narrow-mindedness.

I find it admirable that someone (such as Cameron) can remain sufficiently honest and close to his roots to keep speaking in the accent that he was brought up to speak. Why should someone have to change their accent just to satisfy the likes of Jon Tickle? Too many Scots have felt pressurised into changing their accents in order to conform to some notions of "talking proper" or of what's fashionable. I think it's sad that, under pressure from the media and the educational system, accents and dialects have tended to fade away and become homogenised.

Diversity good, dreary uniformity bad! Does Jon Tickle feel that if we're educated, then we have to speak like him?

It was the people making assumptions one.

Thankyouverymuch.

Did he ever explain what an apple on the head meant?

When we just taking about boring, since you have a PhD are you Dr Evil with many mes?

I know, but I am trying. :sleep:

I don't think Tickle's point was because of Cameron's accent.