English and american accents.

[GianGian]

Hey!
I am not an english native speaker, and I really like to study the different accents, particulary the ones found in the UK.
So, I have always watched interviews from the guys from Oasis, they are from Manchester, and sometimes I have a hard time understanding what they say.
I know that most of you are from the USA, so you can help me here. Please, listen to the following clip, it is short, about 1:30min, and tell me if you can understand what he says without effort.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jddsGTARCv8
Also, if there is anybody from the UK here, or anybody that happens to know, this is a typical working class accent right?

[Let It Fall]

From USA.

I can understand most of what he says, some of it is a little low[volume] and slurred

[Rocker949]

I'm from the U.S. Several years ago, I spent four months in Ireland. The Irish were ten times easier to understand than that. I'm not even trying to be funny.

[sloasdaylight]

Born and raised in the US. I could understand the majority of it, except for what let it fall said about some parts being quiet and somewhat slurred.

It's not as bad as trying to listen to a cuban though if you speak spanish. I swear those people can expand one lung at a time so they can keep talking at 15million miles per hour without pause.

[Thunderitter]

I'm from Scotland originally and I can understand that easily. I suppose folks in the UK get used to hearing so many regional variations.

You could say he's got a typical Mancunian (some one from Manchester) 'working class' accent, but there are so many others in the UK. Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Brummy, Glaswegian.

Here's another one for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5UlTuceEP4

[Nappa]

Born and raised in the US. I can understand most of it, but the music in the background is distracting.

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

I'm from Scotland originally and I can understand that easily. I suppose folks in the UK get used to hearing so many regional variations.

You could say he's got a typical Mancunian (some one from Manchester) 'working class' accent, but there are so many others in the UK. Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Brummy, Glaswegian.

Here's another one for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5UlTuceEP4

I understood most of that. The fact that he wasn't speaking fast helped a bit.

[Rocker949]

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

I'm from Scotland originally and I can understand that easily. I suppose folks in the UK get used to hearing so many regional variations.

You could say he's got a typical Mancunian (some one from Manchester) 'working class' accent, but there are so many others in the UK. Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Brummy, Glaswegian.

Here's another one for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5UlTuceEP4

That took a while to get used to, but I found it easier to understand than the guy from Oasis.

[GianGian]

Originally Posted by Thunderitter

I'm from Scotland originally and I can understand that easily. I suppose folks in the UK get used to hearing so many regional variations.

You could say he's got a typical Mancunian (some one from Manchester) 'working class' accent, but there are so many others in the UK. Cockney, Scouse, Geordie, Brummy, Glaswegian.

Here's another one for you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5UlTuceEP4

Yeah, cockney is a bit easier to understand I think. And this guy on the video, I could understand some sentences! I usually like to listen to Sean Connery speak, I know he is not from Glasgow, but he is a scot.

[Rocker949]

Originally Posted by GianGian

Yeah, cockney is a bit easier to understand I think. And this guy on the video, I could understand some sentences! I usually like to listen to Sean Connery speak, I know he is not from Glasgow, but he is a scot.

I find there can be great differences, though, in Scottish accents. Some are way easier to understand than others. And not knowing much about Scotland, I may not even know, of course, what part of Scotland a person is from.

[GianGian]

Originally Posted by Rocker949

I find there can be great differences, though, in Scottish accents. Some are way easier to understand than others. And not knowing much about Scotland, I may not even know, of course, what part of Scotland a person is from.

Yeah, of course. I said Glasgow because the video said "the Glasgow somethings"...but I think that Sean is from Endinburg, and I once read that he was told to change his accent if he wanted to play any part other than a man wearing a kilt.

[EagleMoon]

I can understand most all of it. I think what throws people off is the cadence, which is quite different than the US. Plus they've got different slang terms than we do here. I guess I've watched enough British tv shows over the years to get used to it.

[thefruitfarmer]

I am quite used to lots of accents. I used to work at Heathrow Airport so heard quite a lot of them.

I think a lot of it is down to familiarity.

I went to America ( Alabama ) in 2004. What I found was that I could understand the locals quite easily but many of them could n't understand me. Every now and them someone would turn to their friend and ask "What did he say?".

I speak with a West London accent, which is slightly different to the "Mockney" accent in the British Gangster films so I suppose it was unfamiliar to many of them.

What I found was that the locals who had travelled or were more educated were able to understand me and the black people seemed more prepared to make an effort. I was a bit of a curiosity and I suspect I did n't look down at the black people, as many of the middle class whites seemed to do.

The group of people that really did n't understand me and were not prepared to make an effort to tune in to my accent seemed to be the lower class white people. Not all of them were like this but those that made no effort were predominantly in this group.

After 2 weeks I was saying things like " ve-H-icle" and starting to drawl !

[Evil Undead]

I think Liam Gallaghers accent is very exaggerated (due to the fact that he's an arrogant ****). A friend of mine is from Manchester (lower class) and he sounds nowhere near as broad.

I can understand pretty much all UK and USA accents - sometimes the differences in scottish accents are tough to follow but I can get by

[Jefenator]

Raised in Canada / USA - I got most of it. What I didn't get, it didn't feel like I was missing much.

[Bruce Lindfield]

Originally Posted by GianGian

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jddsGTARCv8
Also, if there is anybody from the UK here, or anybody that happens to know, this is a typical working class accent right?

OK - I am from the UK and I will tell you the truth - Liam Gallacher is an idiot - we would say " a total twat"!!

He is not typical of anything except a poseur, who thinks he is better than other people, but resents the fact that everybody knows it's his brother who had all the talent!

He is stupid and incoherent and working class people I know, would feel deeply offended to be lumped in with that!!

What's worse is that he has no talent, but thinks the world owes him a big-time lifestyle - he is the worst possible example for young people and should not be given airtime by anybody!

This is his brother, talking in a more typical "working class" way that is not "affected" :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vLwq...eature=related

[EdHunter]

For real incomprehensibility, you need some Geordies extolling the virtues of Wor-Alan. Scouse - easy, Manc - easy, Brummie - easy, Cockney - can be hard, Yorkshire - easy, West Country - hilarious.

[XtreO]

I was on a West Ham match a few years ago, and the regulars at Upton Park spoke in a fashion so strange I didn't get anything sensible out of it at all.

[Thunderitter]

As someone points out it's the colloquial stuff that makes the regional accents in the UK harder. Cockney can be very hard if you don't know the rhyming slang that'd been used.

BTW the Glaswegian I gave the example of is very, exaggerated, but it's similar to how some of the folks 'with attitude' speak.

Here's another good one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da1Po...eature=related

[jmattbassplaya]

Any of you UK guys want to throw down a few examples of the more common dialects? I'm finding this really fascinating

[Ívar Þórólfsson]

Try this one, granted it has got subtitles, otherwise no one would understand it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nDaTTVR2JXY

It's a football player named Jamie Carragher. He has got a heavy scouse accent (Liverpool working class accent).