One Woman, 17 British Accents - Anglophenia Ep 5

Key Concepts

• Received Pronunciation (RP): Standard BBC English, associated with middle to upper classes, often used in formal settings.
• Cockney: Classic London accent, recognizable internationally, associated with working-class London.
• East Anglian: Flat, boggy accent from East Anglia, often dropped by speakers in formal contexts.
• West Country: Rounder accent from the West Country, associated with rural areas.
• Cornish: A more "piratey" variation of the West Country accent.
• Southern Welsh: Sing-songy accent from Southern Wales.
• Northern Welsh: Breathy, thicker accent from Northern Wales, where Welsh is often the primary language.
• West Midlands (Birmingham): Nasal accent from Birmingham, linked to industrial history.
• Scouse: Liverpool accent, associated with The Beatles.
• Lancashire: Flatter accent from Lancashire, characterized by clipped words.
• Yorkshire: Flatter accent from Yorkshire, also with clipped words.
• Geordie: Accent from Northumberland and Newcastle, known for its distinct sound.
• Scottish (Edinburgh): Soft, potentially snooty accent from Edinburgh.
• Scottish (Glasgow): Thicker accent from Glasgow, with clipped words.
• Scottish Highlands: Accent from the Scottish Highlands.
• Northern Irish: Accent from Northern Ireland, characterized by vowel sounds.
• Dublin: Classic Irish accent from Dublin, with a lot of "asence."

Received Pronunciation (RP)

• Description: RP, also known as "standard BBC English," is spoken across the UK, generally by middle, upper-middle, and upper-class individuals.
• Examples: Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, and most BBC News presenters.
• Usage: Often used in formal settings like news broadcasts.
• Quote: "Good evening, it's 9:00 and this is the news."
• Note: The transcript mentions RP is "generally only spoken on film and television now," which is a slight overstatement, but it highlights its association with traditional media and certain social classes.

Cockney Accent

• Description: The accent most recognizable to people outside Britain, associated with London.
• Example: "Get out of my pub, go on, get out of it, shut it, you twat!"
• Context: Often depicted in films like Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels.

East Anglian Accent

• Description: A flat, boggy accent from the region of East Anglia.
• Characteristics: The transcript notes that speakers often lose this accent when they can.
• Example: "I done drop my computer in the fan and it's broken now."
• Notable Speaker: Stephen Fry is from Norfolk but speaks with a "posh" accent, not this regional one.

West Country Accent

• Description: A rounder-sounding accent from the West Country, associated with rural farmland.
• Examples: Sam Gamgee from The Lord of the Rings and Hagrid from Harry Potter.
• Quotes: "Oh, all you bloody kids get off my land!" or "Oh, Mr. Frodo, don't let them turn me into anything unnatural."
• Cornish Variation: Down in Cornwall, the accent becomes "a little bit more piratey," with an example like: "Hoist the mainsail and mast, squire!"

Welsh Accents

• Southern Welsh:
  • Description: A great "sing-songy" accent.
  • Examples: Tom Jones, Richard Burton.
  • Quote: "Rage, rage against the dying of the light!" (referencing Dylan Thomas).
• Northern Welsh:
  • Description: A breathier, thicker accent.
  • Context: Most people from this region speak Welsh at home, with English as a second language.
  • Notable Speaker: Singer Duffy.

West Midlands Accent (Birmingham)

• Description: A very nasal accent from Birmingham, attributed to the area's industrial history.
• Examples: Cat Deeley, Ozzy Osbourne.
• Quote: Ozzy Osbourne's characteristic speech: "Yeah, Sharon, where's the bloody remote?" The transcript notes this is not due to drugs but his regional accent.

Scouse Accent

• Description: The classic Liverpool accent.
• Examples: The Beatles, Paul McCartney.
• Context: Liverpool was a European Capital of Culture in 2008.
• Quote: "So don't tell me that I've got no culture, alright, off it!"

Lancashire and Yorkshire Accents

• Lancashire:
  • Description: Associated with actors like Christopher Eccleston and many cast members of Downton Abbey.
  • Example: "Daisy, get those buns out the oven before they burn!"
• Yorkshire:
  • Description: A flatter accent compared to Lancashire, with a tendency to cut off words.
  • Examples: Sean Bean (from Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones).
  • Quote: "One does not simply walk into Mordor."
  • Phrase Example: "I'm going to the pub up 'ill."

Geordie Accent

• Description: The accent spoken in Northumberland and Newcastle.
• Examples: Characters from The Geordie Shore, Cheryl Cole (who was reportedly difficult to understand on X Factor), and Billy Elliot.
• Quote: Billy Elliot: "All I want to do is dance, but me dad makes me box."

Scottish Accents

• Edinburgh:
  • Description: A very soft, perhaps a little snooty accent.
  • Examples: Ewan McGregor, Maggie Smith as Professor McGonagall.
  • Quote: Professor McGonagall: "That's 10 points taken from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter."
• Glasgow:
  • Description: A much thicker accent, with clipped words.
  • Examples: Billy Connolly, Peter Capaldi.
  • Phrase Example: "I 'ad no butter, so I 'ad to go to the shop."
• Scottish Highlands:
  • Description: The accent from the Highlands.
  • Examples: Amy Pond from Doctor Who, Robert Burns.
  • Quote: Robert Burns: "The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley."

Northern Irish Accent

• Description: Characterized by its vowels, often described as "like so, like, hi, Branco."
• Notable Speaker: Liam Neeson.
• Quote: Liam Neeson's famous line from Taken: "I have a very particular set of skills..." The transcript notes he doesn't say it in this accent in the movie, but it sounds "well cool" when done in it.

Southern Irish Accent (Dublin)

• Description: A classic Irish accent with a lot of "asence" (emphasis or lilt).
• Notable Speaker: Sinéad O'Connor.
• Quote: Sinéad O'Connor: "Nothing compares, nothing compares to you."
• Note: The transcript clarifies that Southern Ireland is not part of the United Kingdom but the speaker can perform the Dublin accent.

Conclusion

The video provides a lively and anecdotal tour of the diverse accents found across Great Britain, highlighting their regional origins, associated stereotypes, and notable speakers. The presenter, Siobhan Thompson, demonstrates her ability to mimic many of these accents, offering specific examples and phrases to illustrate their distinct characteristics. The tour moves geographically, covering England (RP, Cockney, East Anglian, West Country, Birmingham, Liverpool, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Geordie), Wales (Southern and Northern), Scotland (Edinburgh, Glasgow, Highlands), and Northern Ireland, concluding with a brief mention of a Dublin accent. The underlying theme is the rich tapestry of linguistic variation within the UK.