There’s lovely
From a recent online survey by the BBC:
Welsh accents are among the least popular in the UK, according to a BBC poll.
Many who took part in the survey believed that having a Welsh accent could hinder a career.
Have I experienced prejudice? Oh yes. Do I give a monkeys? Nah.
January 28th, 2005 03:28
What? The Welsh accent is one of the loveliest I’ve come across!
I can’t believe it would hinder a person’s career.
January 28th, 2005 03:30
Oh you’d be surprised what the “ingerlish” think and say about Welsh accents!
January 28th, 2005 08:04
Totally confused by this. I’ve had fairly limited exposure to a Welsh accent in person but the ones I’ve heard on tv and in movies have been really cool. But I’m just an “Amurcun” it doesn’t take much of an accent to impress us.
January 28th, 2005 09:28
I like the Welsh accent. Work recently hired a girl from South Wales – she beat around 20 other candidates.
January 28th, 2005 12:19
Richard Burton had one of the greatest acting voices of all time and in Under Milk Wood he let his accent show.
Shadwell, on whatever that comedy programme was, was a superb comic turn.
To me, there is something delightfully dirty about ladies with a Welsh accent and a certain stolid trustworthiness about the men.
January 28th, 2005 14:17
How do I know if I’m hearing a Welsh accent? There’s a girl on the local public radio station now, she’s definately from across the pond but she sounds like she has rocks in her mouth and cotton in her nose. The traffic delays sound so much more annoying when she reports them. (I should talk, I’ve got such a hick accent my Uncle on the West Coast can’t understand me)
January 28th, 2005 14:25
Aw shucks, thanks guys. Donna, do you remember the Welsh actor Richard Burton? Have you seen Anthony Hopkins interviewed? They both have Welsh accents. And Catherine Zeta Jones is Welsh but I think she interviews with a hybrid US-Welsh accent. Oh, have you seen the film Notting Hill? The mad housemate (played by Rhys Ifans) is very Welsh.
January 28th, 2005 17:37
I love the Welsh accent. For some reason I have a rather large number of Welsh friends… one the first people I ever met when I moved to the UK was a guy named LLewellyn- half-Welsh, half-American. He grew up in the States until he was 14 then moved to Wales, went to a Welsh-speaking school, learned Welsh, then went back to the States to finish high school.
One of my other Welsh-speaking friends met him and was *COMPLETELY* freaked out because Lew speaks perfect Welsh, but with an American accent. Have you ever heard Welsh spoken with ‘an accent’ before? My friend hadn’t and was really weirded out.
January 28th, 2005 19:20
Bah. There’s piffle, isn’t it?
January 28th, 2005 21:01
Welsh speakers never seem to have as much of an accent when speaking English as their non Welsh speaking counterparts, or is it just an impression?
January 28th, 2005 21:40
Gia, we already know that you have remarkably good taste ;-0) But that must be very disconcerting. I’ve struck up many a conversation with Dutch folk in the past wondering why I’d learned Dutch but that’s nothing compared to hearing an American speaking Welsh. Must indeed be odd.
Em, piffle? Have you ever heard a Welshman say piffle? You’ve been living with the saes for too long m’lad ;-)
Strops, it depends. I know mother tongue Welsh speakers who speak with a very heavy accent when talking in English and those who can assume an RP accent when called for.
On the Welsh language: have you ever wanted to bitchslap someone via the internet?
January 28th, 2005 23:12
I have a somewhat mid-Atlantic accent these days – the Taff only shines through when I am back on native soil or suitably lubricated (=opinionated). I lost my accent when my voice broke, self-defence at an English boarding school.
Mind you, I did call a piece of work tidy the other day much to the consternation of a German colleague. At least it wasn’t “there’s tidy, but.”
January 28th, 2005 23:53
Daisy: I’ve only been among the saeson for just over a year, cariad. It must have been those Scots that contaminated me during my 8 years in the land of the deep-fried Mars bar.
Until 5 minutes ago I can say I hadn’t wanted to bitchslap someone via the internet. I don’t even know what it means but I’ll hold him down while you do the business.
Stroppycow: My own accent comes and goes, apparently. I sent Mary a wav on Monday to demonstrate the pronounciation of ‘Dwynwen’ and, Duw, I sounded really Welsh, like. The more I tried to tone it down, the stronger the accent got. We’re a resilient breed, you know.
January 31st, 2005 20:05
What a load of pish. Welsh accents are beautiful! Almost as nice as Scottish accents. ;-)
Oh, and here’s a **bitchslap** for Emrys, having the nerve to call himself “contaminated” by us Scots for 8 years! (And I’ve never had a deep-fried Mars bar in my life.) Why would on earth would he try and tone down a Welsh accent?! Should be proud of it, as should you Daisy.