| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Off topic: What "dialects" do you speak? Thread poster: Henry Hinds
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| Copenhagen and Noo Yawk accents con un toque del español al estilo mexicano | Jul 15, 2008 |
I was raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, and thus acquired the Copenhagen dialect, which is pretty much considered standard Danish. Even within Copenhagen you can usually make socio-economic distinctions based on accent. Though small in size, Denmark features great dialectal diversity. Some local dialects in Jutland are just barely intelligible to my ears, and I recall news channels (or the news channel, since there was only until around 1984) using subtitles when interviewing some of the older fish... See more I was raised in Copenhagen, Denmark, and thus acquired the Copenhagen dialect, which is pretty much considered standard Danish. Even within Copenhagen you can usually make socio-economic distinctions based on accent. Though small in size, Denmark features great dialectal diversity. Some local dialects in Jutland are just barely intelligible to my ears, and I recall news channels (or the news channel, since there was only until around 1984) using subtitles when interviewing some of the older fishermen from the west coast of Jutland. One of my neighbors was from the island of Bornholm. He sounded almost like a foreigner; Bornholm is relatively removed from the rest of Denmark.
My dad was also a foreigner; he was from Long Island, N'Yawk. Even his Danish gave away that he was a N'yawkuh. Consequently, when I arrived to Idaho at the age of 19 and later moved to California, most people thought I was from New York. Gradually I began pronouncing my r's and standardizing my vowels, and over time my accent was labeled as "somewhere on the East Coast." When I am tired or my kids don't behave, I occasionally drop the ahs (r's). I now live in Utah, which has its own peculiarities, such as "fark" in lieu of "fork." On one of my first days here I went to a fast food restaurant and was asked if my order was "to stay or to go." My decade in California influenced my to say "for here" in stead of "to stay," which was met by a blank expression by the attending teenager.
Then there's my Spanish. I lived in San Diego for ten years, and during half of that period my work took me to Tijuana on a daily basis. Thus, my Spanish is definitely "al estilo mexicano." I even know how to say words like Parangaracutirimícuaro and Popocatépetl (names of volcanoes; never mind that the latter, if not both, are really Náhuatl). My wife is from the city of Oaxaca (I wish I had time to write about the food there), and generally my Spanish is closer to Mexico City or Oaxaca, though I can also speak like a norteño if I have to (that once saved me from paying duty on a microwave oven I brought into Tijuana, but I'll leave that story for a different occasion). Generally, I'm more likely to use "chavo" and "chamaco" than "vato" and "morro," and I prefer "refresco" to "soda." I ought to add that past business and translations assignments have earned me familiarity with virtually all versions of Spanish. The Hispanic community in Utah is fairly varied; though most Latinos here are from Mexico or of Mexican origin, there are also considerable numbers people from the rest of Latin America and Spain. This is reflected in my local Spanish-speaking congregation of the LDS (Mormon) Church with people from Mexico, Central America, South America, Spain -- and the one odd guy from Denmark.
I also used to speak somewhat decent German and French but never really acquired any local flavors in those languages. ▲ Collapse
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Can't get into Textklick's Youtube unfortunately, but it reminds of a spot on the BBC page that I had to sever myself from a couple of years ago: regional accents in Britain. Back soon with the link if I can find it still...
| | | | | | Textklick 
Local time: 15:32
German to English
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In memoriam | IE strikes again | Jul 15, 2008 |
aceavila - Noni wrote:
Can't get into Textklick's Youtube unfortunately, but it reminds of a spot on the BBC page that I had to sever myself from a couple of years ago: regional accents in Britain. Back soon with the link if I can find it still...
Thanks!
I edited it to *edited to http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=-rq6gtYQEHM
See explanation in my first post. Look forward to seeing yours.
Chris
As they would say in Devon "Bliddy Margrozoft. Zoft be nem and dahrft be nedger."
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| Thanks textclick | Jul 15, 2008 |
Happily viewed now.
| | | | | My dialect made my tongue flexible... | Jul 15, 2008 |
I was brought up speaking a dialect pretty similar to "Stellingwerfs", which although based in the province of Friesland (where they are supposed to speak "Fries") is far more similar to dialects near the German border of the Netherlands. This was the source of great fun in my high school, where I had to adapt to a slightly more standardized version of Dutch and other far stronger dialects that were spoken by a larger crowd. What a difference 15 kilometres make :S
| | | | Angela Dickson (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:32
French to English
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I was brought up in the South of England so I speak with a fairly generic Southern British accent - not RP, not proper Estuary, probably somewhere in between. My parents and grandparents are all from the North, though (Yorkshire and Cheshire) and my dad has a bit of a Yorkshire accent (particularly on the phone) even though he's lived in the South for something like 40 years. There are probably some features of the Yorkshire accent in my speech, though it would depend who I'm talking to.
<... See more I was brought up in the South of England so I speak with a fairly generic Southern British accent - not RP, not proper Estuary, probably somewhere in between. My parents and grandparents are all from the North, though (Yorkshire and Cheshire) and my dad has a bit of a Yorkshire accent (particularly on the phone) even though he's lived in the South for something like 40 years. There are probably some features of the Yorkshire accent in my speech, though it would depend who I'm talking to.
I have spent time in the 'Centre' in France, not too far from Tours whose inhabitants pride themselves, rightly or wrongly, that they speak the purest French. I have been mistaken for a French native speaker in the South (when staying near Perpignan I was asked where in the north I came from), but I can't fool the folks from northern/central France, who know I'm English. It doesn't help that I don't look French, even in the slightest.
It struck me when writing the first paragraph that I have very little idea what I sound like in English. Funny, as I have a good ear generally (for music as well as accents), that I should have so little insight into my own accent.
Three years ago I moved from the South of England to the Midlands, and am getting used to the local way of speaking - the first thing I noticed was that the things I was accustomed to call 'roundabouts' are called 'islands' round here. Not to mention 'batch' instead of 'sandwich' (it would seem that words for types of sandwich are very highly regionalised). ▲ Collapse
| | | | | All mixed up | Jul 17, 2008 |
I have spent most of my life in Northern California, where there is no remarkable accent except for the habit of speaking quickly. However, I spent three years (age 12-15) in Georgia (the state, not the country) and was young enough that I picked up a bit of a Sourthern drawl. I have since lost it, but find myself slipping back into it when speaking to someone with a heavy Southern accent. Also, my mom grew up in Minnesota and, though she doesn't have a strong accent, she still has a few Midwest... See more I have spent most of my life in Northern California, where there is no remarkable accent except for the habit of speaking quickly. However, I spent three years (age 12-15) in Georgia (the state, not the country) and was young enough that I picked up a bit of a Sourthern drawl. I have since lost it, but find myself slipping back into it when speaking to someone with a heavy Southern accent. Also, my mom grew up in Minnesota and, though she doesn't have a strong accent, she still has a few Midwestern pronunciations that I apparently picked up from her (like saying SORE-y instead of SAR-y for sorry).
I grew up being taught Mexican Spanish, but then spent several years living in Guatemala and ended up marrying a Guatemalan. My accent and slang are now mostly Guatemalan with a bit of Mexican/Chicano thrown in for good measure. Though I haven't been able to completely eradicate my gringa accent (darn rolling "r"s!), I've been told several times I sound like someone raised in the US by native Spanish speakers, which I consider a compliment.
~Shannon ▲ Collapse
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| Madrilian Spanish | Jul 17, 2008 |
I am Spanish born and raised in Madrid.
Until I was 17 I thought that people from Madrid had no accent at all (as opposed to people from everywhere else in Spain).
Then I travelled to other places in Spain and the people there told that they could tell I was from Madrid from my accent...
I suppose I speak "Madrilian Spanish".
I learnt most of my spoken English in Ireland but in... See more I am Spanish born and raised in Madrid.
Until I was 17 I thought that people from Madrid had no accent at all (as opposed to people from everywhere else in Spain).
Then I travelled to other places in Spain and the people there told that they could tell I was from Madrid from my accent...
I suppose I speak "Madrilian Spanish".
I learnt most of my spoken English in Ireland but in those times I was more aware of dialects and accents having studied a bit sociolinguistics. But still I could not avoid getting a bit of Dublin accent coming through my Spanish accent when I spoke English.
This was many moons ago and my English now is quite standard English with Spanish accent...
Daniel ▲ Collapse
| | | | | This site is making me miss deadlines... | Jul 17, 2008 |
Aceavila - Noni wrote:
This is really making me miss deadlines, or will soon. Aceavila - Noni I feel you definitely have to suggest some good excuses to give my clients. It really is something though
| | | | juvera
Local time: 15:32
English to Hungarian
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| Hungarian dialects | Jul 17, 2008 |
FarkasAndras wrote:
We Hungarians are lucky wrt to our mother tongue... there is just one standard accent (and no real dialects to speak of, just a couple of accents perceived as rural or even uncouth) and the standard is what I speak.
"Standard" Hungarian is prevalent, but there are ten recognised, distinct regional dialect groups, and within these a number of local variations. Not living there and meeting individuals abroad makes me more aware of the difference between these dialects, and I always enjoy to listen to them and recognise words I may have heard only from one of my grandmothers, who came from different parts of the country.
Unfortunately there is an eleventh dialect, taking a grip on the language. I call it synchronese, practiced by "synchron artists" and broadcast to all and sundry. Typical features are: pause between the definite article and the noun, lifting the end of each sentence, and generally sounding like miserable cats in the night trying to woo their neighbours.
It is so painful to listen to, that I can never bring myself to watch anything synchronised, with the rare exception of some successful big budget films, where they had to engage the services of some of the best actors, mercifully not sounding like sickly cats.
As for my accents… regardless of which language I use, I usually speak too fast for anybody recognising where I am from, except that I am a foreigner. Although I have been thought of being British in the US.
[Edited at 2008-07-17 10:30]
| | | | SilviuM
Romania
Local time: 17:32
Romanian to English
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| Amun - Ra (pr. "Rah") o'... yayks, Am'n - Ray (well, pr. "Ray")?!! :P | Jul 28, 2008 |
This mornin', I watched ay... hell of a show lika'... on "History" Channel. Yeah, ya know the channel! Where all the lunatics band-up to tell us stowries 'bout... things like: Tut, Ray, Raygan, Ken'dy, and sow on... And I found out, on ma own puzzlement, that... there ease ay god, ay Egyptian one (ancient even, oh, Lord, God Almighty!), who's called... Ray(!) ... See more This mornin', I watched ay... hell of a show lika'... on "History" Channel. Yeah, ya know the channel! Where all the lunatics band-up to tell us stowries 'bout... things like: Tut, Ray, Raygan, Ken'dy, and sow on... And I found out, on ma own puzzlement, that... there ease ay god, ay Egyptian one (ancient even, oh, Lord, God Almighty!), who's called... Ray(!))
http://www.alphadictionary.com/articles/yankeetest.html
final score: "35% Dixie. You are definitely a Yankee."
***
OK, anybody understood... ANYTHING?
Well, the bottom-line is that Ra (correctly pr.: "Rha"!) is now... Ray (from a pronunciation p.o.v., still) for the southern US Americans, and even worse, for the Egyptologists(!)
[Editat la 2008-07-28 14:09] ▲ Collapse
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LIZ LI
China
Local time: 23:32
French to Chinese
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| Dialects reflect a lot of their local specific cultures | Sep 26, 2008 |
My family lives in Shenzhen, southern China.
We usually speak Cantonese and Hakka for some times. Though Cantonese which is spoken in some of the provinces in southern China, Hong Kong, Macau, as well as most of the Chinese communities overseas, is defined as a language by UNESCO, we still think it as a dialect here in our place.
Hakka is another dialect which my family speaks, but I am not really good at it even though I understand others' speeches. Hakka people is re... See more My family lives in Shenzhen, southern China.
We usually speak Cantonese and Hakka for some times. Though Cantonese which is spoken in some of the provinces in southern China, Hong Kong, Macau, as well as most of the Chinese communities overseas, is defined as a language by UNESCO, we still think it as a dialect here in our place.
Hakka is another dialect which my family speaks, but I am not really good at it even though I understand others' speeches. Hakka people is referred as the Chinese jews, since we were all originally from the nothern part of China, then been exiled to the wild south. In order to keep in mind our origin, we insist on our dialects and customs which helps us to keep along with us some of the Chinese linguistic and cultural traditions.
[修改时间: 2008-09-26 18:06] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sean Serra
Slovakia
Local time: 16:32
Slovak to Italian
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| Dialect vs language | Jan 8, 2009 |
I speak Sardinian which is considered by many as a dialect but in fact it is a language...with several dialects!!!!
| | | | | NZ English and putonghua/MSC/Mandarin | Jan 28, 2009 |
New Zealand English, and putonghua (the common speech),
otherwise known as Modern Standard Chinese or 'Mandarin'
It is the dialect of North China and Beijing, though Beijing also has a patois.
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