I get quite a few blanks looks because of the way I pronounce anything with a U in it over here, any other northerners experience the same thing?
I still confuse people with the whole dinner and tea (instead of lunch and dinner) thing as well!
Yes, I've been teased by Southerners for my U before. Although if I think of it conciously I can pronounce it "properly".
I also had to learn that it was lunch and dinner when I worked in a hotel, to avoid confusing the customers. My poor daughter gets confused because I change between the two and of course she takes a packed lunch to school. It's hard trying to explain to a six year old why dinner can mean lunch or tea.
Cara
__________________ Arrived in Australia in June 2008
My 6 year old started talking ozzie within a few weeks!! I was cross with him one day and was trying to tell him off and he kept answering me with this accent....I was like 'stop talking to me like that and talk properly'!!!! I could hardly keep a straight face!!
My 3 year old has been copying him and is constantly saying things in ozzie....as for my 18month old he will always have an ozzie accent!! Deb
I really think it depends on the person, I agree strong accents like Scottish would be more difficult to replace. I had 3 good friends move out to Oz for about 2 years all from Lancashire with broad accents, 2 came back with Oz accents and 1 didn't really pick up anything?? I also have family in Sydney, they have lived there 10 years and are originally from Manchester. The 2 kids have full on Oz accents, the wife a mix and the father still very Manc. I think kids for sure pick up accents more easily, and I expect mine to pick it up quickly once we get out there in Feb 08.
I think all accents are great and give people character, I hate all that North South rubbish here in the UK people should embrace whatever accent they have or pick up.
He he, I am Welsh, not lived in Wales since 1995, my husband is from England, our daughter was born in Tenerife, our son was born in Burnley Lancashire! My accent is still as strong as ever tho I do realise this and so I try to talk slower and clearer, but I still have major problems when I talk over the phone! Take aways go to wrong houses etc!! Ask them to pronounce my name, its a joke in itself, hehe. We have only been here since Dec 06 and when my daughter talks to the family on the phone they reckon she has an Oz accent, poor child it was welsh, then english now Aussie, think the latter is the best and she is only 5yrs old!!!!!
Sian xxxx
Oh forgot to say, hubbie is working with lots of Ozzies and he is now starting to sound like them!!! I dont work so its hard for me to pick it up!! Most of the Mums at kindy are poms too!!!
Sian xxxx
He he, I am Welsh, not lived in Wales since 1995, my husband is from England, our daughter was born in Tenerife, our son was born in Burnley Lancashire! My accent is still as strong as ever tho I do realise this and so I try to talk slower and clearer, but I still have major problems when I talk over the phone! Take aways go to wrong houses etc!! Ask them to pronounce my name, its a joke in itself, hehe. We have only been here since Dec 06 and when my daughter talks to the family on the phone they reckon she has an Oz accent, poor child it was welsh, then english now Aussie, think the latter is the best and she is only 5yrs old!!!!!
Sian xxxx
I'm from Preston in Lancashire............... I've been in Australia for 30 years plus.......... and I still can't say book........ or look.......properly. (rhymes with Luke) I've tried to say book as opposed to 'buke' ........... but i can't............and I'm not thick either!
If I'm ill............... well I do say I'm a bit crook (not cruke).............. but I'm buggered if I can say book....or look. I'm really not too bothered about it........... and I don't plan on taking up elocution lessons to tell the truth.............. but the Aussies get a real laugh out of it.
biggest laugh of all is when working on the oil rigs we come across all these pseudo Americans.................... fair dinkum dinky-di Aussies who have worked on the rigs for a few months............. and they come home sounding like John Wayne............ and they have to wear a dirty great big belt buckle............ must be the cowboy style work boots they issued us with ?
Anyway.............. enough from me............ I'm off to read me buke.
__________________
If today was not an endless highway,
If tonight was not a crooked trail..............
Im still in Preston and hoping to be in Sydney before christmas! and...My OH is called...Luke...I keep trying to say it with an Aussie twang and I end up Scottish!!
Location: Wellington Point QLD, ex Barrow-in-Furness
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We have a couple of friends in Brisbane and they moved out there about 3 years ago. When we visited last year, the kids (15 and 17) spoke with quite strong accents, especially the youngest, but what really got us is our mates speaking with a Cumbrian accent and speaking up at the end of every sentence. We were quite shocked and found it quite ammusing cos it sounded so alien and funny. They said you had to speak like that so that they understand you.
We did have a slight problem with my accent when we booked into a hotel in Sydney. When I said we had a reservation under the name of Tucker (pronounce the u deeply) she didn't understand what I said, so I said it 3 more times, when all of a sudden the wife says "Tacker" and the lass behind the counter understood straight away.
This took me aback a bit and when we talked about it later, she said the she realised that Ozzies speak like southeners so saying "Tacker" was the way to say it. Southeners must have a problem with the letter "u" thats all I can say.
Another freind who has lived in Perth for the last 10 years has no hint of an Ozzie accent what so ever and we are all from the same area of our town. Weird.
I think that different people will react in different ways and it doesn't matter where your from. If we all get an accent so be it, if we don't so what.
Yes, I've been teased by Southerners for my U before. Although if I think of it conciously I can pronounce it "properly".
