2.08.2008

Accent

I skimmed through a few of the other blogs I visit this morning and it looks like my busy days are robbing me of some prime blog reading (Nathan getting a new avatar, Janiece posting some fantastic photos, Jim going on about Brazil) in addition to prime blog writing. I'd like to say "Ppppppbbbbbtttt, work!" but I really can't, so here's a bit of fluff to fill the gap in the meantime.

I was listening to the radio this morning and heard an interview with James McAvoy (Children of Dune, C. of Narnia, Atonement). He has a delicious Scottish accent and I've just now decided that it's my favorite accent. Irish and Australian were up there for a long while, but under the onslaught of the recent dreamy Scottish actors, I'll have to say Scotland is tops for the moment. It started with the adorable John Hannah (Sliding Doors, Four Weddings and a Funeral) and besides James, has finished up with Gerard Butler (300, Cradle of Life), both, incidentally, from Glasgow. (I'll leave off that best known Scots actor, Sean Connery because I've seen more movies of him doing an English accent than movies/interviews of his native Scots accent.)

So, do you have a favorite accent? What is it?

7 comments:

John the Scientist said...

A nice Irish lilt from arounf County Cork, or a mild lowland Scots lilt. The soft roll of Southern Virginia / Northern NC / Eastern WVA.

Ugliest accents in the English Language: Cockney, Upper New Jersey, and Long Island. Rhode Island / Boston is close behind.

OK< you can tell I'm Scotts-Irish from the South, can't you?

Nathan said...

Actually, the combination of Upper New Jersey with Latina-speak is the most grating accent going.

I saw a documentary on PBS recently and the had to use subtitles for the guy speaking New Zealand. Couldn't understand a word the guy said.

I think that means "not good".

Tania said...

Scottish and Kenyan are lovely.

Massachusetts, Jersey, and Maryland seem to have this similar sound in their accents that make my skin crawl. I want to send the speakers to a SLP to get that horrible thing taken care of.

Janiece said...

Irish. Hands-down.

Although I have to say Mexican accented english is pretty dreamy, too. See Ricardo Montalban and Cesar Millan.

Anne C. said...

Tania, I resemble that remark. :) Though having a mother with an English accent mitigated it quite a bit, I'm sure I have a touch of the "Merlin" accent, since I grew up in Maryland.

Janiece, I have to say a real Irish accent is lovely. I could listen to Gabriel Byrne all day long. Unfortunately, fake ones are horrendous! The beginning of the second Heroes season (no spoilers, please, I'm not all the way through) has some scenes set in Ireland and some of the fake accents in it make it difficult to watch.

Random Michelle K said...

I like most accents, mostly because I'm fascinated by the way different people talk.

Though when I'm listening to foreign accents, sometimes I'm listening to sentence structure as well as the way the words are said.

I think that's why I find Irish so pleasing to the ear--not just how the words are said, but also the structure of the sentences. It's very melodious.

I've also had classes with students from different areas of Africa, and I love those accents as well.

Shawn Powers said...

Nice, clean, British accent. Not that crazy Welsh stuff though. I'm not sure if that's considered British, but if so, not that kind. :)