General Chat

There is absolutely no confusion over where I am from! I've got a horribly distinctive voice - let alone accent - and once you have spoken to me once on the phone you will know me as soon as I say 'hello'!! The thing that really hacks me off is the assumption that all cockneys are thick. I also have had jaws dropping when people find out I have 3 A Levels. The media does nothing to dispel this ... people from all other parts of the country are allowed to retain their 'regional accents' but cockney is regarded as 'not talking proper'. Have you ever heard a cockney newsreader? Its either Home Counties or a 'regional' accent - even on the London/South East news. I know for a fact that I am first judged by my accent, its not until people actually get to know me that they can see beyond it. Maz. XX

Jenny I know what you mean, and if they make that mistake then fine, just as long as they don't stand there arguing with me when I do say where I am from. When I first moved to Exeter one man in a pub asked me if I was from Scotland, no I replied, I am from Walsall in the midlands, oh he said that is just the other side of the border to Scotland, er no it is some distance from Scotland, nah right next door to it, then he asked me what I was doing down in the south west...well I had the perfect answer...I came down here to educate you if you think that the midlands is Scotland then you need educating.... Bev

Jenny We moved to midlands 3 years ago and people here always say to us ' you're not from here are you' Think I at least have a confused accent as have a bit of bucks, and sussex also very lazy when I speak so drop letters etc. Steve has a Devon accent with sussex as well. He usually gets 'are you from London'. worse bit is working out the different way of saying things Rolls = baps drainpipes = spouting Alleyway = jitty /gully was wierd when Nath came home asking for money for took shop took me ages to work out it was Tuck shop. Zoe being born here is already talking as the locals do even though we don't, must be picking it up from nursery.

I can understand what you mean, I have been asked when visiting some parts of the country if I come from Birmingham, although I come from Liverpool. People think if you come from Liverpool you cant talk properly well how wrong they are... but I can talk proper Liverpudlian if needed be. I like the different accents some of my relatives live in the Midlands and Durham and its nice to hear different accents sometimes. My nephew was born in Liverpool and partly raised in Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire and now lives in Gloucester so you can imagine his accent. Yvonne

Thank you all, for your replies, I am so pleased the thread has had so much interest. Speedy, I forgot you were from Walsall. Where abouts? Teri, hails from there also. It would be nice to chat about the area. Apparently Walsall now has loads of nighclubs. Keep the replies coming, it makes very interesting reading. Jenny.xx

Hi Jenny, When I first moved down south, I got taken for Norwegian, Irish, Welsh, South African and Scottish! What i hate more is people who, when they find out I'm a Geordie, make a pathetic attempt at an 'Auf Wiedersehen, Pet' type accent and think they are amusing! Or, worse still, tell me 'Oh I LOVE Catherine Cookson!' like that's supposed to endear them to me! Thanks for the opportunity to rant, Jenny! Sal - proud to be a Geordie lass