Any French Spanish or German speakers......(-; (1 Viewer)

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If I am speaking to a stranger in English I can understand a lot about them within a few sentences. What part of the country they are from, their level of education etc etc. My question is do you get the same feedback in other languages, are there as many regional accents in France for instance. Can you hear how they were educated and more importantly will your regional accent carry over into your French for example and will they hear and recognise this in conversation.
just wondered.........

 

[old-mo]

Nine..........

 

[jumartoo]

In Spain there are regional accents. Murciano is the one that is laughed at by the rest of Spain apparently and guess what we have to learn/understand?

Andaluz is also difficult to understand.

The best accent in Spain is from the area around Valladolid.

When we were on the Via de la Plata we had arrived in Galicia and Martin asked a local if there was a cafe in the village. He looked at Martin and said "Ah you're from Madrid"! Possibly down to the fact that Gallego is their first language not down to Martin having a " Kings Spanish" accent .

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[MattR]

If I am speaking to a stranger in English I can understand a lot about them within a few sentences. What part of the country they are from, their level of education etc etc. My question is do you get the same feedback in other languages, are there as many regional accents in France for instance. Can you hear how they were educated and more importantly will your regional accent carry over into your French for example and will they hear and recognise this in conversation.
just wondered.........

Each of these languages have regional accents which can be heard as we hear variations in English. Spanish originated in Northern Spain and I've heard different opinions as to whether that region's Spanish is purer than that from Madrid. Spanish spoken in Andalusia is sometimes regarded as lazy Spanish as it tends to leave off the last sounded letters of some words, including the letter s eg. Buenos dia instead of dias and gracia instead of gracias.

National variations occur in the same way English differs between the UK, Australia, USA etc. including the variation in the word for "I" which is pronounced "Jo", "Sho" and "Yo" (all with short sounded "o" as in octopus) in different countries. In addition, colloquialisms can get you into trouble; the word "joder" can mean something like dam (as in a little exasperation) through to f*ckerty f*ckerty f*cking f*ck! which will offend most who hear it according to where it is said between Spain and parts of S America.

 

[injebreck99]

Then there's Norfolk me ole Bewty...................!

 

[Hollyberry]

Definitely regional accents in France. Get far down into the Pyreneees and you can what sounds like a cross between French and Spanish.
In Dordogne there is an accent that's often described as like Cornish or Norfolk accents. Can make understanding locals fairly difficult, even for fluent French speakers.
Friend in France had a very, very broad Lancashire accent and the French couldn't understand what she was asking for in shops.

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[maison]

Agree with @Hollyberry .
The regional accent in Burgundy is so distinctive that we can recognise it anywhere.

We have surprised several French natives on caravan sites when we ask them if they are from Bourgogne. They find it difficult to understand that some-one who is English, firstly attempts to speak French and secondly, can identify their accents.

Unfortunately, as I am ex-Cumbrian with a pronounced northern accent in English I, apparently, sound like a German or Dutchman when I use French!

 

[gus-lopez]

Yes as @jumartoo said the accent is totally different region by region here in Spain. Many Northern Spanish cannot understand a word spoken by locals here. I have actually translated between a northern Spanish truck driver & my baker as the poor bloke had no idea what he was telling him.
I struggle now with replies as I am a bit deaf.
Yes not only do they leave off many letters at the endings , with 's' being the normal one but it is also left off in many words even in the middle, with 'whiskey' being pronounced as 'wikey'.
Another favourite that took me a couple of years to sus was
'pera' ?? Until I worked out that it was actually 'Espera' the word for'wait' in Spanish. I actually prefer a conversation with a South American as they annunciate much better & speak at a far slower speed.

 

[jockaneezer]

I'm sure my French sounds like the policeman's on Allo, Allo

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[chaser]

My sign language has the same accent whether I'm in Germany , France , or Spain and indeed even in Portugal, can usually get a beer or wine,

 

[Viennese]

I was very entertained in Greece by a travel rep who spoke quite passable Greek, but with a pronounced Yorkshire accent. My niece from North Yorkshire taught English to small kids in Taiwan, so they will all have a Yorkshire accent!

 

[trophychap]

We stopped to ask some builders on a site near Vannes for directions a few years ago they couldn't speak French at all only Breton. I am pretty sure that regional accents apply no matter where you are.

A dutch lady said to Jenny some years ago that she had trouble understanding her as she "had a low accent" She is a black country girl but Bedworth people understand her, but not so much in Coventry which is all of 5 miles away.

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[buttons]

Each of these languages have regional accents which can be heard as we hear variations in English. Spanish originated in Northern Spain and I've heard different opinions as to whether that region's Spanish is purer than that from Madrid. Spanish spoken in Andalusia is sometimes regarded as lazy Spanish as it tends to leave off the last sounded letters of some words, including the letter s eg. Buenos dia instead of dias and gracia instead of gracias.

National variations occur in the same way English differs between the UK, Australia, USA etc. including the variation in the word for "I" which is pronounced "Jo", "Sho" and "Yo" (all with short sounded "o" as in octopus) in different countries. In addition, colloquialisms can get you into trouble; the word "joder" can mean something like dam (as in a little exasperation) through to f*ckerty f*ckerty f*cking f*ck! which will offend most who hear it according to where it is said between Spain and parts of S America.

Thanks Mattyjwr that is interesting.....We had a few days last year with some friends in south of France. He is a Brit and she is French. She used to smile when she was speaking to locals as she thought their accent to be funny. It all sounded the same to me..

 

[buttons]

Agree with @Hollyberry .
The regional accent in Burgundy is so distinctive that we can recognise it anywhere.

We have surprised several French natives on caravan sites when we ask them if they are from Bourgogne. They find it difficult to understand that some-one who is English, firstly attempts to speak French and secondly, can identify their accents.

Unfortunately, as I am ex-Cumbrian with a pronounced northern accent in English I, apparently, sound like a German or Dutchman when I use French!

I wonder what they make of the Welsh......

 

[Speve]

They can't understand my Wiltshire accent so that makes us even but we get by most places we visit.

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[Minxy]

Unfortunately, as I am ex-Cumbrian with a pronounced northern accent in English I, apparently, sound like a German or Dutchman when I use French!

That's interesting, when I speak French, or even English abroad, I get asked if I'm from Germany too ... I'm East Yorkshire born and bred.

 

[maison]

I wonder what they make of the Welsh......

Since I have also lived in Wales since 1977 they are probably totally confused.

 

[Chris]

I can order a beer in 4 languages.

#sorted

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[davanne]

Definitely regional accents in France. Get far down into the Pyreneees and you can what sounds like a cross between French and Spanish.
In Dordogne there is an accent that's often described as like Cornish or Norfolk accents. Can make understanding locals fairly difficult, even for fluent French speakers.
Friend in France had a very, very broad Lancashire accent and the French couldn't understand what she was asking for in shops.

My ancestors on my mums side came from that region in France and they moved over to Cornwall so what you say about it sounding like a Cornish accent makes sense.

 

[injebreck99]

We are often mistaken for Australiens in the USA or Canada, and mistaken for West Country people in this country.

 

[quickweh]

In Germany the Bavarian dialect is difficult for other Germans, my old boss from Berlin once asked a Bavarian local for directions but could not understand them.
Here it is sitting in a Wearside pub and not understanding a word of a conversation two locals were having.

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[Chas17]

When we lived in France we had a book called, I think, "Parlez Charentais" which amounted to a French/ Charentais dictionary.

 

[TheCaller]

"Yes" according to my sister, who has a degree in French & lived in Lyon for a while. As a consequence she speaks fluent French, but with what is considered a regional accent.

Talking to my Parisian French friends who live in England, they are ruder about 'provincial' accents than we are - if an Englishman refers to an regional accent, it is usually with a degree of humour. The French appear to be deadly serious!

 

[burtonbird]

I speak fluent French, learned as a teenager at my penfriend's house in Belgium. In France I'm often asked if I am Belgian so obviously picked up the accent and, after living in the Gironde for some years, have obviously never lost it.

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[buttons]

I speak fluent French, learned as a teenager at my penfriend's house in Belgium. In France I'm often asked if I am Belgian so obviously picked up the accent and, after living in the Gironde for some years, have obviously never lost it.

Thanks burtonbird that is interesting......

 

[carolyn]

A friend of ours who has lived and worked in France for 30 years speaks it fluently but with a West Country accent, he has no accent in English. His wife who speaks English with a West Country accent and was much slower to pick up French but is obviously now fluent, has a good French accent, bizarre. I love accents, it would be so dull if we all soundd the same.
All countries seem to have regional accents.

 

[scotjimland]

If I am speaking to a stranger in English

you will get plenty of practice in London.. more than 50% don't have English as a first language

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[Sheddy]

I lived and went to a forces school in Germany as an 'army brat', I learnt German at school however after leaving school at 16 I worked for 6 months moving furniture for the army but as the only brit on the crew. In that 6 months I became more or less fluent, but didn't realise at the time how much local dialect I had picked up. I left Germany to start my apprenticeship in the UK, but returning home to Detmold to spend Xmas with the family I was on a local train talking to the others in our compartment and was offered a lift home from the station by a kind old lady, when I told here my address she got very confused as it was in the Army Estate, I told her I was English she was very surprised and told me I talked just like a 'Detmolder' but I think the Fair hair and blue eyes helped to confuse, and yes I still got the lift home.
Several years later when working in Kenya I met a bunch of construction workers from Munich and none of them could understand my German and I had real difficulty understanding them, so I am pretty certain that the variation in dialects in Germany is more or less akin to ours.
Cheers
@Chris
Now 5
'bia nyingine baridi asante'

 

[big map]

I can order a beer in 4 languages.

#sorted

Only 4? #helpishere
http://www.indifferentlanguages.com/words/beer

 

[buttons]

you will get plenty of practice in London.. more than 50% don't have English as a first language

I think that polish is the second language now. I don't think this is restricted to London alone. Many traditional Suffolk villages like Woodbridge and Saxmundon now have Rumanians selling the Big Issue on their streets and a growing multicultural look to the high streets.

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