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Non-native English speakers and dialects

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28 messages over 4 pages: 1 2 3 4  Next >>
Silvance5
Groupie
United States
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Speaks: English*
Studies: German, Spanish, French

 
 Message 1 of 28
03 February 2010 at 2:34pm | IP Logged 
This is just a question for sating my own curiosity. People on here who learned English to fluency as a second or third language, what English dialects are the most difficult for you to comprehend?
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Sprachprofi
Nonaglot
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Germany
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 Message 2 of 28
03 February 2010 at 3:15pm | IP Logged 
Accents are typically more of a problem than dialects. For me, the Belfast one was worst.
When I first heard it, I couldn't even believe it was English. I also sometimes have
trouble understanding Africans or African Americans when they speak English. Possibly the
worst I've heard in that regard is the black housekeeper in "Gone with the wind".
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oten
Diglot
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Brazil
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 Message 3 of 28
04 February 2010 at 1:45am | IP Logged 
Glaswegian and some southern Irish accents. But in general any thick Scottish or Irish accents are pretty hard for me.
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tritone
Senior Member
United States
reflectionsinpo
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 Message 4 of 28
04 February 2010 at 2:42am | IP Logged 
oten wrote:
Glaswegian


As a native speaker,I will say that Glaswegian is wholly unintelligible.


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Raincrowlee
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 Message 5 of 28
04 February 2010 at 3:15am | IP Logged 
oten wrote:
Glaswegian and some southern Irish accents. But in general any thick Scottish or Irish accents are pretty hard for me.


There was an independent film a while back set in Scotland, and all the actors spoke with such a thick Scotish accent that the film had subtitles. For English speakers.
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tritone
Senior Member
United States
reflectionsinpo
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 Message 6 of 28
04 February 2010 at 3:31am | IP Logged 
Raincrowlee wrote:
oten wrote:
Glaswegian and some southern Irish accents. But in general any thick Scottish or Irish accents are pretty hard for me.


There was an independent film a while back set in Scotland, and all the actors spoke with such a thick Scotish accent that the film had subtitles. For English speakers.


Sweet Sixteen.

...it was more than just an "accent". What they spoke was unrecognizable as any form of English. I remember catching it on IFC half way through unaware of the setting, and thinking "what language is this?"




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davidwelsh
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Norway
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 Message 7 of 28
04 February 2010 at 9:28am | IP Logged 
tritone wrote:

Sweet Sixteen.

...it was more than just an "accent". What they spoke was unrecognizable as any form of English. I remember catching it on IFC half way through unaware of the setting, and thinking "what language is this?"



It's Scots, which is recognised as a separate language by the European Bureau for Lesser Used Languages.
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QiuJP
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Singapore
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 Message 8 of 28
04 February 2010 at 9:52am | IP Logged 
The accents that I could not understand well are the Indian accent and the English spoken by Chinese (surprisingly)........


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