Topic: The Scouse/Liverpudlian accent

[gerrardspetal]

big surprise to me years ago was how the Isle of Man accent was so scouse-esque

I'd say it sounds more Irish, my mum is from the Isle of man.

[dantimlfc]

there are absolutely tons of places with quite thick scouse accents that arent techinally liverpool
Skem,Ormskirk,kirkby..etc

[The Bill Hicks Appreciation Society]

alright aldo? sound as a pound
i'm cushty la, but der's no' in down
most of the lads aint got is sussed
we'll afta lern 'em to talk like us

[Kop4]

there are absolutely tons of places with quite thick scouse accents that arent techinally liverpool
Skem,Ormskirk,kirkby..etc

Old Liverpool 'overspill' towns when folk moved out in the bad old '70s and 80's.

Although isn't Skem now in Greater bloody Manchester now?

As for the accent, it is very localised.  Draw a circle about 10 miles around Liverpool city centre and that would cover the vast majority of people.

As others have said, it seems a mix of Irish, Welsh and Lancastrian.

[Kop4]

alright aldo? sound as a pound
i'm cushty la, but der's no' in down
most of the lads aint got is sussed
we'll afta lern 'em to talk like us

De do doh, don't de doh la?

[gemkopqueen]

Everytime I go down south or abroad people automatically go "Liverpool?" and apparently on the phone I sound scouse as when I was trying to book a holiday they were like, "you want Liverpool John Lennon Airport don't you?".  Amazingly I don't think I sound in the least bit scouse, guess its just slight.  My boyfriend used to live in Liverpool wioth his mum, but now lives with his dad over here, its not really thick but you can clearly tell he's from the city.  Guess its just down to the people you hang round with when your speech is developing.  Oh and people in Skem don't have scouse accents, my auntie and cousins live there and they are as far from scouse as a cockney.

In addition, you always get the wannabe scouse at matches and you can easily tell the accent is put on.

[Bucke]

The attached map, in my experience, shows the areas (in red) where a large percenttage of the locals (ie people raised there) have scouse accents

I'm sure people will argue though

[gemkopqueen]

I'm near Heswall, apparently I'm what they would call a commoner in these parts!

[Stretch Armstrong]

When Liveprool was a minor fishing village the accent was wool but when the River Dee became silted and Liverpool was made in to a major port the accent became scouse due to the influx of Welsh, Scottish and Irish making a very distinct non-English accent in England - so people in Widnes may sound Scouse since locality and the fact they manned the Liverpool ports. Runcorn also has a very large scouse sounding population because its a Liverpool overspill town(new part atleast) to the north I'd sign as far as High Town is Scouse based on locality

My main point being a native Lancasterian or Cheshire accent isn't anything like Scouse because the origins of Scouse isn't even English but left over from the influx of non-natives dues to the port aspect

[Claire.]

When Liveprool was a minor fishing village the accent was wool but when the River Dee became silted and Liverpool was made in to a major port the accent became scouse due to the influx of Welsh, Scottish and Irish making a very distinct non-English accent in England - so people in Widnes may sound Scouse since locality and the fact they manned the Liverpool ports. Runcorn also has a very large scouse sounding population because its a Liverpool overspill town(new part atleast) to the north I'd sign as far as High Town is Scouse based on locality

My main point being a native Lancasterian or Cheshire accent isn't anything like Scouse because the origins of Scouse isn't even English but left over from the influx of non-natives dues to the port aspect

Also, how many Scouse people do you know who don't have any Irish, Welsh or Scottish relatives?

I have all 3.

My dad's dad has Irish family, dad's Mum, Welsh family and my Mum is Scottish... but her Dad's Scouse... long story.

[only6times]

Also, how many Scouse people do you know who don't have any Irish, Welsh or Scottish relatives?

I have all 3.

Also, how many Scouse people do you know who don't have any Irish, Welsh or Scottish relatives?

I have all 3.

My dad's dad has Irish family, dad's Mum, Welsh family and my Mum is Scottish... but her Dad's Scouse... long story.

with being from garston and lots of inbreeding,these 3 examples are all the same person in my case.

[TheKid.]

So some of the nicer areas of St Helens (Eccleston, Rainford etc) have more scouse exiles, and a more scouse accent, than the crappier parts of the town where the accent is much more lancastrian/manc.

I worked in a school in Eccleston and it was proper wool land i'm afraid

[Pata]

Rainford? Scouse? Unless it's changed in the past - let's see 5 years - don't remember hearing any Scouse there in the slightest.

[TheKid.]

Rainford? Scouse? Unless it's changed in the past - let's see 5 years - don't remember hearing any Scouse there in the slightest.

Indeed

[dantimlfc]

Everytime I go down south or abroad people automatically go "Liverpool?" and apparently on the phone I sound scouse as when I was trying to book a holiday they were like, "you want Liverpool John Lennon Airport don't you?".  Amazingly I don't think I sound in the least bit scouse, guess its just slight.  My boyfriend used to live in Liverpool wioth his mum, but now lives with his dad over here, its not really thick but you can clearly tell he's from the city.  Guess its just down to the people you hang round with when your speech is developing.  Oh and people in Skem don't have scouse accents, my auntie and cousins live there and they are as far from scouse as a cockney.

In addition, you always get the wannabe scouse at matches and you can easily tell the accent is put on.

people from skem Dont have scouse accents??? maybe your auntie and cousins dont but a large population of the place do. Im sure people will agree with me there

[ak_Lfc]

As I said there are lots of scouse accents to be heard round my way, not everyone, there are still loads of lancashire accents.

But certainly amongst my friends there are prob 50-75% with what could only be described as a scouse accent, maybe diluted slightly.

It may just be because of my choice of friends - at least a dozen are regulars at Anfield or the pit - and their families.
 

[TheKid.]

As I said there are lots of scouse accents to be heard round my way, not everyone, there are still loads of lancashire accents.

But certainly amongst my friends there are prob 50-75% with what could only be described as a scouse accent, maybe diluted slightly.

It may just be because of my choice of friends - at least a dozen are regulars at Anfield or the pit - and their families.

Come on, you don't have to try and explain your wooliness

[wadeywestderby1983]

As I said there are lots of scouse accents to be heard round my way, not everyone, there are still loads of lancashire accents.

But certainly amongst my friends there are prob 50-75% with what could only be described as a scouse accent, maybe diluted slightly.

It may just be because of my choice of friends - at least a dozen are regulars at Anfield or the pit - and their families.
 

Sorry mate, I agree with the Kid on this subject.

I drive on the Britania cabs around your neck of the woods, me and the other Liverpool or Huyton lads on the cabs around there all staunchly believe its wool country, with the very odd scouser thrown in. Its more 80% wool round there.

[Essex Hammer]

I lived at University with two Liverpool fans both from North Wales area

One from Abergele and the other from Connah's Quay

When i first met them they both sounded so Scouse to me, but as time wore on and there were other students from Toxteth, i could see they had a twang with some slang, but not full on scouse.

If they were down south people would assume they are from Liverpool though if they didn't know a truer scouse accent

The cockney accent is dieing.
There are towns in Essex, such as Southend, Basildon, Harlow etc that have had the London overspill and the accent is similar to cockney, but its not true cockney. Its become a common slangy estuary English

True Cockney is mainly spoken by the old generation. with so many ethnic groups now living in the east end and less white people the original accent is on the decline.

I myself speak with typical Essex accent, with a some hint of cockney as my grandparents were true cockneys and that side of the family sound London. but i have on some words a slight Aussie twang only occasionally, this is from travelling Australia and going back on holidays, then sharing houses and flats with Aussies plus playing Aussie rules for two years. Then working for an Australian company for a time. Just listening and hanging around with Aussies so much at times created a twang. Over the years its got less and less

[casey]

When i started working for the speech and language department here on the hebrides the joke doing the rounds was that all the stroke patients here would end up with a scouse accent.

[Rushian]

Thaere's not just one scouse accent though - older people from Liverpool have a noticably softer accent than the scallyised dialect the younger generation speak with.

[wickolfc]

All the people round Huyton are scouse. We are on the outskirts of Liverpool but still part of the city hence we have an L post code

[TheKid.]

We are on the outskirts of Liverpool but still part of the city hence we have an L post code

So does Rainhill tho

[Hightown Phil]

Thaere's not just one scouse accent though - older people from Liverpool have a noticably softer accent than the scallyised dialect the younger generation speak with.

Portayed superbly in 'Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels' yer fuckin nugget la.

[only6times]

Portayed superbly in 'Brick Up The Mersey Tunnels' yer fuckin nugget la.

isss rrrrrite kidda lar  gorra show dat kirby lad sum respect nowadamean

[Stretch Armstrong]

Thaere's not just one scouse accent though - older people from Liverpool have a noticably softer accent than the scallyised dialect the younger generation speak with.

Take a blue country accent like County Rd and compare it to an Aigburth one and there is quite a huge difference

[alfonso]

You only have to listen to the "60s stars" like knobends tarby and cilla to hear how the accent has changed. The same with the members of the beatles.
Or was it because they were on TV that their accents weren't as broad?

Was the Liverpool accent as broad then as it is now?

And the accent over on the wirral is slightly different to the Liverpool side.
I'd say only natives could tell the difference. After a sentence or two I can usually tell if they are from the wirral.

And what about all the actors who have tried and failed to do the Liverpool accent on TV or film.
Ever since I was a kid I have cringed at that. You hear about two words and immediately you can tell it's fake.

It reminds me of some student who was picked on by some scallies and tried to pretend he was from Liverpool.
They asked him where a bus going to Speke was heading to and the student pronounced it "Speck". They gave him a few digs apparently.

[wadeywestderby1983]

All the people round Huyton are scouse. We are on the outskirts of Liverpool but still part of the city hence we have an L post code

Huytons deffo scouse, but its stops there. The L postcode is a false indicator, Prescot, Whiston and Rainhill are wooly and have L's. L postcodes go right up to the edge of St Helens and you dont get any woolier than that.

[The Bill Hicks Appreciation Society]

You only have to listen to the "60s stars" like knobends tarby and cilla to hear how the accent has changed. The same with the members of the beatles.
Or was it because they were on TV that their accents weren't as broad?

Was the Liverpool accent as broad then as it is now?

And the accent over on the wirral is slightly different to the Liverpool side.
I'd say only natives could tell the difference. After a sentence or two I can usually tell if they are from the wirral.

And what about all the actors who have tried and failed to do the Liverpool accent on TV or film.
Ever since I was a kid I have cringed at that. You hear about two words and immediately you can tell it's fake.

It reminds me of some student who was picked on by some scallies and tried to pretend he was from Liverpool.
They asked him where a bus going to Speke was heading to and the student pronounced it "Speck". They gave him a few digs apparently.

It's funny cos when I heard Peter Howitt as Joey Boswell I thought he was a scouser and when I heard Jimmy Mcardle as Billy Corkhill I thought he was putting it on, I don't always think it's that obvious.

[pascoli]

Isn't gobshite, or shite in general, Irish?

I think your thinking of shoite

[Oooh to be a Gooner]

I lived at University with two Liverpool fans both from North Wales area

One from Abergele and the other from Connah's Quay

When i first met them they both sounded so Scouse to me, but as time wore on and there were other students from Toxteth, i could see they had a twang with some slang, but not full on scouse.

If they were down south people would assume they are from Liverpool though if they didn't know a truer scouse accent

The cockney accent is dieing.
There are towns in Essex, such as Southend, Basildon, Harlow etc that have had the London overspill and the accent is similar to cockney, but its not true cockney. Its become a common slangy estuary English

True Cockney is mainly spoken by the old generation. with so many ethnic groups now living in the east end and less white people the original accent is on the decline.

I myself speak with typical Essex accent, with a some hint of cockney as my grandparents were true cockneys and that side of the family sound London.

But true cocnkeys don't have to be from East London mate. Neither do they have to be white but that's just me. A true cockney is one who can get an earshot of the bow bells in cheapside. That can include Highbury mate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney

[Pata]

A true cockney is one who can get an earshot of the bow bells in cheapside.

"A study was done by the city in 2000 to see how far the Bow Bells could be heard, and it was estimated that the bells would have been heard 6 miles to the east, 5 miles to the north, 3 miles to the south, and 4 miles to the west."

I work a few minutes from Chrissie Wren's current structure. Didn't realise for a while the significance of it until read up on the cockney thing.

[Essex Hammer]

But true cockneys don't have to be from East London mate. Neither do they have to be white but that's just me. A true cockney is one who can get an earshot of the bow bells in cheapside. That can include Highbury mate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney

You didn't understand what i was saying there mate. I'm not saying a true cockney is white. I'm talking about the accent. The accent can come from a person with any colour. But fact is many ethnic groups in the east end don't speak with a cockney accent. They are cockneys if they are born within the sound of bow bells. If you read it I'm not saying they aren't. My post mentions how the accent is dying, not the amount of cockneys

[bradigor]

Ah the old cockney debate. My nan is a true cockney. I am an Essex boy.

[wadey-LFC]

to think i use to think cockneys were just people from london

[Claire.]

Why are cockneys called cockneys?

I know I could look it up, but I can't be arsed

[The 5th Benitle]

to think i use to think cockneys were just people from london

You along with about 10,000 users on here mate.

[Claire.]

You along with about 10,000 users on here mate.

Essex Hammer is saying they're people who were born within earshot of Bow Bells, I assume they're in Bow and I know where that is... but, I've been told many times by people in London that cockneys are from south london... it's all very confusing when people who are from the frikkin area don't know

Least us Scousers know exactly where the boundaries are

The accent is deceiving, it's all about your purple bin up here.

[The 5th Benitle]

Quite simple, it is anyone born within the sound of Bow Bells. ie not West London and definitely not Chelsea FC. It is not anyone within earshot of Bow Bells as suggested elsewhere, or you'd have a lot of Nigerian/Asian/Scottish accents you'd hardly describe as cockney!

[The 5th Benitle]

I've been told many times by people in London that cockneys are from south london... it's all very confusing when people who are from the frikkin area don't know

Nah. If that were true, I'd be one