Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 6, 2013, 10:34 PM

What are your favourite accents?

Favourites just to listen to in conversation?
Which accents do you find sexy?
Are there any accents that make people less attractive to you?

I encourage the naming of celebrities with accents you like or linking to audio or video examples.

SpaceMonkey · Jul 6, 2013, 10:46 PM

My answer to all four questions:

Shaddim · Jul 7, 2013, 05:02 AM

Favorite: Amy MacDonald

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEEmi0wEtoY

Face Ache · Jul 7, 2013, 07:30 AM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Favorite: Amy MacDonald

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEEmi0wEtoY

Ah the old soft Celtic lilt. Gets me every time.

sek929 · Jul 7, 2013, 06:44 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Favorite: Amy MacDonald

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEEmi0wEtoY

Funny thing, I read the OP and immediately thought of Amy MacDonald thanks to that episode of TG. I was smitten with her for days after I saw that.

Shaddim · Jul 7, 2013, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by sek929

Funny thing, I read the OP and immediately thought of Amy MacDonald thanks to that episode of TG. I was smitten with her for days after I saw that.

I'm still smitten, she's adorable. I want to adopt her and buy her more Italian sports cars.

andi*pandi · Jul 8, 2013, 09:57 AM

There are many lovely british isles accents, but Goran Visnjic has such a beautiful accent that even when he plays a bad guy I don't care, I just want to listen. And he's not bad to look at either.

Goran Visnjic- Croatian Hamlet - YouTube

osiris · Jul 8, 2013, 01:08 PM

French turns me on when a woman speaks it softly, and Japanese (when spoken in the polite feminine form) by a young woman.

I find British accents the easiest to understand, in terms of clarity and annunciation, and I admire them the most for speaking. Australian is the least easy to understand (what the hell language are they speaking?).

mattyb · Jul 8, 2013, 03:06 PM

osiris, have you heard Liverpool or Geordie or South Wales accents?

turtle777 · Jul 8, 2013, 03:30 PM

Originally Posted by mattyb

osiris, have you heard Liverpool or Geordie or South Wales accents?

He probably thought it was Australian

-t

mattyb · Jul 8, 2013, 03:56 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

He probably thought it was Australian

Nasty, but funny.

Jawbone54 · Jul 8, 2013, 04:02 PM

Pet peeve: when actors who play characters from New Orleans sound like they're from Savannah, Georgia. NOLA residents actually sound like a cross between French Cajun, Louisiana-style Southern accents, and New Jersey. Also: Yat dialect - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My personal favorite accent: Irish.

osiris · Jul 8, 2013, 04:16 PM

Originally Posted by mattyb

osiris, have you heard Liverpool or Geordie or South Wales accents?

Sure I have. I can even translate Scottish into English. I just like picking on Aussies.

mattyb · Jul 8, 2013, 04:27 PM

Don't we all.

Doc HM · Jul 9, 2013, 02:49 AM

My wife is South African. It's not a pretty accent. Thankfully she's not Afrikaans or it would be even worse!! Man that's an ugly noise! Whiny Jo'berg accent is also highly irritating. Laid back Cape Town dwal is "almost" acceptable.

Geordies, Liverpudlians, Birmingham, also grating.

Highland Scots is lovely. Sing song. When I was young they used to have a children's TV show called Jacanory, where actors read a book out loud (sounds boss no?) The actor who always read the Littlenose stories had the most relaxing highland accent.

What ever accent/intonation Carl Sagan has... bliss

Waragainstsleep · Jul 9, 2013, 05:15 AM

I was never a fan of South African accents but I have to confess I'm very fond of Yolande Visser.

'I FINK U FREEKY' by DIE ANTWOORD (Official) - YouTube

mattyb · Jul 9, 2013, 02:33 PM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

I was never a fan of South African accents but I have to confess I'm very fond of Yolande Visser.

'I FINK U FREEKY' by DIE ANTWOORD (Official) - YouTube

You should be banned for that.

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2013, 02:54 PM

Seconded. WTF ?

-t

Shaddim · Jul 9, 2013, 03:44 PM

Die Antwoord has improved dramatically, their showmanship has practically taken on a life of its own. Yolandi has evolved into the Lady Gaga of the alternative-rave scene with some very clever marketing.

mattyb · Jul 9, 2013, 04:11 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Die Antwoord has improved dramatically, their showmanship has practically taken on a life of its own. Yolandi has evolved into the Lady Gaga of the alternative-rave scene with some very clever marketing.

Improved?

Shaddim · Jul 9, 2013, 04:17 PM

Originally Posted by mattyb

Improved?

Yeah.

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2013, 05:54 PM

I'm too afraid to click that link

-t

mattyb · Jul 9, 2013, 06:03 PM

Do it turtle so I don't have to.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 9, 2013, 08:37 PM

Actually I Fink U Freeky is more recent than Enter The Ninja.

IFUF was the first I heard of Die Antwoord and my first reaction was also a resounding WTF. If you give it a few listens though, it really starts to grow on you.

Shaddim · Jul 9, 2013, 08:49 PM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

Actually I Fink U Freeky is more recent than Enter The Ninja.

IFUF was the first I heard of Die Antwoord and my first reaction was also a resounding WTF. If you give it a few listens though, it really starts to grow on you.

That's what I meant, they've improved since Enter the Ninja.

turtle777 · Jul 9, 2013, 10:38 PM

Exactly. That's why I'm afraid to follow the link.

-t

Waragainstsleep · Jul 10, 2013, 05:11 AM

Its less ravey than the one I posted.

If you like to discover music which is actually quite original, give it a shot. If you hate rap music, probably best not to bother.

subego · Jul 10, 2013, 05:57 AM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Die Antwoord has improved dramatically, their showmanship has practically taken on a life of its own. Yolandi has evolved into the Lady Gaga of the alternative-rave scene with some very clever marketing.

That's actually why I prefer Enter the Ninja. Freeky feels like marketing.

ghporter · Jul 19, 2013, 08:34 AM

I've been watching this thread, and thinking, "yeah, that's an interesting accent" or "yes, those are so fake" (as in the New Orleans comments - the same was true of the original "Dallas" TV show, except for Larry Hagman who was born in Ft. Worth). But yesterday I came across an accent that really struck me.

I met an elderly couple who moved here from Holland over 50 years ago. Their accent isn't "I'm speaking English with a native in Amsterdam," but something that has evolved over time while still keeping the character and flavor of Dutch. Very charming.

Then there is Irish Gaelic. We have a public radio personality here in San Antonio who is from Ireland, and her accent just grabs my attention every time I hear her. I like Scots English too, but it's too easy for a Scot to lose me when the accent gets too deep.

Shaddim · Jul 19, 2013, 02:06 PM

The Thistle and Shamrock (Fiona Ritchie)! Yeah, her accent is great!

The Final Dakar · Jul 19, 2013, 02:17 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

The Thistle and Shamrock (Fiona Ritchie)! Yeah, her accent is great!

Good lord, I always enjoy her commercial for just that reason.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 19, 2013, 09:23 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

I like Scots English too, but it's too easy for a Scot to lose me when the accent gets too deep.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k7VoFiagfs

subego · Jul 19, 2013, 10:24 PM

People are laughing as if they understand.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 20, 2013, 08:44 AM

I can actually decipher the vast majority of it. Its filmed in Scotland so I assume the audience can understand most of it too.

I guess if you were really interested, I could try to transcribe and translate it for you.

subego · Jul 20, 2013, 03:54 PM

I shall let you decide if the jokes are that funny.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 21, 2013, 07:43 AM

They aren't. I was thinking your interest might be more lingual than comedic.

subego · Jul 21, 2013, 01:06 PM

I have enough of a lingual interest to know both translation and transcription are a huge bitch, and I don't want to wish that upon anyone.

subego · Jul 21, 2013, 03:15 PM

This was done by an American with a Scottish dad.

It's meant to be comprehensible to Americans, but I buy his accent.

Apple Scotland - iPhone commercial for Siri - YouTube

It's got swears.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 21, 2013, 05:25 PM

The accent is very good but like the comments say, a Jammie Dodger is a biscuit. You might call it a cookie.

subego · Jul 21, 2013, 05:39 PM

That's what I had always known it as, but I inferred in Scotland it's also a jam sandwich.

subego · Jul 21, 2013, 05:42 PM

This is the American counterpart to the biscuit/cookie:

Waragainstsleep · Jul 21, 2013, 06:08 PM

Interesting fact: The jam (thats jelly to you lot) in a Jammie Dodger is raspberry flavoured plum jam.

Shaddim · Jul 21, 2013, 06:29 PM

We most certainly do have jam here, and it's called jam.

Jelly = condiment made with fruit juice
Jam = condiment made with fruit pulp and juice

Veronas, a fav of mine, do in fact have jam, as there is some fruit pulp in them. They are delicious w/ tea.

subego · Jul 21, 2013, 07:43 PM

Yeah.

Jelly is, well, jelly. It's fundamental component is some form of gelatin.

Jam has shit in it.

Waragainstsleep · Jul 21, 2013, 08:13 PM

Really? Thats a misconception I've believed for a long time then.

So the jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich has gelatin in it?

Shaddim · Jul 21, 2013, 08:26 PM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

Really? Thats a misconception I've believed for a long time then.

So the jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich has gelatin in it?

Jelly is juice, sugar, and pectin (a natural gelling agent). It's inferior to jam, which contains pulp. There are also preserves, which have whole fruit with pulp (and generally less sugars).

Paco500 · Jul 26, 2013, 11:51 AM

Originally Posted by Waragainstsleep

Really? Thats a misconception I've believed for a long time then.

So the jelly in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich has gelatin in it?

It's a bit confusing. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich can have either jam or (american) jelly in it. There are lots of people who use the terms jam and jelly interchangeably (incorrectly). But even if you are the kind of right thinking person that calls jam jam and jelly jelly, you would never eat a peanut butter and jam sandwich. You could have a PB&J with strawberry jam- but it would still be a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

American jelly is as shaddim described. What you call jelly in England in america is called gelatin, or more generically, jell-o. I'm not sure what is called jelly in America is called in England. I'll have to look in the shops and see if I can find an equivalent and report back.

subego · Jul 26, 2013, 03:13 PM

Originally Posted by Shaddim

Jelly is juice, sugar, and pectin (a natural gelling agent). It's inferior to jam, which contains pulp. There are also preserves, which have whole fruit with pulp (and generally less sugars).

I think inferiority depends on use.

People put jam on their PB&J because they like to be fancy-schmantzy. IMO, the PB is going to swamp the more delicate jam flavors, and it's not sweet enough to contrast properly.

I posit PB&J is named such because jelly is superior to jam for that purpose.

Doc HM · Jul 26, 2013, 03:27 PM

Man that's one frightening hair cut...

Jackanory - Little Nose - YouTube

Doc HM · Jul 26, 2013, 03:47 PM

Originally Posted by mattyb

You should be banned for that.

That's awesome. Really interesting to see a different take on Afrikaans culture. I guess everything moves on.

Freeky sounds a bit gimmiky but the rest is really interesting.