# Britons: I love your Pronunciations! **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551 "2004-04-06T14:45:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/1 "2004-04-06T14:45:01Z")
I am simply touting the way you pronounce words in the English Language. Showing emotion towards a pronunciation is nothing new for me, I do it often in class to break the ice, to calm down a situation etc…etc… Anyone else out there in the teeming soup like a certain accent or pronunciation? If so which? Why? For me, style and manor of speech is fascinating in how is dictates the way someone cognitively listens to someone else. There are some fun studies out there - non on hand - showing how people perceive what you are saying, how much they retain, and how they hear you cognitively. ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/2 "2004-04-06T14:56:02Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > I am simply touting the way you pronounce words in the English Language. Showing emotion towards a pronunciation is nothing new for me, I do it often in class to break the ice, to calm down a situation etc…etc… > > Anyone else out there in the teeming soup like a certain accent or pronunciation? If so which? Why? > > For me, style and manor of speech is fascinating in how is dictates the way someone cognitively listens to someone else. There are some fun studies out there - non on hand - showing how people perceive what you are saying, how much they retain, and how they hear you cognitively. All of them? or are you thinking of ‘movie’ English accents? I like most irish accents myself, but I can’t stand a broad ‘Black Country’ Accent the kind you get in Dudley (i’m sure they’re all lovely people anyway 🙂 ) ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/3 "2004-04-06T15:07:12Z")
Yes, basically all of them. My BIL is from South Africa and I love visiting his relatives down there…The accent is fantastic. ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/4 "2004-04-06T15:22:20Z")
> [@One And Only Wanderers](#): > > I like most irish accents myself All of them? Or just the ones in movies? 🙂 I agree, though. They are pretty nice, especially some of the western ones like Cork and Kerry or the one they have where I’m living. I also love a Jamaican accent and I’m weirdly partial to a southern (USA) accent. Can’t stand Scouse (a Liverpool accent) and “estuary English” (fake generic London-esque accent). And I guess people will point out now that Scouse, Jamaican and most certainly south of the USA accents are differentiated and do not resemble their movie counterparts. I deserve that. ---
**Author:** ![Nutty\_Bunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d07c76/32.png) [@Nutty\_Bunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nutty_Bunny)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/5 "2004-04-06T15:23:48Z")
There’s something sexy about an Australian accent. I like Irish and Scottish accents, too. Mmmmm…Groundskeeper Willie…:::drool::: ---
**Author:** ![Lobelia\_Overhill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@Lobelia\_Overhill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobelia_Overhill)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/6 "2004-04-06T19:47:44Z")
I love nearly all American accents (I can tell the difference between East, West and South - not too hot on the North) I hate my own accent which is a hybrid Scots/Irish concoction ---
**Author:** ![Syntropy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@Syntropy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syntropy)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/7 "2004-04-06T20:11:54Z")
I love southern accents. They differ from state to state. My dear friend **Jaade** is from Georgia…I could listen to her talk all day. Australian accents make me swoon; my first bf was Aussie. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/8 "2004-04-06T20:16:20Z")
I love an English accent. Nearly all of them. I get such a kick out of them calling “cotton swabs” “Cotton Buds.” I just love that! I also love a Nigerian accent. ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/9 "2004-04-06T21:06:04Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > Anyone else out there in the teeming soup like a certain accent or pronunciation? If so which? Why? The way West Coast girls say my name. 'Cos it turns me on. ---
**Author:** ![Low\_Key\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ed655f/32.png) [@Low\_Key\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Low_Key_1)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/10 "2004-04-06T21:26:13Z")
There was an exchange student from North Carolina last year who had the nicest accent. I could have listened to her talk all day. Now, if only I could meet the new exchange students from UNC who are here this semester… ---
**Author:** ![Bojangles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Bojangles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bojangles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/11 "2004-04-06T21:29:55Z")
For me it is the female Scottish accent that makes me weak at the knees - though Geordie women runs a very close second. The way to my heart is through my ears. /bit of a hijack Anyone notice that advertisers in Britain seem to use the Scottish accent when emphasising value for money? The earliest example of this I can remember is the Walkers Crisps advert with the Scots bloke asking: “you’ll noo be havin’ a sale then?” I’m 37 so I guess we’re talking circa 1974. I find it very annoying and IANAScot /bit of a hijack off ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/12 "2004-04-06T21:34:24Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > Anyone else out there in the teeming soup like a certain accent or pronunciation? If so which? Why? Getting more specific, it’s interesting to hear the British\* pronunciation of words ending in _-tary_ (where “uh” = schwa): **secretary** becomes “SECK-ruh-tree” (cf American “seck-ruh-TERR-ee”) **laboratory** becomes “luh-BOR-uh-tree” (cf American “lab-ruh-TOR-ee”) Also of note, the British pronunciation of **leisure** as “LEZH-ur” (rhymes with American **pleasure** ). [sub]\* I realize that these pronunciations probably don’t appear in all British accents.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Bojangles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Bojangles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bojangles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/13 "2004-04-06T21:43:12Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Getting more specific, it’s interesting to hear the British\* pronunciation of words ending in _-tary_ (where “uh” = schwa): > > **secretary** becomes “SECK-ruh-tree” (cf American “seck-ruh-TERR-ee”) > … > > [sub]\* I realize that these pronunciations probably don’t appear in all British accents.[/sub] Actually that’s just slovenly Brits talking there: It is pronounced SeK-Ret-Ary by most people. 🙂 Brits also seem to have trouble with Med-I-Cen, pronounced Med-Sin by many news readers, and, Feb-Roo-Ary, which is almost universally pronounced Feb-U-Ary where I come from. My mother used to say that if one reads properly then one can speak proper… mind you, she also told me that thunder was the clouds bumping together - a ‘fact’ I happily repeated in science classes until I was 14. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/14 "2004-04-06T21:51:14Z")
> [@Bojangles](#): > > Feb-Roo-Ary, which is almost universally pronounced Feb-U-Ary where I come from. Would that be from the north of England then? Just asking because that’s how its pronounced where I grew up (which isn’t Birmingham!). Speaking of British accents, I do find the Scots accent totally irresistable… ---
**Author:** ![Bojangles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Bojangles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bojangles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/15 "2004-04-06T21:59:52Z")
> [@Angua](#): > > Would that be from the north of England then? Just asking because that’s how its pronounced where I grew up (which isn’t Birmingham!). > > Speaking of British accents, I do find the Scots accent totally irresistable… No, East Anglia, but I’m not ruling out any other region. When I was first corrected about this at the age of about 12 - I was utterly convinced my mother was talking bullshit (and told her so). Her response was (as you might imagine): “Read the word, you insolent half-wit.” Mothers: don’t you just love them? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/16 "2004-04-06T22:01:56Z")
> [@Bojangles](#): > > Actually that’s just slovenly Brits talking there: > > It is pronounced SeK-Ret-Ary by most people. 🙂 Nothing slovenly about having an accent - I’m pure feb-you-ree, sek-ruh-tree, med-sin and a pure Suffolk one, cuttle-ree (cutlery - my girlfried remorselessly takes the piss out of me for that one, but then she’s from Yorkshire…) Oh, and laboratory is three syllables around here - lab-ruh-tree. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Bojangles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@Bojangles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bojangles)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/17 "2004-04-06T22:11:10Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Nothing slovenly about having an accent - I’m pure feb-you-ree, sek-ruh-tree, med-sin and a pure Suffolk one, cuttle-ree (cutlery - my girlfried remorselessly takes the piss out of me for that one, but then she’s from Yorkshire…) > > Oh, and laboratory is three syllables around here - lab-ruh-tree. 😃 Zacktly my point - Suffolk=East Anglia I B’live. xx 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jastu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/43a26b/32.png) [@jastu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jastu)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/18 "2004-04-06T22:32:48Z")
I think it’s only natural for people to be attracted to accents other than their own. I like some American and some British accents but not all. Some I find jarring, hard and very unappealing. One word which makes me cringe every time I hear an American pronounce it is Iraq. Either eye-rak or eh-rak as opposed to eh-rahk. ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2004, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/19 "2004-04-06T22:39:06Z")
> [@Bojangles](#): > > Zacktly my point - Suffolk=East Anglia I B’live. xx > > 😃 Spose if yer sayun tha bein’ frum Sahfuk’s sluv’n’ly, then guess yer’ight, beuy. ---
**Author:** ![Shrinking\_Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@Shrinking\_Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shrinking_Violet)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551/20 "2004-04-07T00:34:28Z")
> [@GorillaMan](#): > > Spose if yer sayun tha bein’ frum Sahfuk’s sluv’n’ly, then guess yer’ight, beuy. Yer moight be roight, Griller. 😃 (Just upping the Suffolk presence on the thread a little more …) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/britons-i-love-your-pronunciations/238551.md?page=2)