# Exactly how bad was James Doohan's "Scotty" accent? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 27, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493 "2011-05-27T22:14:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/1 "2011-05-27T22:14:01Z")
I first became aware of Scotland when as a child I asked my mother why _Star Trek_’s Scotty’s speech sounded different. When she said “he’s Scottish.” I replied, "No, his name is ‘Scotty.’ " Once I caught on to what she was saying, I became a fan of Scotland, Scottish accents, and all that. Over the years, though, I have come to realize that Scotty’s accent wasn’t exactly authentic. What I’ve always wanted to know, though, is from the point of view of people very familiar with the complete range of Scottish accents – _Exactly how bad is Scotty’s accent?_ Is it slightly bad? Is it Dick-Van-Dyke-level bad? Is it just laughably horrible? Whaddya Say? ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/2 "2011-05-27T22:26:33Z")
I’m English rather than Scottish, but when I used to watch Star Trek as a kid I did actually think James Doohan was Scottish. Maybe a Scot who had lived in America for some time. Listening to his accent now, I still think it’s a reasonable attempt. It’s a kind of stagy cod-rural-Scottish accent, but not bad, I would say. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/3 "2011-05-27T23:41:50Z")
His accent was spot-on. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/4 "2011-05-27T23:54:45Z")
From what I can tell, as something of a fan of accents, it’s generic but accurate. In the same way that David Tennant’s English accent is generic. ---
**Author:** ![Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Uosdwis\_R.Dewoh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uosdwis_R.Dewoh)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/5 "2011-05-28T00:02:31Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > His accent was spot-on. I agree. He had a perfect 23rd century Scottish accent. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/6 "2011-05-28T00:38:55Z")
Craig Ferguson has said it was pretty bad. He grew up wondering why the Pakistani man on Star Trek is called Scotty. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/7 "2011-05-28T00:44:06Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > His accent was spot-on. I could understand what he was saying, so he’s not from Glasgow. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/8 "2011-05-28T00:51:04Z")
> [@Pushkin](#): > > I could understand what he was saying, so he’s not from Glasgow. I at one point had a 30 minute conversation with two drunk Glaswegians without ever once understanding what either one of them was saying. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/9 "2011-05-28T01:03:12Z")
My Glaswegian granddad had a long conversation with a dutch guy - neither could get through the other’s accent. To those of us listening in, it was complete gibberish on both sides as the more they tried to make themselves understood, the thicker their accents got. My mum just says that Scotty isn’t from Glasgow and leaves it at that. According to a friend he ain’t from Edinburgh either. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/10 "2011-05-28T01:16:11Z")
> [@maggenpye](#): > > My mum just says that Scotty isn’t from Glasgow and leaves it at that. According to a friend he ain’t from Edinburgh either. Nor Dundee. 😃 Nevertheless, speaking as an American who’s heard a fair few real Scottish accents, it was a reasonable attempt, if a bit generic, as someone said. As good, say, as Bob Hoskins doing an American accent. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/11 "2011-05-28T01:53:12Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I at one point had a 30 minute conversation with two drunk Glaswegians without ever once understanding what either one of them was saying. I once chared a house with a Glaswegian, but his accent wasn’t as strong as you might expect and I understood him just fine. However, I recently encountered a guy who I guessed was from Belfast\*, and whew, was he hard to figure out. \*He actually took pains to point out my guess was wrong, and he was from a town a few miles south of Belfast. Yeah, whatever. ---
**Author:** ![mac\_bolan00](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b3f665/32.png) [@mac\_bolan00](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mac_bolan00)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/12 "2011-05-28T03:17:36Z")
“there are even places (in britain) where english completely disappears. why, in america they haven’t used it in years!” –prof. henry higgins joking aside, i remember scotty’s first long speaking part. he was at the helm when both kirk and spock were planet-bound. that “captain’s log” report of his sounded weird. but doohan exudes toughness (he’s a WW2 veteran) so i didn’t really think it was funny. just quaint. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/13 "2011-05-28T04:52:02Z")
Jimmy Doohan is actually of Irish descent, and offtered Roddenbery the option of an Irish or Scottish character; Gene chose the Scot. While his character’s name is “Lt/. Cdr. Montgomery Scott”, he is supposed to be an ethnic Scot, from Aberdeen. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/14 "2011-05-28T05:20:23Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#): > > I at one point had a 30 minute conversation with two drunk Glaswegians without ever once understanding what either one of them was saying. I had that exact same converstaion at an Irish Pub (Matt Kelly’s Irish Pub!) in Bad Kreuznach with a Welshman. Didn’t really get what he was saying until I had a few pints of Guinness Extra Stout. ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/15 "2011-05-28T10:06:16Z")
It’s not great, frankly, but it isn’t even remotely in Dick Van Dyke territory. Pretty generic - no one in Scotland actually has this accent but it is at least recognisably Scottish. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/16 "2011-05-28T11:54:50Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Craig Ferguson has said it was pretty bad. He grew up wondering why the Pakistani man on Star Trek is called Scotty. 🙂 Yeah, but Craig Ferguson said that about everyone’s Scottish accent. That’s how he justified his atrocious (he admits – I didn’t notice) British accent as Mr. Wick, British actors have been butchering the Scot accent for years. Of course I, and **Ximenean:** think James Dohan is doing just fine. I also think Spike on _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ was doing a fine Cockney accent. But British people listening to him want to hit mute and rely on close captioning. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/17 "2011-05-28T11:57:02Z")
> [@Polycarp](#): > > Jimmy Doohan is actually of Irish descent, and offtered Roddenbery the option of an Irish or Scottish character; Gene chose the Scot. While his character’s name is “Lt/. Cdr. Montgomery Scott”, he is supposed to be an ethnic Scot, from Aberdeen. The [‘rebooted’ Scotty](http://news.scotsman.com/scotland/Farewell-Linlithgow--new-Star.5206578.jp) is apparently from Glasgow. The original Scotty was from either Aberdeen or Linlithgow (15 miles west of Edinburgh), depending on who you believe. (more info in the same link) ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/18 "2011-05-28T12:07:25Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > British actors have been butchering the Scot accent for years. Except for the Scottish ones. They usually do quite a good job. ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/19 "2011-05-28T12:27:16Z")
A few years ago Mary Chapin Carpenter was on Jay Leno and talked about her experiences being interviewed on a Glasgow radio station. The DJ asked her if “generally, do you play with a band”. To her ears it came out “genitally”, she thought he was crudely asking if she was romantically involved so she said “no!”. So he said “so you play solo” and she said “no, I play with a band”. Leno laughed and said his mother was from Glasgow and when he went over there, he couldn’t understand a word they were saying. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [May 28, 2011, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493/20 "2011-05-28T13:11:56Z")
> [@Arkcon](#): > > Yeah, but Craig Ferguson said that about everyone’s Scottish accent. That’s how he justified his atrocious (he admits – I didn’t notice) British accent as Mr. Wick … I think you mean English accent. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/exactly-how-bad-was-james-doohans-scotty-accent/583493.md?page=2)