# Scot accent--gender differences? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 21, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273 "2005-10-21T16:18:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/1 "2005-10-21T16:18:48Z")
My brother-in-law was in Scotland a few years back. He says he had a bit of difficulty understanding the men, 'cause of the accent, but had no clue (absolutely no ideer) what the women were saying. He was about 30 at the time so it seems unlikely that it was a hearing frequency loss problem. Is there a difference between the way men and women speak in Scotland? ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/2 "2005-10-21T17:37:49Z")
As an Englishman currently studying at Glasgow University, I notice the accents a lot more. I speak with a very Southern English accent, which is a _lot_ of fun for my mates up here… The men tend to talk (trying not to generalise here) a bit ‘rougher’ most of the time. It’s the only way I can describe it, they just have thicker accents, the girls tend to talk more softly. Everyone’s really nice and friendly, and after a couple of hours you’ll be used to understanding the thickest of accents. But yeah, they talk differently, but I don’t know how much differently than other countries. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/3 "2005-10-21T18:03:03Z")
Where was your brother in law in Scotland? There’s loads of differing accents. I’ve not heard any differences in the way men and women talk around here, although other localities, like Glasgow, as has already been mentioned, may differ. ---
**Author:** ![Fridgemagnet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/22d042/32.png) [@Fridgemagnet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fridgemagnet)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/4 "2005-10-21T18:17:20Z")
There are distinct gender differences in most regional accents. If a male spoke with a female Liverpudlian acccent (say), it would sound quite odd. Any proper linguists out there with decent examples? I knew a woman who spoke with such a strange Scottish accent that I could only understand 1 word in 3. Eventually I sussed that she was actually speaking with a Welsh accent, and I was listening with a Scottish ear. :smack: Once I put my Welsh ear on, I had no problem understanding her at all. ---
**Author:** ![pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b9e5f3/32.png) [@pretend\_my\_name\_is\_witty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pretend_my_name_is_witty)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/5 "2005-10-21T21:19:53Z")
Realised now, after listening to my mates rambling on, it’s not that the males sound rougher, it’s just that they mumble more. Run words into each other, probably Tenants-induced. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/6 "2005-10-21T21:49:41Z")
I was in the Glasgow area some years back. In my experience, I could understand the women just fine, but had a great deal of difficulty understanding the men. Kind of funny, if I think about it. My grandfather’s grandfather was born in Scotland (and attended the University of Edinborough, which is all I know about the man). ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2005, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/7 "2005-10-21T21:57:50Z")
I’ve noticed that, since about the mid-1990’s, the urban African American accent has an interesting gender difference, among young people at least. It’s that _women_ often pronounce “oo” in a way that’s hard to describe in writing – kind of an “ioow”, with the tongue pressed against the gum below the back of the lower teeth, which makes a little pocket of air below the tongue (same thing seems to happen with a Liverpudlian accent). I’m pointing this out in this thread, because until now I assumed that gender differences in accents were unusual. ---
**Author:** ![NoCoolUserName](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5fc32e/32.png) [@NoCoolUserName](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoCoolUserName)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/8 "2005-10-22T02:40:01Z")
Perhaps noting your gender, when telling us who you can understand, might help. **robby** claims to understand the wimmen and not the men. One might assume from username that robby is male. Yes? No? ---
**Author:** ![TheLoadedDog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/35a633/32.png) [@TheLoadedDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheLoadedDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2005, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/9 "2005-10-22T04:45:39Z")
Get drunk. Problem solved. This here Australian has a bit of trouble sometimes understanding his Glaswegian mate Mark. After a night on the kerosene though, it’s nae bothah! This bit of folklore is actually TRUE. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2005, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/scot-accent-gender-differences/327273/10 "2005-10-23T20:27:39Z")
> [@NoCoolUserName](#): > > Perhaps noting your gender, when telling us who you can understand, might help. **robby** claims to understand the wimmen and not the men. One might assume from username that robby is male. Yes? No? Yes.