Tuesday 18 September 2007

Linguistic Tribulations

Please try and imagine the scenario as best you can, I’m not very good at setting up the scene.

I’d met a friend of mine in Central London, and we were at the train station about to head back. Stupidly we’d both unthinkingly driven to our respective local tube stations so drinking was out, and our little day trip had come to a close earlier than expected.

Of course, on approaching the ticket barriers with warrant cards drawn, we notice (too late, too late) a group of four lads creating a fuss with the barrier guards.

Great.

I should explain a little bit of background here. As many readers know I’m originally from West Yorkshire. My friend is a Welsh lad. Both of us have next to no accent through necessary social camouflaging. Except when we are either drunk, angry or both.

Of course, one thing led to another and we found ourselves physically marching this group of second generation Vietnamese lads out of the station.

Area: “Roight you lot, no more shoite, Oi’ve had enough, get away!”
Friend: “Now then boyo, don’t try and sneak back, I’m not stupid you know.”
Ultra Cool Youth: “What you talking about man? You taking the piss, innit?”

Ah, joy of joys. That’s what it’s all about.

Respect.


Innit.

28 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oi know 'sactly what yur sayin! Lol

I feel your pain! As a fellow bumpkin I get the piss ripped out of me when I go upto London. And you're so right, it's not too bad to conceal unless you get drunk or particularly enthusiastic or angry about something then it comes out strong!
I have a pretty strong accent anyway, all o's, r's, a's & i's end up being very pronounced which quite often means I get called a carrot cruncher etc etc etc. We border Somerset so I think that's where the influence on me is, damn Wurzels!
Lol

Anonymous said...

Woo Hoo! You took the word verification thing off! I'm glad, such a pain in the arse when it tells you five times in a row you're a knuckledragger & have failed the verification code, gerrrrrr! :)

RandomPinkness said...

Ooooh yay! No more word verification I should ditch mine as I'm moderating them now, not that I've actually done any active moderating. Being dyslexic I have reet fun with them things. My accent is the worst I think depending on who I'm with it's either broad Cumbrian, like oh *so* sexy, a bit Scottish which apparently makes me sound Aussie, Lord knows how, all Coventry-fied which aint really a proper accent but has incredibly long 'a' sounds, the words car and shark for instance can go on for days, or all posh and ever so English, but if we're talking drunk/scared/angry etc I do revert to the tongue of my childhood and scare folk by being all northern, my southern pansy ;) friends can’t understand a word I say. I do love it when people live up to stereotypes and say thinks like ‘boyo’ hehe.

PC South West said...

OO arrr you lot can thank I for the worrd verrification thingy going. From one carrot cruncherrr to anotherrrr.

Anonymous said...

Pinkness, I get told I sound posh sometimes too, I get asked alot if I went to boarding school because apparently I talk like I do. I really don't know how they come to that conclusion when I talk like a turnip muncher most of the time!

PCSW, you'ms a grand sort, all they codes was annoying I!
Lol

PC South West said...

Anyway I am off to drink a couple of litres of the rough ciderrr my loverrrs.

Anonymous said...

we get some of that here in the states too, along with the usual regional accents, variants of new england accents, southern "drawls" mid-western accents and the "military drawl" that is a mix of regional accents and a distinctive "trucker's" accent usually heard on the cb radio. it's a hoot hearing a texan and a vermonter trying to talk to each other, or me talking with my younger brother in arkansas, (pronounced "arkansaw"), you would never believe we both grew up in new york city.
"gunner"

thinblueline said...

whut ya on 'bout man speakda queens willye

BelfastPeeler said...

I consider it a real disadvantage of my accent that I can't get the right amount of feeling behind "alight, what's all this then?"

Despite numerous attempts.

"Right mate, you're scooped" is poor compensation.


And what's all this about (ba-dum-tish) free rail travel, another perk is it?

Anonymous said...

Not quite free. Methinks that there is a price to be paid!

Charlie Lima said...

I have the same problem, originaly from an english farming type place.

Now working in a large city in a provincial country.(prizes for quessing where) Either my country accent comes over and people think I'm a thick carrot cruncher, or people think I sound posh just because I have an english accent not the local chavvy dialect.

Anonymous said...

You know this blog right, you mean you don't have the backing of your Chief? Hmm. Just looking at your disclaimer on the right of the page dude.

Anonymous said...

a bit off topic, but "happy birthday" to the london metropolitan police, 29 sept. 1829. i once owned one of their .450 webley revolvers, even managed to find some cartridge cases for it and cobbled up some handloads to shoot in it, surprisingly accurate. here's a health to "bobby" and all his ilk still walking a beat.
"gunner"

Anonymous said...

Oi, where are you?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
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Old BE said...

It could have been worse, you might have been briefing it after several pints of lager ;-) Just imagine what those boys would have thought about being evicted by two drunk coppers???

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