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What English accent is the least understandable, to the most people?

Question #92680. Asked by crazycube.
Last updated Jun 22 2021.

billythebrit
Answer has 4 votes
billythebrit
17 year member
265 replies

Answer has 4 votes.
I don't think this question makes sense. I'm guessing to those that don't speak English. The stronger regional accents of England though are Liverpool and Newcastle

Check out this guy, on a tour of UK accents. He's really good. link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KH_kOjsXakM

Feb 22 2008, 6:36 AM
billythebrit
Answer has 5 votes
billythebrit
17 year member
265 replies

Answer has 5 votes.
This girl too is really good (despite what she says), though there is a bit of swearing. A Geordie is from Newscastle and a scouser is from Liverpool by the way. See which you find hardest to understand.

link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8XkYjc11lA&feature=related

But the accent superstar on youtube is this American guy who reads out the exact same speech in different accents, so you can compare and contrast better. This will take you to where you need to go - link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4JjyMWE2Qo

Feb 22 2008, 6:42 AM
avatar
zbeckabee star
Answer has 6 votes
Currently Best Answer
zbeckabee star
Moderator
18 year member
11752 replies avatar

Answer has 6 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
I don't think there is a pat answer for this question. It seems to vary from person to person and place to place.

"The Birmingham accent is among the most difficult accents to understand according to many people from other parts of England."

"Most people agree that the Newcastle accent is the most difficult English accent."

The dialect of St. Elizabeth, a western parish of Jamaica is the most difficult to understand. English is the official language.

link http://books.google.com/books?id=o-qM3Wk4nZ0C&pg=PA51
link http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=308852
link http://www.english-blogs.com/english_accents/


Response last updated by gtho4 on Jun 22 2021.
Feb 22 2008, 7:59 AM
author
Answer has 3 votes
author
22 year member
2834 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
My votes goes to Makkem.

Makkem is used locally to refer to the dialect of the city of Sunderland and the surrounding urban area of Wearside.

link http://www.bl.uk/learning/langlit/sounds/case-studies/geordie/

Feb 22 2008, 6:39 PM
avatar
star_gazer star
Answer has 3 votes
star_gazer star
22 year member
5236 replies avatar

Answer has 3 votes.
American Southern English accents are also often a challenge to understand.


answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080127174508AAGcdjM website no longer exists


Response last updated by gtho4 on Jun 22 2021.
Feb 22 2008, 7:48 PM
author
Answer has 3 votes
author
22 year member
2834 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
Agree on the previous one, too.
For example this version.

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_Vernacular_English

Feb 22 2008, 8:26 PM
author
Answer has 3 votes
author
22 year member
2834 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
To be precise, Ebonics or African-American English (see my previous post) is not only spoken in the south of the United States.

I also think that several English creole languages might be hard to understand.

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creole_language

Feb 22 2008, 8:32 PM
avatar
McGruff star
Answer has 6 votes
McGruff star
Moderator
24 year member
3694 replies avatar

Answer has 6 votes.
Even to other Virginia natives, the accent in the Tidewater area, especially the middle peninsula (Mathews County), is very difficult to understand.


Although the Piedmont dialect is one of the most famous with its strong influence on Southern American English, a more homogenized American English is favored in Northern and urban areas. The Tidewater dialect is also a distinct local accent.
link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthews_County

Feb 22 2008, 10:21 PM
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