Rick Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Missy Franklin is an American Gold Medal winner in swimming. Her favorite club in school is called the Anglo File Club. They meet each month. The requirements of the club are: Learning how to speak like someone from England, Eating Pork Pie once a week, and walking one mile in wellies....No doubt a few pansey pink ones too...... This may look random but it is the truth.... :- and not easy for a Yank to admit too.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_scrivener Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 (edited) The "Learning how to speak like someone from England," should be complicated. At least, it will be if they do it properly. I wonder how many members of her club realise how many English accents exist? And can they identify at least the main ones? And (a good test) tell the difference between rural West Country and rural East Anglia? (a lot of professional actors who should know better get those mixed up) As for the English food thing, they'd be better advised having a rule to eat the whole range of traditional English cheeses over say every 6 months. I get the impression that American cheese mainly consists of processed slices to put on burgers. Yuk. Edited August 3, 2012 by david_scrivener Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leakeyvale Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Dave has it absolutely right - what does speaking English mean? There are so many English accents. I wonder if any of them will learn to speak "Geordie" - goodness knows I have a problem understanding someone with a real Geordie accent! Cheeses too! I like the occasional pork pie but a nice chunk of Stilton, proper Cheddar or Cornish Yarg (to name only three) is an absolute must. I think they would probably have to have two different cheeses every week for a year (or probably longer) to get round them all. As for the pink wellies. Mine are plain pink but I have seen pink and/or white wellies covered in flowers! Walking a mile in wellies requires sensible thick woollen socks or blisters result and your feet get very cold to boot. As for the name "Anglo File Club". Well a file is something you use to remove rough edges or something you store paperwork in. Do they mean ANGLOPHILE Club? On the other hand perhaps they are correct in using "File" as they certainly will be removing rough edges if they succeed in their aims! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 4, 2012 Author Share Posted August 4, 2012 Hmmm good points......I assumed everyone talked like Sean.....errrr cheese we have our diff. kinds of cheese and accents too....I did not realize how much different in population our countries are...American 313 million people, England 67 million people......according to the news in regards to the party going on over there right now.......Oh well off to our #3 home for a two month visit...going to miss Arizona...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leakeyvale Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Our 67 million live on an island - United Kingdom is 94,525 sq miles Rick, your 313 million live on a CONTINENT 3.79 million square miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_scrivener Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Hmmm good points......I assumed everyone talked like Sean.....errrr cheese we have our diff. kinds of cheese and accents too....I did not realize how much different in population our countries are...American 313 million people, England 67 million people......according to the news in regards to the party going on over there right now.......Oh well off to our #3 home for a two month visit...going to miss Arizona...... We know there are different accents in the US, but from what I know of them (& I take an interest in such things) fewer of them considering the size and population of the US, compared to the size & population of the UK. There are a lot of places here where the accent is completely different in places less than 50 miles apart. I doubt there are many such sharp differences in the US, apart from ethnic/cultural groups within some cities such as New York, and those sub-cultures equally exist in London. As you're in Arizona Rick, can I ask about the accents in the south-west of the US. We in the UK can easily tell a Californian accent is very different from a Texas accent. So how many identifiable accents (apart from 'Hispanics') are there in the very large, but sparsely populated states of Arizona and New Mexico in between? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leakeyvale Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Heard any old Hampshire folk, Dave? My father went to a pub in Ringwood with my grandfather once and said he could not understand a word of the conversation (grandfather was chatting away merrily). One phrase he remembered went something like "it be gon rain snow ". It was many years later that I discovered that "Old Hampshire" is/was in fact the Queen's English of Elizabeth I and it really was "It be going to rain dost know?". Mind you I have not heard it spoken since I was a wee mite so I suspect it has died with the last speaker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_scrivener Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 Old Hampshire? Not that I recall. As I grew up in Bedfordshire, most of the old country people I met when I was young had a East Anglian (ish) accent/dialect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fendt-the deere killer Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 good topic you want to try understanding those from berkshire when you come from wiltshire !!!! even worse for the poor berkshire folk,listening to me !! ha ha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leakeyvale Posted August 4, 2012 Share Posted August 4, 2012 (edited) Nothing wrong with Wiltshire. My mother was proud to be a Hampshire Hog but when I started on the family history I discovered we are all really Moonrakers! (sorry Rick, I will explain if you need an explanation/translation) Edited August 4, 2012 by Leakeyvale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Don't worry about accents! I have never gone further than East Anglia and everyone keeps asking me if i'm from Scotland! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leakeyvale Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 You think you have a problem - on holiday on the continent I was asked if I was from Australia or New Zealand. Mind you several Americans who overheard said "NO - she's from ENGLAND". Says it all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 nowt wrong with a suffolk/norfolk accent neils, scottish however :laugh: :laugh: being from that neck of the woods familly wise (east anglia) but now living down in devon, i apparently slip very easily between both accents depending on where i am , do get some weird looks at work when i come back Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dm434 Posted August 6, 2012 Share Posted August 6, 2012 Talkin about accents, I'm from northumberland n the amount of people I talk to when I'm out of the county think I'm from Dublin. I struggle to do an Irish accent at the best of times .there is also such a variation of our accent from one end of county to the other Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Niels Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 nowt wrong with a suffolk/norfolk accent neils, scottish however :laugh: :laugh: being from that neck of the woods familly wise (east anglia) but now living down in devon, i apparently slip very easily between both accents depending on where i am , do get some weird looks at work when i come back True nothing wrong at all! . I'll get me hoss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 You think you have a problem - on holiday on the continent I was asked if I was from Australia or New Zealand. Mind you several Americans who overheard said "NO - she's from ENGLAND". Says it all! I would would venture it was the pink wellies that gave you away Aunty Sue.. No one from Australia or NZ would dare where pink wellies...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leakeyvale Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 I would would venture it was the pink wellies that gave you away Aunty Sue.. No one from Australia or NZ would dare where pink wellies...... Do you think I took my wellies on a river cruise in temperatures of 40C? (That is 104F in US). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 We know there are different accents in the US, but from what I know of them (& I take an interest in such things) fewer of them considering the size and population of the US, compared to the size & population of the UK. There are a lot of places here where the accent is completely different in places less than 50 miles apart. I doubt there are many such sharp differences in the US, apart from ethnic/cultural groups within some cities such as New York, and those sub-cultures equally exist in London. As you're in Arizona Rick, can I ask about the accents in the south-west of the US. We in the UK can easily tell a Californian accent is very different from a Texas accent. So how many identifiable accents (apart from 'Hispanics') are there in the very large, but sparsely populated states of Arizona and New Mexico in between? Never heard errrrr being deaf kind of hard to say but I do recall hearing as a little guy and do remember what a Texan sounds like, and a Southerner too....I live in the Nw and SW depending on the month. We do not believe we have accents.....Even though I am sure you all would disagree... Truth is my mother was not an American. And died never becoming an American. She, was born in Canada came across the border as a little girl and never went back......Her family was from England.....No one tell Sean please shhhhhh...My father was American 3rd or 4th generation with family from Bedfordshire... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_scrivener Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 As I'm originally from Bedfordshire, I have to ask, do you know where in Bedfordshire they were from? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Not at this time but I am going to look at the family gen. book and see if I can track it down.............I feel like I am coming out of the closet here.....ahhhhhh it was 115 last week Aunty Sue, would of melted both you and the wellies...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tractorman810 Posted August 13, 2012 Share Posted August 13, 2012 As I'm originally from Bedfordshire, I have to ask, do you know where in Bedfordshire they were from? hes american david, i would be surprised if rick knew where his 3 houses are let alone the uk :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Who woke him up.......go back to sleep Sean........and I been on that island twice.....too crowded for me.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david_scrivener Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Who woke him up.......go back to sleep Sean........and I been on that island twice.....too crowded for me.... Looking at Bedfordshire in particular, you certainly wouldn't like the main urban area in the south of the county, the three towns of Dunstable, Houghton Regis and Luton, which effectively merge to form a city. But drive a few miles out and there are lots of really pretty villages and small towns with medieval cottages and churches. Drive a few more miles north and east, and there are the wide open fields of the main agricultural area. The land is very flat, with a lot commercial vegetable growing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fendt-the deere killer Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Nothing wrong with Wiltshire. My mother was proud to be a Hampshire Hog but when I started on the family history I discovered we are all really Moonrakers! (sorry Rick, I will explain if you need an explanation/translation) ha ha i'm from pork pie town sue,but now in mortimer berkshire/hampshire border !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leakeyvale Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 We're almost neighbours, ****y - I live in a village in the north of Hampshire and the Berkshire border is only a few miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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