what accent do you struggle with you the most?

[sheilafri]

We were seated at dinner on a cruise with a couple from the Deep South (GA?). Neither my DH nor I could understand the man. We both think his DW had trouble, too. BTW, not the first time I’ve dealt with a southern accent, but this guy was just incomprehensible.

 

[TLSnell1981]

I don't struggle with international accents, usually.

It's deep south that hurts my ears.

I'd make you go deaf!

 

[NannyBeBe]

When I call customer service, I expect to speak to someone who can speak English without an accent so heavy that I cannot understand a word of what he is saying. I either ask him to let me speak to another agent or just hang up in frustration.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

When I watch shows with English or Scottish accents, I put the closed captioning on so I can follow along, otherwise I can’t understand half of what they say (even though I love the accents).

DH’s company had a virtual training seminar recently and the presenter was in India. Not only could they not understand him, he had a dog barking continuously in the background!

 

[Sweettears]

I’d go with Scotti and Jamaican. I know Jamaican is basically English but there are enough curves thrown in that make it difficult.

 

[penn19]

I was just going to mention “The Great British Baking Show”. There is a woman on the latest season that I struggle to understand. I know she is speaking English, but I can’t understand a word she says. I have no idea about the accent — I just know that I cannot understand a word of what she is saying.

 

[holden]

I was at a Wendy's the other day and could not understand what the employee was saying to me. He was mumbling. I had to ask three times for clarification. I felt bad, but what could I do? He did not have a foreign accent, but I still couldn't understand him.

 

[PollyannaMom]

When I watch shows with English or Scottish accents, I put the closed captioning on so I can follow along, otherwise I can’t understand half of what they say (even though I love the accents).

My DH has the same problem, but uses me to translate instead of the closed captioning.

I sometimes struggle with customer service on the phone, but I'm usually OK.

 

[prairie_girl]

My DH has the same problem, but uses me to translate instead of the closed captioning.

I sometimes struggle with customer service on the phone, but I'm usually OK.

You struggle with customer service as a whole? That sounds like maybe it’s a hearing issue.

 

[Moliphino]

Welsh is tough. We had a Welsh waiter at the Rose and Crown once; the English family at the next table overheard our confusion and told us they couldn't understand him either.

 

[PollyannaMom]

You struggle with customer service as a whole? That sounds like maybe it’s a hearing issue.

No, not with everyone. I said I "sometimes" struggle, but am "usually OK".

I don't trust my knowledge of other languages enough to judge the exact accent of the few I have struggled with, especially because assuming anything about them seems to upset other posters.

 

[Imzadi]

My DH has the same problem, but uses me to translate instead of the closed captioning.

One time while watching a movie, the actor said a few indecipherable words. I leaned over to my BF and said "What???"

My BF repeated the exact same indecipherable words back. So we both heard the same thing, just neither of us couldn't figure out the words. You might try that with your DH sometime.

 

[Neapolitan Ice Cream]

New Age Travellers. Sort of a cross of Irish and Surbo Creation.

 

[Imzadi]

Scouse.
When watching the Great British Bake Off,
I found those contestants with a Scouse accent were a bit harder for me to understand.

I was just going to mention “The Great British Baking Show”. There is a woman on the latest season that I struggle to understand. I know she is speaking English, but I can’t understand a word she says. I have no idea about the accent — I just know that I cannot understand a word of what she is saying.

Welsh is tough. We had a Welsh waiter at the Rose and Crown once; the English family at the next table overheard our confusion and told us they couldn't understand him either.

I love the Great British Bake Off. One time they did an episode on Cornish pasties and talked to some people in Cornwall to explain the history of the pasty. I couldn't understand what they were saying.

 

[lisaviolet]

I know Jamaican is basically English but there are enough curves thrown in that make it difficult.

Patois can be very difficult to catch, but when you start to get it - well it can be quite entertaining at times.

(Obviously it is the person that is truly entertaining, but the language leans into it..)

 

[ronandannette]

Patois can be very difficult to catch, but when you start to get it - well it can be quite entertaining at times.

(Obviously it is the person that is truly entertaining, but the language leans into it..)

I was actually thinking about Patois as I was reading the thread but I suppose it shouldn't really count? It's not exactly an accent and is even more than a dialect - it's an actual separate language that's NOT English, just like Creole isn't French. I think what makes Patois "fun' is that when hearing it, one catches enough words to assume it's English and figure the problem is on your own end.

 

[cedricandsophie]

Our parish priest was Indian and it was always a running theme this try to understand about every 3rd word during his homily. He was such a lovely man.

We were just im Africa and some accents there are a bit hard, especially those guides whose primary language is SwAhili. But they also had trouble understanding us, especially the way Americans use slang. We’ve been lucky to travel all over the world and I’m so impressed at people who speak English, their own language and often a smattering of other languages. I always feel like I don’t do English justice. It’s truly the ugly Americans that get irritated when a local doesn’t speak English or speaks very slowly so they can practice it correctly. In this day I’m still embarrassed and shocked at Americans who think shouting will help others understand them. No wonder the French have a reputation for disliking us.

 

[ronandannette]

You do realize you could be talking to an American citizen, right?

I’m sorry, but this attitude drives me crazy. I work customer service, so I know that sadly, I will always find work if I need it, because I have a plain, easy to understand voice.

As far as understanding accents, I can’t think of one that I just plain can’t understand, even if it’s just the basics.

I've got literally the opposite problem. At this point, more than half of our clientele are new Canadians who do not have English as their first language. As you probably know, becoming fluent in an official language isn't always a priority for newcomers, especially the older ones. We feel terrible at their frustration with us and we use some pretty creative methods to try and provide the service they deserve.

I've got several people on staff that are bi-or-multi lingual but most of us aren't. We try to communicate in writing as much as possible (hoping they have someone who can translate) and we end up talking a lot to children in the households, sometimes as young as elementary school-aged, who do speak fluent English and have gravitated into the role of translator for their families. That's a real trip.

 

[OKW8297]

I don't struggle with international accents, usually.

It's deep south that hurts my ears.

Same

 

[prairie_girl]

I've got literally the opposite problem. At this point, more than half of our clientele are new Canadians who do not have English as their first language. As you probably know, becoming fluent in an official language isn't always a priority for newcomers, especially the older ones. We feel terrible at their frustration with us and we use some pretty creative methods to try and provide the service they deserve.

I've got several people on staff that are bi-or-multi lingual but most of us aren't. We try to communicate in writing as much as possible (hoping they have someone who can translate) and we end up talking a lot to children in the households, sometimes as young as elementary school-aged, who do speak fluent English and have gravitated into the role of translator for their families. That's a real trip.

It definitely can be a challenge, sometimes, to make sure you are being understood. My frustration is the automatic assumption (not from you) that if you don’t understand someone, they must not be a citizen.

Imagine how hard it is, and courageous, to try and learn another language, and then have your livelihood depend on your knowledge of that language.

Admitting to hanging up on people who don’t speak the language to your satisfaction says a lot about someone. I have good friends who I’ve made working one job or another and it always hurts when they tell me about the racism and abuse they face on a daily basis.