Despite being a Scot myself, even I can’t understand some of the stronger northern accents and dialects, they’re practically a different language
I have a friend with a strong scouser accent (Liverpool). I discovered the day I met her that I won’t be able to call myself fluent in English (proper, not simplified) until I manage every accents of the British Isles.
I just watched a guy travel through the hills of Appalachia. The British Isles might not cut it
I had a buddy from Derry explain to me “If you’re in the UK and you start having a conversation where you realize three minutes in you have no idea what language the other guy is speaking you’re likely talking with a Welshman”. I thought he was joking. I thought I spoke English then I too met a bunch of people from Wales. My English isn’t that good
I had a Welsh work colleague years ago. A few times he was on the phone and spoke Welsh. None of the mental markers on what language he was speaking seemed to change. It sounded like English, spoken with a Welsh accent. Until my brain tried to interpret it. It was like I had had a stroke. It parsed as English, but wouldn’t make sense. It took a conscious effort to remind myself that he wasn’t speaking English.
You can be forgiven for Welsh is a separate language
Yes but they were speaking English which was a language I thought I was fluent in given it is my first language.
The film hot fuzz has an amazing take on this. They need to talk to a farmer, but end up bringing the dog handler along. It turns out it’s not for the dog. It takes 2 accent translations to make sense of what he is saying!
My work frequently has me interact with people from southern Louisiana. It’s a whole different language, that Cajun. Got a guy I work with that was born in Vietnam, then lived down in the south for several years before moving north. I joke that he speaks 3 languages: Vietnamese, Cajun, and English.
Well yeah, Cajun is a creole language mixing French and English, which is different from the accent people from Louisiana might have when speaking English proper.
10:12 is when the Cajun section starts
English is my second language, I’ve got the top bilingual score at work, still can’t watch Trainspotting without subtitles…
My mom and I went to Orkney in 2022 and overheard part of a conversation in a shop. My mom asked the clerk what language that was. “… English.”
Now try a conversation with a Geordie or Mackem shipyard worker.
I only know two languages:
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English
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Bad English
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