Leaving Scotland 🏴 today and my heart is breaking 💔 lovely country and wonderful people. Scotland will always live in my heart. Cold weather, but warm people!
My God. In the winter the wind didn't half used to whip down those alleyways in Edinburgh! Like a knife. My birthday's in January and every year there would be more snow than a Christmas card.
I was in Scotland in March. We spent a week in Glasgow and a week in Edinburgh. There were a few times, more in Glasgow, that I found myself just smiling and nodding. Then asking my husband "What did he say?" I'm from Texas and we talk strangely here so I can't complain about Scotland. Love your videos!
I am Appalachian, from the Southeastern Kentucky area. Our ancestors are mostly Scottis, Irish, and English. Some of the words you are saying sound a lot like the words my Grandma used. I would love very much to visit your fine country for a wee bit. I love many different accents, but the Scottish accent is my favorite!!!
its funny and a weird coincidence that a lot of us scots settled in the Appalachian mountains. If you look it up, the mountains in our Scottish highlands were once connected to the Appalachian mountains. its the same mountain range, it was just split apart a long long time ago
Adjusting your accent based on social situation (code switching) happens here in the US workplace, as well. I love hearing the Scottish accent and I am glad there’s videos like yours to help me better understand the regional differences in the accent.
Shaun, just by listening to you repeatedly I got to understand almost everything from other videos, as well, as opposed to the first time I heard a Scot speak Scottish English. Please just post videos of yourself speaking on whatever topic, because I think it is the best way of learning. Thank you so much!
There's NOTHING wrong with the range of glorious musical Scottish accents which are full of different shapes and oral postures. I'm from the States originally, now living in the UK, and I am instantly in a better mood if I get to have a chat with someone with any flavor of (supposedly working class) Scottish accent. Don't be apologetic; if someone can't understand your glorious accent, that's a "them" problem.
I’m a Scot who grew up in the US. I used to have to “translate” for friends when they were exposed to my family. My gran always said “you speak the Queen’s English at school and your Granny’s Scots at home”. The word I always had a problem with was ‘meteorology’. Just fyi -someone actually asked my dad how long it took us to drive from Scotland. 😜
My husband & I have been to Scotland three times for multiple weeks and there was only one time we had to ask the young lady to repeat herself because we just didn’t understand her. Other than that we had no problem. On our holidays we stayed to the Highlands, Orkney Island and Shetland Islands. Can not wait till our next holiday!
Shaun, it's EXACTLY like this for those of us in the deep South of the USA. I think many of us try to adjust our accents when speaking with people from outside of our area of influence just to not have to repeat ourselves so much. I can't tell you how many times, when I was younger and first entering the workforce, I heard the word "Pardon?" I enjoy listening to the many accents of Scotland and I've tried to acclimate by watching Scottish shows (i.e., Still Game, Karen Pirie, Shetland, and Hamish MacBeth). I did the same when living in a Spanish speaking community and it helped tremendously! Thanks for your insights and explanations. I hope you enjoyed your time in Georgia and found it very welcoming, even though it was BLAZING hot!
I love Scotland! On my second visit, I was given a ticket to see Macbeth, in Dundee, with mainly local actors. The production was great, very well staged, but only the fact that my studies as an English major had focused on Shakespeare allowed me to follow the action! I've seen Macbeth at least 5 or 6 times & know the play well, but there were definitely moments of confusion.
I think it's blueprinted in all humans to be able to understand each other whether it's physical battery actions hand gestures physical contact just switching your accent I think sometimes can be automatic when you want to be understood and those types of situations I do it myself it's like you try to auto adjust to make the other person feel comfortable
I grew up in Leith and definitely modified my way of speaking after moving to other parts of the world. I definitely had to slow down as I had a bit of the spud delivery speed. I'm glad you made the clarification about Edinburgh accents as many of didn't speak as if we had bools in oor mooth.
Love this video Shaun! I've been to Scotland yearly since 2019 (except for the year that wasnt) and I've found the Scottish people to be friendly and helpful no matter where I've been. From the borders to the highlands, skye, and the hebrides I've not had trouble communicating. Sometimes we don't always understand each other (it goes both ways) but it's always been pleasant. We will again be over to visit in 1 weeks time and I can't wait.
I'm trying to both learn to understand and properly do a Glaswegian ascent for a character I want to cosplay. I want to make sure I'm doing it justice and not sounding like a caricature. Thank you for giving me a place to start!
From Canada here !! Love your Scottish accent please dont loose the accent. Im so glad the younger ones are sticking to their natural language Scotland is on my bucket list to visit
Thanks for the updated video. It was fun to hear a more distinctive Edinburgh accent. I understand what you meant by softening your accent. Growing up an Italian American I had a speech teacher as a kid who ended up correcting my Brooklyn like accent. It's not dis, dat, and de otter ting, she explained. It's this, that and the other thing. I am grateful for her instruction because it came in handy later in life. If I am with people I grew up with I do tend to slip back into that accent a bit. I think its more for the sake of being understood.
So excited and can't wait to get there and hear these different accents in person!! Hubby and I have a trip planned arriving August 28. We fly into Manchester then driving up to Glasgow for 3 nights then moseying over to Edinburgh for 4 nights then driving on down to the Yorkshire Dales to meet up with our newly married daughter and her in-laws for 2 more weeks. Thank you for this video!!!
We're heading there next April and have been binge watching videos like this. Yours is one of the most helpful considering many of the other ones are just influencers taking photos of themselves with Scotland in the background. You produce something actually useful. Thanks!
I was born in East Kilbride… we had an accent of our own there when I was growing up , like Lorraine Kelly ! I now live in Kirkintilloch and they sound Glaswegian. I love our varying accents and although I’m a weegie , I love the Edinburgh accent ❤
When my grandma arrived in Cleveland Ohio from Clydebank in 1935 to join her brother she found 14:00 nobody understood a word she said when asking for directions to the trolley line.
It's so ironic you did this video, Shaun. I am American but have a dear friend in Scotland. She grew up in Glasgow and her mother still lives there. She just sent me a book of a comic strip you have: Oor Wullie. I am immensely enjoying it. I told her recently that I felt like I was learning to speak Scottish. I had to ask her what a lot of words mean, and braw was one of them. I know that just reading the words are not how they are spoken by Scottish people, but I like getting a feel for the words. I love your channels, Shaun. I always look forward to the next video.
Love Billy Connolly! The first time I went to Scotland in 1979 I could not understand one word or one word on the phone. The accents of people I spoke to were much stronger than yours. Thanks for the informative video.
I was born and raised in the US, but my parents were born and raised in Edinburgh, so I grew up hearing the Scottish accent. I could never understand why my friends had trouble understanding my mom. Thanks for the tongue twisters. Those were new to me. Interesting to hear which words different people have trouble pronouncing.
I'm from US. My former boss was from New York, with a heavy New York Italian accent. In the 90's, he entered the business world and had to "tone down" his accent and hand gestures (Italians tend to speak with their hands, which I love as a non-Italian). Said if he didn't, he wouldn't have progressed in his career because he wouldn't be taken seriously. Sadly, the case for a lot of ppl.
I enjoyed this video so much. It reminded me of an experience I had in Killarney, Ireland several years ago. I was in a pub listening to a band (The Elders) & a group of guys came in & sat next to where I was sitting. There was a guy in this group who was talking a mile a minute to everyone around. I found I could not understand a single word he was saying. I kept thinking to myself, "He's speaking English. I know he is. Why don't I understand him?!? I asked one of the guys who came in with him what he was saying & the guy said he didn't know. He couldn't understand him, either. Turns out this unintelligible guy was from Glasgow, Scotland & he had just met these other Irish guys that evening. The Irish guys couldn't understand him any better than me (an American). It was a grand evening though, I must say after all of that. It was fun listening to the Glaswegian & finally beginning to understand him by the end of the evening. I thought maybe with my Scottish genes I might be able to understand the Glaswegian accent a bit better than I did. I love the Scottish accent no matter what part of the country it comes from. 🙂
Hi Shaun! You explain different accents in Scotland and the UK.It'always been learning and joyful experience because accents have history,cultural and regions. Thanks & regards.
I identify with what you're saying about having to adjust your accent, being from the American South. We often get looked down on by people from other parts of the US, who equate any Southern accent with either Scarlett O'Hara or a stereotypical hillbilly. I grew up in the Piedmont of South Carolina, where our English came from Scottish, West Country British, with a bit of German thrown in -- hard, rhotic "R's", lots of diphthongs where we stretch out the syllables of a word, and make words with soft endings into hard "R" sounds, as in "winder" (short 'I') for window or "holler" for hollow. So we get the hillbilly label all the stereotypes that go with it, although the accent has definitely moderated in our area since, beginning with my Dad's generation, we've grown up with movies and TV. But I hope we don't lose it completely, because it's so much about our history and culture. That's why I'm glad people like comedian Trae Crowder from Tennessee, who does the RUclips character "the Liberal Redneck", and Dr. Travis Taylor from northern Alabama, aerospace engineer with multiple advanced degrees, speak eloquently, articulately and proudly with the hill accents they grew up with. I think the Scots accent is really beautiful and unique, and I think, even if you have to interpret sometimes, you should speak it fully for us to come to understand and celebrate its uniqueness. Thanks so much for your videos!
I was in Scotland in 1993. I was in the US Navy and we pulled into Rosyth. I don't remember having a whole lot of difficulty understanding people though. Maybe some.
I’m doing a Scottish accent in the play I’m doing because I can’t unhear Scottish Little John. And bc of weird ways my tongue was formed while I was in the womb I can’t freaking roll my Rs so I’m going for a kinda Edinburgh accent
My grand parents were from glasgow. They came over to USA around the world war 2 era. Along with them my aunt. I hardly remember my grand parents but I miss my aunt dearly. I miss hearing her glasgow accent.
We went to Scotland in 2019. Our tour started in Glasgow then went to Edinburgh, along the Cairngorms up to Orkney and around the North Coast and West Highlands to the Isle or Skye, Man, and Iona, then ended back at Glasgow. We picked up on the difference between the Glaswegians and the posher sounding folks in Edinburgh right away! Loved both, but Glasgow felt more open, comfortable, down to earth, and fun! The Queens influence in Edinburgh was I think the main reason- as you alluded to. I love a good rugged highland accent, but they all sound like music to my ears- even when I can't understand it. :)
Yea at 8:05 it’s is crazy how you have to change your accent to please others in posh places I’m Mexican and have a bit of a Chicano accent but that’s a whole different story but love Scotland and hopefully visit 💯
Thank you for this video Shaun. One day I hope to make it to Scotland to both visit & explore my Scottish heritage & ancestry. It seems most of my ancestors (MacNaughton) hailed from the Kintyre Peninsula. I've been told the accent there is much softer due to the influences of Gaelic & Ireland. Is there any truth to this?
Wife and I spent 3 weeks there in October. What an incredibly beautiful and amazing country and people. I’m American and overall didn’t have a difficult time understanding, but you have to listen and sometimes ask them to speak a wee bit slower.
It is the constanants together. I understood everyone when I was there mainly because I had a speech problem when I was a kid. I had speech therapy to be able to pronounce those same words. I love all the accents ❤
I loved this video. I am married to a Scot who moved to the US long ago. When we first visited his sister’s family on the west coast of Scotland, outside of Glasgow, I could understand her and her husband very well. I thought they had a lovely accent. But I had a very difficult time with their teen-age son, so he must have picked up his slang from school and friends. Now as an adult he speaks much more clearly.
I still have a Glasgow accent but live further north on the west coast for the last 22 years. There's only me and my wee dog,nearest neighbour is just under a mile away ,so I guess my dog barks and growls in a Glasgow accent too.
Ha! I'm just now watching Outlander, which is not even half as bad as far as the accent goes, but every so often I have to go back & re-listen to a sentence! I love it, tho & would love to visit Scotland someday!
A lot of people in Scotland can automatically switch between speaking to people in their own local accent to a more standardised English, called Scottish English, if they want to. Its what they are taught at school. They need to use Standard British English or Scottish English in business and when talking to people from outside of Scotland, to be understood clearly. Though some dont always do that for people not from Scotland. For example when speaking to tourists in the street. Ive seen Billy Connolly's 1976 documentary about the difference between Glasgow and Edinburgh accents. Theres some good banter in it. Unfortunately it doesnt really give a fair comparison between the two cities. It picks out a really working class people from Glasgow and compares them to the way people speak in a really middle class part of Edinburgh, called Morningside. Its two extremes mostly based on class. Its really based on stereotypes of people in both cities. Which are now mostly out of date. He should really have compared Glasgow with people from Niddrie or Leith, in Edinburgh.
Exactly mate, born in Leith, brought up in Harewood Crescent, Niddrie, moved to Clovenstone (wester Hailes) and my mum and dad still live in the Calders, fuck all posh about us! If ye jang whit am manging!
When I traveled to Edinburgh for Fringe one year, I saw a wide variety of stand up comics among other great international performers. I can definitely say from that experience, there were some Scottish comics I had a much more difficult time understanding because of the variety there is within Scottish accents. Nevertheless they put on great shows.
You spoke about changing your accent according to where you were and who you were with. I'm from the southern US and people automatically think we are stupid because of our accent. There are many times in business or different areas of the country where many of us try to change our accent so we don't have to deal with the stereotype that they have of us.
I'm thinking back to my trip to Scotland, and I don't remember having the chance to speak with the average person in Edinburgh. I'm going to have to make it a point to visit some of the shops the average Scottish person visits and avoid the "touristy" places.
The question that I, as a Scot, have always asked myself is, 'Where does the glottal stop?' Is it somewhere around Harthill?... I think we should be told.
I'm northern sweden-er and I changed my accent too when I lived down south. The northern accent I speak is influenced by finnish so sounds, just as scottish, a bit harsh. I changed it partly to be understood and partly to not stand out because that accent causes a bit of a reaction as it's quite exotic to southerners.
They stole our language my family the Clelands assinatated english lords and fought along side william wallace. I call all of the scotts men and women we meed to stand up and make sure our heritage is protected
Very interesting video!! I was born near Glasgow and lived there with my Scottish family until I was 7. Moved to the USA and learned to speak in an American accent (to survive? Lol) I spoke American all the time except to my parents and sister. I had a thick accent when I turned it on. Then when I was 32 I decided to go back and only talk in Scottish bc I wasn’t ashamed and I wanted to be more authentic. It’s very difficult to speak in Scottish in the us.I have an American husband and 4 American children. I do feel I soften the accent to be understood but it feels like it’s disappearing unless I’m with Scottish ppl
As an American I'm ashamed my fellow citizens insist that other people in their own countries are criticised for their accents !!!! Do your homework BEFORE you leave!!!
Arent you cute! I found you spoke faster as the video traveled on. I could come to Edinburgh, sit for hours and have a lovely time......never understanding a word that was spoken! Hope to visit some day....but at 70 this year, I better make plans sooner than later! (Oh.....from Washington state USA)
OK SO. I'm Canadian. I'm from south-western Ontario. Best way to understand how I sound with my buddies is letterkenny. I *do not* sound like this on corporate zoom calls. I can switch and sound like Peter Mansbridge when needed. But with my friends 100% I sound like a Canadian hick.
I'm from Glasgow and I lived in London for about 3 years and I had to really think about the words and how I pronounced them. People from Glasgow can't say burglar alarm properly it's just a fact and I mean proper glasweigi
I understand your point re adjusting accents. Im a Kiwi (who grew up on a full diet of British/Scottish media), but now I live In Vancouvercwith my Canadian husband. I am constantly asked if Im Scottish, strangely more than if Im Aussie. But because I work in healthcare, I have to heavily empasize my vowels, just to b understood. For example, my maiden name (my fathers family from Larnackshire) is Barker. As a Kiwi, I grew up just saying "Baakaa". In Canada I have to say "Bar-Ker."
Also, I understand what you mean by softening your accent. I'm originally from working class Boston, and as a child, my mother tried (and succeeded) to get me to say my R's and generally sound not Boston (instead of pahk the cah in Havahd yahd). I guess there was/is a bit of a stigma? Still, my whole family still has a bit of the accent, despite living in Florida for 40+ years now. I personally wish I still had my Boston accent, even if it's still a target for comedians, because I love that connection to where I was born ☺ Sometimes my mother and I intentionally use it, though current Bostonians would probably shake their heads at us LOL
You guys should visit eastern Kentucky. Try to understand us... lol Same here. Im from a rural area then moved to a city. My accent is softer until im around more rural folks then it gets alot stronger.
As an Englishman I am glad Scots is coming back and now socially acceptable, it is so much more expressive than English. Len Pennie is great. (misspunnypennie). BTW jewelry is America, Sassanachs say Jewellery 😀(then again, most English struggle with February!)
Good video~ Where does David Tennant's accent fit in? Stephen Colbert once asked if if they don't have Posh people n Scotland, and David said, they do, but they don't have accents like mine. He is from Paisley but has been living in London and performing using English accents since his early 20s, so he seems to have a hybrid accent. When he does American accents his Ls and his Rs tend to give him away. They are too pronounced. I can't help but think Georgia named their dog "Myrtle" because it is hard for him to say.
I have a question if someone who speaks this wonderful language can help...there's a little girl on tiktok who's face was apparently written on by the elf on the shelf, and she was talking with an accent. Some people are saying that her accent is wigan and I say it's Scottish. Can anyone help
In Edinburgh and Glasgow there's quite a few different accents within each city. Even out in the cuds, a town/village can have a completely different accent, but only be a few miles apart (Bo'ness and Linlithgow). I love all the differences. Living in London I had to soften my Scottish accent big time. But I admit to putting it on loudly to get to a crowded bar. "Scuse me. Coming thru," it was like Moses parting the waves. Worked every time. I speak four other languages, but it took me a day or two to tune into the Doric. The Borders was the same. Sna Ploo? Snow Plough LOL. Great video. Thank you.
In the early 90s I was in the Army surrounded by Englishmen. One guy, trying to insult me, said I was only Scottish when I wanted to be. Still makes me giggle
The further west you go across the central belt the more our accent becomes rougher and the hight level of depravity. We use to get told to speak properly at school usually resulting in the teachers getting verbal abuse or the wain trying to speak differently to please them.
As a young French student I spent a few months in Edinburgh in the 70s. For me this accent became the norm, which didn’t help with my studies I’m afraid 😅, still 50 years later I have a soft spot for this accent. Somehow I have the feeling Scots are using a softer version of what I heard in the 70s.
I’ve lived south of the border 60 years come November , I was 15 at the time , I still have a Scottish Edinburgh accent ., though obviously not as strong .People don’t believe I’ve been here so long and maintained my accent .
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"You'll understand some of us, some of the time" 😂😂😂 This was definitely my experience! LOL
lol that’s like me understanding Spanish!
Leaving Scotland 🏴 today and my heart is breaking 💔 lovely country and wonderful people. Scotland will always live in my heart. Cold weather, but warm people!
My God. In the winter the wind didn't half used to whip down those alleyways in Edinburgh! Like a knife. My birthday's in January and every year there would be more snow than a Christmas card.
Land of my high endeavor, land of the shining river -- land of my heart forever, Scotland the brave!
Thanks
I was in Scotland in March. We spent a week in Glasgow and a week in Edinburgh. There were a few times, more in Glasgow, that I found myself just smiling and nodding. Then asking my husband "What did he say?" I'm from Texas and we talk strangely here so I can't complain about Scotland. Love your videos!
I am Appalachian, from the Southeastern Kentucky area. Our ancestors are mostly Scottis, Irish, and English. Some of the words you are saying sound a lot like the words my Grandma used. I would love very much to visit your fine country for a wee bit. I love many different accents, but the Scottish accent is my favorite!!!
It's damned good that you're an American aware and proud of your British roots.
its funny and a weird coincidence that a lot of us scots settled in the Appalachian mountains. If you look it up, the mountains in our Scottish highlands were once connected to the Appalachian mountains. its the same mountain range, it was just split apart a long long time ago
Adjusting your accent based on social situation (code switching) happens here in the US workplace, as well. I love hearing the Scottish accent and I am glad there’s videos like yours to help me better understand the regional differences in the accent.
Shaun, just by listening to you repeatedly I got to understand almost everything from other videos, as well, as opposed to the first time I heard a Scot speak Scottish English. Please just post videos of yourself speaking on whatever topic, because I think it is the best way of learning. Thank you so much!
You just taught me so much about the Scottish language. I didn't realize it had such a cool history. Thank you!
don't change your accent and your language ! This your part of why we loved to visit you!
Did you see the Burniston "Voice-activated [elevator]" skit?
My dream vacation! I'll probly never get there. Glad the young people are standing their ground about the Scott language.
I hope you do come and visit 😊
There's NOTHING wrong with the range of glorious musical Scottish accents which are full of different shapes and oral postures. I'm from the States originally, now living in the UK, and I am instantly in a better mood if I get to have a chat with someone with any flavor of (supposedly working class) Scottish accent. Don't be apologetic; if someone can't understand your glorious accent, that's a "them" problem.
Spot on brother 🏴👍
@@danielflynn599im a lady, but cheers.
@@soscipherr Sorry 👍
@@danielflynn599 At least I can say I've been called "brother" now. 🤣
Geat information, we my wife and I were in Edingbourgh in 2012 and are comming back next month, beautiful city,people, and fun.
I’m a Scot who grew up in the US. I used to have to “translate” for friends when they were exposed to my family. My gran always said “you speak the Queen’s English at school and your Granny’s Scots at home”. The word I always had a problem with was ‘meteorology’.
Just fyi -someone actually asked my dad how long it took us to drive from Scotland. 😜
Thanks for sharing , Shaun ❤
I am in love with Scotland 😊
My husband & I have been to Scotland three times for multiple weeks and there was only one time we had to ask the young lady to repeat herself because we just didn’t understand her. Other than that we had no problem. On our holidays we stayed to the Highlands, Orkney Island and Shetland Islands. Can not wait till our next holiday!
I've never been to Scottland & probably will never be able to afford it, But my husband & I Love the accent. It makes us Happy! 🤗❤
I really wanna go to Scotland once i get a little older, the accent sounds super cool
I hope you make it over here 😊
Aye its pure dead brilliant !😊 hope to get to visit 😊
Shaun, it's EXACTLY like this for those of us in the deep South of the USA. I think many of us try to adjust our accents when speaking with people from outside of our area of influence just to not have to repeat ourselves so much. I can't tell you how many times, when I was younger and first entering the workforce, I heard the word "Pardon?" I enjoy listening to the many accents of Scotland and I've tried to acclimate by watching Scottish shows (i.e., Still Game, Karen Pirie, Shetland, and Hamish MacBeth). I did the same when living in a Spanish speaking community and it helped tremendously! Thanks for your insights and explanations. I hope you enjoyed your time in Georgia and found it very welcoming, even though it was BLAZING hot!
I love Scotland! On my second visit, I was given a ticket to see Macbeth, in Dundee, with mainly local actors. The production was great, very well staged, but only the fact that my studies as an English major had focused on Shakespeare allowed me to follow the action! I've seen Macbeth at least 5 or 6 times & know the play well, but there were definitely moments of confusion.
This is great I’m glad you enjoyed your trip here
I think it's blueprinted in all humans to be able to understand each other whether it's physical battery actions hand gestures physical contact just switching your accent I think sometimes can be automatic when you want to be understood and those types of situations I do it myself it's like you try to auto adjust to make the other person feel comfortable
I grew up in Leith and definitely modified my way of speaking after moving to other parts of the world. I definitely had to slow down as I had a bit of the spud delivery speed. I'm glad you made the clarification about Edinburgh accents as many of didn't speak as if we had bools in oor mooth.
Love this video Shaun! I've been to Scotland yearly since 2019 (except for the year that wasnt) and I've found the Scottish people to be friendly and helpful no matter where I've been. From the borders to the highlands, skye, and the hebrides I've not had trouble communicating. Sometimes we don't always understand each other (it goes both ways) but it's always been pleasant. We will again be over to visit in 1 weeks time and I can't wait.
I'm trying to both learn to understand and properly do a Glaswegian ascent for a character I want to cosplay. I want to make sure I'm doing it justice and not sounding like a caricature. Thank you for giving me a place to start!
From Canada here !! Love your Scottish accent please dont loose the accent. Im so glad the younger ones are sticking to their natural language Scotland is on my bucket list to visit
Great video Shaun, its incredible how many accents there are just in Scotland. Let alone the u.k. u.s. canada Australia
Yeah for such a small place that could fit in the size of a single state 😅
Thanks for the updated video. It was fun to hear a more distinctive Edinburgh accent. I understand what you meant by softening your accent. Growing up an Italian American I had a speech teacher as a kid who ended up correcting my Brooklyn like accent. It's not dis, dat, and de otter ting, she explained. It's this, that and the other thing. I am grateful for her instruction because it came in handy later in life. If I am with people I grew up with I do tend to slip back into that accent a bit. I think its more for the sake of being understood.
7:00 okay code switch!!!! I do it too in America! I have a "phone" voice.
So excited and can't wait to get there and hear these different accents in person!! Hubby and I have a trip planned arriving August 28. We fly into Manchester then driving up to Glasgow for 3 nights then moseying over to Edinburgh for 4 nights then driving on down to the Yorkshire Dales to meet up with our newly married daughter and her in-laws for 2 more weeks. Thank you for this video!!!
How was your trip? :D I’ve been wanting to visit for a while myself
We're heading there next April and have been binge watching videos like this. Yours is one of the most helpful considering many of the other ones are just influencers taking photos of themselves with Scotland in the background. You produce something actually useful. Thanks!
I was born in East Kilbride… we had an accent of our own there when I was growing up , like Lorraine Kelly ! I now live in Kirkintilloch and they sound Glaswegian. I love our varying accents and although I’m a weegie , I love the Edinburgh accent ❤
When my grandma arrived in Cleveland Ohio from Clydebank in 1935 to join her brother she found 14:00 nobody understood a word she said when asking for directions to the trolley line.
Scots are very kind and friendly. I lived in the Grange for a year. I very much miss it, and my neighbors.
It's so ironic you did this video, Shaun. I am American but have a dear friend in Scotland. She grew up in Glasgow and her mother still lives there. She just sent me a book of a comic strip you have: Oor Wullie. I am immensely enjoying it. I told her recently that I felt like I was learning to speak Scottish. I had to ask her what a lot of words mean, and braw was one of them. I know that just reading the words are not how they are spoken by Scottish people, but I like getting a feel for the words. I love your channels, Shaun. I always look forward to the next video.
Thank you so mutch .
To see your video clip this time to shaun
Love Billy Connolly! The first time I went to Scotland in 1979 I could not understand one word or one word on the phone. The accents of people I spoke to were much stronger than yours. Thanks for the informative video.
I was born and raised in the US, but my parents were born and raised in
Edinburgh, so I grew up hearing the Scottish accent. I could never understand why my friends had trouble understanding my mom.
Thanks for the tongue twisters. Those were new to me. Interesting to hear which words different people have trouble pronouncing.
I went to South Africa in 1979 with a Glaswegian accent. I came back in 2020 with the same Glaswegian accent. I NEVER let it change.
Love it! I really enjoyed visiting Glasgow last summer, right before the big bike race. The people are fantastic!!
I'm from US. My former boss was from New York, with a heavy New York Italian accent. In the 90's, he entered the business world and had to "tone down" his accent and hand gestures (Italians tend to speak with their hands, which I love as a non-Italian). Said if he didn't, he wouldn't have progressed in his career because he wouldn't be taken seriously. Sadly, the case for a lot of ppl.
I enjoyed this video so much. It reminded me of an experience I had in Killarney, Ireland several years ago. I was in a pub listening to a band (The Elders) & a group of guys came in & sat next to where I was sitting. There was a guy in this group who was talking a mile a minute to everyone around. I found I could not understand a single word he was saying. I kept thinking to myself, "He's speaking English. I know he is. Why don't I understand him?!? I asked one of the guys who came in with him what he was saying & the guy said he didn't know. He couldn't understand him, either. Turns out this unintelligible guy was from Glasgow, Scotland & he had just met these other Irish guys that evening. The Irish guys couldn't understand him any better than me (an American). It was a grand evening though, I must say after all of that. It was fun listening to the Glaswegian & finally beginning to understand him by the end of the evening. I thought maybe with my Scottish genes I might be able to understand the Glaswegian accent a bit better than I did. I love the Scottish accent no matter what part of the country it comes from. 🙂
Hi Shaun! You explain different accents in Scotland and the UK.It'always been learning and joyful experience because accents have history,cultural and regions.
Thanks & regards.
I identify with what you're saying about having to adjust your accent, being from the American South. We often get looked down on by people from other parts of the US, who equate any Southern accent with either Scarlett O'Hara or a stereotypical hillbilly. I grew up in the Piedmont of South Carolina, where our English came from Scottish, West Country British, with a bit of German thrown in -- hard, rhotic "R's", lots of diphthongs where we stretch out the syllables of a word, and make words with soft endings into hard "R" sounds, as in "winder" (short 'I') for window or "holler" for hollow. So we get the hillbilly label all the stereotypes that go with it, although the accent has definitely moderated in our area since, beginning with my Dad's generation, we've grown up with movies and TV. But I hope we don't lose it completely, because it's so much about our history and culture. That's why I'm glad people like comedian Trae Crowder from Tennessee, who does the RUclips character "the Liberal Redneck", and Dr. Travis Taylor from northern Alabama, aerospace engineer with multiple advanced degrees, speak eloquently, articulately and proudly with the hill accents they grew up with. I think the Scots accent is really beautiful and unique, and I think, even if you have to interpret sometimes, you should speak it fully for us to come to understand and celebrate its uniqueness. Thanks so much for your videos!
As an American son of first generation Scottish immigrants (Forresters) this is very interesting to me. Thank you for making this!
I was in Scotland in 1993. I was in the US Navy and we pulled into Rosyth. I don't remember having a whole lot of difficulty understanding people though. Maybe some.
I’m doing a Scottish accent in the play I’m doing because I can’t unhear Scottish Little John. And bc of weird ways my tongue was formed while I was in the womb I can’t freaking roll my Rs so I’m going for a kinda Edinburgh accent
Try this one : "rural horror". Even I have trouble with constructions like this, and I am southern United States, but not a strong southern accent..
Shaun, I got this growing up in the South (of the US), a disparagement of my accent. Thanks for this video!
My grand parents were from glasgow. They came over to USA around the world war 2 era. Along with them my aunt. I hardly remember my grand parents but I miss my aunt dearly. I miss hearing her glasgow accent.
We went to Scotland in 2019. Our tour started in Glasgow then went to Edinburgh, along the Cairngorms up to Orkney and around the North Coast and West Highlands to the Isle or Skye, Man, and Iona, then ended back at Glasgow. We picked up on the difference between the Glaswegians and the posher sounding folks in Edinburgh right away! Loved both, but Glasgow felt more open, comfortable, down to earth, and fun! The Queens influence in Edinburgh was I think the main reason- as you alluded to. I love a good rugged highland accent, but they all sound like music to my ears- even when I can't understand it. :)
Yea at 8:05 it’s is crazy how you have to change your accent to please others in posh places I’m Mexican and have a bit of a Chicano accent but that’s a whole different story but love Scotland and hopefully visit 💯
Doing a little research. Thanks for the info!
Thank you for this video Shaun. One day I hope to make it to Scotland to both visit & explore my Scottish heritage & ancestry. It seems most of my ancestors (MacNaughton) hailed from the Kintyre Peninsula. I've been told the accent there is much softer due to the influences of Gaelic & Ireland. Is there any truth to this?
I recently went to Edinburgh and I love the accent and I saw such a beautiful woman with this accent. Absolutely love it.
Wife and I spent 3 weeks there in October. What an incredibly beautiful and amazing country and people. I’m American and overall didn’t have a difficult time understanding, but you have to listen and sometimes ask them to speak a wee bit slower.
Yep we are interested
Wonderfully introspective.
It is the constanants together. I understood everyone when I was there mainly because I had a speech problem when I was a kid. I had speech therapy to be able to pronounce those same words. I love all the accents ❤
I loved this video. I am married to a Scot who moved to the US long ago. When we first visited his sister’s family on the west coast of Scotland, outside of Glasgow, I could understand her and her husband very well. I thought they had a lovely accent. But I had a very difficult time with their teen-age son, so he must have picked up his slang from school and friends. Now as an adult he speaks much more clearly.
I still have a Glasgow accent but live further north on the west coast for the last 22 years. There's only me and my wee dog,nearest neighbour is just under a mile away ,so I guess my dog barks and growls in a Glasgow accent too.
Ha! I'm just now watching Outlander, which is not even half as bad as far as the accent goes, but every so often I have to go back & re-listen to a sentence! I love it, tho & would love to visit Scotland someday!
Outlander has gotten me saying 'Aye' and 'Ah Dinnae Ken' without even thinking now..😂
I especially love Chewin the Fat's Star Trek spoof. Hilarious!! 🏴💜
Lovely and edifying. :)
My question is, could you do a video of the cost of living in an apartment in Glasgow, Scotland, food, utilities, and some restaurants.
My mother is Scottish and been in South Carolina for years ? So I understand the accent better than most thing.
I’m on my way to Scotland in June for the fifth time. I can hardly wait!
A lot of people in Scotland can automatically switch between speaking to people in their own local accent to a more standardised English, called Scottish English, if they want to. Its what they are taught at school. They need to use Standard British English or Scottish English in business and when talking to people from outside of Scotland, to be understood clearly. Though some dont always do that for people not from Scotland. For example when speaking to tourists in the street.
Ive seen Billy Connolly's 1976 documentary about the difference between Glasgow and Edinburgh accents. Theres some good banter in it. Unfortunately it doesnt really give a fair comparison between the two cities. It picks out a really working class people from Glasgow and compares them to the way people speak in a really middle class part of Edinburgh, called Morningside. Its two extremes mostly based on class. Its really based on stereotypes of people in both cities. Which are now mostly out of date. He should really have compared Glasgow with people from Niddrie or Leith, in Edinburgh.
And Highlanders don’t even need to switch haha
Exactly mate, born in Leith, brought up in Harewood Crescent, Niddrie, moved to Clovenstone (wester Hailes) and my mum and dad still live in the Calders, fuck all posh about us! If ye jang whit am manging!
@@Veronacelt Aye I dae.
Bra is the Swedish word for good! 😃 The Viking influence in Scots language. 😃
Cool!
I wonder how many Swedish words did make it through the years
oh my! it seems to high seed accent. but i love jow it sounds
I'm not nervous! I just LOVE the accent.
The Untold Story of English, “Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue”? because every bastard speaks it, Aye! a' KEN. Love is.
I love you can still hear the WH sound at the beginning of words in some Scot's accents. We dropped that a long way back in Australia.
I'm from edinbrugh and I don't have an accent well I don't think I do and I love your accent it's great
Love the part u said about the schools and I go to George Watson's college and I see what you mean
I was in Scotland in May, I had no problem with the accent.
Good to know! Which parts did you visit?
@@shauns_scotland Portree, Glasgow and Edinburgh. The roads 10 miles outside Portree were awful.
When I traveled to Edinburgh for Fringe one year, I saw a wide variety of stand up comics among other great international performers. I can definitely say from that experience, there were some Scottish comics I had a much more difficult time understanding because of the variety there is within Scottish accents. Nevertheless they put on great shows.
I googled the accent comparison because O. Douglas (Anna Buchan) was comparing Glasgow and Edinburgh accent and people around 1910.
Shaun, I understood Edinburgh and Glasgow accents well enough on our trips. But I had a heck of a time with a gillie from Aberdeen 😂
Even Scottish people sometimes have trouble understanding Rural aberdonians😀
@@jimdevlin2138 🤣🤣
You spoke about changing your accent according to where you were and who you were with. I'm from the southern US and people automatically think we are stupid because of our accent. There are many times in business or different areas of the country where many of us try to change our accent so we don't have to deal with the stereotype that they have of us.
I'm thinking back to my trip to Scotland, and I don't remember having the chance to speak with the average person in Edinburgh. I'm going to have to make it a point to visit some of the shops the average Scottish person visits and avoid the "touristy" places.
"blether" is used in American English, shifted to "blather," and now with a negative tint. "He was blathering on and on about something."
The question that I, as a Scot, have always asked myself is, 'Where does the glottal stop?' Is it somewhere around Harthill?... I think we should be told.
I'm northern sweden-er and I changed my accent too when I lived down south. The northern accent I speak is influenced by finnish so sounds, just as scottish, a bit harsh.
I changed it partly to be understood and partly to not stand out because that accent causes a bit of a reaction as it's quite exotic to southerners.
They stole our language my family the Clelands assinatated english lords and fought along side william wallace. I call all of the scotts men and women we meed to stand up and make sure our heritage is protected
Very interesting video!! I was born near Glasgow and lived there with my Scottish family until I was 7. Moved to the USA and learned to speak in an American accent (to survive? Lol) I spoke American all the time except to my parents and sister. I had a thick accent when I turned it on. Then when I was 32 I decided to go back and only talk in Scottish bc I wasn’t ashamed and I wanted to be more authentic. It’s very difficult to speak in Scottish in the us.I have an American husband and 4 American children. I do feel I soften the accent to be understood but it feels like it’s disappearing unless I’m with Scottish ppl
As an American I'm ashamed my fellow citizens insist that other people in their own countries are criticised for their accents !!!! Do your homework BEFORE you leave!!!
Arent you cute! I found you spoke faster as the video traveled on. I could come to Edinburgh, sit for hours and have a lovely time......never understanding a word that was spoken! Hope to visit some day....but at 70 this year, I better make plans sooner than later! (Oh.....from Washington state USA)
How about Neil Oliver - how strong would you consider his accent?
OK SO.
I'm Canadian. I'm from south-western Ontario. Best way to understand how I sound with my buddies is letterkenny.
I *do not* sound like this on corporate zoom calls. I can switch and sound like Peter Mansbridge when needed.
But with my friends 100% I sound like a Canadian hick.
I'm from Glasgow and I lived in London for about 3 years and I had to really think about the words and how I pronounced them. People from Glasgow can't say burglar alarm properly it's just a fact and I mean proper glasweigi
I understand your point re adjusting accents. Im a Kiwi (who grew up on a full diet of British/Scottish media), but now I live In Vancouvercwith my Canadian husband. I am constantly asked if Im Scottish, strangely more than if Im Aussie. But because I work in healthcare, I have to heavily empasize my vowels, just to b understood. For example, my maiden name (my fathers family from Larnackshire) is Barker. As a Kiwi, I grew up just saying "Baakaa". In Canada I have to say "Bar-Ker."
Also, I understand what you mean by softening your accent. I'm originally from working class Boston, and as a child, my mother tried (and succeeded) to get me to say my R's and generally sound not Boston (instead of pahk the cah in Havahd yahd). I guess there was/is a bit of a stigma? Still, my whole family still has a bit of the accent, despite living in Florida for 40+ years now. I personally wish I still had my Boston accent, even if it's still a target for comedians, because I love that connection to where I was born ☺ Sometimes my mother and I intentionally use it, though current Bostonians would probably shake their heads at us LOL
You guys should visit eastern Kentucky. Try to understand us... lol Same here. Im from a rural area then moved to a city. My accent is softer until im around more rural folks then it gets alot stronger.
As an Englishman I am glad Scots is coming back and now socially acceptable, it is so much more expressive than English. Len Pennie is great. (misspunnypennie). BTW jewelry is America, Sassanachs say Jewellery 😀(then again, most English struggle with February!)
Good video~ Where does David Tennant's accent fit in? Stephen Colbert once asked if if they don't have Posh people n Scotland, and David said, they do, but they don't have accents like mine. He is from Paisley but has been living in London and performing using English accents since his early 20s, so he seems to have a hybrid accent. When he does American accents his Ls and his Rs tend to give him away. They are too pronounced. I can't help but think Georgia named their dog "Myrtle" because it is hard for him to say.
I have a question if someone who speaks this wonderful language can help...there's a little girl on tiktok who's face was apparently written on by the elf on the shelf, and she was talking with an accent. Some people are saying that her accent is wigan and I say it's Scottish. Can anyone help
In Edinburgh and Glasgow there's quite a few different accents within each city. Even out in the cuds, a town/village can have a completely different accent, but only be a few miles apart (Bo'ness and Linlithgow). I love all the differences. Living in London I had to soften my Scottish accent big time. But I admit to putting it on loudly to get to a crowded bar. "Scuse me. Coming thru," it was like Moses parting the waves. Worked every time. I speak four other languages, but it took me a day or two to tune into the Doric. The Borders was the same. Sna Ploo? Snow Plough LOL. Great video. Thank you.
I learned everything I know about Scotland from Billy Connolly and I'm okay with that ❤
In the early 90s I was in the Army surrounded by Englishmen. One guy, trying to insult me, said I was only Scottish when I wanted to be. Still makes me giggle
The further west you go across the central belt the more our accent becomes rougher and the hight level of depravity. We use to get told to speak properly at school usually resulting in the teachers getting verbal abuse or the wain trying to speak differently to please them.
As a young French student I spent a few months in Edinburgh in the 70s. For me this accent became the norm, which didn’t help with my studies I’m afraid 😅, still 50 years later I have a soft spot for this accent.
Somehow I have the feeling Scots are using a softer version of what I heard in the 70s.
I’ve lived south of the border 60 years come November , I was 15 at the time , I still have a Scottish Edinburgh accent ., though obviously not as strong .People don’t believe I’ve been here so long and maintained my accent .
My dad is Scott’s Irish a bit. I like the Scott’s dialect