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[sevenlayermuddle]

Thought this might raise a smile from some...

The other day I was on the phone sorting out some car insurance.  I was led through the usual questions about driving record etc (clean as a whistle) then, after being asked 'any disabilities' (none whatsoever ), came an unexpected and very specific question... 'Bad Shoulder?'   

This perplexed me.  It also worried me as I wondered how long the phone call would take, enquiring after avery conceivable ailment.  And if they kept working their way through my skeleton, by the time they got to 'dodgy knees' I may have had to answer 'sometimes' and be refused insurance. I apologised that the line was bad (even though it wasn't), and asked the young lady to repeat.  Clear as day, she repeated 'Bad Shoulder?".

It was only about the third time around the loop the penny dropped, that the young lady was probably from a part of the home-counties where pronunciation of consonants are unfashionable.  I was then able to respond confidently that 'No', I was not a (Blue) 'Badge Holder'.
 

[roseway]

'andles for forks!

[kitz]

 

In need of hearing aid?

[sevenlayermuddle]

In need of hearing aid?

ha, you're right, I was blaming the lady's accent but that's the other explanation, especially if none of her other customers had a problem that day.

 


The weird thing is I had slightly strained my shoulder earlier, trying to change a light bulb without a ladder.   And I was thinking 'How can she know?'

[kitz]

 

[burakkucat]

 

[4candles]

Did somebody call?   

I used to keep hearing Radio 4 continuity referring to one Cleb Awlding, till I realised they were talking about Clare Balding. 

[sevenlayermuddle]

Did somebody call?   

 
 

[broadstairs]

On a slightly more serious note my wife often has problems with accents, particularly Scottish ones. She was on the phone one day and had to pass it over to me because the lady on the other end had quite a strong accent and all my wife kept saying was pardon, she just could not hear what she was saying. The other day I was on the phone to a call centre and got an Indian lady (dont know where she was in the world) and I had huge problems with her accent and pronunciation.

Stuart

[sevenlayermuddle]

I have just a smidgen ( ) of a central Scots accent myself.  It can be troublesome, the main problem is we tend to talk too fast, which of course is a result of thinking too fast, as our brains run faster.

It can also be useful.   Have you ever had to delver a presentation to a technical audience, and dreaded the Q&A because you weren't all that sure of the subject?   Solution, turn on the Rab C Nesbitt accent for the answers, there's rarely more than one question.   

[Ezzer]

I have a Mild Home counties accent, perhaps with a tiny smidge of Norfolk (its getting better, almost cured  )

I've never had any issue with people in the UK understanding me. Over here in the States I'm usually understood. Although I'm working for one of the largest insurance firms their main rival has a huge ad campaign starting a little geiko lizard who has an estuary accent. It causes pelnty of comments and jokes at my expense. Look up the Geico Lizard on you tube.
I used to have exactly that accent at school but mine progressed a bit (radio 4, and due to the lack of BBC I have found my vocabulary is starting to shrink. They talk funny over here)

Starting to pick up on the nuances of the diferent dialects. I used to love watching This old House on telly. They all just sounded American to me. Now I was supprised how different the accents sound when watching an episode this week.

The missus mentioned when we used to chat on line years ago, how shes mistaken for being Spanish. First time we Skype'd I just thought "Oh my you sound so American" Now I can hear the hispanic before the American. Although I'm so used to her voice I usually unaware of accent. And she's the same with me.

[burakkucat]

Look up the Geico Lizard on you tube.

The Geico Gecko

Are they implying that you are coloured green? 

[4candles]

From 1970 to 1972, my post on Post Office Telephones was faulting trunk circuits to all corners of the UK. You may imagine that sometimes the accents encountered were hard to understand for a young guy from the Midlands.

The most difficult one, to my ears, was Holyhead.