London tour guide

[rainygardener]

DH and I were in London last month. I really had a difficult time the first week understanding the variety of English accents and felt embarressed, asking people to repeat what they were saying. I figured I must really sound silly to these people who spoke english "properly".

A tour guide at Hyde park was giving out multi language headphones for the bus ride. He asked me if I spoke english and I blushed and said "not very well", the man completely lost it and started laughing.

[Cat]

There *is* a difference between "American English" and theirs, but I'm sure you gave him another story to tell.

 

 

"House" actor Hugh Laurie just FLOORS me when he speaks his native "English" English... he does the American English so well!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[susie]

You're not the only one. When I went to live there in the eighties, I had the same problem. I might as well have been on the moon for all I understood of what they were saying.

[cowgirl8]

I went to London a year ago. I have a good southern accent, i found most knew i was texan without me telling them. I even had strangers who just overheard me talking say, Ah, your from texas.

Now, you want to hear a funky english accent, i was in Hong Kong in April and the orientals there not only spoke english with their accent but with an english accent on top of that. They were impossible to understand.