MovieChat Forums > Wedding Belles (2007) Discussion > Question for Edinburghers about the acce...

Question for Edinburghers about the accents

posted 17 years ago by pinkywafer
23 replies | jump to latest

Here's a question for yis. I come from the West Coast and have only been to Edinburgh about five times in my puff. The Embra folk I know are all anglicised yuppies and don't talk like the characters in this and I have got to admit the accents sounded a bit forced, particularly Shirley's and Michelle G's - pardon my iggerance but is that just cos they're not from Edinburgh? Know that Shirley is from Fife (maybe brought up elsewhere though) and Michelle G is from Glasgow. It was the lines "Ah'm gettin' wud" and "Ah hurd" in particular that had me wondering. I have never heard anyone from the East Coast who sounds like that (though have a pal from Glenrotten who speaks a bit like Spud in Trainspotting) Whit's going on? Were those good accents or were they hammy? The other lassie, the priest-sh*gger seemed realistic but I suspect that might be because that's actually her home vernacular ....whaddafack? The acting was great but the whole weird accent thing was a bit distracting.

[–] gingerpimp 17 years ago

Didnae have a problem with it and couldn't really care less because it was so good anyway. I think Kathleen McDermott's from Glasgow, so I can't see the relevance. It's obviously going to be subtitled for its US release, just like Trainspotting.

No offence, but finding fault with the accents is like saying the painters spilt a bit when they were doing the sistine chapel.

As you can tell, I loved it.

[–] pinkywafer 17 years ago

Put your flaps down, I simply asked a question of people who come from Edinburgh in order to solicit information from people who actually know the answer. Is that not what message boards are for?

Sometimes Glasgow-based dramas like Taggart or even say River City have actors who sound like actors trying to sound like they come from Glasgow (or "fae Glescae" as the case may be) - I am aware of that cos that's where I come from and know what "real" people round these ere parts talk like (or more specifically what they don't talk like). Not being wide but the actors in this, on occasion, sounded somewhat stagey, and I wondered whether they were or not. Perhaps K McD was just more understated, who knows? I don't, that's why I asked!

By all means be a fan, but try not to be a fanny.

[–] gingerpimp 17 years ago

"Not being wide"? I know Henderson, McDermott and McDonald are from council estates through interviews I've read. I think Gomez is from a less "wide" background. I'm from Muirhouse but was born in Govan :)

[–] pinkywafer 17 years ago

Congratulations to you. What does me not being wide have to do with whether or not the actresses are off a scheme? Doesn't answer the question of whether people from that neck of the woods can shed some light on whether or not the accents were convincing does it really? Or are you the world's leading authority on dialectual authenticity in television drama simply cos you were born in Govan? Perhaps if you actually digested the information contained in my post before composing a reply you'd get on better, Professor.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Boo84 17 years ago

Shauna is not from a council estate but from a very nice area of Edinburgh.

[–] ramonrus 17 years ago

You really do hear very heavy accents in the traditional working class parts of Embra for want of a better description. It depends on what parts you visit as it's getting very 'ghettoised'. Census figures for a few years ago show that only 40% of Edinburghers were born here so you can see how accent is getting seriuosly diluted in all but certain enclaves. The accents were a tad hammy but fairly good attempt. Next time you're across here, head down to the Kirkgate shopping centre and Great Junction Street and you'll still hear the Spuds and Begbies of auld embra - but don't stay out after dark. Cheers.

[–] ib011f9545i 16 years ago

I am from Edinburgh,one of the poor bits if it matters,I have never heard of the survey you quote.
I find it unlikely,the population of Edinburgh is about 450,000(1997 figures)it is perhaps a little higher than this.
It has been about this number for a long time,there has not been a huge influx of people moving here from other parts of the planet.
Of course there lots of immigrants but even allowing for this and the fact that lots of people born here have moved away over the years I can't see how the figures can be right?

One of the problems that people have with Edinburgh is that they don't realise how complex a place it is.
The person from Glasgow who said that he had never heard a non posh/English Edinburgh accent should really get out more.
He could come to Edinburgh and listen to how a lot of us talk or he could go and see Hibs or Hearts playing Celtic or Rangers.
There are several Edinburgh accents,there is a working class accent (for want of a better description),there is a sort of inexact Scottish accent that is more refined than the first accent and then there is the almost non Scottish Edinburgh accent which uses particular Scottish words to underline that the speaker is not English (they will often supporters of Scottish Rugby).

Of course Glasgow also has several accents,but this is not something that people from the city always want to admit.
There are middle class people in Glasgow and working class people in Edinburgh and cliches do not help the discussion of topics like this.
I hate the way TAGGART make snide digs at Edinburgh.

Back to the topic,I liked most of WEDDING BELLES but Welsh lives in Holland or Ireland or another planet so please don't take his Edinburgh as being more real than Dicken's London.

[–] recon72 17 years ago

The accents were hammy and over the top. Next question.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] Boo84 17 years ago

I am from Edinburgh and grew up in a scheme, and I can assure you that not all people from Edinburgh are 'Anglosised!' I felt that Gomez sounded very Glaswegian, whereas Henderson sounded definitely East coast - which makes sense since she is from Fife. I know for a fact Shauna MacDonald is from Edinburgh originally as she went to the same school as me, but as for her growing up on a council estate...am pretty sure she grew up in a nice area called Joppa, actually, but not positive. Anyway, as the film was set in Leith, the way people spoke ('ah dinnae ken' etc) was rather accurate. Not everyone from Edinburgh is posh!

[–] gingerpimp 17 years ago

Good point Boo.

[–] rachelrath 17 years ago

More credit to the director/writers and producers that hired that cast and for hiring nearly all the talent from Scotland. I can almost guarantee that most companies would have got at least one bigger name in there.
R

[–] A_Llama_Drama 17 years ago

naw, i liked the accents in this. Reminded me o ma school days at Tynecastle. Listenin tae Shirley wis like bein at school although i think it wis a wee bit forced it was. Also, people fae that part o edinburgh hav a mare faster accent... i got friends fae america who cannae understand me, an i'm the most wellspoken person in ma halls, i find it so hard to try an talk slowly, took them a while to get wit i was saying, y'know? Even a lass fae Elgin cudnae understand me, i dinnae ken where she wer fae but i gotta say she didnae sound scotish in the least! oh, i miss being able to talk like that...if i do no one ever understands me. I know loads of people from edinburgh who speak like they did in this, only they speak alot faster and foreigners have a hard time following us. silly foreigners,. They must htink it's easy as pie to understand them! i tell you, i can't understand a southerner from america at all, and some of the snobbie people in my residence are unbelievable. can't understand them for cake.

My teenage ansgt has a body count

[–] gingerpimp 17 years ago

Yeah, Buffy, like I said, I didn't have a problem with the accents at all.

[–] sacredbeauty 17 years ago

I'm a Londoner and I'm the only person I know that could understand everything that was said without even trying (a fact which really surprised me!) Perhaps I'm a secret Scot?

[–] Julie_Stage_Beauty 17 years ago

Aye Kathleen Macdermot is from Glasgow and she sounds exactly the same in person so no, her accent is not forced or hammy but I agree a few of the others did seem rather falseish, still a fantastic peice of work.

Bring before me what is mine, The seven seas of Rhye!!!!

[–] gingerpimp 17 years ago

Yep, Kathleen's the real deal.

[–] jim-1031 17 years ago

I completely agree pinkywafer. The hammy 'Edinburgh' accent is a trend that started with Trainspotting in the mid-90's. I thought Trainspotting was great, but a lot of TV shows, plays etc started jumping on the bandwagon. The accent really gets on my nerves - its very false.

[–] Lynnielynn 17 years ago

The hammy 'Edinburgh' accent is a trend that started with Trainspotting in the mid-90's

They were all a bit dodgy apart from Ewen Bremner as Spud who is from Embra, the part when he's on speed at the interview is spot on, that takes me back to meeting up with friends after they've been to whatever rave was on that night, and having mile a minute conversations!!!

Aye.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] raf-33 15 years ago

100 different accents? Baws!

With your feet in the air and your head on the ground, try this sig with spinach!

[–] fluorophi 14 years ago

Ha, I have never heard accents so strong in Edinburgh. But then, I've only ever lived right in the city centre/studentville.