Weasley accents (was Obsessed with Harry )

[jeffl1965]

No: HPFGUIDX 81859

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "Ali" <Ali at z...> wrote:
> 
  <snipped since some elves are anal about it. :) )

> 
> 
> 
> 
> Erm, I think that you're confusing English accents a little bit. 
> Somebody is said to be Cockney if they were born within the sound 
of 
> Bow Bells in East London. Cockney is very much a London accent. 
> These days Londoners come in all shapes and sizes, it is a very 
> cosmopolitan city. But, if you're talking about a "London accent" 
it 
> is certainly not the "BBC" accent you describe. An archetypical 
> London accent is one where "h's" are dropped, and t's not 
pronounced 
> at the end of words.
>

    Jeff:
  
   Cor blimey!! Jus 'cuz a bloke what ain't got a bloody degree from 
uni what says 'e's a friggin' genuis in dialects don't mean 'e's a 
blitherin' idiot! Blimey you southerners are a bloody 'orrible smarmy 
lot!!! :)  You mean like that? No, I'm not really confused about the 
accents, just which one they would have. They're working class, no? 




 
> With the advent of television, accents have changed rather a lot 
and 
> many people across Southern England have what could be (very) 
> loosely termed a London accent. 
> 
  Jeff:

   Quite true. Plus many people working in London proper commute, so 
that makes the regional dialects difficult to asertain since they 
all "borrow" from each other working so closely together.  Just like 
Singer Tina Turner spent so much time living in London that she lost 
some of her accent, and sounds nearly English at times. :)


> Devonshire accents are very different to London accents. If the 
> Weasleys spoke with strong Devon accents, then they would sound 
much 
> more like Hagrid than Harry. In fact though, there is no evidence 
> from the books that the Weasleys come from Devon. We believe that 
> Ottery St Catchpole is probably within the vicinty of Ottery St 
> Mary's, in Devon, but we don't know. Also, just because they live 
> there, it doesn't mean that they come from there. I might soon have 
> to move done to Devon, but I stem from London.
> 

  Jeff:

  I know. I was using the fandom as the point of reference since the 
text doesn't really give much clue as to their point of origin nor 
their dialect. I've often argued they were from Ireland originally, 
and stand by that. But again, I picture the thick, working class 
accent on them, be it eastender or liverpudlian in origin is all I 
meant. I'm not really confused, just trying to decide which accent 
JRK intended for them to have. None of the actors really have accents 
that match the characters other than Hagrid, but I suppose that 
Snape's accent matches him the slimy git. ;)


> Scouse accents are again very different. Scousers come from 
> Liverpool, in the "North", it is very much a City accent. There is 
> no evidence that the Weasleys speak with a Scouse accent.
> 

  Jeff:

   Oh, I'm well aware of scouse's scot-irish background. As I stated, 
I envision them as being working class, and cockney and scouse are 
the ones that come to mind, and with their history a mystery, one has 
to grasp at straws, doesn't one? :)


> My reading of the Potterverse is that Ron has a vaguely Southern 
> accent. He seems to speak with *more* of an accent then Harry. The 
> movie characters also seem to follow this interpretation.
> 
  Jeff:

  Indeed. Again, working class, so cockney fits. IIRC, the actor 
playing Ron lives north of London, so that would fit. If its NE, then 
he'd fit right in with the Eastender lot. :)


> On a different note, the fact that somebody says "Bloody Hell" does 
> not make them a Londoner or Cockney - it is a swear word used 
> through the country. Also, IIRC, Ron says it in the film not the 
> book.
>
   Jeff:
 
  Oh, yes, I'm aware of that, it's just that I meant some swears seem 
to be dying out and being more common in some regions, just like git 
seems to be so UN-pc that it's not encouraged anymore according to a 
teacher friend of mine.
  Yes, the film has changed the perception of the characters for 
many. I don't totally accept that version as canon, since it's too 
compact and muddled. And yes, in the books Ron is much more 
colourful, yet I don't know if he says sh*t or sh*te. :) And since 
Seamus doesn't get much dialogue, it's difficult to tell where that 
little sod is from. ;)
  Anyway, I thank you for your concern and for your assistance. I 
just get too carried away and don't always make myself clear when I 
type. It's much easier to be understood when talking in person, isn't 
it? That way people know when you're being cheeky and when you're 
not, and it's much easier to get immediate feedback and not have to 
wait. :)



  Jeff