Why Can't Other Nationalities Understand the Irish?

dSTAR

I was chatting to a Dublin girl the other day on Skype who was calling from São Paulo on business. She is smart, intelligent and well traveled but I was straining to understand what she was saying on occasions. I have spoken to other nationalities who have said that they also struggle to understand what Irish people are saying sometimes.

Is it the accent or the fact that Irish people mumble and speak too fast? What I cant understand is that Irish people are great communicators but it seems a great many people from other countries don't have a clue what some Irish people are saying half the time and just nod in agreement.

IvyTheTerrible

dSTAR wrote: »

I was chatting to a Dublin girl the other day on Skype who was calling from São Paulo on business. She is smart, intelligent and well traveled but I was straining to understand what she was saying on occasions. I have spoken to other nationalities who have said that they also struggle to understand what Irish people are saying sometimes.

Is it the accent or the fact that Irish people mumble and speak too fast? What I cant understand is that Irish people are great communicators but it seems a great many people from other countries don't have a clue what some Irish people are saying half the time and just nod in agreement.

It could just be your accent. My boyfriend is foreign and he says some Irish accents are much harder to understand than others.

dSTAR

IvyTheTerrible wrote: »

It could just be your accent. My boyfriend is foreign and he says some Irish accents are much harder to understand than others.

I don't have an accent. Everyone else does

Turd Ferguson

Is maith liom uachtar reoite

IvyTheTerrible

dSTAR wrote: »

I don't have an accent. Everyone else does

I don't have an accent either, funny that!

beerbaron

do Mhamai !

Varkov

Are YOU Irish?

mike65

Many Irish seem to have trouble with clear enunciation and sound like Ted (Ted and Ralph fame)

anonymous_joe

Lots of accents are hard to understand.

Irish people can at times talk very quickly, which is difficult to follow for people who aren't fluent, and if it's in a thick accent, i.e, a proper Dublin accent, or a Cark or Kerry one, or someone from Norn Iron it's almost indecipherable.

stovelid

dSTAR wrote: »

Why Can't Other Nationalities Understand the Irish?

Sobriety.

dSTAR

Varkov wrote: »

Are YOU Irish?

Naw I am a hybrid who has been down and out for most of my life in some of the worlds finest cities.

stovelid

dSTAR wrote: »

Naw I am a hybrid who has been down and out for most of my life in some of the worlds finest cities.

Sounds like a rent boy? :pac:

Varkov

Or a dinosaur.

Fratton Fred

On Newstalk a while back they were asking people about the Garda wearing Turbans debate. There was a guy from Wickla who said that these Indian fellas shouldn't be allowed in the gars because you couldn't understand them ver well.

The funny thing was, the guy had such a strong country accent, even the interviewer was having trouble understanding him. It was a beautiful piece of ironing

rossie1977

when my american cousins overheard a few inner city dublin lads chatting to each other on the bus, they turned to me and asked "what language were those guys talking because it certainly is not english" :P

Quazzie

dSTAR wrote: »

Naw I am a hybrid who has been down and out for most of my life in some of the worlds finest cities.

Àn Ozzie.. sorry to hear about that!

lottodrink

Try understand the Scots or Geordies lol

I don't have that problem n I work with a load of foreigners:rolleyes:

stovelid

rossie1977 wrote: »

when my american cousins overheard a few inner city dublin lads chatting to each other on the bus, they turned to me and asked "what language were those guys talking because it certainly is not english" :P

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15jgtYVuc-o

ejmaztec

Unfortunately a lot of people here can't talk proper like what I can.

Years ago I was listening to some Kerry farmer's wife and I didn't know what the fúck she was talking about. I grinned at her and nodded at suitable intervals until she gave me a filthy look. She had apparently been telling me that some of her cattle had died and couldn't understand why I seemed to find it amusing.

Vero

when I was living in dublin, I understood mostly everything....german accents are even worse

knoxor

anonymous_joe wrote: »

Lots of accents are hard to understand.

Irish people can at times talk very quickly, which is difficult to follow for people who aren't fluent, and if it's in a thick accent, i.e, a proper Dublin accent, or a Cark or Kerry one, or someone from Norn Iron it's almost indecipherable.

suretheresnoneedtobeslagginoffusindanorthevenifwedotalkabitquackerthanallyeotherclownsitstheonlywaywecancommunicateinsecret

Donald-Duck

Fratton Fred wrote: »

On Newstalk a while back they were asking people about the Garda wearing Turbans debate. There was a guy from Wickla who said that these Indian fellas shouldn't be allowed in the gars because you couldn't understand them ver well.

The funny thing was, the guy had such a strong country accent, even the interviewer was having trouble understanding him. It was a beautiful piece of ironing

I've a much harder time under standing people from some parts of the country than I do people from countries I've never even heard of

blubloblu

I think we're the only people on earth able to understand the Scottish properly

getz

the accents in ireland are no worse than the uk ie scouse brum cockney-west country 'glasgow-the only irish accent i have trouble with is in south wicklow, my wife [born in gibraltar] has to explain to me what was said[by the way i am a manc]

pawrick

well I was complimented on not sounding very Irish by a foreign wan a couple of weeks ago - didn't really know how to react to that tbh but i definitly don't want to have the accent of my home town

for the record I've lived for the past 6 ish years living with foreigners and my accent has def changed as a result - i speak more slowly and clearly esp. when they are getting used to me - then i can ramp it up to 90 again around friends from home (I throw in these phrases to confuse the housemates and generally mess with their english for fun)

PeterLT

Irish-english is very different from, UK-english. I have worked in co. Cork, now I'm in Dublin and I can understand both accents clearly. I reckon the problem is in words you are using. Before I came here, I thought I know english. I have been reading UK news papers with no problem, but Irish is different. I never knew that kind of words existed. Lots of symonyms and of course - slang. If a teenager Dub would speak with me in all beauty of slang, I'd understand 50pc of conversation at best. And people from Donegal... Thats tough

Hellm0

Living in the US at the moment and I must say that yes, Irish accents can be difficult to understand. The amount of time's I have had to repeat myself or speak slower here:( I really think it's more to do with the phrases we use though, my pronunciation has always been fairly clear however it's the colloquialisms that bring up the inevitable dialogue;
"Where are you from?" - A person,
"Ireland" - Me ,
"OMG SERIOUSLY?!" - A person,
"...yes" - Me

Dord

I deal with people from latin america every day in work. At the beginning I had a little trouble but you learn to adapt your speaking. I just talk a little bit slower (not in a condescending way :rolleyes:) and speak clearly.

galah

Just talk LOUDER. But just as fast, with just as much slang.
Way more fun that way.



(and I thought this would be a sociological debate about the Irish as a people). Meh.

pyure

Today at around 2pm on rte1 radio was a story about ballymun, featuring an interview with a local resident - listened for a couple of minutes and couldn't understand a single word he was saying, might as well have been a foreign language.

ShooterSF

ejmaztec wrote: »

Years ago I was listening to some Kerry farmer's wife and I didn't know what the fúck she was talking about. I grinned at her and nodded at suitable intervals until she gave me a filthy look. She had apparently been telling me that some of her cattle had died and couldn't understand why I seemed to find it amusing.

A tip from someone who learnt this skill in ye olde bar work. Wait for an expression. The am=mount of conversations Ive had with people where I couldnt hear them (over music) I just smile and nod or shake my head and tut or laugh depending on their expression when they stop talking.
If you can here the pitch and it goes up at the end of the sentence they've probably asked a question. At this point you go "Sorry what was that?" and really strain to hear them... Answer the question and hurrah you're through!