It was good to meet you properly at the weekend. Thanks for commenting on here.

You’re right, I’ve not got the strongest Northern accent compared to some. I was brought up on a council estate in the brief post-industrial zone between the inner-city Manchester accent and places like Ashton, Hyde, Stalybridge etc which speak with a more Lancashire sound. My dad’s Irish and I can hear the odd word or inflection from that source also.

I’ve got distinctly northern vowel sounds though and I drop h’s and t’s etc. I talk too quickly and can be hard to understand, I’m sure. I never play up my accent but, I s’pose I do soften it sometimes, sounding my h’s etc.

When is it at it’s strongest? When I’ve had a drink with me oldest mates!

Interesting how accents can evolve over just a few years. The Manchist-oh accent is evolving, and the upwards inflection thing, as lampooned here by Taylor Mali

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmLE2bliXCI

The London and estuary accents also seem to be becoming more of an amalgam of multi-cultural influences?

Posh isn’t as posh as it used to be either!

@ Tony – your own accent is quiet soft for a northerner!! Do you play it down or up when it suits? If so, when does it suit?

I’ve got another couple of posts all ready to go as soon as we can sort some techie problems. Hopefully tonight.

We’ve now got in narrowed down to a problem with the Knob betweeen the chair and the screen

Joe

See you at the Big Chill x