British Accents: West Country

This series focuses on different accents from the United Kingdom. Many thanks to Tom for providing him fabulous WEST COUNTRY accent. Useful links are below:
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(This course trains speakers to speak with a British RP accent. Received Pronunciation is the recommended accent for none natives.)
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[@EnglishLikeANative]

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[@bricktasticanimations4834]

I'm from Devon.

[@philippajoy4300]

What about the pitch variation, which is somewhat flat and monotonal. I was born in Somerset but my parents insisted on RP. As a result I have lost all the r's and dropped t's and charming vowels, but have retained the monotone which underlay it. This is now a horribly boring accent. What can I do!??😊 Xxx

[@bricktasticanimations4834]

@@philippajoy4300 If I were you I'd probably listen to Combine Harvester by The Wurzels on repeat and if you try singing along you might just pick it up again slightly. What might be most effective though is to surround yourself with those who have a very thick Somerset accent. I'm from Devon by the way.

[@devinzeb]

"He is my lover." "I come first." Y'all are killin me here

[@jcbs]

I love it up and above.

[@Thomohawk21]

There was definitely some chemistry between these two 😁

[@djanitatiana]

"Guide me home" Ill give him the kiss of life" "It'll be a white Xmas".

[@lambd01d]

When I used to live in Bath, all the locals used to say 'alright my lover' and 'cheers my dear'. They were very warm and friendly and I found it very endearing.

[@ajs41]

The most friendly people in England are from that area in my experience, especially around Gloucester and Bristol.

[@tommyhartley8066]

I’m from Bath but my accent is South Yorkshire now😂

[@Slechy_Lesh]

@@ajs41 I've lived in various places in the Uk and I feel like saying, don't stay anywhere too long except Bristol

[@oskarm646]

Do the people in Bath, still speak with this "pirate accent"? What's your experience? I heard, that that accent is dying out as a result of immigration from urban areas like London. Do the people still pronounce "r" s in words like water, better etc.?

[@ValcurasBane]

@@oskarm646 we do. my accent gets stronger when I have been drinking or if I am talking fast.

[@CelticSaint]

I teach English in Spain and hide my accent as I come from Cornwall. One day my students asked me to speak naturally, as I normally would with accent, as if I was speaking to my Cornish family. They were C1 students so had a high level of listening comprehension. I read a part of a Cambridge listening exam that they had all done very well in during the lesson. They said that they couldn't understand a single thing I'd said!

[@1gadena]

That's funny lol

[@philomelodia]

American here. I have heard the Cornish accent before. I don’t have any problem whatsoever understanding you. Then again, you say your R properly. Now, those people from Newcastle? Hard as two hells in a handbasket to understand them! Howdy from Texas.🤠

[@C1914]

Spanish people are the hard ones to understand from a Mexican-American perspective.

[@J___Valentina___j]

@@philomelodia you're a cretin.

[@yvonnewalesuk8035]

Ah, that's great. Don't ever lose that accent.

[@thegoodlydragon7452]

We also say "in any case" also in America. I didn't know that was regional or dialectical at all. I thought it was considered standard.

[@abijo5052]

It at least goes as far as the west Midlands in the UK too, I also thought it was standard

[@Assimilator1]

I'm from SE England, Surrey, and we do say 'in any case' here too. Oh, that and people dropping their t's & g's, although I think that's more to do with ease & laziness (myself included), although it hadn't occurred to me that it could be from accent 'migration' too.

[@Alexander-mw1ek]

AlSo american and thought the same. The fact that it translates word for word into german (auf jeden Fall) made me think it was probably common to all germanic languages. In any case, I’m pretty shocked to learn this.

[@thegoodlydragon7452]

@@Alexander-mw1ek Auf jeden Fall does literally translate to "in any case," but that exact same phrase in German has a different meaning. When someone says "auf jeden Fall" the meaning of their words translated into English is "definitely."

[@thegoodlydragon7452]

If you want to say "by the way," "anyway..." or "in any case" in German, what you should say is "uebrigens."

[@max2000warrior]

To be honest, I associate a West Country accent with pirates more than with farmers.

[@Slashplite]

yeah, because West Country and Cornwall at some point were so impoverished many of them left to the New World and became pirates

[@sheilabree1991]

That's funny. I can hear it now. "Aye matey, shiver me timbers. We'll string em up by the yard arms we will. Aurgh" LOL

[@emmapark8530]

dorset and somerset is more farming and cornwall is more pirates

[@paulj5080]

That'd be down to a guy called Robert Newton, he did a couple of hugely popular pirate movies for disney back in the 50's and had a broad west country accent, also Darth Vader is from Brizzle (Bristol), but his voice is James Earl James

[@fijiarc2090]

Sheila Bree that's rather intersection

[@Greenlion781]

On behalf of America, we approve of your rhotic R's.

[@inathyaccabon7641]

Greenlion781 not all of us like are rs hard

[@aljordanis8584]

Greenlion781 speak for yourself and I don't think they need America's approval

[@yusufgta4341]

I'm a new Yorker and we don't pronounce our Rs unless its followed by a vowel. We have very non rhotic speech.

[@inathyaccabon7641]

Yusuf elsayed correction, not unless it preceeds a vowel

[@aharonfernandez6359]

On behæf of my fellow newyawkas i dissaprove of dat der statement.

[@ejoshcoron]

I'm sure Sean Astin's use of this accent in Lord of the Rings also reinforced the country/farmer association

[@sicfaciuntomnes5604]

If ever you're in the westcountry please drop us a message.. As much as I love Sean Astin in LOTR it's obviously a romanticised and very much cleaned up version of how Devonians speak...designed to sound like the accent of a mythical region of a mythical land...

[@valarya]

I thought the same thing when I started this video!! The accent also sounds very American

[@RaceDayReplay]

Samwise Gamgee, bodyguard to the Ring Bearer?

[@rudeesade]

That's what I started thinking at the halftime on this

[@greengrass9572]

The West Country has absolutely beautiful countryside in the summer, it's almost mystical.

[@sebasargent]

I read so in The Remains of the Day

[@TheCrayonMan529]

Tom's accent is probably what a majority of the founding fathers sounded like

[@iangrice329]

TheCrayonMan529 Didn't the founding fathers come from Boston in Lincolnshire? Or have confused that?

[@Gamerangs]

TheCrayonMan529 a lot of my relatives came from Devon and were military in Virginia both before (Crown) and after the Rev War. (US) I live in Washington state and sound quite a bit like Tom, with the acception of tongue and jaw placement that creates the accent (for obvious reasons), even down to dropping my G's on -ing and stressing my Rs. I have to really think about it to sound what might be described as a mixture of General American and "Un-accented" RP? it's no different then New Yorkers dropping the R to sound more posh and it sticking into the 21st century (its diminishing due to gentrification though).

[@weetikissa]

The way he said ”I’m going down to the farm” sounded pretty darn American.

[@tombrown407]

Michael Echeverria The Country accent from which west country is the best surviving example of is one of the oldest accents in English. The Original Pronunciation of shakespeares works best fits the west country speech. In the case of the Americas, many Migrants to the US in the early days where Sussex folk who also spoke with a country accent very similar to the west country one. Theres folk today in the rural parts of the northeast US who have a voice much alike some of the older country folk in sussex. Common American pronunciation today radically differs from the original, with massive changes occuring after the invention and spread of railway and radio. Some Rural American accents do preserve the exellent english of the first colonists, some parts being very close to the surving British old accents.

[@duraosunda]

You nailed it!!

[@dougules]

You can definitely tell what part of England America was colonized from.

[@adomalyon1]

Cornish miners were the worlds best, so they tended to be found wherever there was a gold rush.

[@ScottJB]

Most of England was rhotic until the late 1700s. By then American and Canadian accents were set and stuck with the Rs while most English dropped them. The Scots, Irish, and Western English kept the Rs too.

[@itsokaytobeclownpilled5937]

doug b All of America was colonized by the English.

[@itsokaytobeclownpilled5937]

Lemony Snickers No. The French colonized small areas of the US though they owned the large area. Remember, there was only a fraction of people on the continent and nothing was developed in those days.

[@edmundprice5276]

Historically most sailors were Devonian and Bristolian

[@crubs83]

It's amazing how American he sounds with some of those sentences.

[@jameswood8389]

He really doesn’t

[@TP-mv6en]

Because American accents came from West Country accents

[@TP-mv6en]

aattitude No but the majority of American accents came from West Country accents, hence why they both pronounce r a lot

[@TP-mv6en]

aattitude Yeah I understand that not all of them are from West Country accents but I looked it up and it said the majority, of at least a lot, of American accents are derived from West Country accents. I’m guessing they’re most likely Southern American accents.

[@ivanalyosha-k]

@aattitude, actually we do sometimes, e.g., button, mitten, fatten, Staten (Island), cotton, patent, Lenten.

[@mirawenya]

Would have been nice to simply hear him talk for a while

[@mplight2941]

"Who is this man?" LOL oooo he's my favorite. More of him please!

[@farmercorby8281]

Just come to cornwall you will find loads like him.

[@sarahtolkien]

Saaame

[@patatipatata9726]

I would marry him right now!

[@OzanUtku]

*I've got a brand new Combine Harvester*

[@jacksonhatfield6240]

Tyrion Lannister AND I’LL GIVE YOU THE KEY

[@cloroxbleach7481]

Bruvvy in perfect harmony

[@iammissnobodyxx9042]

Now I got a brand new combine harvester

[@cloroxbleach7481]

I AM MISS NOBODY XX and I’ll give you the key

[@farmercorby8281]

+dimmy dunk we have horses and they are good for farm work but we still have tractors

[@zstick]

It's always been fascinating to me that so many accents can exist and PERSIST in a country a little bigger thsn the state of Alabama. Everyone lives so close to each other, but you could hear a west country accent, a brummy accent, a manc accent, and a geordie accent all within a day's drive and they all sound so incredibly different!

[@Stroudtucson]

It is fascinating. I read that the reason for it is that the accents in England evolved a long time ago when people didn't have quick or easy transportation around the country and therefore were more isolated from each other. In America there are definitely regional differences in accents, but because America developed more recently and people could move around more quickly and easily, American accents remained less varied.

[@zstick]

@@Stroudtucson It makes sense. But the fact that they're all so geographically close together and they all consume basically the same media makes me think regional accents will blend together into fewer, less unique variants over the next hundred years. Or even less, possibly. It's already happening to some extent.

[@Stroudtucson]

@@zstick I agree, and it IS happening already. It's a shame in a way because I do love to hear the different accents.

[@turdferguson12]

We have few accent variations here in Alabama as well.

[@zstick]

@@Stroudtucson I feel like as time goes on accents will become more of a generational thing than a geographical thing. More kids are being raised on TV and social media, so they'll get their pronunciation and idioms from peers online more and more and from their family and neighbors less and less. And that's sad. But what can you do?

[@barryhardman8102]

I’m in my 70’s and I was born in a Devonshire port town. As a child I heard people speaking in a strong Devonshire dialect all the time especially around the port area. Over the years this was diluted as many people moved from all over Britain to retire down here, to the extent that it has all but disappeared in seaside towns. I did teach for many years in mid Devon village schools and I can attest to the fact that the Devonshire dialect is alive and well in many rural communities. Long may it remain so.

[@idipped2521]

Long may it

[@OffbeatHomesteader]

I smiled through this whole video. If he said "alright my lover," to me. I would totally blush! Hahaha!

[@georgejob6590]

Off-beat Homesteader .... I am Scottish, my father was Cornish! I used to get how are you my andsome?? From an old Cornish aunt !!

[@georgejob6590]

Off-beat Homesteader .... Instead of,listen to me they say , hark !!

[@matthewlewis2072]

'ark a' 'ee!

[@bobdownes162]

Male shop salesmen often say to a woman when she visits the pemises says: 'ello me luvver. And when she leaves: 'Bye me luvver'. Women other than British are usually shocked on hearing this. (Plymothian married to a German woman)

[@ceabritten]

you get it the other way round as well, although I find men don't do it as much to men, and women tend to use babber instead of luvver when talking to women or children/ a person significantly younger.

[@peterc66]

Tom is such a charming man! Love this series!

[@misterdrum]

Степа, остановись.

[@anna.herden]

Peter Chai same here, he really is

[@lovellsjl]

Yes he looks like he could be a movie star

[@xosummerdaysxo]

His accent / voice is reminiscent of Hagrid from Harry Potter 😂

[@tamber5977]

yep, same dialect ^_^

[@a.demifemiflapo5795]

"Yaaarrrrr! Alright my lover? Where be me beloved Pearl?"

[@jennycodey3740]

Ave got a jarr of dörrt

[@user-yp3ms1oj3z]

I feel like there's sexual tension between them the whole video lol. I loved this though really interesting

[@carolcvargas1]

Gosh, Tom is so humble and cute

[@BenjaminGunnell]

The lady in the video is very beautiful. English women also have very good manners and style.

[@BenjaminGunnell]

@TP1303 Interesting. Why do you think so? Her hair is black and straight, but this is common in England. Human differences are one thing I am really interested in, and one reason I majored in anthropology, but I've never tried to get a master's degree in it because race is such a taboo subject here in the states. We'd have to see her teeth, skull, and femora to make an ancestral estimation, which probably sounds creepy to outsiders. She doesn't have epicanthic eyefolds though, and seems to have a taller stature. I think a lot of Chinese women are pretty- actually - as are some women from all ethnic groups, but that's dangerous to write about isn't it! I had a Korean roommate in college and he was attracted to white women with only straight black hair.

[@Insperato62]

This man could sell me anything! I've lived for over 40 years in Somerset, prior to that 30 years near London. When I hear the "London" accent down here in Somerset it really grates my ears. Love the West Country accent.

[@thebegesttree]

سلامة أذنيك من لكنة أهل لندن 😂😂😂😂😂

[@Barbarosa1234]

1:09 “where be to?” - reminds me of the old Newfoundlander phrase “stay where you’re at, I’ll come where ya to” (= stay where you are, I’ll come to you). And the accent is similar too. Fascinating!

[@PiggyRulesMinecraft]

I'm form West country this video is spot on the accent love it

[@AuraAbsorber]

Lmao I'm from here too and I don't have the accent but everyone else does 😂

[@richardpearce4521]

you mean you loves et.

[@JB-le9cd]

Eer proper job 😉

[@sheilabree1991]

"Good afternoon my Luvers". LOL ------> kzbin.info/www/bejne/bn6Yg4GJdthsoLM

[@sb9246]

Where I come from in the West country it's just an 10x dialed down version of tjis

[@spizzleyo]

Oh lord the tension is too much

[@michaelplumridge8506]

You picked up on that too, eh?

[@DrJohnWatson8]

She wants him and it's obvious hahaha

[@jcbs]

We know what happened after...

[@DREADDWELLER]

3:28

[@themikejustice]

I like how she slyly made sure he didn't have any gay inclinations.

[@Rawyr]

Would be great to hear him speak more than a couple phrases at a time. Like let him explain the accent so we get accustomed to it.

[@andrewhoward7200]

I loved that, made me smile all the way through. I'm a Devonshire boy stuck in Germany last few years and I don' t get to hear my accent too often, so that were a real treat.

[@javifontalva7752]

Probably This is the accent where the American one comes from.

[@Blahdnb]

back in a day all english accents used to have a rhotic 'R'.

[@Wookieeoo]

Blah dnb southern

[@duraosunda]

You nailed it fo sure man!!!!

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Libs Hate Montesquieu But for Virginian first and early US presidents such as Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Monroe, Tyler and Taylor.

[@HueyPPLong]

@Libs Hate Montesquieu That's not true. Scots Irish only make up a majority in Appalachia. The deep South and tidewater region was also mostly English. Though they did have a big impact on the entire culture of the South, most were still English.

[@vincemeszaros9010]

One of my favorite accents because Samwise Gamgee.

[@rockyfalldownstairs]

And Hagrid

[@a.demifemiflapo5795]

And Hector Barbosa

[@edenwayne6838]

and Wheatley

[@adventussaxonum448]

@@dogewood5499 Hobbits were based on the English country commoners, who also provided many ordinary Tommies for the British army, including personal servants (batmen) for the officers. This was basically Sam Gamgee's relationship with Frodo (the wealthy officer). Any similarity with the US is due to the large numbers of West Country settlers on the Eastern seaboard.

[@bluekitteneyes]

Yesss came here to say this

[@TheElfishGene]

As a Bristolian born and bred, words and sentences like"Where be to" and "chucky pig" are mainly redundant, if used at all. "Where be to" is normally shortened to "Where bist" H's are still largely dropped so "He's not" becomes " 'ee's not"

[@phfebo]

I'm Completelly fallen in love with Tom.... The cutest at all.. Has He a channel too?

[@Tuglife912]

WTF

[@lavish_1717]

@@Tuglife912 Lol

[@alfurio]

A few years ago, I spent 1 year in UK. For me, being Spanish and with my high school English level, I had no problem understanding people and communicating in my first couple of months in London... then I moved to North Devon and it was really hard for me to understand a lot of people. They used a lot of weird expressions and had a really strong accent. And the funiest, to me, was the way they used to say hello, just like Tom: "alright mate!"

[@user-nx9eq2wq7t]

alfurio I’m from Devon!

[@kennyfenny4754]

They do in Australia as well

[@raed2178]

I like this guy. He should be acting 😀

[@EnglishLikeANative]

He is an actor and we have worked together on many projects. :)

[@raed2178]

+English Like A Native Good for him. He really deserves that 😀

[@ianfrancis777]

+English ---- I thought he might be (an actor).

[@desihn1380]

HOLA! My name is Desi and I'm peruvian. I was looking for some videos about British accents and I found your video! So I just to say CONTRATULATIONS because you are doing a great job. That was a very nice way to explain everything and I love your attitude! I also have to say that you and your friend give off a nice, very positive vibe. I really enjoyed this video. So Thank you so much! I wish you GOOD LUCK with every goal you have! Greetings from Lima, Perú!! ❤️❤️❤️

[@brucenatelee]

I came here from a Google search of the pirate accent, and surprised this is the legit accent. Cool actually hearing the rotic R in British English. Wondering if it's the original American accent compared to most Colonial American shows' characters.

[@mikesaunders4775]

Not in a million years, the true Yankee accent is non -rhotic,and non- glottalised.

[@trance212]

Damn he's cute

[@EnglishLikeANative]

He certainly is handsome

[@matthewlewis2072]

We'm all gorgeous down the Wess Vinglun

[@trance212]

Secret Sam999 I want to go! Haha 😎

[@artbaugh3]

English Like A Native More Tom please!😀

[@waratahdavid696]

So is she ! 😁

[@Marymooau]

My old accent. I was born in Gloucester and lived near Bristol. I live in Australia now and have an aussie accent.

[@HexValdez]

I'm in Glos,,,,born and bred. Do you miss us?

[@corastone9820]

I'm South Gloucester

[@Insperato62]

Oh that's sad!

[@jsjsjs]

i can’t lie i was born and bred in bristol and no one i know says any of these phrases

[@sovereignspirit7640]

Mary Moo I spent some of my happiest childhood years in Gloucester. I went to Barnwood primary school with my brother, and my best friend was from St Johns, not far up the road. Both she and my other school friends sounded just like Tom above. I've been living in Melbourne many years and also sound like an Aussie. Ironically my accent is a milder version of what it was! Greetings

[@nonai7897]

This was nice and clean. Been looking for accent study videos and this one was thorough and clear. I love that you repeated each word so I don't have to keep rewinding too. Subscribed.

[@violetxoxox]

He's adorable! His laugh is so infectious.

[@Rachulie]

This dialect is so medieval and historical I love it.

[@dixgun]

This channel is fantastic. Such an extraordinarily lovey lady with such a lovely voice. My family’s roots are in the West Country. Terrific contrasts. Really shows us how. So happy to find this. Great information. 😊

[@inabind416]

Omg, Tom’s smile and giggle! I’m a smitten kitten 😆

[@jojonewindia6774]

Anna, I am from India and I wanna learn english so badly but I didn't find a good teacher in my city. So I searched on youtub and I find your chennal and it really helpful to improve my english. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

[@EnglishLikeANative]

Glad you found me :)

[@andrewhoward7200]

I was pleasantly surprised by the high standard of English spoken in India. The Times of India is easily on a par with The Times. Good luck with your study.

[@electromech8967]

So I've just come back from the pub after a few bevies and decided to watch this video. I live in the Somerset levels and paused the video each time the lady said a word and pronounced it the way I would. I then clicked play to here this bloke sound identical to me. I'm sorry but I've been laughing at myself for over an hour . This is so funny 😂😂

[@mothman9003]

this is delightful! i decided to go down a rabbit hole about my own accent and was speaking along with tom, and we sounded the same! i don't think about how i sound much but now when i speak i can't stop hearing it, especially in my vowels

[@kbeankbean2368]

Love it. I lived in Liverpool for a year (from upstate New York) in the late 70s and I distinctly recall a television ad for a brand of milk. In the ad a farmer said "It's not like other Devon milks" in a very thick West Country accent. Well done description and breakdown of the accent. One thing that would be really helpful would be to say more than just a few words and sentences - at the end you should read an entire paragraph. That's the only way to get a a sense of what it really sounds like in everyday speech

[@cutebutpsycho1926]

I love these accents videos. Tom is such a lovely man, and that smile, oh my gosh :)

[@jeffmorse645]

You can certainly tell West Country ports like Plymouth were departure points for colonists to North America. One of the few things we don't do is the glottal "t" in butter, better, water. We're more likely to use a "d" like "bedder", "budder", "wader" etc...

[@FireRupee]

Jeff Morse It's similar to a "D", but it's actually a T-tap (an alveolar tap), and it's also found in other varieties of English too.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

FireRupee In the New Netherland, New York - New Jersey region of the Midatlantic US, perhaps influenced by the Dutch voicing of the original Germanic "t" consonant.

[@mikesaunders4775]

You are right , the glottalisation is a recent import from London,just as 'Fink'' Bruvver' 'Fought' have insinuated themselves into urban northern speech.

[@compulsiverambler1352]

In parts of the West Country, people use the tapped T like Americans do (and not only when speaking quickly, like most Brits from other regions), but alternatively it might have become the standard in America due to the immigrants from what's now Northern Ireland, because in Northern Ireland everyone does it.

[@Unbrutal_Rawr]

Yep, this alveolar tap/glottal stop thing are two realisations of the same phenomenon, occurring in the same environments in complementary geographical distribution. Both are found in different regions of Britain as well as the US; but the opposite variant is dominant overall in both countries.

[@TheCarnivalguy]

That West Country accent is still heard among many Southern Americans whose ancestors migrated from that area to the colonies before Rev. War. My paternal ancestors came from Lydney, Gloucestershire, and I hear myself when the guy in the video pronounces words.

[@CelticSaint]

That's very interesting. My maternal ancestors came from Lydney, Gloucestershire, going back to the 1700's. Their name was Priest/Preest.

[@TheCarnivalguy]

@@CelticSaint That’s also interesting to me also. Maybe you can give some input. My 9th great grandparents are interred inside of St. Mary the Virgin Church in Lydney. William died in 1630 and Anne, his wife, lived until 1647. I’ve never found a logical reason as to why they were buried inside. Cheers

[@emeroconnor2859]

Thank you so much, this is such a helpful intro to the West Country accent 🙏

[@TheGytrash]

No offense, but I feel vaguely seduced. I think it's the strong eye contact.

[@spazdaraz]

TheGytrash wud ew loike sam coo pie an sam coidurrr? Would you like some cow pie and some cider?

[@Hammett175]

By whom?

[@bjark2943]

OOH ARR

[@tentringer4065]

The 'Aaalright My Loverrr" or "OI Come Firrst"?

[@mason7031]

I COME first, It must be this

[@ridesharegold6659]

There are a lot more similarities, IMO, between the West Country dialect and the coastal dialects of the US east coast. The accents of the Outer Banks of NC and around the Chesapeake Bay - especially from Smith and Tangier Island are pretty much straight from the West Country with subtle American influences, even the accents of Baltimore and Philadelphia have a lot in common here.

[@Denigoddess2001]

My maiden name is Duntz and most of my English ancestors came from Devon. My family is primarily farmers, too. I always thought Duntz was of German origin until I did a little research. Now, I have an idea how some of my ancestors sounded. Thank you for providing these videos because it gives me a better idea of my family that came from Devon.

[@thehouseofmcg]

Tom is so full of humour and fun!

[@hongyixu8719]

I love his deep voice so much.

[@Alexs.2599]

Thanks Anna for your channel, I find the dialects of the UK so fascinating. So many of them in a relatively small nation land wise, thanks so much cheers luv!

[@davidhookway1451]

Great accent.I was born and lived in the Corsham Wiltshire area in 1965, and lived there until 1976, when we moved to Canada. I still find myself pronouncing various words with this accent (especially when drunk!) Good times.

[@coolcatdozzit6482]

Its really intriguing also in so far as West Country Accent ( just like Irish and Scottish English) with the Rhotic emphasis has certainly shaped / influenced the development of American English...

[@jerzystachowiak5005]

Your videos are very informative and they definitely deserve at least 100 times more viewers. No, not 100 times, but 1000 times more. The new series looks like a great concept that can help people to get familiar with various British accents. I've never been to Britain; I hope I can go there for a trip someday, even though my English may be insufficient to understand some native accents, that's what I'm afraid of. BTW, the name "West Country" sounds really cool, almost like Westworld :)

[@jagdpanther1944]

Sometimes English people have difficulty understanding other dialects and accents in England as well, I'd hate to think what it is like for a foreigner!. But don't worry, English people don't bite, just ask people to repeat what they said, we look forward to welcoming such a nice and thoughtful human like you to England!

[@justmutantjed]

I think I've just discovered my favourite accent ever. This was great!

[@warningthispictureisnotsci9286]

Tom is hilarious. Thanks for this.

[@monkeyboyone7084]

I grew up in Wiltshire or as we called it "The Shire" but I moved away 12 years ago, still pronounce butter and lover this way and turn heads when I say something is gurt lush. Brings a smile to my face whenever I hear this accent and makes me want to go back down south.

[@DrPhibesxx7]

West country sounds a great deal like common Midwest American. Cool vids! Thanks

[@fabfourfever674]

Tom is so sweet.. and just like others have mentioned, his accent is reminiscent of certain words here in America. Thank you for the education. I adore the UK and learning about the different accents. 😊

[@Rachel.Parsons]

I love this! My family goes all the way back to Devonshire and Dorset.

[@BigudiMuzik]

I fell in love with Tom 😍 he’s so charming

[@xGomezMarine]

I believe I have many influences in the way I talk. Some correct and some wrong but it has developed me into the type of writer and speaker that I am. I basically create my own rhythms and tones. I sometimes create my own words and phases. English is a fairly new language in the scheme of things so it is always growing and evolving. I did love the video!!!! I am also looking forward to more in the series. Lots of love Anna!!!!!❤

[@pauliejay4161]

I came across this video because I love the Somerset accent so much (I am from Australia). Great presentation and a very fun video!

[@andrehuysfromaalterinfland1896]

I'll give HER the kiss of life! I used to be a surfer (not on the internet, but at Bude in Cornwall)

[@andrehuysfromaalterinfland1896]

Many thanks love for your little hart! :-) In any case :-) I can imitate the words in your video, but I wished I could speak English with that accent all the time!!!

[@rudeesade]

Their friendly chemistry is lovely

[@Tavieme]

I love Tom's laugh....❤

[@KittenFairy84]

Just discovered that I love West Country accents... Thanks Tom!

[@mohamedmouammine2805]

Thank you very much for the courses. It's really interesting! How about more Liverpool accent courses. 😊😊😊

[@watchmedo635]

Love this accent!

[@DaniHMcV]

Central Newfoundland (Canada) has the same accent. Our ancestry is mostly from the West Country of England (Dorset, Somerset) and because we were a very isolated island for so long, we haven’t lost the accent. I can read a really great pirate book to “me kiddies”, lol. Loves it. :)

[@user-nx9eq2wq7t]

DlchMcV Probably more likely to be Devon and Cornwall than Dorset and Somerset.

[@1gadena]

That's cute lol

[@Zerogata]

I think West Country is closer to how the majority of England spoke in the 1600's when the American colonies were established. French influence in the 1800's added the non-rhotic R to English, as well as French style spellings like "colour" and "standardise", but the American colonies and "backwoods" areas like the West Country were mostly shielded from these changes. As a result, American Mid-West accents and English West Country have a lot in common. American east coast areas still kept frequent contact with England during these changing times though, so they developed the non-rhotic accents we see today while the areas further from the east coast didn't.

[@thomsboys77]

The “French influence” dates back to when the French conquered England in 1066, not the 1800s

[@Zerogata]

@@thomsboys77 Going that far back, are you sure you aren’t thinking of the Vikings? The French influence couldn’t have been that long ago. How else could you explain the US retaining the older “-ize” spellings that England used to have? The change could’ve only happened after the American colonies broke away from the UK.

[@andrewraymond3657]

Great video! Best explanation of the West Country Accent I’ve seen thus far (not that I know anything).

[@Ben-yj8ye]

West Country accent sounds so warm and friendly!

[@aecioflavioperim2392]

You are my favorite ever. Thanks.

[@kimbermorgan1971]

This accent sounds the closest to an American accent than any other in my opinion. Love this guy!

[@EnglishLikeANative]

Yes Tom is great isn’t he

[@kimbermorgan1971]

English Like A Native He is, and very handsome as well!

[@ghostcrew3482]

Terry Saunders he sounds like a texan at times

[@inabind416]

Terry Saunders What is a Wurzel, someone from the West Country?

[@Super_Bros.]

You are correct, it is believed many Americans came from the West Country and that accounts for how Americans speak.

[@markr7050]

Omigosh, Tom's intense eye contact is absolutely hypnotic. As an American from the mid-Atlantic its interesting to hear how much closer it sounds to our accent. My father's ancestors are from the west country. Thanks Tom ;-)

[@brianaberry6494]

Mine as well. I find it fascinating!

[@Thrusce]

Really would like to hear an extended sample of ordinary speech. Not just a few example words.

[@rebeccasimantov5476]

I agree...

[@richbryant3467]

Not Tom, but I have that accent. It tends to speed up a lot in common speech and there are also a LOT of local dialect words so usually find Americans especially don't understand it well.

[@TheCarnivalguy]

I have read that the West Country accent is still present to this day in many U.S. Southerners whose ancestors immigrated to the Colonies. Many of those who came over in the 17th and 18th century came from the West Country of England. My earliest ancestor came from England ca. 1638 being from Lydney, Gloucestershire.

[@raor5818]

The speech samples in these videos are too short and too canned.

[@michaelsears1520]

Ahhhh Tom is so cute! Idk why but I find him SO attractive 😍😍😍😍

[@Tuglife912]

Y'all need Jesus

[@Kateaclysmic]

Great video, would be awesome if at the end you got them to do a little bit of a chat so we could hear it all together. :)

[@josephcollins6033]

Well, Tom can be my "loverrr" any day! Thanks for this!

[@95MartyD]

Aww,Tom winked at me ! :D

[@phuocdanhnguyen3368]

his voice is really cool

[@hitewakeasllielimsolls8443]

*The West Country ???* *Yeah, Comes from Cornish influence and is therefore Celtic and not Anglo Saxon !* So many Brits have never been taught their real, Ancient History

[@van-gabondramblinrose6398]

Lot of Viking in there too. 'ow bis? meaning how are you? comes from the Germanic as in Du Bist?

[@dumbasslazyman2248]

Ollie Plimsolls You're an idiot, just because it has some influence from cornwall doesn't make it celtic, Celtic is a linguistic group, not a genetic group, Cornwall only makes up a tiny bit of west country, most anglo saxons were culturally assimilated Britons, or what people like you would call "celts". Not to mention cornwall isn't even "celtic" anymore since hardly any of them speak Cornish, and the ones that do speak an artificial recreation of the original.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Dumbass lazy man Celtic (like English) was first a genetic group that spoke Celtic, then over time that genetic and linguistic group differentiated into different dialects such as Breton, Cornish, Gaelic and Welsh, and over more time such languages and dialects can spread to different geographical and ethnic areas. "Some influence from Cornwall" would mean some influence from its Cornish Celtic dialect of English. That English is spoken in Cornwell implies that historically Angles and Saxons too were there.

[@Floral_Green]

White Awake, as ᛟllie ᛈlimsolls ! ᛉᛇᛏ ! The genome of the native stock to the British Isles is comprised of varying frequencies of Celtic, Germanic and Nordic DNA. To imply that Celtic influence holds some sort of monopoly over the resultant cultural and/or linguistic legacy of Britain is intellectually dishonest at best. You should know this already.

[@BlitzMekanika]

Trying to write a book. Being able to write the sound of accents is important. Thank you for making this video🥲

[@jillpaulus8307]

My father's family is from Somerset. This is so cool to hear.

[@paoloel2770]

Tom seems such a cool guy :D This accent reminds me of a mix between American and Cockney accent, but I might as well be totally wrong :D Thanks for this lesson, it was a great one!

[@bjark2943]

yh it's pretty similar to cockney but more rough

[@andreafalconiero9089]

It's probably the glottal stops in words like "butter" that remind you of Cockney, and the rhotic Rs that remind you of (some) American accents. Cockney however is NOT rhotic, and glottal stops are rarely found in most common American dialects.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Yes, the "oy" for "I" is Cockney. But standard American is "I" not "oy"; and to drop the "-g" in "-ing" at word ends is considered substandard, colloquial not formal English, okay in casual talk and to express a rural dialect or mood (especially jocular, as in urban jazz patois) in poem or song lyrics.

[@JudgeJulieLit]

Andrea Falconiero An example of Cockney nonrhoticism is, in the musical My Fair Lady, Eliza Doolittle's father's "Gov'na" for "Governor," and getting married in the "ch[u]ch" in the "mawning."

[@solarempiremvp5861]

I wonder, Is this were the classic Pirate and Captain Hook accent comes from?

[@jacksaracrishagar]

It is! And you can thank Robert Newton for that!

[@johnlewis9158]

Many of the privateers where from the west country Drake being a perfect example. He was from Devon i believe and of course the vast majority of ships sailed from Bristol which was the busiest port in Britain mainly because it was the most westerly and it was also the most efficiently run. Hence the expression all ship shape and Bristol fashion

[@curt3494]

SolarEmpire MVP Yes it is. It's because a great many of the 17th-18th century pirates came from the West Country.

[@van-gabondramblinrose6398]

Edward Teach, more commonly know as Blackbeard was also from Bristol. Oh Ahhhh 'e wuz ya' no!

[@johnlewis9158]

There are parts of eastern the coast of America where people still talk with a west country accent together with a bit of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire thrown in for good measure. Not surprising really because those were the areas of England were the Quakers used live

[@tylermunday2146]

The fable games gave me a love for the west country/cornish accent. Such a fun accent, made it my mission to be able to do a good west country accent, im from australia

[@kiwihame]

Amazing what you find on KZbin... this is a brilliant channel. 😁

[@barbarabaites5099]

Don't know if anyone has already said this, but this is almost like listening to my own American Tennessee/North Alabama accent. Rhotic r, droppin' the g are examples. I yse the phrase "in any case" very often. We also say words such as "like" and "night" as he does. Other times the ah ee dipthong is shorter in words such as "my" which is not pronounced "mah" as many think, but something more like "muh". Many of my ancestors were from the Devon and Dorset areas in the early 1700s.

[@harrietw7571]

Do you know where? My mum, grandmother and great grandmother grew up in a small village in Dorset. The local town Sherborne, has kept records of people that left for America. I was surprised at the number of people that left. www.sherbornedorset.co.uk/history-2/american-links/ www.visit-dorset.com/explore

[@Steve-zc9ht]

In the Midwest mainly chicago you would probably hear in anyway more often for example "in anyway can you describe what happened" in chicago I don't think I heard someone say in any case I heard in that case but never in any case lol

[@thewildchimp]

A great video! Oddly enough, this is almost exactly how RP English pronunciation sounds when spoken by the people from the Balkans. And we tend to use literal "in any case" in our language A LOT. Maybe there is a connection, I wonder...

[@raor5818]

Celts reached western Europe via the Balkans during the course of great migrations.

[@MisterBridges]

Thanks for your great videos on accents... I like sharing these with my Chinese wife... I speak RP English, so it's good to introduce her to the accents of the British Isles 😊

[@SergFilippenko]

Gosh… couldn’t take my eyes out of this awesome smile…