In your experience, what is the hardest English accent to understand?

[Bóramha]

Since coming back from an exchange in Denmark (Aarhus) I've discovered that apparently, despite being one of the only native speakers among the other people there, I speak terrible English.

I come from the North of Ireland where our English accent has a very heavy Scottish influence and the difficulty people had in understanding me in Denmark, from both Danish people and others, was incredibly interesting.

So, what do you find hard to understand? I've always found English coming from a Spanish speaker generally a bit difficult, and people from Liverpool.

[EU Empire is fubar]

White inner City Londoners from the flats trying to talk with a black gangsta Jamaican accent. ''Innit Bruv'' '' bluud'' ''frum da streets mate'' ''blat blat v
blat wiv me gat innit''. ''reeeeeeeeeee Dizzy Rascull m8'' Has anyone heard that. ? You see it in movies. White poor low level drug dealers talk that way. So that and Geordie. Especially any drunk Geordie female from Newcastle . They shriek.

[Kyriakos]

[Ἀπολλόδοτος Α΄ ὁ Σωτήρ]

Scottish, my wife's relatives visit for a few weeks during the Summer and I can't understand them, but they sure love to talk to me.

[Ukiah]

I found it hard to understand a London girl who came from Yemen. I persevered for her (because she looks like Salma Hayek). Now I can understand everything she says. This was how it was with a lot of the other accents. After hearing these accents many times, I stopped noticing the accents. I think a language that's widely spoken around the world is destined to have numerous accents. Even a small country like Korea has different accents.

[Påsan]

Jamaican, South african, Nigerian. In general african-english accents are hard to grasp. They speak too fast and with off words and tone.

[Iskar]

Chinese English. They seem to struggle with actually pronouncing consonants. Also, Brazilian English, they pronounce "l" as "u". It took me a bit to understand that when they said "emayu" they meant "email".

[Condottiere 40K]

Anyone who eats their own words.

[Finlander]

It is gotta be South African, I was struggling to understand a thing the mercenary in Elysiym was saying. Same with Die Antwoord (though the interesting accent only adds up to their music).

Yeah and some British accents can be very difficult to understand despite it being so common in television. Not sure if its cogney or something, but the way they say words like 'butter' - bu'ah, or 'water' - wa'ah or something like that. Not that I mind, I love listening to these accents but if I really need to fully understand what is being said, it may be a problem at times.

[Sir Adrian]

Scouse, yorkshire, cockney, drunken Scot

[Condottiere 40K]

Jamaican patois is relaxing; Afrikaans just compels you to punch the speaker.

Louisiana creole just sounds oily.

[hellheaven1987]

British.

No joking aside, probably Indian, Russian, Scottish and some African English.

Chinese English. They seem to struggle with actually pronouncing consonants.

Yes because that is uncommon in Mandarin.

[Niles Crane]

Whatever gibberish it is that the Queen speaks.

[Copperknickers II]

It is gotta be South African, I was struggling to understand a thing the mercenary in Elysiym was saying. Same with Die Antwoord (though the interesting accent only adds up to their music).

In fairness the actual South African English accent is pretty easy to understand, like a more crisp Australian accent. But Die Antwoord are Afrikaaners, so obviously they bring a lot of their Afrikaans accent, and words.

Always surprises me that people find accents difficult to understand, but I suppose I come from the bottom of the accent foodchain as a Scot - every accent is easier to understand than my own plus I have exposure to American and English accents, whereas Americans and English people have little exposure to Scottish accents. Ironically the only accents I genuinely can't understand are other Scottish accents, such as Dundee and Orkney. I literally have no idea what people with a broad Dundee accent are saying, it's totally different from Glasgow. There's a famous Dundonian expression, 'A ning a ninganaw', which means 'can I have an onion pie as well'. It's basically a different language to me.

[Bóramha]

I literally have no idea what people with a broad Dundee accent are saying, it's totally different from Glasgow. There's a famous Dundonian expression, 'A ning a ninganaw', which means 'can I have an onion pie as well'. It's basically a different language to me.

Only know one person from Dundee and honestly he has the least thick Scottish accent I've ever heard from a Scot, he sounds like he's from Donegal to me.

[Copperknickers II]

Only know one person from Dundee and honestly he has the least thick Scottish accent I've ever heard from a Scot, he sounds like he's from Donegal to me.

He's probably quite posh. Frankly I know some upper middle class Glaswegians who can barely understand working class Glaswegians because they are exposed to them so little. Glasgow is quite a segregated city unlike most other British cities. I imagine Dundee is as well to some extent seeing as it's a university city with a massive tech community.

[River Lord]

Bri'ish!

[jockmcplop]

[xX The Lord Almighty Xx]

In fairness the actual South African English accent is pretty easy to understand, like a more crisp Australian accent. But Die Antwoord are Afrikaaners, so obviously they bring a lot of their Afrikaans accent, and words.

Always surprises me that people find accents difficult to understand, but I suppose I come from the bottom of the accent foodchain as a Scot - every accent is easier to understand than my own plus I have exposure to American and English accents, whereas Americans and English people have little exposure to Scottish accents. Ironically the only accents I genuinely can't understand are other Scottish accents, such as Dundee and Orkney. I literally have no idea what people with a broad Dundee accent are saying, it's totally different from Glasgow. There's a famous Dundonian expression, 'A ning a ninganaw', which means 'can I have an onion pie as well'. It's basically a different language to me.

Orkadian's quite mutually intelligible to Aberdonians yo. Also, cannot believe you're still active. You've been here for yonks!

[Ferdiad]

I'd say this is the hardest accent I've ever heard. I can understand them when they're not laughing but I imagine it's gibberish otherwise.