I adore the Northern Irish accent. My grandparents who I lived with were from Belfast. I am extremely proud of my Northern Irish background. Even though I was born and raised in Canada, it is a huge part of my identity. I can pick the accent out anywhere - I can tell when someone is from Belfast specifically vs. from somewhere else in N.I. I’ve been working on my accent but it’s a tough one to emulate. Great videos - thanks for sharing!
Hey, and welcome to the channel! I'd be interested to know how you can tell that someone is specifically from Belfast? It definitely is tricky to emulate.
Ever since I visited Belfast a couple of years ago, I have been obsessed with the NI accent! What a great place and amazing people. Thank you for this video, brought back great memories.
My grandpa and his family are from NI, he moved South Africa but never lost his accent. My mom and I grew up in SA and I realised that he is probably the reason why I say about 14 of these words/phrases naturally
I was born in Belfast and moved to the states when I was 15, i'm 22 now, and even to this day people still comment on my accent and how it doesn't sound like an Irish accent you may hear in a film or tv.
I find this fascinating because my dads from NI, but my Mother is from the republic and I live in the south with her, but all of my dads side of the family live in Antrim so it’s interesting and funny when we go up to visit them to hear their accents and how different ours are! My grandmother has a very strong one haha. My friends get me to imitate the accent sometimes too😂 I’m not amazing but I’ve picked up on a lot of their pronunciation and how they say things and all my friends down south are obsessed with the northern Irish accent -they love it!
@@AlsActionEnglish I'm currently rehearsing for a writers workshop performing a Monologue written by a fellow actor. It's based on his NI grandmother and I would love some feedback on my accent 😊
Is the accent Downpatrick direction not quite posh? Lisburn I'd consider to be posh too. You speak very proper Al but I'd imagine you might lay it on a little thicker if you weren't trying to help others around the world understand you
Do N. Irish people still use oxter as a term for the armpit? If someone had imbibed too much alcohol and needed assistance in walking, then a friend on either side would support him by linking his arms; this was known as ' oxter cogging '.
Also, please don't stop or end your site. I studied at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and you way of presenting this material is professional, clear, and 'spot on grand' Always, Jo
Is there much of a difference in accents just over the other side of the border? Trying to find out for a friend who has relatives from Armagh and Monaghan coming over to Scotland to settle and the surname has several different spellings which I think must have been due to the accent - does Moan sound like Moon more in a Northern Irish or republic Irish accent? This was in the mid to late 1800's so the accent may have been slightly different then?
Absolutely fascinating!!! First time ever hearing the NI accent. Hope to visit Belfast one day and find out where my great grandmother was coming from... Cheers from Montreal 🇨🇦 Thank you for the video!
I’m from NI but live in England now and I’m just teaching my kids how we speak... it’s quite funny hearing them try and copy it. That’s what brought me to your videos. I said “your wee ma’s a geg so she is” and they thought I said I was gay 😂😂
I love that we use the term baltic to mean cold, it's like the use of a regional stereotype that is totally fair and not really meant to be derogatory, just an accurate description, no one from a baltic country is going to argue with that.
1. how do say ¨you.¨ In Belfast, it´s very distinctive, but I can´t get my head around it. Also, you seem to say words ending in ate as 2 syllables, instead of date, you say DA-yut. that´s GRAY-ut. Right or wrong?
It is indeed distinctive and I don't reckon there's a proper way to explain or type it - you just have to listen and get an ear for it. Regarding two syllables: it very much depends on where exactly you live!
Love it! My grandmother was born in Glasgow 10/31/1909 and was given to the Salvation Army at birth. Through Ancestry I found her birth parents and they were from Tyrone. It all made sense to me since I have felt Ireland in my soul for decades. I was born and raised in Southern California. I went to see the movie The Commitments on a date and I was doubled-over with laughter throughout it, but my date didn't laugh once. When it finished I asked him if he didn't find it hilarious and his reply was that he couldn't understand what they were saying!
How things are 'meant' to be pronounced is a matter of opinion. There's no correct way to speak - providing communication takes place then that's the most important thing. What do you reckon?
Haha, I love this! I’m from England but my ex boyfriend was from Norn Iron. It reminded me of all the times I went to Belfast. It’s a lovely city and I love the accents there. Such nostalgia in watching this. Thanks for the great video :)
Twice today Emma Vardy, the BBC's Ireland correspondent, gave updates on restrictions from Stormaunt, as she pronounced it. Having said that, how many from Belfast call it Stormount?
The words that really show the distinctive Ulster accent are 'eight, date, great, gate, mate, wait, etc. Also the heavy vowel sounds in 'how, now, brown, cow'. The lilt is also very distinctive with a tendency to 'uptalk'. As most frequently seen with the Scots, many speakers often swap the past participle for the past simple in the common vernacular, e.g. 'I saw' becomes 'I seen' with frequent use of "have went' instead of 'have gone'.
@T D And on what pray do you base your sweeping statement? Speaking for myself; I have memory second to none, can work out days of the week with their dates, going back hundreds of years, in seconds and can defeat teams on University Challenge; and that's before I start bumming myself up.
A security alert at Malvern Close, Newsline 29/5: do Belfast people pronounce it Mahlvern? The towns and hills of that name in Worcestershire have the Mawlvern pronunciation; just curious. Close to the Shankill Road? -- much closer to Crumlin Road.
One wonders if they are making a 'political' comment by saying the Shankill rather than Crumlin. You raise a great pronunciation point - normally in NI we'd use the short phoneme - /æ/ - as in the word 'cat', for example, whereas some in Worcestershire would use a longer phoneme - /ɑː/ - one which is rarely used at all throughout Ulster.
What about slider? Is it still used for an ice cream wafer? I believe in Britain it is used as a term for a small burger in a soft roll , but I can't say that I have ever heard it used as such. Wick: describes something useless or crap. Never heard baltic used in Co.Down or anywhere else.
Half of these feed into Scottish and Welsh english, for some reason loads of these phrases have found themselves in the Scouse accent/vocabulary of which I am a native speaker.
Fair enough mate, I really need to go over to Ireland and see the place, both the Republic and Northern Ireland. I hear we scousers get a good rap there hahah
If one does something correctly the outcome will be perfect, here is a Norn Irish phrase which says that in a weird way; I remember it being used by snooker players: ' If I had've hit it right it would have went '.
I've traveled to NI on 6 different occasions - mostly Belfast, but also the northern coast, Portaferry/Downpatrick and then to Derry this last summer. So many different accents and sayings from every area! I find Belfast accents the easiest to understand. When I watch Derry Girls, I have to have subtitles on! The word I learned on that show is "wains." I'd never heard that in reference to children before. I'm from Texas, but feel like Northern Ireland is my home away from home ❤
Amazing! Do you have family from Norn Iron? Why do you think you find the Belfast accent easiest? And have you been able to watch my Derry Girls playlist?
Bloodlands Series1: Episode 1. A character uses the term " earywigged " but the subtitles couldn't cope with our variation and came up with merely wigged. Some subtitle errors are funny but not so much so for people who depend upon them.
Never heard of Banjax, Beezer or footer, I'm curious to know if you sourced these words from someone actually from NI? But your Belfast accent is quite good tbh
@@AlsActionEnglish I agree in general. But I am sure I heard some Irish people with an accent stressing some words and they were from north Ireland. Sorry, I am not native speaker of English. I used to study English in Dublin back in 2011.
To my ear (when I was working and living in Belfast many years ago), when the locals spoke, it always sounded like they were asking a question (even when they weren't). It seemed there would be an upward inflection at the end of any statement. I always found that interesting. :)
Oh yeah, it's definitely true. I used to joke that it was why my phone calls always lasted so long, it's really hard to finish a call when every statement sounds like a question 😀
@@AlsActionEnglish The sk start to the word made me think of a Nordic provenance, as in ski, Skagerrak, Skarsgard, etc. Have you ever noticed how many people spell the abbreviation of et cetera as ect!! That is up there with should of; cringe making.
@@paulweir5031 Ah! And yes, 100% noticed this, happens too often to be a mere typo. Mind my spelling, punctuation and grammar in TH-cam comments leaves a lot to be desired. #communicationiskey
@@AlsActionEnglish Hi, Al, thanks for your kind remarks re my comments, I was dead chuffed. On the subject of Nordic origins, my surname is derived from the Old Norse word ver, which meant a fishing station. Introduced into Normandy by Norsemen, then to Britain with the Conquest. The name De Vere is connected to it and was the name of the Earls of Oxford.
"Banjax" is one of the best words I've ever heard. Here in the deep South of the U.S. the equivalent would be "toe up", as in "this here computer is toe up." (torn up, i.e. broken).
A lot of immigrants arrived in the southern states in the late 19th. Century. I am sure some Irish slang words exist there , even today. By the way. Gob is Irish Gaelic for mouth.
Here's a phrase which just came to mind. When people in my neck of the woods were feeling out of sorts or under the weather they said they were feeling ' through other '. Was this used across N. Ireland?
I’ve been away from Belfast 45 years or so. I’ve maintained my accent but last year in Belfast I was identified as Canadian for the first time ever. I suppose over the years my accent now has a Canadian twang.
My Granddad was from Belfast, we never realized he had an accent, until years later when people starting asking us where we were from, it confused us, but we had adopted his accent, and never noticed, we were born and raised Canadian.
@@AlsActionEnglish sorry for the tardy reply . To be honest the more often I visit the more I realize I have become Canadian and feel like a tourist. All be it one with a sort of native accent.
@@billgregg7671 Was born in canada but both my parents are from Northern ireland and i also moved back here when i was 8, im 18 now and still have my canadian accent, super weird lol
Hello Al. When i was studying in Edinburgh, Scotland i noticed the usage of the word "wee"; like " I'm going out for a wee while". Thank you Al for your channel. Excellent channel. 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇 I have subscribed to your channel.
I just realized why I am a terrible speller. My Granny was from Belfast. My mom used to say this is how they pronounce this in Belfast. I would spell words as I heard them.
I used to live on Glynn Road millbrook station Road Ballygally BallyVallagh Coast Road all over Larne have they got electricity and running water now....
This question is another way of asking: 'How are you?', 'What's happening in your life?' or something like this. Respond as you normally would to these questions. On occasion, the person responding may not answer the question and ask the person how they are.
@@nutsriket9687 Hello! It's nice to hear from an international audience. Do you mean the Irish accent, the Northern Irish accent or both? it's in all my videos...though not as much nowadays since I moved abroad :/
Al's Action English I honestly love both Irish and Northern Irish accent though sometimes it sounds difficult for me. So where are you living right now?
@@nutsriket9687 Right now, Riga, Latvia. Been a long time since NI was where I lived, though it'll always be home. What about yourself? Living in Thailand? And how did you come across these accents? Many natives not from the island of Ireland also find them rather challenging!
On Bullseye last night one of the prizes was an electric racing car game: this reminded me that Scalextric in Northern Ireland was pronounced Scalectrix by all my contemporaries, but not by me of course!
Took me years to realise it was a shortening of "wee ones" I didn't move to NI until I was 9, but my mum's side is from Ballymena and heard it all the time growing up.
Im from the more agri part of the country and i struggle to understand my own da at times, heard him insult my mate the other day by saying "For all the price of a cabbage"
Suhail says that he heard wee everywhere. In the Miracles' hit I don't blame you at all , there is the phrase "" was just a wee drop of rain "" : I wonder how Smokey thought of that ?
Day and daily: heard this on Newsline recently, for the first time in yonks. Usually spoken as day'n'daily it means, obviously, happening every day - but not in a good way, eg, ' I hear that dog barking day'n'daily '.
I knew a girl that when she was telling someone something she said to someone would start the conversation with "here be's me..." ( instead of saying "I said...)
Is "banter" really slang though? That appears to be the dictionary definition of the word, as far as I can tell. That's the same way we use "banter" in Texas.
@@AlsActionEnglish We do! I think that's also how they use it in New York. It's used that way a number of times on Seinfeld. It's also used that way a number of times on Curb Your Enthusiasm and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I get the feeling it's not really slang, but just a dictionary word definition.
@@philpritchettphan I see, shall have to pay closer attention to these shows, for example. I've never seen Seinfield though have spent some time with the other two...
@@AlsActionEnglish I specifically remember a scene where Frank Reynolds starts tape recording Dennis and Dee's casual conversations because "They've got great banter. They jib jab! Jib jab, jib jab!" He keeps the tapes in his car for driving entertainment, for some reason. George on Seinfeld laments about the sudden change in their usual waitress's conversational tone toward them: "Did you feel that tension? We use to have banter - (puts menu back with frustration) - there's no more banter." Came here because of a Reddit comment referencing a Northern Ireland accent, had no idea of the phonetics of that specific region. Was not disappointed, very informative. People here talk about Deep South accents having Irish roots, not exactly sure how accurate that is. I'd guess you know more about that than I do.
Greetings from California. We sometimes will use "shut your beak", but it would definitely sound much cooler with the Northern Irish accent. I remember hearing Ulster hooker Rory Best telling the referee once, "he knade 'im" after one of his players got kneed while down. It just sounded much fuller (and slightly satisfying) when I said it like he did. Cheers!
Greetings! Shut your 'beak' or shut your 'bake'? Rory Best is an absolute legend; he's retiring after the World Cup in Japan. Glad to see a US rugby fan!
Al, please excuse my using your site to highlight errors, but following on from due/owing could I get the following off my chest? First night of EFL coverage and Josh Magennis's name mispronounced; the same commentator thinks that one shot is a salvo!! On the red button news pages today we had ' stood in a boat ' instead of standing and' flutist ' in place of flautist. Re the latter I remember that back home people said fluter; if a marching band needed extra personnel some who couldn't play were included as ' dummy fluters ' , or so I was told! True or not?
I'm a Scottish lass. My man is from norn iron lol.. most of these words are from Scotland. We took them ore and now they norn Irish me came backed and bucked us...
wow i am swooned 😂 i've only gotten to see Dublin a couple times and wasn't crazy about the accent like i am for yours! funny that the accent changes every 20 kilometers in the UK, though 😅
You mean the Republic of Ireland? The accent is different. Most people say that if you even go to a nearby street anywhere on the island of Ireland you'll likely find a different accent!
Hi, I've been watching your videos on how to speak with a northern Irish accent to help write a character born in Northern Ireland. All your videos have been really helpful and I enjoy listening, but I was curious if you have any tips how to write the accent because I want to show verses telling. For example in my writing, "...she said in her Irish accent." Again thanks. Your videos are great!
No, I'm not an author but I'm trying to be. :) I think tips on phrases or even behavior would help me as a writer. Like for example I live in south in North America. Here it's not uncommon for people (esp older age) to pat someone on the shoulder or be huggers. So I guess a combination of behavior and phrases. I have a notebook I jot notes from your videos. Thanks you again!
All the best with this endeavour! The best way to understand the Northern Irish is to come and observe them in their natural environment. It's hard to explain behaviours in the comments section of TH-cam 😂
I love your accent, it is wonderful.....But which I cannot understand is the R pronunciation, many teachers say to us, the R is not pronounced. But I love your English teaching manner
Teachers will say this because they use Received Pronunciation which is nothing more than a mode of speech which makes the users think they are superior; rather than talking in a ridiculous manner.
✔️️ WATCH NEXT ✔️
Northern Irish Accent Coaching | #1 /aʊ/ Diphthong
th-cam.com/video/Td6J0LxSBhI/w-d-xo.html
Shut yet Gob I heard a lot
@@GRIMSBONIAN13 Shut yer gub, not gob.
I need not subtitles of understanding your Northern Irish accent though. ’coz Ye ken whaurt Ah’m fer. Matey😂
@@paulweir7122 HAUD YER WHEESHT(Scots)
I still find it funny when my in-laws say do you want a wee poke meaning icecream haha 😄 god love ya all
“Are you from Ireland?”
“Yes”
“What part?”
“All of me”
My grandmother was from Belfast. She's been gone a long time so it's a treat to hear you speak.
I heard 'wee' everywhere. Wee man, wee look, wee bag, just a wee about myself.
Do you mean when you've been in Northern Ireland?
@@AlsActionEnglish Yeah i'm studying in Dublin and i went for a road trip to Belfast last time. Lovely place!
@@suhailanwaarahmadshafiai5732 Absolutely! Where are you from? How do you find Dublin?
Wee = little
Not only this - there's so much more to it...
I adore the Northern Irish accent. My grandparents who I lived with were from Belfast. I am extremely proud of my Northern Irish background. Even though I was born and raised in Canada, it is a huge part of my identity.
I can pick the accent out anywhere - I can tell when someone is from Belfast specifically vs. from somewhere else in N.I.
I’ve been working on my accent but it’s a tough one to emulate. Great videos - thanks for sharing!
Hey, and welcome to the channel! I'd be interested to know how you can tell that someone is specifically from Belfast? It definitely is tricky to emulate.
Sarah Kidder that’s fantastic!!! The Belfast accent is fantastic!!!
I had a Belfast accent, even though I’m from Newtownabbey, it’s definitely more broad than anywhere else
My Granny was from Belfast.
@@AlsActionEnglish say Belfast lengthening the Fast
I am from El Salvador and always found northern Ireland people very mysterious and interesting with their accent. I learned so much today. Thank you!
I LOVE Northern Ireland and the accent is lovely! He’s beautiful too
hes cute
I'm obsessed. This accent is so friendly and beautiful!
Posh
Today I received a form from the DWP in Belfast addressed to Paul Weird.
I’m from NI but I was wondering What about “ats us nai”
Orla Curran#OC that’s us now
Many of these words are spoken in Moray Scotland
Ever since I visited Belfast a couple of years ago, I have been obsessed with the NI accent! What a great place and amazing people. Thank you for this video, brought back great memories.
My grandpa and his family are from NI, he moved South Africa but never lost his accent. My mom and I grew up in SA and I realised that he is probably the reason why I say about 14 of these words/phrases naturally
I was born in Belfast and moved to the states when I was 15, i'm 22 now, and even to this day people still comment on my accent and how it doesn't sound like an Irish accent you may hear in a film or tv.
your not from here catfish, your a plastic paddy!
Learnt a few new words, thanks. Surprising amount of crossover with Australian, and more obviously, northern English.
I find this fascinating because my dads from NI, but my Mother is from the republic and I live in the south with her, but all of my dads side of the family live in Antrim so it’s interesting and funny when we go up to visit them to hear their accents and how different ours are! My grandmother has a very strong one haha. My friends get me to imitate the accent sometimes too😂 I’m not amazing but I’ve picked up on a lot of their pronunciation and how they say things and all my friends down south are obsessed with the northern Irish accent -they love it!
What do you find are the main differences either side of the border? What about the similarities?
@@AlsActionEnglish I'm currently rehearsing for a writers workshop performing a Monologue written by a fellow actor. It's based on his NI grandmother and I would love some feedback on my accent 😊
I am not from Ireland but used to study in it. So i came here to listen and keep the connection between me and the years I have lived in Dublin
Welcome! Great to have you on board, where are you from?
Dublin, which isn't in Northern Ireland.
What has Dublim got to do with N Ireland accent?
I am confused!!!
I’m from Northern Ireland but I have a “posh” accent and it’s acc so funny watching this
What exactly is a posh NI accent? How do you consider mine?
@@laurahamilton9652We all probably have a cross of some sort. What exactly makes a truly authentic accent?
@@laurahamilton9652 Absolutely! Norn Iron all the way (:
I'm the same, I'm from Antrim, but I'm called posh all the time. Antrim is definitely not posh. Lmao.
Is the accent Downpatrick direction not quite posh? Lisburn I'd consider to be posh too. You speak very proper Al but I'd imagine you might lay it on a little thicker if you weren't trying to help others around the world understand you
I got a question
What does "wee" mean? Does it mean "little" or something like that?
Do N. Irish people still use oxter as a term for the armpit? If someone had imbibed too much alcohol and needed assistance in walking, then a friend on either side would support him by linking his arms; this was known as ' oxter cogging '.
Also, please don't stop or end your site. I studied at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and you way of presenting this material is professional, clear, and 'spot on grand'
Always,
Jo
love Belfast ppl, they are the most hospitable friendly ppl in the world. I travelled 50 countries, not a single country can compete.
Beezer! Have you considered working for the NI tourism sector?
@@AlsActionEnglish why not✌
Thank you .please do come back.
@T D Many people it appears. Why the dislike?
@T D From which shitehole do you come ?
Is there much of a difference in accents just over the other side of the border? Trying to find out for a friend who has relatives from Armagh and Monaghan coming over to Scotland to settle and the surname has several different spellings which I think must have been due to the accent - does Moan sound like Moon more in a Northern Irish or republic Irish accent? This was in the mid to late 1800's so the accent may have been slightly different then?
Absolutely fascinating!!! First time ever hearing the NI accent. Hope to visit Belfast one day and find out where my great grandmother was coming from... Cheers from Montreal 🇨🇦 Thank you for the video!
Alastair is a quare geg so he is, like
BEEZER!
I’m from NI but live in England now and I’m just teaching my kids how we speak... it’s quite funny hearing them try and copy it. That’s what brought me to your videos. I said “your wee ma’s a geg so she is” and they thought I said I was gay 😂😂
@@FFACanineWelfare OMG! 🤣
I love that we use the term baltic to mean cold, it's like the use of a regional stereotype that is totally fair and not really meant to be derogatory, just an accurate description, no one from a baltic country is going to argue with that.
Having lived in one such country for three years I can vouch for it!
I first learnt it in Geordie land. Great word.
We are witty bastards like! The sarcasm is just hanging clean outta us!
When I was in Portadown in which it's a half an hour drive from Belfast, there was a shop with a sign saying Norn Iron.
You get that everywhere nai. Social media lol
Being mixed and having half of the Irish bloodline its so amazing to learn things about ME😁. I just love it. Thanks
Anytime! What about the other half?
1. how do say ¨you.¨ In Belfast, it´s very distinctive, but I can´t get my head around it. Also, you seem to say words ending in ate as 2 syllables, instead of date, you say DA-yut. that´s GRAY-ut. Right or wrong?
It is indeed distinctive and I don't reckon there's a proper way to explain or type it - you just have to listen and get an ear for it.
Regarding two syllables: it very much depends on where exactly you live!
Docken: people in NI used this to refer to dock leaves, do they still?
Good question, I'm not sure?
Anyone out there...
Al's Action English i can confirm that i say this lol
Paul Weir, oh aye we still call them Docken.
Maybe a phrases video too with stuff like "Knock your balix in." 😂
Love it! My grandmother was born in Glasgow 10/31/1909 and was given to the Salvation Army at birth. Through Ancestry I found her birth parents and they were from Tyrone. It all made sense to me since I have felt Ireland in my soul for decades. I was born and raised in Southern California.
I went to see the movie The Commitments on a date and I was doubled-over with laughter throughout it, but my date didn't laugh once. When it finished I asked him if he didn't find it hilarious and his reply was that he couldn't understand what they were saying!
I love how most of us are just watching our own accent and sayings and we can definitely already speak English 🤣
Pffft yep
Love the Northern Irish accent I lived in Northern Ireland for 10 years, grand 😀 all the best Paul p England 🇬🇧
im from Belfast and it's so funny to have someone point out how things are actually ment to be pronounced
How things are 'meant' to be pronounced is a matter of opinion. There's no correct way to speak - providing communication takes place then that's the most important thing.
What do you reckon?
@@AlsActionEnglish true... funny how words are pronounced by others in comparison to ours is what i meant (ment) lol
Yeh, the Queens English - RP seems to be the way some/people think we're 'meant' to communicate...
Haha, I love this! I’m from England but my ex boyfriend was from Norn Iron. It reminded me of all the times I went to Belfast. It’s a lovely city and I love the accents there. Such nostalgia in watching this. Thanks for the great video :)
You're welcome! There's an entire series of (now) over 30 videos if you're into nostalgia. Where were you in Belfast?
Listening to Pick of the Pops today, Frankie Valli singing 'Grease' in the '78 hour. Is grease still pronounced greeze back in NI?
This raises a superb point. In my experience, for the movie - no, whereas for the general noun - yes. "Son, get a move on and remove the greeze!"
I’m from the South US and we use faff and grand! I find this so fascinating. Thanks Al, your accent is gorgeous!
Seriously!? I thought these were exclusive to NI...
@Heinrich Himmler 100% the same grand, it's island wide as far as I know.
his accent is fake, mines real!
Twice today Emma Vardy, the BBC's Ireland correspondent, gave updates on restrictions from Stormaunt, as she pronounced it. Having said that, how many from Belfast call it Stormount?
The words that really show the distinctive Ulster accent are 'eight, date, great, gate, mate, wait, etc. Also the heavy vowel sounds in 'how, now, brown, cow'. The lilt is also very distinctive with a tendency to 'uptalk'. As most frequently seen with the Scots, many speakers often swap the past participle for the past simple in the common vernacular, e.g. 'I saw' becomes 'I seen' with frequent use of "have went' instead of 'have gone'.
This was really interesting! I actually learned something new!
Can u talk about some northern irish culture, like the lifestyle of people, culture etc
Yes, of course! Watch this space.
Nothing better than the northern Irish spirit
@T D And on what pray do you base your sweeping statement? Speaking for myself; I have memory second to none, can work out days of the week with their dates, going back hundreds of years, in seconds and can defeat teams on University Challenge; and that's before I start bumming myself up.
@T D Your grammar is appalling, you ill educated git. From what craphole were you dragged up?
@T D The plural of sailor is sailors; once again you show your lack of education.
good wee video i allready speak it and i live in the wee county of belfast and im proud
Live in Belfast and haven't heard a lot of these words
What age are you? I know everyone so could be that.
A security alert at Malvern Close, Newsline 29/5: do Belfast people pronounce it Mahlvern? The towns and hills of that name in Worcestershire have the Mawlvern pronunciation; just curious.
Close to the Shankill Road? -- much closer to Crumlin Road.
One wonders if they are making a 'political' comment by saying the Shankill rather than Crumlin.
You raise a great pronunciation point - normally in NI we'd use the short phoneme - /æ/ - as in the word 'cat', for example, whereas some in Worcestershire would use a longer phoneme - /ɑː/ - one which is rarely used at all throughout Ulster.
@@AlsActionEnglish Funny, I have always used the long, as did all my family; father never rimed with rather. Note the original spelling!
What about slider? Is it still used for an ice cream wafer? I believe in Britain it is used as a term for a small burger in a soft roll , but I can't say that I have ever heard it used as such.
Wick: describes something useless or crap.
Never heard baltic used in Co.Down or anywhere else.
Do people still use miching to describe truancy ? It was in use in England in Shakespeare's day and can be found in Hamlet.
Yes, at least they certainly did 20 years ago when I was at school. Dunno about now to be honest...
Half of these feed into Scottish and Welsh english, for some reason loads of these phrases have found themselves in the Scouse accent/vocabulary of which I am a native speaker.
Hey! Perhaps it's because of the close proximity between Liverpool and N. Ireland. Which ones are commonly used in your neck of the woods?
@@LD-wm7jm Makes complete sense - just slight variations in pronunciation. Very cool indeed; I am a huge fan of regional dialects in the UK!
Fair enough mate, I really need to go over to Ireland and see the place, both the Republic and Northern Ireland. I hear we scousers get a good rap there hahah
@@LD-wm7jm Aye, definitely get yourself over here and see if the rumours are true ;)
@LukePlaysDaXbox I assume that is because of the scottish settlers of long ago
Even before he started into the 20 words I had to listen very carefully to understand everything he is saying. Canadian here from southern Ontario.
If one does something correctly the outcome will be perfect, here is a Norn Irish phrase which says that in a weird way; I remember it being used by snooker players:
' If I had've hit it right it would have went '.
I have just been reading a product review on an app, which finishes " been feeling like I need to boke ever since ". Wonder where she is from?
Dander was one of the words that took me longer to realise what it was about.
Baltic is also used in Glasgow.
Have you grasped it now?
Huv ye goat a hawd o it ! 👍
@@AlsActionEnglish Aye!
@@georgejob7544 Ye, it became clearer as I got used to it :-)
I love the word dander. Taking the dog for a dander. Sounds more fun than walking.
Let’s go for a wee dander. Lol like and subbed ✌️😎
Dander away ;)
I've traveled to NI on 6 different occasions - mostly Belfast, but also the northern coast, Portaferry/Downpatrick and then to Derry this last summer. So many different accents and sayings from every area! I find Belfast accents the easiest to understand. When I watch Derry Girls, I have to have subtitles on! The word I learned on that show is "wains." I'd never heard that in reference to children before. I'm from Texas, but feel like Northern Ireland is my home away from home ❤
Amazing! Do you have family from Norn Iron? Why do you think you find the Belfast accent easiest? And have you been able to watch my Derry Girls playlist?
I just watched Derry Girls and could only understand half of what Aunt Sarah was saying.
@@patarnold4134 You mustn't be from Norn Iron?
@@AlsActionEnglish No, I'm American. I understand Dubliners just fine!
Btw it’s “Wee-Uns”
Bloodlands Series1: Episode 1. A character uses the term " earywigged " but the subtitles couldn't cope with our variation and came up with merely wigged. Some subtitle errors are funny but not so much so for people who depend upon them.
That was grand! Thank you. I'll use it with my Russian student.
Thank you. I needed this.
I knew
Does my head in
Eejit
Faff
Fegs
Gob
Grand
Grub
Beezer!
Never heard of Banjax, Beezer or footer, I'm curious to know if you sourced these words from someone actually from NI? But your Belfast accent is quite good tbh
I'm from Northern Ireland. Lots of people say I'm quite posh
...and do you think you are?
He/she doesn't seem to know, Al.
Which county or city of north Ireland where it has musical accent?
Personally, I would suggest that the Irish accent rather than the Northern Irish is musical.
@@AlsActionEnglish I agree in general. But I am sure I heard some Irish people with an accent stressing some words and they were from north Ireland. Sorry, I am not native speaker of English. I used to study English in Dublin back in 2011.
@@AlsActionEnglish and there is a video here on TH-cam similar to this accent I was talking about. I will search for it and may post the link here.
@@AlsActionEnglish th-cam.com/video/edrzUxCroIs/w-d-xo.html
Sir.,what I ment is like the accent the lady driving speaking in the link. Thank you.
@@talals6881Thank you for sharing such detail. I'll have to pay more attention to the intricacies in NI. Where are you from?
To my ear (when I was working and living in Belfast many years ago), when the locals spoke, it always sounded like they were asking a question (even when they weren't). It seemed there would be an upward inflection at the end of any statement. I always found that interesting. :)
Oh yeah, it's definitely true. I used to joke that it was why my phone calls always lasted so long, it's really hard to finish a call when every statement sounds like a question 😀
Is that my favorite flag ever? Montreal? :0
Except its the old one.. its okay!!
@@SERGEANTxSTAR Yes, it is. Good eye, my friend. I like the intention of the new version, but I don't like the design.
@zHumanfactor thats fair, and its not hard for me to recognize the flag of my city, it's almost everywhere in older buildings :)
What about skelf ? What others refer to as a splinter. Skelf looks very Scandinavian to me.
Might have to be appear in a future video. Why does it look Scandinavian?
@@AlsActionEnglish The sk start to the word made me think of a Nordic provenance, as in ski, Skagerrak, Skarsgard, etc. Have you ever noticed how many people spell the abbreviation of et cetera as ect!! That is up there with should of; cringe making.
@@paulweir5031 Ah! And yes, 100% noticed this, happens too often to be a mere typo.
Mind my spelling, punctuation and grammar in TH-cam comments leaves a lot to be desired.
#communicationiskey
@@AlsActionEnglish Hi, Al, thanks for your kind remarks re my comments, I was dead chuffed. On the subject of Nordic origins, my surname is derived from the Old Norse word ver, which meant a fishing station.
Introduced into Normandy by Norsemen, then to Britain with the Conquest. The name De Vere is connected to it and was the name of the Earls of Oxford.
"Banjax" is one of the best words I've ever heard. Here in the deep South of the U.S. the equivalent would be "toe up", as in "this here computer is toe up." (torn up, i.e. broken).
A lot of immigrants arrived in the southern states in the late 19th. Century. I am sure some Irish slang words exist there , even today. By the way. Gob is Irish Gaelic for mouth.
In Australia we use the word “cactus”.
“I heard your computer shat itself.”
“Yeah mate, it’s totally cactus.”
Here's a phrase which just came to mind. When people in my neck of the woods were feeling out of sorts or under the weather they said they were feeling ' through other '. Was this used across N. Ireland?
I’ve been away from Belfast 45 years or so.
I’ve maintained my accent but last year in Belfast I was identified as Canadian for the first time ever.
I suppose over the years my accent now has a Canadian twang.
How did that feel being identified as a non-native?
My Granddad was from Belfast, we never realized he had an accent, until years later when people starting asking us where we were from, it confused us, but we had adopted his accent, and never noticed, we were born and raised Canadian.
@@AlsActionEnglish sorry for the tardy reply .
To be honest the more often I visit the more I realize I have become Canadian and feel like a tourist.
All be it one with a sort of native accent.
@@billgregg7671 Was born in canada but both my parents are from Northern ireland and i also moved back here when i was 8, im 18 now and still have my canadian accent, super weird lol
7:40 In how to do an irish accent they say that they say, perk, gerden
Not in this video but in how to do an irish accent
Yes, Irish and Northern Irish are rather different...
Let’s go for a walk before the rain comes, I live in Carrick and it is always raining
🎵I wish I was in Carrickfergus
Al's Action English great song
At least you dont live in Larne.
Whatever is the matter with Larne?
Al's Action English it’s like ballymena and Wales had a baby
Hello Al. When i was studying in Edinburgh, Scotland i noticed the usage of the word "wee"; like " I'm going out for a wee while". Thank you Al for your channel. Excellent channel. 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆🥇🥇🥇🥇🥇
I have subscribed to your channel.
Yes this is very true I'm northern Irish and am very proud of my country I personally call myself northern Irish 😀 😄
Lots do now. My ex from Dublin constantly asked me what nationality I was. I exasperated him.
' I'm the coolest and the fruitiest ice lolly you've seen,
And I'm cool and fruity ice with a heart of ice cream '.
Quencher and Joker, 3d each.
I just realized why I am a terrible speller. My Granny was from Belfast. My mom used to say this is how they pronounce this in Belfast. I would spell words as I heard them.
Excellent, needs more the Northern ireland accent, miss words sometimes
Aye what's the craic mate your from up the the motorway from me 😂I'm from larne so it's wild here
Beezer down here in the Big Smoke. Wild Larne indeed, ferries and all that!
I used to live on Glynn Road millbrook station Road Ballygally BallyVallagh Coast Road all over Larne have they got electricity and running water now....
Is the velarized L a Belfast thing or is it used in all of Ulster?
Great question: this is generally used in all of Ulster.
@@AlsActionEnglish interesting - is it known why some people velarize and some don't? I heard both and can't find any pattern.
What is the answer when the Irish people ask “What’s the craic?” ?
This question is another way of asking: 'How are you?', 'What's happening in your life?' or something like this. Respond as you normally would to these questions. On occasion, the person responding may not answer the question and ask the person how they are.
Al's Action English Ahh! That’s interesting. Hello from Thailand anyway! I’m a big fan of the Irish accent! Love to hear it all day long!
@@nutsriket9687 Hello! It's nice to hear from an international audience. Do you mean the Irish accent, the Northern Irish accent or both? it's in all my videos...though not as much nowadays since I moved abroad :/
Al's Action English I honestly love both Irish and Northern Irish accent though sometimes it sounds difficult for me. So where are you living right now?
@@nutsriket9687 Right now, Riga, Latvia. Been a long time since NI was where I lived, though it'll always be home. What about yourself? Living in Thailand? And how did you come across these accents? Many natives not from the island of Ireland also find them rather challenging!
Do Protestants and Catholics in the north have different accents ?
Yeh
On Bullseye last night one of the prizes was an electric racing car game: this reminded me that Scalextric in Northern Ireland was pronounced Scalectrix by all my contemporaries, but not by me of course!
You forgot weuns = little ones, haha. Great channel. I'm from Kells myself
Aye, this one appears in a different video analysis. They can't all be in each video sadly!
Took me years to realise it was a shortening of "wee ones"
I didn't move to NI until I was 9, but my mum's side is from Ballymena and heard it all the time growing up.
Im from the more agri part of the country and i struggle to understand my own da at times, heard him insult my mate the other day by saying "For all the price of a cabbage"
Suhail says that he heard wee everywhere. In the Miracles' hit I don't blame you at all , there is the phrase
"" was just a wee drop of rain "" : I wonder how Smokey thought of that ?
We all may wonder...
Day and daily: heard this on Newsline recently, for the first time in yonks. Usually spoken as day'n'daily it means, obviously, happening every day - but not in a good way, eg, ' I hear that dog barking day'n'daily '.
What does ats us nai mean?
www.reddit.com/r/northernireland/comments/ce2kcg/ats_us_nai/
I knew a girl that when she was telling someone something she said to someone would start the conversation with "here be's me..."
( instead of saying "I said...)
When did Ballymurphy become Ballamurphy? Is this ' noy ' the BBC NI approved pronunciation?
I love you.. Here from Leeds learning your accent xx
Hey, what are the differences between the accents?
Is "banter" really slang though? That appears to be the dictionary definition of the word, as far as I can tell. That's the same way we use "banter" in Texas.
You say banter in Texas!? Really?
@@AlsActionEnglish We do!
I think that's also how they use it in New York. It's used that way a number of times on Seinfeld. It's also used that way a number of times on Curb Your Enthusiasm and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. I get the feeling it's not really slang, but just a dictionary word definition.
@@philpritchettphan I see, shall have to pay closer attention to these shows, for example. I've never seen Seinfield though have spent some time with the other two...
@@AlsActionEnglish I specifically remember a scene where Frank Reynolds starts tape recording Dennis and Dee's casual conversations because "They've got great banter. They jib jab! Jib jab, jib jab!" He keeps the tapes in his car for driving entertainment, for some reason.
George on Seinfeld laments about the sudden change in their usual waitress's conversational tone toward them: "Did you feel that tension? We use to have banter - (puts menu back with frustration) - there's no more banter."
Came here because of a Reddit comment referencing a Northern Ireland accent, had no idea of the phonetics of that specific region. Was not disappointed, very informative. People here talk about Deep South accents having Irish roots, not exactly sure how accurate that is. I'd guess you know more about that than I do.
I read that the word banter originated in 17th century London.
I love the Northern Ireland accent -it brings back so many memories-grand!
Greetings from California. We sometimes will use "shut your beak", but it would definitely sound much cooler with the Northern Irish accent. I remember hearing Ulster hooker Rory Best telling the referee once, "he knade 'im" after one of his players got kneed while down. It just sounded much fuller (and slightly satisfying) when I said it like he did. Cheers!
Greetings! Shut your 'beak' or shut your 'bake'? Rory Best is an absolute legend; he's retiring after the World Cup in Japan. Glad to see a US rugby fan!
@@AlsActionEnglish I just assumed "bake" is how "beak" is said! Either way, love the accent, it's one of my faves, and so is Ulster rugby. SUFTUM!
@@moegreene1823Not sure, I thought it was legitimately 'bake' Anyway, it's a classic. Stand up indeed! Semi-finals are soon (:
Are you from the Republic of Ireland?
@Heinrich Himmler Yup
Al, please excuse my using your site to highlight errors, but following on from due/owing could I get the following off my chest?
First night of EFL coverage and Josh Magennis's name mispronounced; the same commentator thinks that one shot is a salvo!!
On the red button news pages today we had ' stood in a boat ' instead of standing and' flutist ' in place of flautist. Re the latter I remember that back home people said fluter; if a marching band needed extra personnel some who couldn't play were included as ' dummy fluters ' , or so I was told! True or not?
I'm a Scottish lass. My man is from norn iron lol.. most of these words are from Scotland. We took them ore and now they norn Irish me came backed and bucked us...
Haha, I hope you don't feel aggrieved!
Al's Action English these are from the plantation
@@danielplayfair3596 Could you please expand on what you mean?
Depending the the area you're from, some Irish accents can be mistaken for some Scottish accents and vice versa. Due to human geography .
wow i am swooned 😂 i've only gotten to see Dublin a couple times and wasn't crazy about the accent like i am for yours! funny that the accent changes every 20 kilometers in the UK, though 😅
what about southern irish?
You mean the Republic of Ireland? The accent is different. Most people say that if you even go to a nearby street anywhere on the island of Ireland you'll likely find a different accent!
Hi, I've been watching your videos on how to speak with a northern Irish accent to help write a character born in Northern Ireland. All your videos have been really helpful and I enjoy listening, but I was curious if you have any tips how to write the accent because I want to show verses telling. For example in my writing, "...she said in her Irish accent." Again thanks. Your videos are great!
Hi, are you an author then?
What exactly do you mean? How to spell/write certain NI words and phrases? Or how to report what was said?
No, I'm not an author but I'm trying to be. :) I think tips on phrases or even behavior would help me as a writer. Like for example I live in south in North America. Here it's not uncommon for people (esp older age) to pat someone on the shoulder or be huggers. So I guess a combination of behavior and phrases. I have a notebook I jot notes from your videos. Thanks you again!
All the best with this endeavour! The best way to understand the Northern Irish is to come and observe them in their natural environment. It's hard to explain behaviours in the comments section of TH-cam 😂
Mate, I knew you were from Belfast the moment you started talking 😅
What gave it away?
Another question: Do ou in NOrthern Ireland have the right to decide which passport you receive?
Matthias Cerebri
In some cases yes you can have two passports but need proof of certain things that tie you to that part of the country...
@@snakesballs593 And which factors decide this?
Yes, at present (who knows with Brexit), if you're a Northern Irish citizen you are entitled to a British or an Irish passport (or both) (:
A lot of these are common in Australia also
Really?
Is the Donegal accent considered a Northern Irish accent??
An Ulster accent, yes. A Northern Irish one, no.
I love your accent, it is wonderful.....But which I cannot understand is the R pronunciation, many teachers say to us, the R is not pronounced. But I love your English teaching manner
Yes, we call this the 'rhotic' R. We always pronounce in Northern Ireland, some of my other videos in the series explain this and give examples.
Teachers will say this because they use Received Pronunciation which is nothing more than a mode of speech which makes the users think they are superior; rather than talking in a ridiculous manner.
Great videos, keep going))
Thanks, keep commenting ;)