A different English
A different English
A different English
If you played football in a foreign country, would you learn the language?
Can you imagine if you had to understand a special accent as well? Newcastle United’s overseas players have to understand a famous English accent called Geordie. Geordie is the kind of English that people speak in Newcastle. In Newcastle’s regional accent, people say some vowel sounds differently: ‘house’ is pronounced ‘hoose’, and ‘town’ is ‘toon’.
Is it easy to learn Geordie?
Paolo, a Brazilian student at Newcastle University thinks so. “I found it hard at first to speak to local people, because I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I’m learning Geordie in the same way I learned English – by listening to the way people pronounce words, and by talking to people as much as I can. And my girlfriend is from Newcastle, so I’m getting better at understanding Geordie, especially now that I’m a member of the ‘Toon Army’.
What does the phrase ‘Toon Army’ mean?
Paolo explains: “It’s what we Newcastle United fans call ourselves. And when we’re watching a Newcastle United game, we all shout ‘Howay the lads!’ ‘Howay’ is a Geordie word meaning ‘Come on’, and ‘lads’ means ‘boys’. There’s even a big sign at the ground saying ‘Howay the lads’. The stadium where Newcastle play, St James’ Park, is right in the centre of the city. People shopping in the city centre know when Newcastle score because they hear the cheers from the thousands of supporters inside the stadium!
Has Newcastle United always had foreign players?
Newcastle United was one of the first major English clubs to sign overseas players back in the 1950s, when Chilean George Robledo joined the club. Other Newcastle stars have included French winger David Ginola, and Colombian striker, Faustino Asprilla. Now, nearly half of the squad are not from English speaking countries. They don’t have to speak fluent English, but they need to be able to communicate on the pitch. And off the pitch, they need a good understanding of Geordie as well.
So is Geordie English OK?
Paolo: “When I got to Newcastle, I was surprised, because the English I heard here was so different from the English I learned at school. But now I realise that there are lots of different kinds of English all over the world. And they’re all really useful. After three years living here, I’m happy when people say I have a Geordie accent. It’s who I am.”
What did you understand?
If you played football in a foreign country, would you learn the language?
Can you imagine if you had to understand a special accent as well? Newcastle United’s overseas players have to understand a famous English accent called Geordie. Geordie is the kind of English that people speak in Newcastle. In Newcastle’s regional accent, people say some vowel sounds differently: ‘house’ is pronounced ‘hoose’, and ‘town’ is ‘toon’.
Is it easy to learn Geordie?
Paolo, a Brazilian student at Newcastle University thinks so. “I found it hard at first to speak to local people, because I couldn’t understand what they were saying. I’m learning Geordie in the same way I learned English – by listening to the way people pronounce words, and by talking to people as much as I can. And my girlfriend is from Newcastle, so I’m getting better at understanding Geordie, especially now that I’m a member of the ‘Toon Army’.
What does the phrase ‘Toon Army’ mean?
Paolo explains: “It’s what we Newcastle United fans call ourselves. And when we’re watching a Newcastle United game, we all shout ‘Howay the lads!’ ‘Howay’ is a Geordie word meaning ‘Come on’, and ‘lads’ means ‘boys’. There’s even a big sign at the ground saying ‘Howay the lads’. The stadium where Newcastle play, St James’ Park, is right in the centre of the city. People shopping in the city centre know when Newcastle score because they hear the cheers from the thousands of supporters inside the stadium!
Has Newcastle United always had foreign players?
Newcastle United was one of the first major English clubs to sign overseas players back in the 1950s, when Chilean George Robledo joined the club. Other Newcastle stars have included French winger David Ginola, and Colombian striker, Faustino Asprilla. Now, nearly half of the squad are not from English speaking countries. They don’t have to speak fluent English, but they need to be able to communicate on the pitch. And off the pitch, they need a good understanding of Geordie as well.
So is Geordie English OK?
Paolo: “When I got to Newcastle, I was surprised, because the English I heard here was so different from the English I learned at school. But now I realise that there are lots of different kinds of English all over the world. And they’re all really useful. After three years living here, I’m happy when people say I have a Geordie accent. It’s who I am.”
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Premier Skills English online questionnaire for teachers
The British Council and Premier League would like to know what you think about the Premier Skills English website. We’d be very grateful if you could take a few minutes to complete the following questionnaire.
Please tick one box to indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with the following statements about the Premier Skills English materials that you have used on this website.
What do you think?
What different regional accents are there in your country?
In which parts of the country can you hear these accents?
Leave a comment below and let us know.
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Comments
28/10/2023
points
In my country India there are regional languages for each state. For example Malayalam in Kerala , Tamil in Tamil Nadu , Kannada in Karnataka etc.
28/10/2023 09:04
Manchester City
377
In my country India there are regional languages for each state. For example Malayalam in Kerala , Tamil in Tamil Nadu , Kannada in Karnataka etc.
24/03/2021
points
There are at least five or six different kinds of accents in Brazil. We're a very big and diverse country.
Everyone of the five regions has their particularities when it comes at language and accents. And to go further, inside any region you may also find different accents as well.
24/03/2021 14:13
Arsenal
1512
There are at least five or six different kinds of accents in Brazil. We're a very big and diverse country.
Everyone of the five regions has their particularities when it comes at language and accents. And to go further, inside any region you may also find different accents as well.
07/07/2020
points
It's different from Istanbul and Izmir , my home city.
07/07/2020 00:25
Manchester United
6510
It's different from Istanbul and Izmir , my home city.
01/07/2020
points
I had no problem with George's accent when I studied in Newcastle.
01/07/2020 12:05
Newcastle United
1505
I had no problem with George's accent when I studied in Newcastle.
08/04/2016
points
There are a lot of different accents in my country.
08/04/2016 12:29
Liverpool
3705
There are a lot of different accents in my country.
05/03/2016
points
In the desert regions.
05/03/2016 17:27
Liverpool
3705
In the desert regions.
14/12/2015
points
Spain for example has so many languages and accents. Then, Italy of course (the 'accent' from Naples has been recognized as a language for itself last year), France (with different accents because of the historical background of the inhabitants). But an absolut winner is Papua New Guinea where the number of tribal languages in the region range from 200 to over 700!!
14/12/2015 14:54
Arsenal
3557
Spain for example has so many languages and accents. Then, Italy of course (the 'accent' from Naples has been recognized as a language for itself last year), France (with different accents because of the historical background of the inhabitants). But an absolut winner is Papua New Guinea where the number of tribal languages in the region range from 200 to over 700!!
15/11/2015
points
Difficult words in document. It needs more efforts to understand everything from it.
15/11/2015 20:19
Arsenal
2320
Difficult words in document. It needs more efforts to understand everything from it.
28/10/2015
points
There are some different accents in MNE. The most difficult is to understand people from south parts of the country esp. from the Boca bay since they use some words that come from italian.
28/10/2015 16:16
Arsenal
3557
There are some different accents in MNE. The most difficult is to understand people from south parts of the country esp. from the Boca bay since they use some words that come from italian.
06/10/2015
points
India and USA are the world's largest English speaking countries... Thanks for sharing this information.
06/10/2015 12:48
Manchester United
1608
India and USA are the world's largest English speaking countries... Thanks for sharing this information.
27/03/2012
points
Brazil, is a big country too, and we have different accent, words and expressions as well. Some times it takes a period of time realize what those people from those regions want mean.
27/03/2012 15:51
0
Brazil, is a big country too, and we have different accent, words and expressions as well. Some times it takes a period of time realize what those people from those regions want mean.
21/03/2012
points
There are different regional accents in Spain. People from Andaluxia, Madrid, Extremadura, Cataluña or Galicia sepak different. The most strong accents are in Andalucia, Galicia or Asturias.
Regards
Anissa
21/03/2012 11:05
0
There are different regional accents in Spain. People from Andaluxia, Madrid, Extremadura, Cataluña or Galicia sepak different. The most strong accents are in Andalucia, Galicia or Asturias.
Regards
Anissa