MK's accent

[Knopflerfan]

Think yourself back years and years, to the very first time you heard MK speak - in an interview on TV or radio perhaps: did you identify a Scots accent? I suspect not. By that time in his life, MK was in his late twenties and had lived in several different places in the United Kingdom.

I know he was born in Glasgow but (and you guys will doubtless tell me if I'm wrong) I don't think either of his parents were Scottish. If I'm right, he would have heard little spoken Scots around the house, just friends and neighbours. And how long was he at school in Glasgow? One year or two years - something like that. I'm sure he would have had a Scots accent but probably not as deeply "ingrained" as fellow pupils, because it was not being reinforced at home.  Maybe this was the time when his accent became more fluid - more Scottish at school and in the street but less Scottish at home. Just speculation, of course, but it happens.

I haven't listened to all the radio and TV broadcasts that you lot have, just a few words from the stage and the like, but I cannot recall him using any words common in Scotland but less common elsewhere - "blether", for example.

Most likely, when he moved to Newcastle and started school there, his accent did stand out. Whether it was a strong accent or not, it would have identified him as being from Scotland. [At that time, schoolkids gave one another nicknames (probably still do today) and I can recall Scottish children at English schools being given nicknames like "Jock" or, in one case, "Haggis"].   Had his parents been Scottish, I suspect more of his Scottish accent would have been retained. As it was, he began to absorb the local Newcastle accent.

And, in my view, it is that accent that he has retained. It may have softened over the years but it is still there. It is not a purely Geordie accent to my ears but it underlies aspects of his pronunciation and, occasionally, the patterns of his speech.

Good points here twm.
As you will be aware MK's Father - Erwin Knopfler was Jewish-Hungarian and his Mother - Louisa Mary was indeed English.. So no reason at all for any Scottish tones there....

[BoldonExpat]

AS his Mother was from Blyth she would have had a more Newcastle based accent so it is safe to assume that he would have picked that up rather than any Scottish lilt.

[Knopflerfan]

Good point BE, MK would have most definately picked the Newcastle accent up from his mother...

[twm]

I don't know if anyone saw the MK interview in SALON at the weekend but, at the beginning, the interviewer (presumably American) has quoted MK as referring to Basil Bunting's "Break Flats". This should, of course, be "Briggflats" and the interviewer has simply misheard what MK said.

As well as indicating that, while Basil Bunting was known in Britain back in the late-1960s (and since?), he was much less well-known elsewhere in the world, it also struck me that this mishearing may well be because of MK's accent. 

Would "Briggflats" not sound a bit like "Break Flats" when spoken with a slight northeastern accent?

[Pondlive]

I do remember at the BIC on the Privateering tour, and Mark said to the audience' is any body coming to Brighton(one of the following dates)? '
There was a slight pause before he got a response if I recall. I found it difficult to twig it was Brighton that he said straight away.

Pondy.

[Knopflerfan]

Yes, as I was there and I remember it well.
It was only when I listened to the recording I sussed out what he had said!!!!

[twm]

Ringo Starr was interviewed on the radio here the other morning. He was promoting his latest album ("Postcards from Paradise" - not Paraguay) and suggested that, on each album, he includes a song about his early days as an alternative to writing an autobiography. In the course of the interview he referred to his Liverpool accent or, specifically, to the Liverpool accent that he had now lost. It happens, too.

[superval99]

Ringo Starr was interviewed on the radio here the other morning. He was promoting his latest album ("Postcards from Paradise" - not Paraguay) and suggested that, on each album, he includes a song about his early days as an alternative to writing an autobiography. In the course of the interview he referred to his Liverpool accent or, specifically, to the Liverpool accent that he had now lost. It happens, too.

I'm Liverpudlian and I heard Ringo speak quite recently and he still has a L'pool accent, albeit mixed with an American drawl.  I've still got one too, even after 50 years in Yorkshire - not so pronounced as it used to be though! 

[Stanko]

Yeah great discussion. I will dare to make a comment here though I'm Croatian. It leans on my experience with switching the different types of Croatian accents couple of times so far... As it's already mentioned here even the single city area could have a couple of different types of accents. I think nobody is immune of it. Soon or later the place where we live does influence on us. The songs as the pieces of art need to be observed beside since you can rehearse them so they could sound the way you want? As if so (in my humble opinion) It's like you making a stew... You would start it with some ingredients and you could change the ratio anytime. But it's the never finished stew! Language or dialect is live. And time is important issue too. It will taste (sound) as that as a ingredients that you used (period of life where you lived surrounded with it or period of time you used some dialect)?! So I couldn't say about Mark's accent since I don't know english enough but perhaps you couldn't find the exact place where you would put Mark's accent?
At least that's my take.

[twm]

I should have been more explicit, superval99. Ringo was referring to the Liverpool accent he had in his youth and gave an example. It was, if I may put his way, raw Scouse - possibly exagerrated for effect.

[superval99]

I should have been more explicit, superval99. Ringo was referring to the Liverpool accent he had in his youth and gave an example. It was, if I may put his way, raw Scouse - possibly exagerrated for effect.

Yes, I know what you mean, twm!       There are many L'pool accents - Ringo, however, had a Dingle accent, which has quite a gutteral sound, but I agree that he has lost a lot of it now, due to living in the US I suppose.