Vacation in Scotland

[Iain Ruaidh]

I grew up in Banbury, Oxfordshire and when I joined the Royal Air Force there were two guys there from Aberdeen. I could not understand a word they said purely on their accent.
Apparently they were speaking English…

[tripleblessed]

My brother-in-law was a partner in a U.S. based world-wide firm whose clients were only U.S. companies. He somewhat accidentally gained several prominent European clients, and spent significant time there. Some years back, one of my brother-in-law's clients, an Atlanta developer, asked to tag along with him on vacation in Europe. Neither of them had a second language. My sister, more than fluent in French and quite capable in German, Dutch, and Italian learned entertaining the wives of clients, smoothly negotiated throughout the continent. On their return to Heathrow homeward bound, the client was first to encounter the Cockney customs officer. Clueless, he turned to my sister, who told him the questions and requests. She was muchly amused to realize halfway through that she was translating English into English.

[kilted2000]

I can understand most British accents, but I have to admit when I spent a year in Chester in NW England, there where a couple of times it took me a few minutes to realize that someone was speaking english.

[Kiltedjohn]

Many years ago, an English cousin visited me in Glasgow. He was under the (wrong) impression that, if he kept his ears open, he would hear people speaking Gaelic. Someone passed by (a mother with a small child) talking in the broadest of Glasgow accents.
My cousin asked excitedly, "Is that Gaelic?" I answered (truthfully) "No." I have thought ever since that I should have said "Yes." It would really have made his day!

[Iain Ruaidh]

Many years ago, an English cousin visited me in Glasgow. He was under the (wrong) impression that, if he kept his ears open, he would hear people speaking Gaelic. Someone passed by (a mother with a small child) talking in the broadest of Glasgow accents.
My cousin asked excitedly, "Is that Gaelic?" I answered (truthfully) "No." I have thought ever since that I should have said "Yes." It would really have made his day!

Partick (in Glasgow) is the largest gaidhaeltachd in Scotland. My wife's cousin was the free church minister there at Crow Road for some time. Featured on the BBC Alba Partick Program.
But gaidhlig is generally not spoken except when all present can understand it. Very polite but not spreading the language around. So it's very hard to find anyone speaking it.

[ThistleDown]

Iain, I think you mean Partick?

[Iain Ruaidh]

Iain, I think you mean Partick?

Certainly do. Must’ve got autocorrected.

[LoE]

muchly amused to realize halfway through that she was translating English into English.

That was my experience exactly.

[Nemuragh]

I grew up in Banbury, Oxfordshire and when I joined the Royal Air Force there were two guys there from Aberdeen. I could not understand a word they said purely on their accent.
Apparently they were speaking English…

Probably, they were speaking Scots (the language), probably ‘Doric’ (not the Greek variety) dialect.

[Kiltedjohn]

Probably, they were speaking Scots (the language), probably ‘Doric’ (not the Greek variety) dialect.

There is a remarkable series of lessons about Doric Scots words and phrases in YouTube. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tr0erVo3EP8 (Be warned, some of the words, and the accent, seem so improbable that some viewers have asked whether the whole series of lessons is a spoof! No, it is perfectly genuine!)