Love Britannia
Posted by: Cléa in Travel, tags: accents, Britannia, British, cbmused, England, English, Irish, London, London Calling, Scottish
I love the British. I love the way their accents, inflexion and idioms give them a delightful air of friendliness. From plummy accents that hint at gentry and lineage, to the rugged warmth of the cockney dialect, which admittedly I don’t understand very well, there’s a plethora sounds, an aural seduction that is ever so charming even when they’re giving you directions to get around London by tube.
But make no mistake, as I have on numerous occasions, when I innocently blurted, “What language is he speaking?”, only to be met with a raised eyebrow, a stifled chuckle followed by a prompt and stern correction, “English!” Ah… I could never discern a Scottish accent from an Irish one or a northern English one. Yet I can listen, nod, smile and be totally enchanted like a teenage school girl.
On my first visit to the Great land of Britain, I hated London and its environs. I wasn’t impressed by the locals or their attitudes as if their grey drab skies cast a dull veneer over their personalities. They evoked in me expressions often reserved by them for their counterparts across the Channel. Yet it made no sense when I had many English friends, colleagues and relatives whom I love dearly. Even a major crush of mine was English, Welsh actually, with a seductive Londoner accent to accompany that natural charm and eyes that glittered when they looked at me. Captivating, he was. And I am digressing.
Therefore it came as no surprise that during my last sojourn in Britannia to visit friends and relatives, I chose to make it brief. And it was much to my disappointment again, as it had turned out, I loved London. I witnessed a shift in attitudes and a general bonhomie among its people. Laid back is not a term usually reserved for Londoners but it was one to which the locals themselves have attested.
London has been calling me of late. I shall return again for a longer stay. Even if I have to ask some charming locals for a translation.
– A photographic tribute to London
London Calling - The Clash
