“Erin, if you expect me to believe that Michelle tripped while carrying a scented candle,
you must think I came up the Foyle in a bubble. “
In this accent analysis of Ma Mary from Derry Girls, played by Tara Lynne O’Neill, we’re
looking at 1 clip in detail, 4 distinct features of the accent and one wee delightful Derry phrase.
First up, listen to how the final /r/ sound is pronounced in these words:
“Dip into your trust fund. Of course, no bother at all.
Pass us in the phone, I just need to ring the bank. 7654321 - that’s the account number,
and the password, what is it again? What was it now? Oh aye, catch yourself on!”
Rhoticity in English is the pronunciation of the /r/ sound in all contexts. There is great
variety among native English speakers throughout the world in this regard.
In any Northern Irish accent, including the Derry one,
the /r/ sound is preserved in all contexts, every time. It is rhotic.
Remembering that pronunciation and perfecting an accent are physical listen carefully.
YOUR, BOTHER, NUMBER. YOUR, BOTHER, NUMBER.
Next, notice how these two words are said:
“Dip into your trust fund. Of course, no bother at all.
Pass us in the phone, I just need to ring the bank. 7654321 - that’s the account number,
and the password, what is it again? What was it now? Oh aye, catch yourself on!”
How to produce and pronounce the /aʊ/ diphthong in a Derry accent (as modelled by these two words)
is regarded by most people as the trickiest aspect of the dialect to master.
In a more standard English accent (whatever that means) the /aʊ/ diphthong is composed of two
short monophthongs, /æ/ as in cat and /ʊ/
as in good. Combining these two monophthongs /æ/ /ʊ/, /æ/ /ʊ/ - /aʊ/
and sliding them together we have the /aʊ/ diphthong, as in NOW, ACCOUNT.
Notice due to the two monophthongs having to be combined you should feel movement
in your mouth, most describe it as a rounded movement. NOW, ACCOUNT.
Derry natives tend to speak far too quickly and this /aʊ/ diphthong
is either completely swallowed or shortened - [ow], some have
said that technically it's not even a diphthong - /aʊ/ [ow]. /aʊ/ [ow].
Listen to, and crucially feel the differences in your mouth.
NOW, NOW. ACCOUNT, ACCOUNT.
For a more in depth look at this diphthong,
as with all the features mentioned in this video, click up here.
Thirdly, pay attention to another diphthong in this word:
“7654321 - that’s the account number, and the password, what is it again?”
A reminder that in monophthongs the mouth stays in one position,
whereas in diphthongs, because two sounds are combined, the mouth has to move.
In a standard English accent this /eɪ/ diphthong is again composed of two short
monophthongs, /e/ as in bed and /ɪ/ as in ship. /e/ /ɪ/ - /eɪ/ as in AGAIN.
Once more in Derry this sound is either completely swallowed or clipped.
Listen to and feel the differences.
AGAIN , AGAIN. AGAIN, AGAIN.
It’s also worth noting that the actress who plays Ma Mary,
Tara, is from Belfast not Derry so if you’re local go ahead in the comments and type
the differences that come to your mind between these two main cities in Northern Ireland.
Here, listen to how Ma shortens the vowel in these words:
“Pass us in the phone, I just need to ring the bank.
7654321 - that’s the account number, and the password, what is it again?”
This feature involves a long vowel (but not a diphthong this time)
becoming shorter - something that is extremely common in any Derry accent.
In many English accents, we drop the jaw, and make a long /ɑː/ sound as in PASS.
However, in Derry, the vowel is much shorter /æ/, as in PASS.
In Derry, and I must stress this, there is pretty much no differences
in these vowel sounds: PASS, PAT. PASS, PAT.
Right, did you notice the Derry idiom, and what exactly does it mean?
“Dip into your trust fund. Of course, no bother at all. Pass us in the phone,
I just need to ring the bank. 7654321 - that’s the account number, and the password,
what is it again? What was it now? Oh aye, catch yourself on!”
This is my personal favourite Ma Mary moment,
and it comes at the end of her best line. Her sarcasm is an absolute delight!
Catch yourself on means to stop being ridiculous and come back grounded to planet earth.
It can also be used in a more affectionate manner. The tone of the speaker should let
you know which one it is, though make sure you interpret correctly.
Now, to check out an accent analysis of Granda Joe from Derry Girls click here.
Thanks so much for watching and I look forward to seeing you over here.