In this video we’re looking at Jamie-Lee O’Donnell’s Derry accent as she plays
Michelle Mallon in the really popular TV series Derry Girls.
(Music)
What’s your favourite Michelle moment or line in the series?
Comment below.
If we’re meeting for the first time, I’m Alister, an English teacher and Northern Irish
dialect coach.
To learn more about English, languages or accents consider subscribing.
Should you be an actor looking to master your Northern Irish accent then contact me using
the details in the description below.
We’ll be looking at the following four clips in detail.
See if you can notice any specific features to the Derry dialect.
(I watched this film last night, my Dad got it off pyro Pauline.)
(...and it’s about these two lads and they wear these cracking suits and they rock about
just shooting people and eating cheeseburgers.)
(I’m half torn, this is wrecking my head.)
(Awk, sit yourselves down and have a wee drink.)
First, listen again to how Michelle says these four words.
(I watched this film last night, my Dad got it off pyro Pauline.)
(Awk, sit yourselves down and have a wee drink.)
In nearly all variations of English worldwide, this word has one syllable, however in a Derry
accent it quite clearly has two - FILM.
It’s as if there’s an extra /u/ sound in there!
Back in the day when I lived in England for 12 years saying this word caused constant
amusement for my English friends.
FILM vs. FILM.
Can you hear the difference?
FILM vs. FILM.
Next, we have vowel lowering or vowel dropping in this word.
In a Derry accent, MY sounds more like /me/ especially when said really quickly.
MY DAD vs. ME DAD.
WEE is just one of those words you have to use if you want a Derry accent, or a Scottish
one.
The definition is little or small, although, in reality it’s just a nondescript adjective
used in front of any noun.
I’m fairly sure that Michelle wasn’t offering the other girls a ‘small’ amount of drink!
AWK is a commonly used discourse marker in Derry.
Discourse markers are words such as so, well, I mean, anyway, okay, right - used to connect,
manage and organise what we say or write and to express attitude.
In our example, AWK is used to express the attitude, to challenge the fact that the other
girls think the shots and the loud music is a bad idea.
Wanna start sounding like you're from Derry - use AWK to begin your sentences and you’re
halfway there.
Next, notice Jamie-Lee’s pronunciation of these two words.
(I’m half torn, this is wrecking my head.)
In this word, the long vowel /ɑː/ becomes shorter - something which is extremely common
in a Derry accent.
In Standard British English, we drop the jaw, and make a long vowel sound /ɑː/, as in
HALF.
However, with a Derry accent, the vowel sound is much shorter, HALF.
This characteristic is best seen in the contrasting sounds in this short phrase.
In British English, you can distinguish the difference.
HAVE HALF.
In Derry, you cannot: HAVE HALF.
This word is all about rhoticity - the pronunciation of the /r/ sound in all contexts.
You’ll find significant variation in rhoticity across the globe for all people speaking English.
For instance, South African English is usually defined as non-rhotic, whereas Irish English
is defined as rhotic.
In an authentic Derry accent, the /r/ sound is preserved in all pronunciation contexts.
It is rhotic, 100%.
In Michelle’s example, a non-rhotic speaker wouldn’t pronounce the /r/ sound because
it is immediately after a vowel and not followed by another vowel - TORN - a long vowel sound
is used instead of the letter /r/.
Being from Northern Ireland this one is actually really difficult for me to say - we pronounce
all our /r/-s all the time.
TORN vs. TORN.
Can you hear the difference and more importantly can you feel the difference in your mouth?
Pronunciation is physical, remember that.
By the way this video is part of my Derry Girls series - check the playlist right up
here.
Thirdly, pay attention to the /ɪn/ sound in these words.
(...and it’s about these two lads and they wear these cracking suits and they rock about
just shooting people and eating cheeseburgers.)
According to many non-natives, this is the easiest part of the Derry accent to master
and I’ll show you how by the pronunciation of this word.
In nearly all English accents worldwide you’ll hear two different sounds - /ɪn/ first and
/ɪŋ/ second.
/ɪn/ /ɪŋ/.
Pinning.
/ɪn/ /ɪŋ/.
However, in a Derry accent, there’s no distinction: /ɪn/ first and /ɪn/ second.
Pinnin’.
/ɪn/ /ɪn/.
Pinnin’.
Pinning vs. Pinnin’.
Can you hear the difference?
(Don’t rush me Fionnuala!)
Again, should you be an actor looking to master your Northern Irish accent then contact me
using the details in the description below.
Now, to find out about the other Derry Girls and how they speak, click here.