Mate! Your accent swapping skill is amazing. Thanks for the video, it actually is super helpful for all people going to UK, especially north of course. Aye! 😊
This video is full of misinformation. The accent is not a good at all, it does not sound like anybody from Earth, let alone Scotland. However, you have correctly noted some differences. Here are some general notes: 1. Scotland had three languages: Scottish English, Scots, and Scottish Gaelic. Scottish Gaelic is a Celtic language (related to Irish Gaelic) now spoken by a minority and largely confined to the West Highlands. Scots is a Germanic language descended from Old English that is the native tongue in the Lowlands. Scottish English is standard English with a Scottish accent and some dialect words. In the main cities (all in the Lowlands), the Scottish accent and dialect of English come from Scots. Scots and Scottish English nowadays exist on a dialect continuum depending on class, region and social context. The direct influence of Scottish Gaelic in big cities is negligible. Scots is also not slang - most Scots words and pronunciations are older than Modern English. 2. Scottish people do not mumble or talk unclearly. It would be difficult to communicate otherwise. It is true that the style of speaking can be much different to standard English in England and America, but it again depends on class and region. Scotland is not unique in this regard, e.g., African American English is similar. 3. There is no real standard variety of Scottish English, but there are neutral modern accents that are becoming increasingly common in the central belt, particularly around Glasgow and Edinburgh. You appear to be (poorly) imitating the intonation of Glaswegian English. While Glaswegian English is quite distinctive, it is actually one of the most Anglicised varieties in terms of dialect and pronunciation. I believe it only has the reputation for being hard to understand due to the shear number of speakers (~60% of the population of Scotland to some degree) and limited exposure to other dialects. Broad Fife, Perth, Dundee, Aberdeen, Orkney and Shetland are good examples of heavy dialects. 4. The i vowel (as in “bin”), at least in the Lowlands, is more like a schwa than an e (as in “ben”) and remains distinct (i.e., it does not merge with any other vowel). It can also sound more like u (as in “up”) in some contexts. 5. The ow vowel is indeed distinct and is like “iw”, and oo is distinct. The o and ai vowels are indeed is a pure vowels (monophthrongs). These vary significantly depending on region and class. 6. The y vowel (as in “my”) has two sounds, a distinction not made in standard English. There is a long “ay” (e.g., “buy”, “aye”, “tie”) and a short “iy” (e.g., “bide”, “life”, “friday”). See the Scottish vowel length rule for more information. Other accents in North America (“Canadian rising”) and Northern Ireland have a similar vowel system, most likely from Scots. 7. “Aye” is the Scots word for yes, and “canna” is the Scots negation of can. These are not slang and is arguable more intuitive and consistent than standard English, e.g., the Scots words for “won’t” is “winna”, “haven’t” is “hinna”, “don’t” is “dinna”
