Where Did The Scouse/Liverpool Accent Come From? 

What are your views on the Scouse accent?

It’s so wild how England is such a small country, yet you can just drive a couple miles out and hear a completely different accent. I live in the USA, and you usually have to fly to a different state, hundreds or even thousands of miles away to hear a different accent.

Being born in Liverpool but leaving for Dublin at 11 you can hear the inflections and language in both accents and words 'dead on, sound, craic, yer auld one, fella, lad, Ma, Da, alrite" all used in both cities.

Pretty sure the accent is from the large North Welsh and Irish immigration.

It's a mixture of Irish & Lancastrian ... We spoke in a Lancastrian accent as SCOUSE didn't exist until the Irish came during the famine ... I speak SCOUSE .☺️

I remember being at a party in Madrid, and walked past a couple of reminiscing Dubliners and it hit me how familiar their voices were. I'm from the Liverpool region, and notice an especially close relationship with some Irish accents. Interesting to hear that the accent is relatively new

“Geordie Shore” might be The UK’s answer a show from The US called “Jersey Shore”, or vice versa

I am scouse myself and it’s cool to see history of it, boss vid mate 👍

I know this isn't the right place to suggest videos but I'd love to see a video on how the words for people from the areas of the north-east came to be. Things like "Geordie", "Mackem" and "Smoggie" would make a really interesting video I think

I’m happy to see you expanding passed only names, and not trying to shoehorn a way to connect it to names when is basically isn’t. I really enjoy learning the roots of all kinds of words and dialects and not just names. I hope you continue to expand. I know that you are interested in doing so but are probably afraid of the algorithm of you stray too far. If the algorithm stops you I’ll still watch and I understand, but I would be a bit disappointed. I’m looking forward to this widened direction you seem to be heading. And most importantly, make what you enjoy! Cheers!

Native Scouser here now craving a pan of Scouse with pickled red cabbage and some crusty bread la🤘

"Due to the variety of issues in Ireland" is a beautiful euphemism for a famine that caused over a million deaths and led to 2 million emigrating, including those who came to Liverpool. Strange how reluctant even modern day Brits including are to own what they did to Ireland

The polyphonic Penny Lane in the background is a nice touch

Coming from south Wales I can't get away how similar scouse is to Welsh accents, obviously northern Welsh accents, but southern too. A broad Cardiff accent isn't so far from Liverpool. The rolling r and the sing songy quality are very Welsh.

Really loving the background music here at the end

Fun fact: before WWII there were Welsh street signs in certain parts of Liverpool

Been waiting for this video for ages my god

When you listen to old recordings of the Beatles speaking, George and Ringo seem (to this American anyway) to have the heaviest Liverpool accents (I've never liked the term "scouse"); John less so, and Paul the least. With George you can even pick it up in his songs (most notably on "Think For Yourself" from RUBBER SOUL).

The New York/New Jersey accents are also nasal and, in fact, have similar origins to Scouse.

i was born in south wales, moved to liverpool as a four year old. found myself in school with kids who ,asked me why i spoke funny. so over the years my accent developed , i spoke with a mixture of scouse, depending upon who i was with. my real accent is not so strong, or as fast and gutteral as others in my family. my brother, who was born in ormskirk, and grew up in litherland.speaks very fast and thick scouse accent spews forth. yet mine is slower, and my words have a sing song quality. i left liverpool in 1978, moved to north wales, now my accent is totally different.

I find the Scouse dialect charming and fun--not in the least unsophisticated. Two of my favorite RU-vid creators have it, and my partner says they both sound like Ringo Starr. For a musician who admires the Beatles so much, that's high praise!

Thank you. Learnt much. 🙏 For example, I’d thought Scouse was the name of an Irish stew. ☘️

I grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. It's been considered the ugliest accent in USA (known as a yinzer accent). Could be interesting to see your take on it.

'Name for a specific place that sound nothing like the place they refer to' We have a few of these in the States. Like Hoosiers for people from Indiana.

Starting at about 11:00, did anyone else catch “Penny Lane” being played in the background?

When you live and work in Liverpool you can detect subtle differences in accent from different parts of the city

I live somewhere with a pretty unique accent, can you do more name explained about accents?

nice touch w the penny lane instrumental

My old boss was from Liverpool. I always did impressions of him lol, and then one of my friends told him. Glad to say he approved of it lol

Took me until the end to realise you have an 8-bit version of Penny Lane as background music

Maybe it's because I'm not from England, so I'm not as susceptible to traditional regional stereotypes and can judge mostly on sound alone, but Scouse has always been my favorite English accent. 2nd favorite British overall after Edinburgh. Then again, maybe it also has to do with the fact a woman I used to be friends with and had a huge crush on spoke with a very strong Scouse accent, lol.

Weirdly,some of the terms for things are common in the midlands and Australia ( cossie, council pop etc).

I was born liverpool and now live 18 miles away in skelmersdale, which speak mostly scouse, with a few old skemerdale accents. If i drive 4- 20 miles in any direction , the accents are different. Wigan ,bolton, southport, ormskirk, kirkby, blackburn, and many more.

I have heard one Irish person say that the Liverpool accent sounds similar to the Dublin accent.

Scouse the stew varies from family to family, but it’s basically left over meat from the Sunday roast (as an example) or any off cuts the dogs didn’t get and veg that was on the turn and needing eating. Basically everyone’s Nan made the best scouse

One most important thing to remember about Liverpool people. As scousers we can take a" pop" at the city council and the city. But outsiders dare to criticise the city they will well be on their way to a knuckle sandwich. Also Liverpool is a City state because all Liverpudlians OWN IT!!! To the death!

Paul Hollywood is from the Wirral , Steven Gerrard is from Huyton . So of the 4 people/groups you named at the start only half of them are scouse

4:40 I can tell you that is the same way in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. Given that, you're probably right.

I wouldn’t say “Merseyside”, as St Helen’s is classed as Merseyside. And they sound like watered down mancs. People on the outskirts of Liverpool are called “wools” or “woolybacks”. They’re not scouse in any way.

Stevie G has the Huyton scouse accent, same as me. We tend not to do the hard KKKKK sound tho we deffo do the rest of the accent to the extreme 😂 the classic gerrard “eeeeeeer” is so huyton it hurts. Cos cos I do that same noise 🤣

My boyfriend has one and I LOVE it!

What you have to remember is from town to town people didn't meet unless you owned a horse. Hence people did not travel.

the sub button shined lol

Westerna was a part of the early English kingdom and it can be seen as including Cheshire, Liverpool and further north in Lancashire. A reasonable explanation of the line of settlement is from the Myrcnaland which was the border area with what came to be called, Wales. Myrcnaland, which meant the boundary area of the early kingdom, was to the north, west and southwest of what became Birmingham. See the list of early parts of England, which was called the Tribal Hideage in recent centuries and was probably closely connected to the origin of the Round Table legend; it reads section by section, clockwise around England. The word for hides, hyda, tells of payments depending on cattle hides and probably the suspicion that some people would try to hide their cattle to reduce the payment. Many people in the Myrcnaland would have had Celtic forms of speech and there is similarity between Liverpool speech and Birmingham speech still. That is why the -oo- sound in the name, Liverpool, seems to be similar to accents in Birmingham and the West Midlands. From the founding of the city, then? Also, the hard 'g' sound, such as in words that end in -ing, suggests a similar connection and is like accents in the nortwest of Germany. It has been widely known that Liverpool was called the Capital of Ireland and there is mention in the video of how the 'th' sound tends to be avoided, a sign of influence from Ireland. Also, the Wirral was settled by Scandinavians, which it seems was in agreement with later English who were retaking parts of England from the Danes.

Very true I was born in Liverpool my relatives call me a woolly back as I have a Lancaster accent when I have a few drinks the kids say I sound more Scouse 😂 and of course I have Irish and English blood and relatives who emigrated to the US and New Zealand

I can't lie, being from Manchester, the Scouse accent gives a visceral reaction lol Had a Scouse teacher and couldn't understand a word she said XD Honestly I thought that the Scouse accent was a more exaggerated Mancunian accent (the chavvy type that you hear teens using). I wouldn't be surprised if something closer to Scouse spreads to Manchester in the next 20 years or so, along with the faux posh sounding accent. It feels a bit sad that you hear less and less Northern accents in young people (most of my friends don't even sound like they're from the North). And honestly I'm sad you didn't attempt it, would've been hilarious XD

The astronomer and RU-vidr, Becky Smethurst, has something of this--she's from Manchester, so far as I've heard.

The origin of Liverpudlians eating scouse came from our sailors serving on Scandinavian ships. They ate labskaus and when they came home passed it on!

You should make a video on the mancunian accent and just have it be the Gallagher brothers cursing for 12 minutes straight

Thank you.

Scouse as in 'Scarse Git!' Thank you Alf :-)

I played Conker's Bad Fur day I had no idea that the Beatles characters have Scouse accents also I'm from Ireland also known as the Republic of Ireland I sometimes speak in a Scouse accent it's because of the late great Liverpool comedian Paul O'Grady who sadly passed away this year when I hear the Scouse accent it it's like a mixture between Irish, Walsh, and Norwegian so I can hear Irish Welsh and Norwegian in a conversation which I find really interesting it's sad that I can't say the same for the majority of English people who don't understand the Scouse accent.

Loved this upload. Im a proud "SCOUSER", born and bred in Anfield, in the shadow of Liverpool Football Club. Just a tiny point that you've got incorrect. You say people from the wider Merseyside area are also scousers! This is extremely untrue I'm afraid. Only people born in Liverpool itself, and definitely not the outside areas of Merseyside are Scousers. Those from Merseyside area, but not Liverpool, are called "woolly backs" by us Scousers. Again, only those born in Liverpool itself and not the neighbouring areas, are Scousers. It's a massive difference to Scousers. I mention it because you said it twice at least. Thanks very much. 😊

To focus on a specific city's accent and then say 'the Irish accent' (singular) is certianly a choice haha. Nice tho. Tabhair aire 😉

I visited North Wales in 2017 and *thought* the owner of the B&B was from Liverpool. I noticed a lot of *Liverpool* accents. The accent and the landlord where not from Liverpool. It sounds very similar though. Sorry, I should have mentioned they where ethnically Welsh.

Love the subtle, almost melancholy Penny Lane in the background. Much love from Philly, PA 🇺🇸🫡

I am from St Helens. Born in Whiston. We have a completely different accent to Scouse. We literally live bordering Liverpool and you can drive across the traffic lights at the Dragon on Prescott road by Knowsley Safari park and the accent completely changes ! 🤷‍♂️. Funny but if we go anywhere else other than Liverpool, people think we are Scouse. Completely different though.

Is the "Bastard" silent after the word scouse? Asking for a friend

Where i am from we are called sand gropers lol nothing to do with my state western Australia's name but it's just a bug that lives here n become a mascot

The accent is a mixture of Lancastrian, Welsh and Irish, with a little Brummie, Scottish and Scandinavian thrown in. The reason it became more nasally I imagine is to do with the fashion of being as Scouse sounding as possible within the city. It has evolved to be very strong in that way, for example the accent the Beatles had is completely different to people from the same area of Liverpool today.

Ireland Norway Wales.

Scouse is a type of stew ate by the norse and then adopted by people of liverpool as they where sea fairers

2:35 “synomonous” 😮

the Scouse stew came from Norway`s whaling ships, the KKK from the back of the throat came from the dockers breathing in dust and cotton fibres, as they spoke they constantly cleared their throat and it transferred into the accent.

It's a unique accent because it's a mixture .Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Scandinavian Etc. I am proud of my accent, and it's well received all over the world. Being born and bread here, my DNA also tells tge same story.

The number "free" is pronounced "tree" in Ireland😅, the irony is that its pronunciation THREE in Liverpool. Not so much for the rest of the country these days

Scouser or Scouser is the preferred term over Liverpudlian, because if you mistakenly call an evertonian a Liverpudlian you might get a funny look from that person. Liverpudlian and Evertonian have strong ties to the football clubs so you're best just saying Scouse or Scouser which is the preferred term by most Scousers anyway. The Scouse accent is interesting too in the fact that it can sound noticeably different depending on the generation or depending on what part of Merseyside you're from. In fact some Scousers will only consider you true Scouse if you're from the City itself, and people with the accent from sounding towns in or around the Merseyside area are considered to be 'Woolybacks' or 'wools' and not Scouse. For example Comedian John Bishop is considered to be a woolyback even though he has a clear Scouse accent.

What is Gialova and Yalova?

I have an uncle, who is from Manchester, I think. Even after he lives many years in Germany, I can't understand him really, because he is quite of mumbling. The bad part is, that he lived and worked in the area of Cologne and tried to accustom himself, to speak the dialect of that city (Kölsch). That made it even worse. But the least attractive dialect in Germany is Saxonian. I find it even hard to take somebody serious, when he speaks Saxonian.

It came from a twig in a stream in Dublin, floated over to the Wirral. Was imprisoned for crimes against comedy, then launched in a submarine.

From Beelzebub himself! 🤣🤗😉

A video on the Liverpool accent by people who are not from Liverpool?

Paul Hollywood is a wool from Birkenhead 👍

That accent Scouse is quite crazy

East Anglian counties accents next ?

Why izzit when a Scouser says cake it sounds like they are clearing their throat?

I think the nasal thing comes from north wales because people from north wales sound nasaly

The Liverpool and Dublin accents are very similar.

Arent there large working class irish & welsh neighborhoods in Liverpool still?

Hamburg accent also has a nasal quality , Liverpool is on the same latitude!.

Video starts at 5:59

Would have been better with examples but still, interesting video.

Is that a MIDI version of "P*nny L*ne" in the background? HEHEHE!

Yeah

God i miss the UK and proud to have been born a scoucer ey la 😉

Scouse was a Viking meal

I've had many a good night in Liverpool.

I was born in Liverpool and left aged 18, 40 years ago. I quickly tried to lose my accent as it is viewed negatively outside of Liverpool. If someone now picks up a trace of my accent I’m a little disappointed.

Da Norf west accent from liverpool is a scouse fing. He said. Huh?

A nice bit of information, but slightly wrong. St.Helens is in Merseyside and we are not classed as scousers but woolyback (more Lancashire). Only people born with a view of the Liverpool docks are true scousers, and the rest are called plastic scousers if they say they are scousers. Same goes for the Wirral and Runcorn. However, I am not a scouser and so don't really care one way or another. Nice video though.

Blind scouse was without meat You only had SCOUSE as locals think about it with meat if you could afford it The whole area got its character from the utter poverty Investment brought much better times, but it also brought crime conversely That seems at odds It's sad You did have a moment in our history there in that area that was GREAT it was good You could have faith in your neighbours Now there are so many gang and bad people around So much so I left BIRKENHEAD and now live in Australia So much better here Unfortunate because I do miss my family But not the MORONS

We call the gutteral 'Scouse' accent "Scally", as it's not the older, softer Liverpool accent. People who talk like a scally are said to suffer from ESD (Exaggerated Scouse Disorder).

Did he ask if people outside the UK know what jersey shore is? The “situation”would like a word

interesting

Funnily enough, the accent in north Wales can sound very Scouse and nasal. They're very different to south Wales accents.

I pretend to be a scouser when I go to Liverpool. Errrrrrrrm.

Hello

Liverpool is a Port City, so the Accent is a combination of Accents from NW Britain and from around the World.😊

Anyone else here trying to figure out why they cant understand Paddy Pimblett when he speaks?

Yes i cannot understand why they make a irttitating spitting noise when they finish a conversation with ck