Poll: Estuary English = ?Chav Speak??

[Bakabaikun]

Recently I have been playing UT2k4 (disliking UT3 = understatement) with a few people I met on an anime forum. All is well until one person, who as it turns out hails from the north of England (Newcastle I believe), joins in. Having had many conversations with him on the forums I know he's an alright kind of guy. After about five minutes of hearing everyone for the first time over the mic he suddenly cuts in with:

"OMG you lot, YOU'RE A BUNCH OF FUCKING CHAVS!".

Myself and others initially believed it to be some kind of throw-away insult (such as calling someone 'gay', etc) due to his rather poor performance and being an easy target. *sniggers mischievously*

He meant it. He seriously thought that they were Chavs and proceeded to ask:
-Do they wear Burberry?
-Do they knife people?
-Were they 'bovvered'? (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lauren_Cooper )

Now obviously this could be ignorance on his (and his father's, who we were also privileged to hear over the mic) behalf, yet it still made me wonder what other people's views were.

Oh and for those who may not know:

Estuary English is a name given to the formulation(s) of English widely spoken in South East England and the East of England; especially along the River Thames and its estuary, which is where the two regions meet. Estuary English is commonly described as a hybrid of Received Pronunciation (RP) and South Eastern Accents, particularly from the London, Kent and Essex area - i.e., the area around the Thames Estuary.

- from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Estuary_English

EDIT: as an example: the accent David Tennant uses in Doctor Who is Estuary English.

EDIT 2: I always laugh when people try to guess my accent as it really is quite a mix!

 

[TheGhostOfSin]

Well that depends have you ever uttered the immortal word 'Init'?

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

Well that depends have you ever uttered the immortal word 'Init'?

I spent 1 day in England. i didn't understand a single word spoken by anyone under what looked like 24. It scared me.

And what the hell does wachoo mean?

 

[TheGhostOfSin]

I spent 1 day in England. i didn't understand a single word spoken by anyone under what looked like 24. It scared me.

And what the hell does wachoo mean?

I believe it's 'What are you..'

 

[Bakabaikun]

Well that depends have you ever uttered the immortal word 'Init'?

Never have, never will.

I spent 1 day in England. i didn't understand a single word spoken by anyone under what looked like 24. It scared me.

Could I inquire as to what part?

And what the hell does wachoo mean?

I haven't the foggiest

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

I spent 1 day in England. i didn't understand a single word spoken by anyone under what looked like 24. It scared me.

And what the hell does wachoo mean?

I believe it's 'What are you..'

Really? somebody said Wachoo something something, and I had absolutely no idea what they were going on about.

And in my defense I haven't heard many English accents, specially the more "chav" ones.
Can barely understand parts of Little Britain.

 

[Shirahime]

In Scotland, they say "HAW MAAANNN!" a lot.

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

I spent 1 day in England. i didn't understand a single word spoken by anyone under what looked like 24. It scared me.

Could I inquire as to what part?

Stuck in Heath row (I think that's how you spell it) airport for 8 hours. Accidentally bumped into some pale angry looking 19-ish kid who yelled something at me.

 

[TheGhostOfSin]

I spent 1 day in England. i didn't understand a single word spoken by anyone under what looked like 24. It scared me.

Could I inquire as to what part?

Stuck in Heath row (I think that's how you spell it) airport for 8 hours. Accidentally bumped into some pale angry looking 19-ish kid who yelled something at me.

London then, If that scared you I'd advise to stay away from Manchester and Liverpool...

 

[Bakabaikun]

Stuck in Heath row (I think that's how you spell it) airport for 8 hours. Accidentally bumped into some pale angry looking 19-ish kid who yelled something at me.

Ah, the dreaded row of Heath.

London then, If that scared you I'd advise to stay away from Manchester and Liverpool...

I lol'd quite heartily.

 

[Reaperman Wompa]

London then, If that scared you I'd advise to stay away from Manchester and Liverpool...

Not really the kid was obviously trying to act tough, just freaked out that someone could talk like that, I mean to me English might have a few "Dialects" but what he yelled (People actually looked over) might as well have been another language.

 

[TheGhostOfSin]

I find it very unfair that I'm labeled a chav by anyone who hears me speak as I have a very strong Mancunian accent, it puts the Gallaghers to shame...

 

[Bakabaikun]

I find it very unfair that I'm labeled a chav by anyone who hears me speak as I have a very strong Mancunian accent, it puts the Gallaghers to shame...

I always thought their accent to be quite weak (diluted by Chav-iness?). Then again my Nan has quite a strong German accent. Perhaps I'm just used to strong accents... or just wierd :S

 

[TheGhostOfSin]

I always thought their accent to be quite weak (diluted by Chav-iness?). Then again my Nan has quite a strong German accent. Perhaps I'm just used to strong accents... or just wierd :S

Which Gallaghers are you thinking of, Oasis or Shameless?

 

[RetiarySword]

I'm from Essex, and I may speak a bit like RP, but its not the same as chav speak. They are vile creatures. Personaly I get offended when people online compare me to the RL-trolls who plague the local shops.

 

[Bakabaikun]

I always thought their accent to be quite weak (diluted by Chav-iness?). Then again my Nan has quite a strong German accent. Perhaps I'm just used to strong accents... or just wierd :S

Which Gallaghers are you thinking of, Oasis or Shameless?

Both. Equally. Though I think the brothers have lost a bit of theirs over time (or at least have changed it during recent interviews).

 

[AmazonianBeauty]

i don't think any form of english is comparable to chav, as they're 2 totally different languages.
Chav tries to and badly mimics the way black/afro caribbean peeps speak and mixing it with white, and to be honest i've never understood why white people need to speak like a black person anyway....ever heard of being yourself??
instead of imitating someone else....and i know they say "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" but this soon becomes irritating and annoying both for black and white people, and everyone else.

 

[dicksmcerson]

I come from Portsmouth. Chav Capital of the South.
I usually get yelled at about once every 3 times I leave my house. I hate them fuckers, and they speak like idiots.
Seriously, why do they like to call people "mugs" and "gimps"? I don't dress in leather for a living, nor do I hold coffee.

 

[LordCraigus]

Since I live in the South West (Dorset to be precise, 'ooh arr, get off my land') and the only time I've ever been out of Dorset is to go even further west into Devon, I've never really heard any other dialect except those I'm familiar with. Of course I've heard all sorts on the TV, but since they vary so much you can never really be sure what you're hearing.

 

[FSAB]

Chavs are one of those words posh people use to feel superior to working class lads. I live in south London and most young people use a West Indies dialect/slang or imatate one. I will often use words like "bruv" and "rude boi" but I don't dress in burrbery or knife people doe that make me a Chav?