Regional accents in foreign TV and film

[airbolt]

Regional accents are common in UK produced drama on TV and film. The watcher at home immediately realises that the character is from the north-east , the west country and so on.

Obviously foreign language films and TV will incorporate regional accents that their home watcher will recognise . My question is - is this ever apparent to the watcher who doesn't speak the language? ie are there any foreign language regional accents that are so distinctive as to be apparent even to the untrained ear?

[factor-fiction]

It's hard for the untrained ear. For example, in my experience Americans can't distinguish between Welsh, Scottish and English accents

[Quizmonster]

I wonder, however, whether Airbolt was interested in purely FOREIGN languages. The answers above merely relate to varying accents within the ENGLISH language. Although I would certainly recognise most of the variants already listed, I would definitely NOT know whether a German film-actor came from Munich or Hamburg or a French one from Marseilles or Cherbourg.

[albalass]

People from Florence speak English with a very different accent than other Italian's, my ex is Italian and pointed this out, I don't think i could tell the difference when they both speak Italian but can when they speak English.

[albalass]

oh and factor30, it's not just Americans. I have been complemented on both my Wesh and Irish accent from English people when I have a lovely west of Scotland lilt!!!

[fredpuli47]

Never mind albalass, you are not alone. I'm from East Anglia and nobody ever recognises that accent (really accents, because we can spot slight differences). I've known it mistaken for Australian !
In France my own French is accented in such a peculiar way that people in Geneva sometimes think I'm from the South of France but people in the South of France often think I'm Swiss or, sometimes, Belgian. Pity, because I've had a home in the South of France for forty years. That shows how subtle the ear is in natives.They know something is not quite right but struggle to place the accent because it's not consistent. Generally English people who live in France can only identify very marked accents found in their own region but not other French accents. The French themselves find the accent of North East France quite hilarious but nobody English I know has ever been able to spot it.

[airbolt]

Thank You everyone for replying. Some really interesting points raised such as the florentines having a distinct regional accent in Italian or the N.E French accent being hilarious to other french people.

I suppose theres no way of telling how the average english person sounds like to a native speaker unless you are immersed. I'm guessing that we sound a bit like the comedy policeman in 'allo 'allo to native speakers!