Do you American churchgoers find accents bothersome in church?

[Salvador]

And my years of listening to Beatles songs.

British singers to me typically sound more American when they are singing than when they are talking.

 

[Salvador]

There was this swedish chef with a cooking show but his accent was so thick that I couldn't follow his instructions at all.

When Pewdiepie, aka Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, who is born and raised in Sweden, speaks in English about his Swedish meat balls, I perfectly understand what he is talking about.

I bet there are some people who'd find Pewdiepie's Swedish meat balls to be pretty tasty.

 

[whirlingmerc]

Yes, because English is spoken all over the island of Great Britain and Ireland, which is divided into four Kingdoms, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. English is not synonymous with British and never has been.

We have 2 assistant pastors of the 4 total pastors who both have strong accents and no one is bothered by it Some of the visiting speakers have strong accents and people enjoy their sermons since they have great content.

There are also people at church who are refugees or people who moved form other countries and I find it refreshing to have the different people all together - old young different.

 

[The Hammer]

Yes, because English is spoken all over the island of Great Britain and Ireland, which is divided into four Kingdoms, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. English is not synonymous with British and never has been.

Agreed, that was just more nuanced then I wanted to be in my original post.

 

[SalixIncendium]

We have 2 assistant pastors of the 4 total pastors who both have strong accents and no one is bothered by it Some of the visiting speakers have strong accents and people enjoy their sermons since they have great content.

You asked everyone?

 

[Rival]

Agreed, that was just more nuanced then I wanted to be in my original post.

Could I just politely ask you not to use those two this way though? There's enough US confusion over this for some reason.

 

[Salvador]

They pronounce the H's in words like 'when' and 'where' down south, I LOVE that!

 

[whirlingmerc]

You asked everyone?

The pastors are voted in and so... indirectly ... yes. Most members have approved and support them.

 

[SalixIncendium]

The pastors are voted in and so... indirectly ... yes. Most members have approved and support them.

Most isn’t everyone.

 

[whirlingmerc]

Most isn’t everyone.

People are sinners in need of grace. It's a wonderful opportunity for people to learn to have a little grace towards those they might find annoying.

 

[John53]

"Curse Sir Walter Raleigh, he was such a stupid get."

It's actually git not get.

Git (slang) - Wikipedia

 

[Erebus]

However, I don't seem to mind British accents of educated people in church so much because of their classiness, politeness, elegance and sounding scholarly. The classiness of the British vernacular sounds particularly solemn, respectful and pious as well. I can still understand British for the most part being that I'm a native English language speaker.

 

[The Hammer]

Could I just politely ask you not to use those two this way though? There's enough US confusion over this for some reason.

You can politely ask anything you would like, and I will politely decline. American English and British English are varying dialects of modern English which makes them nominally distinct enough to be regarded as seperate, IMO.

 

[Rival]

You can politely ask anything you would like, and I will politely decline. American English and British English are varying dialects of modern English which makes them nominally distinct enough to be regarded as seperate, IMO.

I am not asking this, I am asking you not to use British and English interchangeably.

 

[columbus]

I had a local Oklahoma Catholic radio station on this morning. A priest was saying mass or something with a perceived Spanish accent even in Oklahoma.

I find it difficult to understand and distracting from the message being spoken. As a person raised in a culture that speaks the standard American dialect, I also find New England, Southern and New York accents annoying as well as most foreign accents, in church or otherwise. However, I don't seem to mind British accents of educated people in church so much because of their classiness, politeness, elegance and sounding scholarly. The classiness of the British vernacular sounds particularly solemn, respectful and pious as well. I can still understand British for the most part being that I'm a native English language speaker. Spanish, or English spoken with its accent, sounds too rude, short, saucy and impatient being that patience and politeness is not much of a virtue in the Latin culture.

So, people who don't talk like you shouldn't talk in churches?
Seriously?

When I was a Catholic kid, the various accents were considered evidence that our church was The One True church.
Global.
Jesus's Own Church.

Sorry if you belong to a smaller, more provincial, church. But it's not my fault.
Tom

 

[Shiranui117]

I had a local Oklahoma Catholic radio station on this morning. A priest was saying mass or something with a perceived Spanish accent even in Oklahoma.

I find it difficult to understand and distracting from the message being spoken. As a person raised in a culture that speaks the standard American dialect, I also find New England, Southern and New York accents annoying as well as most foreign accents, in church or otherwise. However, I don't seem to mind British accents of educated people in church so much because of their classiness, politeness, elegance and sounding scholarly. The classiness of the British vernacular sounds particularly solemn, respectful and pious as well. I can still understand British for the most part being that I'm a native English language speaker. Spanish, or English spoken with its accent, sounds too rude, short, saucy and impatient being that patience and politeness is not much of a virtue in the Latin culture.

Not really. If I can understand them, it's good enough for me. But then again I'm also a language nerd and enjoy figuring out accents and identifying particular phonological peculiarities and intonational patterns of people's accents.

Then again, I've also worshipped in Orthodox churches which were 50% in Greek, 90% in Romanian, and 100% in Russian, and 100% in Greek, so after those experiences, I'm more than fine as long as the Liturgy is 50% in a language I can understand or there are books on hand for me to follow along with what's happening. And even if I understand hardly a word, I'm in God's house, and I can worship Him along with my fellow members in the Body of Christ and partake of the Eucharist.

Just give thanks to God that you have a church you can go to and worship God and (I presume) receive the Eucharist. At the end of the day, that's what matters, not what you "get out" of going to Mass.

 

[sealchan]

There was this swedish chef with a cooking show but his accent was so thick that I couldn't follow his instructions at all.

I heard that chef's assistant layer got a gig on a science show and that he had a blast doing it.

 

[sealchan]

I had a local Oklahoma Catholic radio station on this morning. A priest was saying mass or something with a perceived Spanish accent even in Oklahoma.

I find it difficult to understand and distracting from the message being spoken. As a person raised in a culture that speaks the standard American dialect, I also find New England, Southern and New York accents annoying as well as most foreign accents, in church or otherwise. However, I don't seem to mind British accents of educated people in church so much because of their classiness, politeness, elegance and sounding scholarly. The classiness of the British vernacular sounds particularly solemn, respectful and pious as well. I can still understand British for the most part being that I'm a native English language speaker. Spanish, or English spoken with its accent, sounds too rude, short, saucy and impatient being that patience and politeness is not much of a virtue in the Latin culture.

No

 

[Father Heathen]

When Pewdiepie, aka Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg, who is born and raised in Sweden, speaks in English about his Swedish meat balls, I perfectly understand what he is talking about.

 

[Shadow Wolf]

If you can't deal with accents, America might just not be for you. We have tons of them, foreign and our own. If they annoy you, this is going to be a rough place.