I read in an article about LES, that in some parts PJ sings with her local Dorset accent. For me this album sounds more "British" or "English" concerning than some of her earlier records, but I under no circumstances can I hear a special accent. Anyone could help me? I'm very interested in local dialects and accents.

I think you can hear her accent on many of her songs and when she speaks. Listen out for the 'r's. She pronounces them much more definitely than a lot of British people. I don't know much about accents but I heard somewhere that west country accents are closer to some American accents (it was where people migrated from) .. Not sure if it's true.

^ Somewhere I thought I read that the west country accent was closer to what we in the states would call a "pirate" accent, as in "arhh, maties", but I could be all wet on this.

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I noticed her sounding much more English on the last 2 albums, like she's singing much more deliberately than before. Noticed a subtle Dorset accent in the interviews but not in the songs I must admit.

The Farmer in the Let England Shake video is very Wez Country though! Dorset probably, it's even more pronounced where I live.



Definately similarities, Cornwall in the extreme south-west used to be the favoured place for smugglers with all its hidden coves, not the Johnny Depp variety though

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Polly the Pirate! Yes, definitely. Pirates were from the South West, they used to hang them in the Bristol Docks I think. Bristol accent is a pirate accent, but Dorset too, probably. I'm digging out that copy of Treasure Island.

Here's the reference:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Country_dialects

"The West Country accent is probably most identified in American English as "pirate speech" – cartoon-like "Ooh arr, me 'earties! Sploice the mainbrace!" talk is very similar. This may be a result of the strong seafaring and fisherman tradition of the West Country, both legal and outlaw. Edward Teach (Blackbeard) was a native of Bristol, and privateer and English hero Sir Francis Drake hailed from Tavistock in Devon. Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta The Pirates of Penzance may also have added to the association. It has also been suggested that Westcountryman Robert Newton's performance in the 1950 Disney film Treasure Island may have influenced people's preconceptions of what accent a pirate "should" have."

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The way she says "I" at the beginning of The Nightingale is really cool, almost like "oye". I've played the beginning over and over again. I wish she'd shortened up the end. It drags on a bit and is too much like All And Everyone so I can see why it's a B side, but the opening of this track is phenomenal. BTW, does anyone have lyrics for The Nightingale?

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I'm 6th generation Somerset and am not a pirate! The accents are different, as is Somerset different to Dorset and to the rest of the west country.

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Yeah, I figured it was a lot more complicated than that.

I split these posts out into a new thread.

Here's the performance in question by Robert Newton at 3:26:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSne2D7hh3k

and a little afterwards in Long John Silver after he dialed it in:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTSEfUyEsu8

"arrrr-men" at 5:14

This site says Robert Newton was born in Dorset and educated in Cornwall:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internatio ... Pirate_Day

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Well you see, there's the connection between my passion for PJ Harvey and International Talk Like A Pirate Day.

http://www.talklikeapirate.com/

Which I believe was based on Robert Newton's performance of Long John Silver.

I had a passing thought that PJ talks like that when she's not in public - lol. Still, it must tie you to your history to be immersed in all these dialects of English, in such a small area. We have different pronunciations here in America too, but it's not the same, it's spread out farther.

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The most iconic West Country band are The Wurzels http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fF8SvRRqF8 ; more Zummerzet than Dorset though.
Thankfully I'm not expecting a collaboration any time soon

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Blimey, I never thought I'd see The Wurzels on here! 'Combine Harvester' was a better song, of course. :-)

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Wiggins is so superbly unassuming, he looks like he's about to say 'Pop the gold medal in the post, I'm nipping out for some biscuits'

Mark Steel

Haaarvester!

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The 'Which is better? Com-boin 'aaarvester vs. Zoider Drinker' is a debate that's run for decades now. Studies have indicated a direct correlation between listener preference and units of zoider im-boibed.

Beth Gibbons (Portishead) is the other one who's lived on a rural farm in Devon virtually her whole life I think, maybe 30 miles from Polly, yet surprisingly shows no accent when she (rarely) talks, and definately not when she sings. I might not be a good judge though as I'm accustomed to it I guess

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Ah, UHmeri-CAH!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjDPh8HruKY

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