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The Scots are a proud people. The are also fiercely proud of their accents. However, that accent can occasionally be a disadvantage, as shown in this YouTube video of two Scotsmen who are frustrated by an elevator that uses voice recognition. (Warning, some profanity is in the video.)
You can watch the video at http://youtu.be/PJj_nO46gq8 or in the video player below.
Dick Eastman, author
Dick Eastman has been writing this genealogy newsletter for 24 years.
He has been involved in genealogy for more than 35 years. He has worked in the computer industry for more than 50 years in hardware, software, and managerial positions. By the early 1970s, Dick was already using a mainframe computer to enter his family data on punch cards. He built his first home computer, by wiring the circuit boards by hand, in 1980.
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Dick Eastman is adamant that he will never write content influenced by or paid for by an advertiser. All opinions expressed here are those of Dick Eastman and him alone, unless clearly stated otherwise.
11 Comments
There is an oft-repeated tale about Sir Matt Busby, scottish soccer player and later manager of the Manchester United football team who was questioned by a street directory interviewer when he first arrived in Manchester. The record shows the address correctly but Busby’s brogue got in the way of his occupation. He was recorded not as a footballer but a fruit boiler
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Hilarious!
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I have the same disadvantage as I have a Southern accent and Siri and I battle a great deal, complete with expletives. I enjoyed the video and forwarded on to my friends in Scotland.
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FYI, The Scots accent is called a burr, the Irish accent is called a brogue.
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More hilarious when you turn on the captions (Google Voice translation can’t do justice.)
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Today, of all days, your posting could be regarded as non-U.
Having an accent myself ( not Scots ) I sympathise. Very funny though.
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Hilarious! And a much needed laugh following yesterday’s vote in Scotland.
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A wonderful way to start my day….and Scotland is staying close
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Thanks for starting my day with tears of laughter. This one is a keeper and I will be forwarding it.
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Many companies based in England now use voice recognition software in their telephone call handling system. It’s quite common for me, however slowly and clearly I speak, and take great care with my pronunciation and avoid Scottish words, to be misunderstood.
My Scottish accents isn’t that strong !
David
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I have a faint General Northern (UK) accent and most phone systems which use voice recognition can’t handle that either. It can be so frustrating. Worse than talking to my deaf 90 year old Dad who only wears one hearing aid at a time – possibly to save the (free) battery. It is not as if I mumble either after 30 years of coping with a deaf father I would say the opposite is true.
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