General News for the Duchess of Cambridge 1: November 2010-February 2017

[Bevinda]

Does anyone have a picture of Kate Middleton on her christening day? Thanks.

[Isabella]

There was a picture in last week's People magazine of baby Kate (in what looks to be a christening gown) being held by her grandmother.

[Mermaid1962]

Isn't a dialect more about using words and expressions that are native to a particular area? With my Canadian ear, Kate sounds like someone who has been to good schools and exposed to upper class people, although not sounding particularly posh. I find her very easy to understand.

Originally Posted by Renata4711

Charlotte Amalia,
Kate has both an accent and a dialect. She comes from the south of England, but accents can be acquired.

[Iluvbertie]

Kate Middleton at VERY racy Rampant Rabbit Fever party in Playboy bunny ears | Mail Online

The Daily Mail has turned up a story from 2007.

[Lumutqueen]

Hardly surprising, they want to know everything now.

[Debbies]

Originally Posted by Mermaid1962

Isn't a dialect more about using words and expressions that are native to a particular area? With my Canadian ear, Kate sounds like someone who has been to good schools and exposed to upper class people, although not sounding particularly posh. I find her very easy to understand.

Thanks for answering this one, as a non-English native working among Australians, I'm exposed to a different accent on a daily basis and when I watched the engagement interview on youtube Kate's accent sounded quite odd to me. I was just wondering whether she was being posh and trying to emulate William's language. I noticed the way she pronunciated "hopefully" or "hope" and it really sounded different to me. It was sort of "hoopefully"

[CharlotteAmalia]

Originally Posted by Debbies

Thanks for answering this one, as a non-English native working among Australians, I'm exposed to a different accent on a daily basis and when I watched the engagement interview on youtube Kate's accent sounded quite odd to me. I was just wondering whether she was being posh and trying to emulate William's language. I noticed the way she pronunciated "hopefully" or "hope" and it really sounded different to me. It was sort of "hoopefully"

i felt the same. I know a lot of British or American native speakers and i could easily understand the interview of W. and C.. But somehow William's English is more "normal" to my ears. I'm more used to it. It might be that it is very similar to the English spoken in the News.

On the other hand, Catherine sounded a bit weird to me. To me she has a posh and also very hard or cold pronunciation. Especially when she said: "not at all" (1:02, 1:08), "hope" (2:07), "awkward" (3:33 minutes in the engagement interview)

[AnnEliza]

Originally Posted by CharlotteAmalia

i felt the same. I know a lot of British or American native speakers and i could easily understand the interview of W. and C.. But somehow William's English is more "normal" to my ears. I'm more used to it. It might be that it is very similar to the English spoken in the News.

On the other hand, Catherine sounded a bit weird to me. To me she has a posh and also very hard or cold pronunciation. Especially when she said: "not at all" (1:02, 1:08), "hope" (2:07), "awkward" (3:33 minutes in the engagement interview)

Her accent sounded familiar to me, that I have heard others speak the way she does, but not being English myself, I can't pinpoint whether she has a regional accent or something of an upper class accent that she picked up at school.

[Sister Morphine]

It's been my experience that different regions of England have different dialects/accents, similar to different parts of the United States. Isn't Catherine from Berkshire? They may have a specific way of speaking that is not like William's particular pronunciation.

Besides, they went to college in Scotland so if she were to have picked up an accent from school, it would sound more Scots than English.

[AnnEliza]

Originally Posted by Sister Morphine

It's been my experience that different regions of England have different dialects/accents, similar to different parts of the United States. Isn't Catherine from Berkshire? They may have a specific way of speaking that is not like William's particular pronunciation.

Besides, they went to college in Scotland so if she were to have picked up an accent from school, it would sound more Scots than English.

Yes, I can usually tell the difference between the north of England and the London area, but I'm sure there are many regional accents just like we have in the U.S. But I can't recognize them the way I can with American accents, since I have not spent much time in the U.K.

The upper classes in Scotland don't usually seem to speak with a Scots accent, at least none that I have heard speak.

[Alison20]

The subtilties of the British English accents, and the way they change from generation to generation, are very difficult to pinpoint. Prince William, of course, speaks i clear standard upper class English. However, it is not the same accent as the Queen Mother or even the Queen has, as it has been influence by current Standard English. There is, however, no regional influence is PW's accent.

Catherine Middleton's accent has probably been honed by being at a good school, which will largely iron out any slight regional inflexion she might have had as a child. I don't know enough detail about her early life to be sure of what influences she may have had. It is, however, good standard English, and, on what I have heard, does not have any obvious regional accent.

[rossop7]

Originally Posted by Alison20

The subtilties of the British English accents, and the way they change from generation to generation, are very difficult to pinpoint. Prince William, of course, speaks i clear standard upper class English. However, it is not the same accent as the Queen Mother or even the Queen has, as it has been influence by current Standard English. There is, however, no regional influence is PW's accent.

Catherine Middleton's accent has probably been honed by being at a good school, which will largely iron out any slight regional inflexion she might have had as a child. I don't know enough detail about her early life to be sure of what influences she may have had. It is, however, good standard English, and, on what I have heard, does not have any obvious regional accent.

I'd agree, to me she just sounds like received pronounciation, just the standard non-regionalised (or at least not immediately obviously regionalised) Southern English accent. And seeing as she's from Berkshire I think it's fairly safe to assume it's her "natural" accent she developed growing up. I mean it's not like she grew up in Newcastle & suddenly dropped a Geordie accent for RP

[Sonjapearl]

She’s been accused of social climbing, of having no class and of being “boring”. But we are at fault here, not Kate Middleton.

New Statesman - Why Kate Middleton brings out the worst in us

[Mia_mae]

Originally Posted by Sonjapearl

New Statesman - Why Kate Middleton brings out the worst in us

very good piece! tnks. we can't spot some of those critics right here in this forum.

[KittyAtlanta]

I'm not a raving Kate fan, but this article is way cold. It might be true, it might not. I hope it's not. In the beginning I was hoping PW would drop her. He didn't and now I have nothing but good wishes for her success as a royal and as a wife, not necessarily in that order.

As for accent, when nervous, people tend to speak a bit differently than if they're playing cards with their best friends. I do a lot of public speaking in my job and almost every time I do, my pitch goes up and my speech gets a bit more clipped. You could never tell I was raised in rural Indiana and Cincinnati.

[Lenora]

Originally Posted by Sonjapearl

New Statesman - Why Kate Middleton brings out the worst in us

It's quite "cruel" article,maybe some things have truth ,but still there is too much hatred in this article.I am not a fan of Kate,but there are too many poisonous articles on her,exagerating her as a "social climbers",the other members of royal families were much more worse indeed.
I see in such articles poorely hidden "envie" and the desire to destroy "Kate's public image".Sometimes I have a feeling that someone in power has a lot of hatred against Kate.
Maybe I am wrong,this is my subjective opinion.

[MRSJ]

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standa...ey-birthday.do

Kate's plan to spend 29th bday privatly

And just my opinion, if 29 is considered old then I am really old lol

[Princess of Durham]

Hmmm, I guess I read the article differently. I saw it as sympathetic to Katherine and actually citing all the really nasty stuff out there. Being from across the pond (and we DO have our snobberies) I have to say that I find it humorous that so many of the comments from newspapers etc., are from people who are probably far lower down on the pole than Kate Middleton and her family. On the one hand, "she is lazy and doesn't work" and yet on the other "her family has a business" ala Jane Austen and "being in trade". IMO, she is no different than any other upper middle class english girl (though probably better educated) who seemingly is supported by their parents (and THEY are not criticized). The point being, this young lady can't really win and I just hope she doesn't even read the papers. Having been a part of an online "fan club" I see all the same types of comments put forth when the object of the fan base is dating/marries someone. Frequently, she may be universally despised. I recall seeing an interview with Donny Osmand years ago and his telling of the hate mail they resceived when he was married. There are so many different bases for complaint that is fascinating to watch. However, I found the writer to be sympathetic to her position, haha, maybe my mental capacity is slipping, but I only see the writer pointing out the nastiness directed at Kate, but then maybe most people don't really want to see that. All I know is quotes from "good friends" are always interesting. I hope her parents have figured out who their "friend" is. As to the biography, I will be passing on it as it sounds to me like a compilation of nasty comments, but then, maybe that is how this article has also been viewed. All I know is, I feel for KM and, as I said, I hope she doesn't read the papers.

[nascarlucy]

I was appalled when I read the newspaper article which unfairly blasted Catherine. Anyone who marries a heir to the throne marries up regardless of what social class they come from, even if they are royal themselves. I wonder if the author is jealous of the royal couple.

Sometimes people in the press can say it's friends or good friends who told them this but a good friend wouldn't betray you. Sometimes it is their own opinion or how they see it rather than a close source but they will not say " This is what I think or this is how I see it," because this is your opinion rather what is actually fact. A lot of times what you think or how you perceive something may not be what's really the case or what's really going on. How many times has someone judged someone and they turned out to be wrong

It seems like they bash anyone who dates or marries royalty. It comes with the terrority. With anyone you can find fault with or find things about them that others don't like.

[Mermaid1962]

That's the way the article struck me as well. The writer is sympathetic to Kate on the basis of all the nastiness she has to deal with. Perhaps because the Daily Mail tends to be quite negative in general, it attracts posters who are negative as well.

Originally Posted by Princess of Durham

Hmmm, I guess I read the article differently. I saw it as sympathetic to Katherine and actually citing all the really nasty stuff out there.