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[sockless]

Wales is big on mining, so I'd think they would sound more Welsh than Scottish.

Upon saying that, why would they speak in any current accent at all? Especially since they don't even speak English.

[Bohandas]

If anything, the dwarves should have one of the various American accents and the elves should have French accents. Because Dwarves and Elves are arrogant and pretentious, respectively.

[Vattic]

Perhaps when Toady gets around to the audio arc he could add procedural accents?

[Angel Of Death]

If anything, the dwarves should have one of the various American accents and the elves should have French accents. Because Dwarves and Elves are arrogant and pretentious, respectively.

I think the humans should have Australian accents. Imagine hearing  "Hey, mate! Throw another *Cat Roast* on the barby!"

[Number4]

I think the humans should have Australian accents. Imagine hearing  "Hey, mate! Throw another *Cat Roast* on the barby!"

Actually, thinking about it, the dwarves could have a convict accent. Sent to a build a colony somewhere away, often full with dangerous animals, drink booze, throw tantrum, have a tendency to !!burn!! everything...

[Cespinarve]

Could have been worse, you could have brought up the Roma.

Thats because I don't really have an idea about their accent, despite ranting loudly about romanian just yesterday. Well it's at least better then hungarian....

ROMA ≠ ROMANIAN

In the future, please endeavor to be less ignorant. Thank you.

And personally, I'm always going to imagine goblins as looking and sounding like Murdoc from Gorillaz, who if memory serves is from Stoke-on-Trent. Kobolds... well, from their description they probably bear a passing resemblance to the Wombles, so cockney perhaps?

As far as I'm concerned, all dwarves now speak like Noodle. And it is AWESOME.

[tolkafox]

For the record, dwarves speak like that creepy old hermit who lives up the hill. You know the one I'm talking about, the one who never mows his grass and chases kids off his yard with his scattergun.

So dwarves sound like this: "Get off my lawn!" One part drunk, one part anti-social, and two parts homicidal maniac. Add in one part angry for a pissed off dwarf.

[Halnoth]

I am pretty sure dwarves having scottish accents is due in part because of how Americans view the British Isles. Dwarves are rough and tumble, slightly odd, and vulgar hairy men (albiet short) with beards which would more or less be how your average American would describe the scots.

Think about it, most Americans don't speak any other language besides English. One of the results of this is that when someone wants to give a foriegn but not too exotic feel to a character or in this case race they choose some accent of a native English speaking region. Most commonly the British Isles.

If they want to convey a highly refined, cultured, pompous, or arrogant aspect: proper English accent.
If they want to convey a low brow, criminal, shifty, or maybe even just low cunning: Cockney (sometimes northeastern US too NY, Boston, etc)
If they want to convey slightly insane but generally likeable: Irish
If they want to convey outdoorsman or just general survival expert: Australian
and finally if they want to convey rough and tumble, slightly odd, and vulgar hairy men: Scottish

Watch any movie and you'll see. It is unfortunate but true.

[Number4]

ROMA ≠ ROMANIAN

In the future, please endeavor to be less ignorant. Thank you.

Mate, I said that I have no idea what a roma accent sounds like, and that I was ranting about romanian, so I obviously know how a ROMANIAN accent sounds. I may be politically uncorrect, but I'm far from stupid and certainly know the difference between roma and romanian.

[Siquo]

If only Dwarves would talk Afrikaans
Afrikaans is basically Dutch without any grammar or spelling...

The only miners the Dutch ever had were Limburgers, who also speak something nobody understands, so that's how I imagine them speaking.

[Bohandas]

I am pretty sure dwarves having scottish accents is due in part because of how Americans view the British Isles. Dwarves are rough and tumble, slightly odd, and vulgar hairy men (albiet short) with beards which would more or less be how your average American would describe the scots.

Think about it, most Americans don't speak any other language besides English. One of the results of this is that when someone wants to give a foriegn but not too exotic feel to a character or in this case race they choose some accent of a native English speaking region...

If they want to convey a highly refined, cultured, pompous, or arrogant aspect: proper English accent.
If they want to convey a low brow, criminal, shifty, or maybe even just low cunning: Cockney (sometimes northeastern US too NY, Boston, etc)
If they want to convey slightly insane but generally likeable: Irish
If they want to convey outdoorsman or just general survival expert: Australian
and finally if they want to convey rough and tumble, slightly odd, and vulgar hairy men: Scottish
...

So what would a Canadian accent be used to convey?

[Naryar]

So what would a Canadian accent be used to convey?

Well, Canadian accent would obviously convey skill in woodcutting, trapping, hunting, small animal dissection and animal training. NO EXCEPTIONS 

And REAL dwarves speak Old Norse. In which accent, I do not know.

[Kattaroten]

I may be weird but i imagine my dwarves speaking french, not the refined ron-ron-ron-baguette-baguette kind of way but more of a simple french. They just feel that way, eccentric, randomly stupid and slightly mad.

EDIT: Canadian accents are also used for gullible and oblivious characters

[FrisianDude]

What with the large variety of parent civilizations, culture-specific items (like turbans and togas) and skin colours it sounds a bit odd to want any single dialect to encompass all of (un)known Dwarfendom. 

[Darkmere]

I chuckled a bit at the arrogant stereotyping of Americans who see the rest of the world as stereotypes, because we're arrogant. Everyone's just a little bit racist eh?


I think the problem with written accents is the jarring effect it has on ANY reader. It's part of the "show, don't tell" rule of writing; using a shorthand stereotype (the drunken scotsman or what have you) just perpetuates the stereotype with more emphasis and less variety.

All Americans aren't from Texas, just as all Russians aren't terminally depressed, all French aren't nihilist smokers, and all Australians aren't Crocodile Dundee.

All Canadians may in fact be trappers and wear flannel, though.