h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thanks a million for a great list, spot on! And while I'm on the subject, as I have quite a Brit accent mostly, when I travel (apart from in Britain where there's NO mix up) people identify me as English. But recently I was in Spain and said 'thanks a million' to a tourist guide who straight away greeted me as a long lost friend and as Irish. She said it was that one phrase that gave me away because she never hears it from any other country.

Yes - "thanks a million" is a very typical expression in Ireland. As I have found out, it is difficult for me to find expressions that are "typically" Irish, because I live in Ireland. It is only when I am speaking to a non-native that I begin to realise which expressions have not travelled so well. "Give me a bell" (ie. call me) raised some eyebrows with my US colleagues recently..

Oh I live in Ireland aswell, but having grown up in England I've kept a lot of my English dialect. That's why I was so surprised to be picked out from that phrase.

Recently some of my (Irish) friends have been thought of as American when abroad. There seems to be an american accent creeping in here! I was out the other week and mistook a Dublin girl for an american myself. Don't know if I like that idea.

I think that's true. I spend a lot of time in the US, and I notice sometimes that my accent adjusts to that of my American colleagues. I have also noticed that the slight emphasis on the last syllable particular to American speech (and interestingly, Northern Irish accents), seems to be becoming more common in the Republic also.

Last syllable emphasis? Wha'...? Pardon me, I'm confused, I've never noticed that. Probably cos I come from Fermanagh.