Which accents are most different from the others; English, Irish, Scottish, or Welsh?

[Arthur Scharrenhans]

Scottish accent, without doubt. It's unmistakable.
(BTW, I love listening to it, even when I cannot understand a single word).

[Albion]

There is no English accent. Northern English is quite close to Scottish, Southern English accents are totally different, unique in the Isles.

Irish is quite close to Scottish and lesser so Northern English and Welsh is very different from the lot of them.

Probably the Welsh followed by the Southern English, followed by Northern English, followed by Scottish then Irish.
Irish and Scottish being so similar means they're not so different after all.

Source: British Islander.

[Canute]

English dialects and accents are the most different and diverse.

Black Country dialect is impossible. And I don't think I'm saying that just because I'm an American.

[rhiannon]

Scots and Irish are equally the standout from English accents (and there are so many English accents!). Welsh just sounds like another English accent to me, no more distinctive than say, the Cornish or Liverpudlians or the Geordies to name a few.

Yep. Same here. I don't know if I would know a Welsh accent if it knocked me upside the head! I believe somewhere it mentioned Anthony Hopkins as being Welsh, which might mean his accent is Welsh?

I cannot differentiate Irish from Scottish to save my life. But, I can tell the accent is either one or the other over English.

[Æscwyn]

I think a Welsh accent sounds less 'foreign' here in SW England than a northern English accent. But maybe that's just my perception?

A few weeks ago, on a bus, I overheard a couple of girls from Lancashire chatting. Their accents immediately struck me as being 'different' - having a quality of otherness. Yet in the past when I've heard Welshmen talking their accents never seemed particularly out of place.

[Osweo]

As a Manchester Man, I'm roughly equidistant in spatial terms from all the most striking accents. I don't have much trouble with any of them.

Therefore, my accent should be the ideal that all foreigners aim for!

Some comments: When I first heard a County Durham accent, I was surprised at how 'Irish' it sounded. The Irish way of speaking English is, after all, only a relatively recent learned thing. For some reason, the English they learnt first is somewhat redolent of that now spoken in Durham, AND in Devon, funnily enough. Perhaps this style was more widespread in the past, especially among English soldiers stationed in Ireland.

Scottish English is part of a continuum that includes Northern England. Nothing too amazing there. Glaswegian follows the pattern that many urban dialects do. Up round Dundee and Aberdeen there's a very peculiar form though. Weird Pictish tones.

Welsh accents are often the most 'foreign' due to the strength of the native language. The dialects of English there have some grammatical influence from Welsh. They're still pretty easy to understand, though. For me, anyway.

[Logan]

I would have ticked Glaswegian had it been there. There are many different ones in the places listed.

[Amapola]

The easiest for me to understand is the Southern accent. Most difficult Sco'ish. I had some trouble with Welsh too at first...

[Graham]

Scottish English is part of a continuum that includes Northern England. Nothing too amazing there. Glaswegian follows the pattern that many urban dialects do. Up round Dundee and Aberdeen there's a very peculiar form though. Weird Pictish tones.

Fit like? Those areas kind of merge into Central Scotland, Fife, falkirk down to West Lothian.

The word Bairn( northumbrian/Scottish word). Pronounced 'ben' in Newcastle 'bayr-rin' here. My Geordie family strugle to understand folk up here when speaking in a strong accent. The accent down there can sound easily differen't to mine. More Viking.

btw, apparently we say Burglar alarm in a weird way, but I say it's you lot.
[YOUTUBE]S5WFl4E8VCI[/YOUTUBE]

[Mordid]

Scottish accent sound so funny (no offense to Graham).