Monaco's Prince Albert & Charlene's Wedding Pics

[Jayne1]

i'm south african and sound nothing like the south african accent you're referring to (i could hear it here and there when she spoke). that's just one of the accents (we have 11 official languages and many accents too! ) and it's probably the most distinctive one. i guess that's why it's seen as the "south african" accent when in reality the majority of the people don't sound like that.

so i think it depends on what her background is. or maybe it's because she has been living abroad for years now. i don't think it was deliberate.

So that really heavy South African accent that I hear on so many people around me isn't the only accent? Is that what you're saying? Are there variations of that accent?

I also could hear bits of it when she spoke. But it was subtle.

 

[Jayne1]

I find it amazing how people like to disregard Wikipedia....All it is an aggregate of information that is usually already out there on the internet, which anyone can post to also.

And FYI, longggggggggg before Wikipedia, it was rumored that it was the guard who is the baby daddy. he loves her blue collar men.

I thought that was a fact -- about the body guard. She wasn't hiding her affair or anything.

Interesting that she never confirmed the baby's daddy though.

 

[Jayne1]

here's their civil ceremony



my goodness she is exquisite! albert looked more emotional here. maybe the civil ceremony had more meaning for him.
haha, i love the south african flags in the croud.

Absolutely stunning! And the blue jacket is gorgeous on her. I even like the dress, but lots of people didn't -- nevertheless, I think it's all gorgeous!

 

[Coco Belle]

So that really heavy South African accent that I hear on so many people around me isn't the only accent? Is that what you're saying? Are there variations of that accent?

I also could hear bits of it when she spoke. But it was subtle.

(jumping in here cos i know what the poster is going to reply & want to back her up in advance... lol)

There are 11 official languages in South Africa and many, many smaller groups and ethnicities with dialects of their own (even among English speakers). This means there are a huuuuge number of different accents. They include:

1. A British-English accent (similar to NZ) in white people descended from the later, 19th-century British settlers

2. A mixed Afrikaans-English accent (probably what you think of as a "strong" accent) which is common in white people with a mixed heritage of earlier Dutch, French, German and British settlers.

3. A heavy Afrikaans accent (you would likely struggle to understand this one) among people whose mother tongue is Afrikaans only. There are two varieties of this one too... a "white" one, and then a very different and older one among mixed-race and Indian Ocean Islands ex-slaves, based on a dialect known as Kaapse Taal (Cape language... named after Cape Town where most slaves lived)

4. Then you get all the accents for the regional tribal languages... so English spoken by a Xhosa person is differently accented to English spoken by a Zulu, Ndebele, Sotho, etc. person.

5. Then you get the English spoken by Chinese settlers... different accent again

6. And the English spoken by Indian settlers... again, very different.

... you've probably heard #1 and #2. Charlene has a light version of #1. Charlize Theron, on the other hand, when she had her original accent, was #3...which is why she had to learn to speak "American" or no-one would have understood a word she said.

 

[too_cute]

So that really heavy South African accent that I hear on so many people around me isn't the only accent? Is that what you're saying? Are there variations of that accent?

I also could hear bits of it when she spoke. But it was subtle.

nope it's not the only accent. it's the most distinctive and heaviest one though... south africans with that thick accent you speak of either have an afrikaans background (as in afrikaans people, they are white) or grew up in a predominantly afrikaans community. the two groups of people in south africa with the thickest accents are either afrikaans people (prob 5 % of the population) and afrikaans speaking (they are not white afrikaans people - around 10 % of the population)... it's a little complex, they are usually of mixed race heritage and speak afrikaans as their first language. although their accent is thick, it's very different to the white afrikaans speaking people. white south africans of english background do not have this thick afrikaans accent. the indigenous groups and the other groups such as indian etc. have different accents. some thick but most aren't, i would say.
i guess people think that the thick accent is the "south african accent" because we have a lot of afrikaans south africans who left the country right after apartheid was abolished and many leave the country currently as well (for different reasons) and live abroad. also a lot of rugby players are afrikaans. not so much the other sports though.
i suspect charlene grew up in an afrikaans community since her accent isn't thick (also her surname isn't afrikaans) or due to living abroad.

ETA: good summary Coco Belle

 

[CobaltBlu]

Since we have the William and Catherine engagement video, I thought I would also add this to the thread. Alberts mother and father shortly after announcing their engagement...

 

[too_cute]

^^i also wanted to add that the afrikaans accent is prevalent in lots of movies based in south africa like those based on the apartheid period, or movies like district 9 (the main character was afrikaans) or invictus (based on the south african rugby team of 1995). so it's not surprising that people think it's more common than it actually is. most south africans do not sound like that.

Absolutely stunning! And the blue jacket is gorgeous on her. I even like the dress, but lots of people didn't -- nevertheless, I think it's all gorgeous!

i agree.

 

[mysticrita]

I believe that she knew what she was in for..maybe the reason why she looked so sad the day of her wedding is because she realized at this moment, that it was a contract, a mariage of convenience, that she'd get what she wants (meaning jet set life i guess) in exchange of heirs.
Anyway her dress was gorgeous, and the flowers in her hair are absolutely magnificient..

 

[eggpudding]

yes. it's barely a real country but they have a lot of drama. i love it!
kate's boring. and so is pippa. this is interesting

It really is!! I'm over here reading this thread like...

Count me in, I wish I'd clicked on this thead earlier!

 

[oonik]

Since we have the William and Catherine engagement video, I thought I would also add this to the thread. Alberts mother and father shortly after announcing their engagement...

awww.. they look so in love..

also, i'd like to ask is there a difference in the meaning of the word afrikaans and africans ? sorry if it's a little out of topic.

 

[Coco Belle]

awww.. they look so in love..

also, i'd like to ask is there a difference in the meaning of the word afrikaans and africans ? sorry if it's a little out of topic.

Afrikaans is a word to describe two things: firstly, there's a language called Afrikaans. The language is a mix of 17th century Dutch, English, some French plus native African languages, all smooshed together Afrikaans is the most widely spoken language in South Africa. Most of us (black, white and mixed race) have it as a second language, but about 6 million people speak it as a mother tongue. (There are about 50 million ppl in the whole country).

Secondly, it also refers to the white descendants of Dutch settlers, who also speak the Afrikaans language as part of their heritage.

The word "Afrikaans" is an old Dutch word that means "African" - it was a word to denote "the (white) Dutch people who are born in / live in Africa" and also "the special dialect of Dutch we speak in Africa". So basically, the words seem the same, but they refer to pretty different things.

 

[Tahitian Moon]

HSH did not appear at a meeting ... to brief him on a very shady character who had arrived in Monaco to deal in conflict diamonds and laundered money,” says Eringer in one part of his lawsuit. “Instead he went go-karting.”

From the article linked...He is a hotmess.com

riginally Posted by SchnauzerCrazy View Post
^ I've been to Monaco many times and actually lived there for a time so I'm admittedly biased but it's definitely a real country and a terrific country to live in. I'd move there in a second.

What is Monaco like? I read that it's smaller than NYC and is just a tax haven for shady types, but it seems to have some police state elements (the pics of Albert everywhere, they kick people out all the time, etc). I am super-curious.

 

[oonik]

Afrikaans is a word to describe two things: firstly, there's a language called Afrikaans. The language is a mix of 17th century Dutch, English, some French plus native African languages, all smooshed together Afrikaans is the most widely spoken language in South Africa. Most of us (black, white and mixed race) have it as a second language, but about 6 million people speak it as a mother tongue. (There are about 50 million ppl in the whole country).

Secondly, it also refers to the white descendants of Dutch settlers, who also speak the Afrikaans language as part of their heritage.

The word "Afrikaans" is an old Dutch word that means "African" - it was a word to denote "the (white) Dutch people who are born in / live in Africa" and also "the special dialect of Dutch we speak in Africa". So basically, the words seem the same, but they refer to pretty different things.

Thank you for the detailed explanation coco belle ! Learnt something new today !

 

[too_cute]

^^^afrikaans is the most widely spoken language second to english in south africa. it's not the most widely spoken language. it can be said that it's the most widely spoken african language though. most people speak english as their second or first language... when people visit south africa they will hear english being spoken the majority of the time. afrikaans is 2nd because a lot of people have some knowledge of it (i suspect future generations will speak it less as it's not mandatory in schools anymore). it's not like most people are fluent in afrikaans, but yes a lot can understand it and speak it. the most widely spoken language as a first language in south africa is zulu for sure (way more than 6 million) but very few have it as a second language. this is OT though.

i still think charlene is probably not afrikaans, she probably grew up in an afrikaans community.

 

[CCfor C]

This brings back memories...I remember when Princess Grace died..so tragic. I don't think any of her children ever got over that. Caroline looked stunning when she was younger...just like her daughter, Charlotte. Stephanie was also lovely, in a more "boyish" way.

Boy, have they both aged!!! And Stephanie with her wrinkles and tattoos...she's been through the ringer. Did she ever smoke? She looks like she did. They have had tragic pasts...money doesn't buy happiness...

For some reason I always wondered about Albert. Never knew he was such a womanizer.