BBC's Watchdog keeping an eye on 2006
by JC Fletcher 
{ Feb 5th 2008 at 9:45AM }
What you may not have heard about is that this is now being interpreted as discrimination against people with certain regional dialects. "I'm going, 'yeller' and everyone's saying to me you need to be a bit posher. You need to say, 'yellow' and as soon as I did, it picked it up," reported Michelle Livesey. Host Nicky Campbell then suggested that the game was discriminatory against people with Northern and Scottish accents. Nintendo responded to the report with a statement explaining that they recognize the issue, and that voice recognition in the Stroop test is only a small, optional part of the game.
Yet again we find ourselves taken aback by the mainstream media's treatment of gaming. Had Livesey done even the most casual of Googling, she would have learned that the Brain Training voice issue is the "Take my wife, please" of DS game jokes (meaning it's ancient). It's not enough that they presented a well-known problem with a two-year-old game as news, but they seem to have attempted to ignite some sort of controversy over it, without actually doing any research or knowing what they were talking about. People across the United States have the same problem, but to our knowledge nobody accused Nintendo of discriminating against most Americans. We're just going to choose to believe, without having heard the program, that Campbell's comment was facetious in nature. For our sanity.
[Via CVG]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Roto13 @ Feb 5th 2008 9:52AM
Maybe don't say "yeller" and say "yellow" like someone who speaks English. I don't care what kind of accent you have. There's no "er" in "yellow."
JC Fletcher @ Feb 5th 2008 10:45AM
It's really more of a schwa, like "yell-uh", but since British English doesn't have word-final "r", the informal spelling of that pronunciation matches "r"-final words that would sound identical.
TheCoats @ Feb 5th 2008 9:57AM
Just another hate crime.....LOL.....some people
Adam_Y @ Feb 5th 2008 10:25AM
"without doing any research or knowing what they were talking about"
this is the BBC, remember that, they can't afford research, only speculation and hearsay.
And as a Northerner, I can say that I've never had much of a problem with it, 'cept for when I say words like 'beyellow' and 'reblue'.
Similarly, the breakfast news on the BBC recently ran a story that practicing braintraining on the DS wasn't really helping you to be smarter, just to be better at playing the game... just like learning maths doesn't make you smarter, just better at maths?
Brello @ Feb 5th 2008 11:39AM
The only problem I remember is "blue". My roommate, being a smartass said "you have to say "brew" remember? " Har har har. Sadly, it freaking worked.
Matdredalia @ Feb 5th 2008 11:52AM
What pisses me off is this assclown thinks he's being discriminated against because the game expects you to say the word yellow like it's, ya' know, meant to be said instead of saying what basically equates to an entirely different word.
I don't want to hear this horse crap about "Northern" and "Scottish" accents --- my husband is from the Northern part of the UK, has a very VERY thick accent, but by god he can still pronounce words the way they're meant to be said.
So, what does this tell you?
#1 - This person is a twat who can't use proper English.
#2 - They obviously suck at their job and can't do any real research.
#3 - They're too busy playing Brain Age to come up with some real news. Sad.
Andrew @ Feb 5th 2008 11:56AM
Aww. Now I don't feel like a REAL Scot, since my family kick ass at the Stroop test.
Andrew @ Feb 5th 2008 12:09PM
Also, please, guys.
I love how when the game doesn't understand someone with Queen's English or Estuary English it's hilarious because the game has a flaw, but when it's a Northern accent it's because the person "can't speak proper English."
This is a ridiculous story for Watchdog to cover (remember, this is the same show that alerted us to the dangers of POP TARTS - HOT ON THE INSIDE! POTENTIAL DEATH TRAP), and it's ridiculous to feel discriminated against by Dr. Kawashima, but maybe people with certain regional dialects are quick to feel discriminated against for good reasons? Like, you know, people accusing them of being "stupid" or unable to use English. I live in Western Washington just now and it's funny to hear people refer to ferries as "fairyboats", but I don't go around shouting "OMG STOOPID AMURKINS."
/soapbox
hvnlysoldr @ Feb 5th 2008 4:02PM
There's just too many accents to implement into voice recognition software.
RootiePatootie @ Feb 5th 2008 7:57PM
OH pulllleeez! Do we not have something MUCH more important to get all in a huff about in this big, troubled world of ours? The game, like a zillion voice menus out there, doesn't understand accents...so...GET OVER IT! Until the tech is here where these types of things can understand ALL accents I think we could find something better to get upset about.
I thankfully have a very generic English. A product of being raised by parents from the mid-west but living in a part of NY state near the border, which can give me a hint of Canadian at times, I guess. My hubby, on the other hand, doesn't speak English as his first language. His accent is still there although not like it was when we first met over 15 years ago but still, when it comes to voice menus, which every customer service seems to have, he can NOT navigate them 99% of the time. That's what I'm good for :) He won't even bother with the DS games that use voice recognition as we KNOW it won't work for him. Is this discrimination? I DON'T THINK SO!!!
If you have an accent and a voice recognition system, whether on your DS or someplace else, doesn't understand you, then pay attention to how you're speaking. LOOK at the word, remember your phonics from grade school, and do your best. If your accent is still too difficult for the stupid game/voice menu then guess what, TS! You're not going to be able to play it or use that voice menu (good luck getting a HUMAN!!). Meanwhile, go listen to that Eagle's song, Get Over It! and try to think about some REAL injustice in this world, and be grateful that you even OWN a DS to play or a telephone to call customer service and get a voice menu.
/rant off