For years the busses in Ireland, if they were posh enough to have robotic voice warnings, had very British-sounding robot voices. “Cah-gao d’oh oop’neen” a deadpan London female would say every time the luggage doors opened.
Well, a recent trip on one of Bus Eireann’s vehicles demonstrated that the Irish bus company decided that a local accent might be a better idea.
It’s the greatest thing.
The new warning when the luggage doors open on a Bus Eireann bus states, in a very thick midland Irish accent, “Stand clear, luggage stores operate.”
Yes, I’ve heard that they do – those darn luggage stores.
Now, I’m not clear on what EXACTLY is being said, but as I heard the warning repeat throughout my recent trip I began to vasselate between “luggage doors operate,” (they sure do) “luggage doors in operation” or “luggage doors operating.” Whatever it’s actually saying, it’s an improvement on the distinctly un-Irish robot warning they used to have.
Sorry for the wind noise, but have a listen for yourself and tell me what you think it’s saying.
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It has always sounded Irish and clear “luggage doors operating” to me
Hi… as a frequent traveller on the ‘bus’ I can assure you the message is
“Stand clear… luggage doors in operation”
Because of the accent of the person reading the message it takes a while to understand!
Folks, don’t get me wrong – this post is just a bit of craic. I’m sure the intended message is in the present perfect tense: “luggage doors operating.”
But seriously, have a listen to the recording – a foreign ear would definitely lose the last syllable of “operating” and the plosive finality of “luggage” pushes into doors in such a way that it . . . almost . . . sounds like an introductory “s” sound.
Honest to god, listen.
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