'You don't sound Welsh' - people question my identity because of my accent

"But you don't sound Welsh" is a response Sarah Luke, who comes from Flintshire near the English border, has had to deal with her whole life after telling people where she is from.

She's not alone, as many north Walians may have their Welshness questioned because their accent doesn't match the narrow stereotypes portrayed on television, according to phonetics expert Dr Sarah Cooper.

Despite accents when speaking English or Welsh varying hugely, often from village to village across Wales, she added that many people do assume there is a single Welsh accent.

"I usually get 'are you from Chester?', occasionally 'near Liverpool' and I've even had 'are you from New Zealand?' in Vegas Airport, but never Welsh," Sarah Luke said.

She thinks it is a "really strong south Walian accent", that is heard in TV show Gavin & Stacey, from personalities such as Sir Tom Jones, and in characters depicted by actor Rhys Ifans that are regarded as truly Welsh.

"We've had a few fairly big representatives over the years from north east Wales," added the outdoor education instructor.

"Amber Davies, Carol Vorderman, Lisa Scott-Lee, Gary Speed, but I don't think they're ever thought of as 'Welsh', that part of their identity is often overlooked."

One of her first jobs was at a bar in Chester meaning she worked alongside friends from the Cheshire area.

Sarah was subjected to a number of jibes such as "you live so close to the border, you may as well just say you're English".

"Which always puzzled me as Chester was closer to the Welsh border than my home was to the English border," she said

"But they wouldn't consider themselves Welsh, so why should I consider myself English?"

For years, she said, the comments felt easier to ignore, but now Sarah uses the Welsh language in everyday conversation, and promotes the country's history and culture.

"When I was younger I used to just keep quiet and felt patronised and belittled," she said.

"As I grow older and learn more about our history, I'm more vocal."

Accents while speaking Welsh and English vary hugely by region, and even from village to village in some regions, according to Cooper, who lectures in phonetics and bilingualism at Bangor University.

Despite this, she believes many people who have not been exposed to many varieties do assume there is a single Welsh accent.

"Being told [someone] doesn't 'sound Welsh' says a lot about what the people they're speaking to are expecting when they are listening to them, rather than what it says about [their] identity," she added.

"For many speakers from north Wales, their Welshness might be questioned because their accent doesn't match the narrow stereotypes that are portrayed in the media."

Cooper blames popular culture for playing a powerful role in shaping expectations.

But she believes accent stereotypes can flatten a very rich linguistic landscape such as the one in Wales.

"Welshness is often tied to a south Wales valleys accent, because that's what people hear most often in the media," she added.

"This means that accent becomes treated as the default, so speakers from elsewhere in Wales are seen as less authentic in their Welshness."

Cooper said someone's accent is closely tied to who they are, so to be "repeatedly told you don't sound Welsh" despite it being a big part of their identity, can be "alienating".

Stephen Rule, known online as Doctor Cymraeg, has built a following discussing Welsh language and identity, but says reactions to his accent remain predictable.

"I'd say the lion's share… probably 90% of the people who comment on my accent will say 'you don't sound like you're Welsh'," he said.

Instead, he has often been told he "sounds like a Scouser" or "Scelsh" - a term used to refer to a hybrid accent combining features of both Liverpudlian and Welsh pronunciation.

Cooper describes the "Scelsh" label as interesting - as in this case it shows people's social attitudes about what the accent sounds like is shaped by contact between communities rather than neat borders on a map.

"I have a south Flintshire accent. Last time I checked, south Flintshire is in the confines of our beautiful country known as Wales," is Rule's response to being misidentified.

"Anything in Wales can be described with the adjective 'Welsh'. Therefore I have a Welsh accent, how mad is that?"

His analogy is that if a tree is in Wales, it is a Welsh tree.

Rule believes underrepresentation of Wales in the British media is a major factor.

"Whenever Wales is mentioned, the north east is one of the least mentioned of that," he added.

"So you're talking about the least mentioned of the least mentioned.

"I'm not saying that a valleys accent isn't a Welsh accent. It is. It is A Welsh accent, not THE Welsh accent."

Rule calls accent jibes as "very irritating and frustrating", but for him personally, they have ignited a flame within.

"It's almost inspired me to continue making videos, to keep doing this, and to be proud and to celebrate the way that I speak," he added.