• Question: How do you think the Internet, travel and more regional accents on TV and radio have affected the accents of people in the UK?

    Asked by molly21 to Damien on 18 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Damien Hall

      Damien Hall answered on 18 Jun 2011:

      Many people who study languages don’t think that the media has had much effect on the accents of people in the UK (or elsewhere) – the reason is that, for it to have an effect, you need to watch the telly and listen to the radio, or go online, and language is learnt when you’re a baby and a toddler, before you do any of those things.

      It’s definitely true, though, that the number of regional accents in the UK is getting lower – which means that some are taking over others. Some recent research has shown that Geordie might spread to the West in future (taking over Cumbria, for example), and it’s already proved that the South East accent is spreading to the South West, which used to have its own accent – so now, if you go to Bristol, old people might still have their own accent, but young people might sound like young people from London. This change could be partially to do with the media, but it’s also about fashion, and travel does have a certain amount to do with it – particularly the travel that people have to do to go to work.

Comments

  • Photo: molly21

    molly21 commented on :

    I can see your point here, but I have heard that regional sayings are no longer contained to one area, for example welsh or northern sayings are used in the south quite a lot, so much so that I can hear them within my own school. This would be due to the media and regional accents on TV, so do you think there a difference between a regional accent and the use of regional sayings?

  • Photo: Suzi

    Suzi commented on :

    Hi, sorry to butt in (again!).
    I think you’re right that the Bristol accent is going, but it’s happening really slowly! There are still plenty of young people with a hefty Bristol twang! (in fact, I’ve only been here for 4 years and I’m already picking up certain turns of phrase and accent patterns!)