Regional accents- the last straw.

[jean]

I'm not sure that people should be expected to 'deliberately' modify their accents, but those who leave home, live in other parts of the country, mix with different people do tend to lose or subconsciously 'modify' the way they speak.

Some do; I did, because I got laughed at by all the RP speakers I met when I went to University. It would have happened subconsciously even if I hadn't been aware of the necessity for it if I ever wanted to be taken seriously.

My mother, after sixty years in this country, spoke exactly as she's done before she'd ever left Ireland.

A very broad accent gives the impression of either someone who hasn't had a very broad experience of life, never left their home street;

Why do these two have to imply each other?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

That's what they call Estuary, isn't it?

Are the residents of the SE under the impression that there is only one estuary in the UK?

[jean]

They didn't give it that label.

[Mary Chambers]

Which very few RP speakers do any more!

My brother (nearly 80) still does, and it's noticeable to me because I have changed, I think. This could be because I live in the north and he lives in the Home Counties.

[jean]

There's been a general shift away from it.

I became aware of it when I was teaching in Poland, because all my colleagues had been trained at the University of Poznan which had a celebrated department of phonetics that was at least twenty years out of date.

I remember a lengthy misunderstanding when I was trying to talk about hens, and the class were convinced I meant hands.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I'm not sure that people should be expected to 'deliberately' modify their accents, but those who leave home, live in other parts of the country, mix with different people do tend to lose or subconsciously 'modify' the way they speak.

Exactly. Even the professional Yorkshireman, Michael Parkinson's accent has been modified considerably over time. Many of my old school friends, who came from the NE, have moved to other areas and their regional accents have been modified considerably.

A very broad accent gives the impression of either someone who hasn't had a very broad experience of life, never left their home street; or the 'professional' Scotsmen, Yorkshiremen, Lancashire lads &c who take a defiant 'I'm proud of me accent, and why not' attitude.

I agree. Some people have a huge chip on their shoulder about their origins and expect the rest of the world to adapt to them.

Roger Wright had (no doubt still has) traces of a Mancunian accent; Alan Davey still slightly north-east. For broadcasters, recognisable regional origins are (I agree with AD) 'attractive'. But one would expect national broadcasters not to positively draw attention to themselves, and remember that for the majority of the nation they just sound 'peculiar' - at best.

Spot on.

For many in the rest of the country, a SE accent is one that excludes the "th" sound, substituting it with "f" and "v". RP, on the other hand, can be understood universally.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Estuary English is also spoken in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

[french frank]

Some do; I did, because I got laughed at by all the RP speakers I met when I went to University. It would have happened subconsciously even if I hadn't been aware of the necessity for it if I ever wanted to be taken seriously.

I accept that some people, for various reasons, feel under pressure to do so. In that case, whether they do so or not depends on them. And others, no doubt, don't feel the pressure and don't change at all, and that may be a very conscious decision.

Why do these two have to imply each other?

Do they imply anything? The opinion I was expressing was that very broad accents give the impression of a rather sheltered existence. It may or may not be justifiable to assume that to be the case. You give no indication of how broad your mother's accent was in the first place or of her life experience. My second cousin who moved/emigrated to Australia about 15 years ago, having attended an independent school in this country, now speaks with an unmistakeable Aussie accent/intonation - though not a broad one. I'm sure it was just the natural effect of being surrounded by all sorts of people who had similar linguistic characteristics.

[jean]

Do they imply anything? The opinion I was expressing was that very broad accents give the impression of a rather sheltered existence...

That's what I meant by imply.

You hear a strong regional accent, and you deduce from that alone the speaker's lack of experience of the wider world.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

... I wd describe it as fake, synthetic, plastic.

As would I - and it "draws attention to itself" in ways that - it has been suggested elsewhere on this Thread - are associated with Regional Accents.

[MrGongGong]

You hear a strong regional accent, and you deduce from that alone the speaker's lack of experience of the wider world.

You might
but having met many people who contradict this assumption I wouldn't.

[antongould]

... I wd describe it as fake, synthetic, plastic. My Roget can supply other adjectives if necessary.

If it is really is "...bogus, cod, phoney ..." do we know (or care) what the real thing is?

Will it hamper or enhance Kenny's chances on a programme with the same initials as Sports Collectors Digest?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

... I wd describe it as fake, synthetic, plastic. My Roget can supply other adjectives if necessary.

At Cheadle Hulme School (one of the many I failed to get into ) it is likely that "Kenny Dalgleish II" would have picked up the speaking style now she has. Or she may simply have been brought up in her family environment, which is quite probable. I don't find her accent "fake", but I do question her musical knowledge.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I may have bored you with this one before, but perhaps not:-

My piano teacher at school in the 1960s originated from Blackburn, but she had a very refined speaking voice. There was a rumour that she had had elocution lessons whilst at the RMCM, but I remember finding this difficult to believe, so consistent was her RP accent.

Then one day, she asked me to play fortissimo in a passage she thought I was playing rather lazily. I increased the volume, but apparently this was insufficient, for she added in a loud voice:
COOM ON PLAY IT DOOBLE FOOERTAY.

[french frank]

You hear a strong regional accent, and you deduce from that alone the speaker's lack of experience of the wider world.

Just scrubbed my answer.

Lost interest in the discussion