LoCarb

Listened to the BBC 'Why Factor' the other night:

BBC World Service - The Why Factor, Why do we find some voices irritating?

Apparently the Australian accent is judged the most irritating, and the New Zealand male accent judged the least prestigious.

Doesn't bode well for Key being taken seriously in his UN speech then as he has to have the worst Kiwi accent ever!

Kotare

I haven't listened to it (don't want another app) but do they include uk accents like Brummie or Scouse or even estuary English :-) Oz is just a variant of London cockney.

I thought most politicians were trying to emphasize their 'working class' roots so Keys should slot in nicely.

LoCarb

Don't think you need an app. Seems to play in my browser.

They did say the English don't like the Brummie accent but foreigners do apparently!

Young Londoner's don't pronounce their i anymore. Interesting program.

Justcol

australian dialect is nothing to do with Cockney

Kotare

Agree there were other inputs but I quote Wiki
'the major input was from south east England' and 'a strong London input' and 'it may be considered a fossilized version of cockney'.

I rest my case.

Justcol

Wiki
the most reliable of sources

Give me 2 minutes while i just go and edit the page

Australia, we need to talk about the way we speak

Damson

I remember chatting with an American once who said they were astonished at the variety of accents in the UK given the relatively small geographical location, obviously compared to his home country.


The endearing one for me is brummie; it sounds unintelligent and friendly at the same time. I can say this as I'm married to one. As opposed to me, born in Bristol; I just sound like a farmer. Awful accent.

LoCarb

I like that. A drunken slur

LittleGreyCat

Accent distribution is weird.

I used to live in Essex and the accent all along the A12 (probably as far as Colchester) was "Estuary" - very similar to East End if not to Cockney.

Go about 10 miles at right angles and suddenly the accent was rural Essex/Suffolk and completely different. More like West Country, if anything.

BEVS

I can flex my accent at will. From London to Cornwall usually these days as that seems to amuse this lot here given their thing for Doc Martin and Kathy Burke.

The voices I find most irritating these days are the NZ female reporter types. Why do they all speak in a type of nasel croak as if they haven't enough breath and have lost most of their vocal chords. Breathe ladies. Stop and breathe !

jmh

Yeah I wondered about that - it's only the young ones - the middle-aged seem to be able to breathe and speak at the same time. On looking up Mr Google I discovered that it's called 'vocal fry' and is common in this age group. They say it's because they all copied Britany Spears, but I have my doubts. You notice it a lot in teens. I find it quite worrying because it makes them sound as if they are ill.

BEVS

Agree jmh .

It is not a voice that older ladies produce at all.

Are they copying this from each other? A bit like people mimicking a stance or fashion look to seem more acceptable.

jayandbill

I thought it was just me. Kiwi female voices are nasal, high pitched, child like. Why are they TV presenters. Americans are the same. Compare it with most British TV personalities, news readers and actors, which are much more mellow and mature. Is it something in the water here.

Kotare

How dare they speak in what I assume is their native dialect - personally I find most UK regional accents irritating, especially now the BBC has pushed for working class authenticity. Bring back proper RP accents like the Queen I say (though I notice her accent has been deteriorating too).

Bo-Jangles

It works for John Key.