Scientists warn distinctive UK accent is dying out

The way that we speak is a defining factor for a lot of people, and sometimes it’s an ingrained part of our identity.

But accents naturally fluctuate and die out based on their popularity and continuation of generations using them.

Well, according to experts, there is one popular British accent at risk of completely disappearing... and I can bet it's not the one you’re thinking about.

Not all accents are made to be equal, we know this as some are loved and others hated.

In a poll LADbible conducted on X (formerly Twitter) earlier this year, it showed the three most annoying UK accents users voted for.

In the lead with 60 percent, the most annoying accent of them all is the Birmingham accent (a little hurt, but I won’t take that personally), which was followed by the Scouse accent coming in at 57.2 percent and then the Essex accent at 51 percent.

However, the UK accent which is supposedly being forgotten about isn't on this list as it is are generally beloved and known as a calming cadence.

You’ll know which one it is as soon as you think about celebrities such as Eric Morecambe, Jane Horrocks, Jim Bowen or even Chicken Run.

Netflix

Of course, it’s the Lancashire accent.

Researchers have come out to warn the public that the Lancashire accent is dying out, with fears that it might be totally gone within ‘the next few generations’ as younger people are less likely to speak with its distinctive tone and prefer to weaken their ‘R’s.

In older Lancastrians, you’ll notice that they pronounce a ‘strong r’ sound at the end words like ‘car’, ‘far’, ‘her’.

But Dr. Danielle Turton, a linguistics expert at Lancaster University, revealed that this prominent accent feature (known as rhoticity) will soon disappear.

According to a study of Blackburn locals, younger people are less likely to pronounce the ‘R’ sound in words than older people.

But even when they do pronounce it, experts say that it’s ‘very weak’ and not very easy for others to hear the distinction.

Dr. Turton went on to say that the Lancashire accents disappearance is gradual, which means ‘that people don’t notice it’. That is, until it’s completely gone.

BBC Archive

But she said: “Blackburn still retains many other vowel features that make it unique and changes like this often pave the way for further linguistic evolution in the future.”

However, the accents within that area may all mesh as one after a 2020 study found that northern accents are becoming more similar to one another.

It also went on to explain that there is a general northern English accent among ‘educated people’ in the region.

The researcher explained: "In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about the disappearance of traditional dialects and the linguistic homogenisation of regions in England.

"Unfortunately, it seems that this is the case for the East Lancashire 'island of rhoticity'. In the next few generations, this traditional feature may be lost.

"That being said, Blackburn still retains many other vowel features that make it unique and changes like this often pave the way for further linguistic evolution in the future."

Topics: UK News, Science, Education

Britt Jones