Aims; In November 2004, the BBC commissioned a poll to find out how people felt about accents and language throughout Britain. Participants were asked to rank celebrities in order of how nice their voices sounded.
Methodology; The poll was conducted between 17th-16th of November via an online survey. The final sample nationally was 49:51 Male:Female. There was a 'middle age spread' in the sample, with 25-64s proportionally
over-represented and 15-24s and the 65+ under-represented,social Class data was
not collected. 97% of the whole sample said that English was their first language. 26% of the
overall sample said they spoke at least one language as well as English, and the
most frequently mentioned languages were French (17% of the total sample),
German (11%), Spanish (7%), Italian (4%), and Welsh (2%).
Findings and Analysis; 3/4 of people in the UK think that they hear a wider variation of accents in everyday life and on BBC TV and radio. An Edinburgh accent was highly valued on both pleasantness and prestige, while Livepool and Birmingham accents were both considered unpleasant and lacking in social status. A London accent was thought to be helpful career-wise, but not a pleasant accent. Respondants liked the sound of the Newcastle accent but didn't think it was very good when it came to the work place.
Conclusions; A softer accent, like the Edinburgh accent,is thought to sound both nice and business-like. Harsher accents such as the Liverpool and Birmingham accents are considered to be unprofessional and not very nice to listen to. Having a London accent can make you seem very professional, but is overall not considered to be a pleasant accent. It is widely thought that a Standard English accent is more suitable for job-searching.
Revised League Table of Accents
- Recieved Pronunciation
- Edinburgh
- Dublin
- Geordie (Newcastle)
- Yorkshire
- Cockney
- Glasgow
- West Country
- Brummie (Birmingham)
- Scouse (Liverpool)
