The worst accents in the world are Australian followed by American then Newcastle and Birmingham?

Question

The best are southern Irish West country, Northern Scotland and French, what do you think?

Answer 1

Wot r u talkin bout newcastle is a cute accent.

Answer 2

The ideas of 'best' and 'worst' accents have been researched for many years by linguists - and they have found that there isn't an objective 'best' and 'worst'. As you might expect, it's all a lot more complicated than that - features of accents that people 'hate' in one accent are loved in another. And people often don't react well to accents that are like their own (it's called 'linguistic insecurity'). One study using French informants found that the French people rated the Birmingham accent used in the trial as the 'most beautiful'. And also that people in the UK tend to associate urban accents with ugliness and rural accents with beauty. One study in the 1970s found that Australians tended to respect people with Australian-sounding accents less (ie they would not take legal advice from them, in this study) and people with RP (aka 'posh English') accents more. This may have changed since the study was done, though.

There's also a difference between accents associated with 'status' and those associated with 'solidarity'. People feel warm feelings towards familiar accents (ie like their own) but don't expect people who use them to score highly in terms of status (eg having good job, prospects, money, education), while high-status accents are respected but not particularly liked (eg if you were in trouble you would trust someone who sounded like you, rather than someone with a posher accent).

We use tiny features of the way sounds are articulated to give us tons of social information and associate values with it - so whether you think someone is good or bad may come down to their tongue position when they pronounce an 'r'! Makes you think.

Answer 3

Don't think American or Australian are bad but have to agree on the Southern Irish accent.....sexy! French is awful...as are the French..Scottish is quite cute but sounds quite working class. Birmingham is terrible, along with West Yorkshire and Welsh.
Newcastle is quite charismatic though!

Answer 4

Worst . Middle class medical professionals from India working in British hospitals, who act like Brahmin's even if they are not. Every member of the royal family and their sycophantic entourage . Toffee nosed spoilt arrogant twats who you often only hear , talking loudly of course , on the tube.
Best. Australian, American , Newcastle and Birmingham accents.

Answer 5

That depends on what you mean by worst and best. Personally, I can never understand a Scot, and cockney Brits annoy me, but my mother understands a brogue better than anyone but blood Scots. French always sounds snooty to me, although that's probably because it's used in bad films by people who aren't really French. I must admit, my fave is a Middle Eastern accent. Oded Fehr, for instance. Off "The Mummy," if you don't recognize the name. I LOVE his accent!

I did find an interesting accent recently, though. It's not national. She's originally from London, and has lived in Tennessee, U.S. for 42 years. It's Scarlett O'Hara meets the Queen Mum, I swear!

Answer 6

It has been said that the Birmingham accent is the true English accent because it hasn't been changed by Roman, Viking and all the other countries accents that invaded the other Towns and Cities in the UK.

Answer 7

The Australian accent makes me want to eat my own head? Because it makes everything sound like it should end with a question mark?

But I love a good earthy Brummie accent- makes me think of home! Lots of people confuse a proper, lovely sounding Brummie accent with the yukky Black Country accent (that's the one that people do when you say Birmingham- when they go 'Dud-loiy' and think it's hilarious) but a proper Brummie is dry and humerous and lovely.

Have to disagree on the French one too- it makes me think of Pepe Le Pew!

Answer 8

In you opinion eh?

Australians lovely, America can be depending on where abouts they are from, Birmingham IS terrible I agree but I love the geordie accent, Its the only northern accent I like.

Your favourite accents are 3 of my worst! I like eastern european accents.

Answer 9

American accents, apart from deep south, are gorgeous. Welsh accents are like fingernails down a blackboard to me closely followed by Stoke on Trent

Answer 10

Worst;South African,Welsh,Essex(estuary English)
Best;Mine(Bolton),Forest of Dean,Newcastle

Answer 11

I think a patrican accent from the American South is a thing of refined beauty.