Who speaks for England?, Guy Aitchison

Guy Aitchison — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 13:33:14 +0100

Guy Aitchison (London, OK): Voice matters. Indeed having a voice and using it is pretty vital when it comes to being heard by others - the first step to getting what you want. What kind of country is it then that isn't happy with its own voice?

The answer comes in the form of a recent SpinVox survey of several thousand British adults. It reveals that a stunning three quarters of Brits don't like the sound of their own voices! Expressed in this way, however, the findings can be misleading. Disliking one's own voice isn't a feeling shared across the nations of these isles. Whilst the Scots, the Welsh and the Irish are more than happy with their voices, it is the English who most want to change theirs.

Only one regional accent bucks this national trend. Can you guess which one? Clues are: Ant and Dec; "Haway man!"; the bloke who narrates Big Brother. Amongst the English it is only the Geordies who are said to be truly happy with the way they talk.

There's no prizes for guessing which region has the most unpopular accent though. Yes, if you're an elocution trainer looking to make a mint you could do a whole lot worse than setting up shop in Birmingham (full declaration: my Dad's a Brummie!). There must be something about that twangy nasal sound because Brum tops the list of most unpopular accents - both with Brummies themselves and across the rest of Britain.

But why this rejection amongst the English people as a whole? England's neighbours have found their voices. It would seem they're happy with them. This might move us to ask: what accent would an English Parliament have?

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Who speaks for England?, Guy Aitchison