Accents, Do you have a fav?

...... oh and some Australian and New Zealand accents too.

I like accents from the North East of England, the South of Ireland, some parts of Scotland, Slovakia, and France.

It’s not that I don’t like it, but the real Plymouth (janner) accent is very hard for me to understand and I also once had a lady in Dumfries talk to me for ten minutes (I was waiting at a bus stop) and I didn’t understand a word she said because her accent was so pronounced.

I do like an Italian accent ,might be a throwback to an Italian boyfriend when I was 15 and a Donegal accent reminds me of my much loved Granny and always makes me smile

Husband is from Belfast, which obviously I like, we did a lot of ‘courting’ over the phone. The accent has softened over the years, he gets a bit of stick when we pop back to visit! I too like a French accent.

Love to hear French and Italian people speaking English, and think Italian is my favourite foreign language (obviously biased as I'm half Italian!). My favourite here are the North East, Southern Ireland, a soft Scottish one, and a soft Welsh one. Hate my own accent - it's more Lancashire than Cheshire. Can't bear an American accent and a few English ones (won't mention which ones, don't want to offend anyone!). I cringe when posters on here complain about Priti Patel's speech delivery- believe me, it's so much better than mine! Would love to speak with a RP accent, but sadly it's wasn't to be ?

East Midlands, me duck

I like most regional accents, provided they’re not too harsh.
I find Jim Naughtie and Melvyn Bragg a pleasure to listen to.

But recently Radio 4 seems to have adopted a policy of only employing people with northern accents, some of which don’t even sound genuine, but acquired for the purpose.
Some are so broad that they are occasionally difficult to understand - eg Nick Eardley (Glasgow) and Sarah Corker (hybrid Lancashire).
Sarah Corker also intones in such a way that you’d be forgiven for thinking she’s telling a story to a class of four-year-olds, not reporting on a national news network

I don’t really notice accents unless they’re broad.

To those who mention the Kent accent, it’s changed so much in 50 years. I am originally from Kent, but have lived in Scotland for much of the past 40 years. When I go back, what passes as the Kent accent today is unrecognisable as the accent then. Speaking to my brother and BIL, they still have the old Kent accent and it’s rather lovely, soft and rolling.

Yes, Sue, I find that all of the areas around London have been heavily influenced by London accents - beginning I suppose with the relocation after WW2, but continuing.
You have to speak to quite elderly people to hear 'real' Hertfordshire & Bedfordshire accents.
I like the way that language and ways of talking change over time, but I do feel a bit sad at how dominant London has become in the south over the last 2-3 generations.

When I moved up north, everyone would ask me 'Are you a cockney?' HOW they heard broad Norfolk as cockney I don't know!

American accent - I love the way they roll their ‘Rs’

Give me ‘Jamie Frazier’s’ accent any time.
In fact give me him too ?

Absolute least favourite is South African.

I love the Geordie accent, although I can’t understand a word that they’re saying. I also so like janner, the real Plymouth accent, as I lived there in my teens. Reet, m’lover!

I adore Belfast. I had a boyfriend there and could listen to him talk all day.

I'm also rather fond of South African

Yes, I suppose it is that influence, Nannarose, although I don’t remember Londoners speaking with the kind of accent you hear in Kent nowadays, either! I guess these things just morph into new ways of speaking.

I love a really soft Irish accent. I also used to have two elderly uncles, and an aunt who had really lovely soft Scouse accents - nowadays it just seems a very harsh accent.

Speaking as one who has a French accent*, I absolutely love the Irish accent. And the Irish. In another life, I’d like to marry an Irishman!
* I get so tired of being asked where I’m from. What do I reply? Where I’m living now or where I was born and brought up? I always give the wrong answer ?

I love the northern Irish accent. My mother came from Northern Ireland and the accent reminds me of wonderful holidays with the Irish side of my family. If I need a fix I ring my cousins and have a natter.

Geordie & Irish - though I appreciate there are so many different Irish accents.

grandMattie, as someone who meets foreign nationals quite often I usually say, ‘I can’t place your accent’, rather than ask people where they’re from. Locally there’s a British guy whose parents were South African, but had spent a lot of time in Northern Ireland, so my observation opened up a very interesting conversation.

I like all regional accents.
I find it interesting country = soft and rolling
city= guttural=quicker in speed?
Might have been historically time related?

Also Herts/Beds /Kent/Essex etc will have attracted people from all over the country who need to commute in to London who may not be able to afford to live in the city or burbs there and that will affect the county accents.

I have regional accent from elsewhere but my children don't really speak with an accent at all though I wouldn't necessarily say it was RP

A soft Lancashire accent always sounds comforting and kind when I hear it.

Definitely the Lancashire accent. M&D came from the Rossendale valley and it means family to me.

You are very welcome Fanny, I’ve always loved the brummie accent! X