Your comments

Jemma, Bournemouth
When I was little I spoke like Mary Poppins, as my parents were both teachers who spoke with RP and that was what I heard around me -when I went to school, I had to start dropping my Ts and Hs a little, and to speak more lazily, in order to avoid being constantly picked on for my 'posh' voice, even so, I'm still pretty well spoken, and even now, people with non RP accents make a hell of a lot of assumptions about how: posh; prudish; straitlaced; clever; snooty etc... must be, because of my voice. (And it seems swearing has a much more startling effect when you speak with RP!)

Siarl from Arlesey
Since leaving Wales I have lost much of my accent and it makes me sad to think that this has probably made me more immediately accepted this side of Offa's Dyke. We have got to stop judging people's abilities and personalities by their accent - it's as idiotic as judging by skin colour, but we still do it!

Sarah from Bradford
I love a 'proper' Yorkshire accent. My Bradford one is horrible and common. Friends with other accents seem to find it endearing though.

Tony Roberts from Twickenham
When I first arrived in London from Wales I had difficulty both making myself understood and understanding Londoners. For example, a London born friend asked me to pass him a taal - after several repetitions I realised he was refering to a towel. Actually, after more than 20 years in London I still have that problem!

Melissa from Anglesey
Most people think of welsh accents to be like the south wales one but the north wales accents are completely different. I do not have a strong n.wales accent at all in fact when I meet people they say that I haven't got much of an accent just sound English.I don't like the welsh accent but I do love the Irish one!!!!

Chris from Suffolk
I am a southerner with seven years' experience of the North in Huddersfield. I found some variations of 'Yorkshirese' quite pleasant to listen to, and others that could strip paint. Here in the South things are on the turn as well with the spread of the dreadful estuary English and mockney. The continuing blight of americanisation also makes me weep. 'I would like for you to get me...'. That's not English, that's a mess.

Mandy Feka, South London
There are even slight variations of accents within London! This can be noticed when you hear teenagers from e.g. Brixton or New Cross and teenagers from e.g. Hackney or Dalstan. The slang usage, terminology etc is different however slight!

James from New Zealand now London
As a foreigner I can confirm that understanding some regional dialects is near impossible for immigrants, even for those of us who grew up enjoying Auf Wiedersein, Pet. The BBC now seems ashamed of RP, when it used to be the bastion of it, which is a great pity. Us foreigners used to find it of great value as well as a pleasure to hear. Of course language changes, and of course people should not be ashamed of their accent, still less discriminated against because of it. But at the same time, there has to be a received way of pronouncing words - or else how do you teach the language to begin with? Finally, if old fashioned RP is to be replaced, we can surely do better than mockney, which is a lazy accent, lacking in clarity.

John H (originally from Northants)
I do miss the authoritative tones of RP on the radio. In the past, at least, we all had our own accents and only had to struggle to understand one other accent - that of RP BeeBeeSeeSpeak. Now we are all required to become aural trapeze artists. The plethora of regional accents certainly gives our lives colour but also presents many more difficulties as the linguistic 'experts' seek to impose a value free postmodernist view upon the rest of us with all our petty rivalries.

Amanda McCaig, Leeds
Everyone has an accent of one sort or another. However within that accent, even small children develop "linguistic registers", using slightly different forms of language and accent. However schools are failing to develop this natural ability and are not teaching children how to manipulate language effectively. This results in young people being left in "linguistic ghettos" limiting their social, educational and professional opportunities. Regardless of original accent, in order to communicate with the widest possible community and open up the maximum number of opportunities, children need to be taught one of the basic "Standard English" forms. This is not to deny the "rightness" of their local accent, but to increase their opportunities in life. Our failure to do so is limiting the lives of our young people.

Jon from Rugby
I think the Rugby accent is rather soft and some may find it quite posh come and visit and see what you think

Dr Jalal Ahmed-Choudhury from Birmingham
Accents do play a major part in the way someone is perceived. I was born and brought up in Ipswich, Suffolk in the early 70's and have been living in Birmingham since the early 90's. I spent 3 years in Bangladesh between the ages of 7-10. I have never had a regional accent and would describe my accent as being modern RP. I am always complemented by other people on the way I speak and personally feel that having certain accents will initiate prejudice. However, a lot of people seem to adapt their accents to the situation they find themselves in and this includes myself. For example if I'm discussing work with other colleagues then I tend to enunciate my words correctly and use modern RP, whereas if I'm talking to my brother who lives and works in the East end of London, and who has a cockney accent, then I tend to mimic a lot his words and fall into a sort of cockney accent myself. My children on the other hand talk in a Brummie accent and unfortunately like many people I am prejudiced and find it rather infuriating...strange as I've chosen to live and work in Birmingham!!! Yet accents demonstrate the diverse society we live in and allow us to have a form of personal identity, particularly in this day and age where we tend to be living and working far away from the places where we were born and brought up. With greater numbers of TV/Radio presenters having regional accents, it is helping to pave the way to break down inherent prejudices of accents.

Glenda, originally from Kent
My mother was keen on RP of a sort - "speaking properly" she called it. My primary school followed suit and taught us the rudiments of grammar to enable us to write "properly" too. Thus I rather grew up with the idea that I didn't have a regional accent. This was dramatically reinforced at the age of 12 or 13 by my music teacher. Faced with a class of Kent schoolgirls (the teacher was originally from Warwickshire but had perfect RP which was, more or less, accentless)none of whom was articulating properly a song she was tryng to teach us, she blurted out: "I've taught in schools all over the country to pupils with all sorts of regional variations in speaking but here you don't have an accent at all, you all speak badly!" For me, this had the immedate effect of making me aware of "speaking properly" at all times, or at least when I was in the company of adults or strangers. With the result that I actually sound much "posher" than either of my two younger sisters who also speak perfectly clear, well articulated English. I've always understood the bottom line to be clarity of communication so the ability of those wth lots of dialect words in their normal speech to switch to standard English on occasion seems useful. Modern thnking tends to suggest one should be ashamed of changing the oway one speaks but surely one should speak so the listener can understand easily out of respect for that other person? Accents are fascinating in their own right and usually make no difference to the understandng of the listener. Dialect words however need to be reserved for those occcasions when one is in the company of other dialect speakers. It's just plain common sense. Vive la difference! (sorry can't find my French accents!)

Lindsay West Yorkshire
I love scottish,Irish,Newcastle and Geordie accents because they have a musical tone to the words. I'm from Yorkshire but i wouldnt describe might accent as being from there but then again someone listening to me might say otherwise.

Isobel from Grimsby (now living in Germany)
Although I spent my entire childhood in Grimsby, I never picked up the 'grimbarian' accent - which meant I was accused of being posh at school. When I went away to university, nobody could place my accent - some southerners even thought I was from the south! Since then I have lived and worked in several countries around the world, and especially through my work as an EFL teacher, noticed my accent neutralising even further, to the point where people (native English speakers) even asked if I was from Australia/New Zealand. At university I had a linguistics professor who claimed to be able to place any accent - though he refused to prove it. I would be interested to find out whether he could place me now...

Vikki, London, (originally North West)
I was born near Manchester and grew up in Southport on the North West coast, where a lot of people have a Northern (i.e bath instead of baarth), but not strong accent. I then went to uni in Sheffield and eventually ended up in the East End of London about 8 years ago. My accent is therefore very hybrid and varies depending on who I'm talking to, not because I feel I have to modify the 'northernness' but because my accent is influenced by the people around me. When I talk to my family I get back the Northern twang, but if I'm speaking to my London mates I go all Southern and start saying 'innit'. But I don't mind, I find accents fascinating and to me, the East End of London has always reminded me of my Northern 'home', which I suppose is why I still live here.

Laura from Preston
My parents are both from Liverpool but I divided my childhood between Yorkshire and Lancashire, and as such developed an accent that got me ridiculed on several occasions when I was younger. I still do it now - if I'm really happy or annoyed my voice definitely sounds more Liverpudlian, as well as when I use Scouser (excuse the term) phrases such as 'made up' and 'divvy'. But now I'm older I'm proud of the way I speak and I like the fact that I sound distinctive. As for attractive accents, it has to be Irish and New Zealand or Canadian. Strong American accents grate on me though, otherwise I haven't got any preferences. It's a cliché but variety really is the spice of life.

Gemma Gribbon from Belfast
I think a Belfast accent is one of the hardest to understand for people who are not from Ireland. Im now living in Malaga, I do admit I have lost a bit of the twang but people still have difficulty in understanding me especially some of the saying and phrases that we have.

Lesley from London
I was denied the enjoyment of Cracker, which I hear was brilliant, because I simply could not understand it - sub-titles would have been most helpful.

Roger from London
I have no problem with accents; I enjoy their variety. What does annoy me is where these accents are corrupted, eg by Estuary English or by non-UK influences such as the "Australian Questioning Intonation" (making a statement sound like a question) so reviled by Stephen Fry in Room 101. In both these cases, are we to blame Soaps (perhaps Eastenders and Neighbours respectively)? However, what annoys me most is incorrect English grammar. In my view the BBC should set an example in this respect, and I have to say its standards have slipped substantially over the years.

Germaine Walsh from Cardiff
I'm Welsh born and bred, but am often told on my travels that I don't have a Welsh or 'Caaaardiff' accent, which is a shame. The local media is hyping up the fact that the Welsh accent has recently been voted as being very unpopular, which doesn't make any sense as there is no such thing as a generic Welsh accent. Most people in Cardiff have either a 'Taffy' accent or have a very anglicised dialect due to the high number of English people living in the Capital and its close proximity to the border. Personally, I love listening to the voices of Anthony Hopkins, John Humphreys and Richard Burton, but the North Walian (Gwynedd / Anglesey) accents are so harsh, they are horrible. Although this article is concentrating on accents and dialects, the way that a person actually speaks is equally important. I used to never miss a programme of the 'Film ...' show on BBC 1 with Barry Norman and regularly listen to Radio 2, but if I hear Jonathan Ross speaking, immediately I have to change channels. I'm all for diversity and equality, but people with that sort of speech impediment (real or exaggerated) should not be allowed on TV or radio as they are so irritating.

caz katie kelly n lau WIRRAL
BIG UP da Wirral good old gangster style.

Simon THE NORTH
I don't have a specific "accent", just a mixture of many places I've lived over the years; Newcastle, Durham, Cheshire, Cumbria, Manchester - so just "Northern"...

Naomi from SE London
I'm an Australian living and working in London and loving the many accents I hear here. I am proud to be Australian and for the most part I speak grammatically 'correct' English (Aussie slang aside!) but at times feel a little 'uncouth' with the way I pronounce my words compared with the RP way of speaking. Friends and family back home tell me I'm starting to sound 'English' and 'Posh' I suppose because of where I live and the people I work with, but English people I meet know I'm an Aussie within seconds of meeting me. I love meeting new people and find it quite fun to try to match accents here to the areas they're from but it is suprisingly difficult. I say celebrate your differences and be proud that your country' accents are so diverse!

Will from Yorkshire
I never notice my accent unless i am with people from other places, and depending on where they are from, my accent does sometimes sound very broad. But i am proud of my accent, and they say that Yorkshire People tell you what they are thinking and dont hold back, and i think our accent makes that easier to take.

Owen, Reading
I used to be embarrased about being "well spoken"/ talking posh. I often covered it up and everyone in the scouts laughed when they heard my accent change as I spoke to my family on the phone. These days (I'm in my mid-twenties)I am much more relaxed about it and have decided to "Keep it real" by speaking my natural RP. I still use dialect expressions like dissing (dis-respecting) which I am told sounds a bit strange.

Dave Moore, Brummie in exile (Hong Kong)
The Brummie accent is bostin'!!

Jennie (Kiwi living in Germany)
Oh, I forgot to mention before that my hubby grew up in Sheffield and went to a public boarding school. Generally he speaks very well and clearly but when a little tipsy tend to fall back on the "country bumpkin" type of Yorkshire accent. Living with this is sometimes very difficult where often my only English influence is him - sometimes I catch myself dropping the "t" sound in words like water and butter - or even just simply missing out words such as "goin' t pub" etc.

Mary Hinge from Peterborough
originally from the home counties, I have now resided in the armpit of the fens for nearly 20 years & I find it a constant battle to avoid sounding like my neighbours. "Toosdee", "Fooneral" & "Cumpooder" .... Nice eh?

Elspeth from Paris
I suppose I have what might be classed as an educated Scots accent. In London some people chose to equate a regional accent with poor education treated me with a degree of condescension, which to be honest I found amusing to start with, but very annoying in the long term. A few years there and my accent started to modify itself, the pure northern vowels sliding into the more southern version. Interestingly, three months into living France my "English" language accent had reverted to pre-London days, and when I speak French with my Scottish accent it is perceived as being very interesting and even sexy! Many French people have said my accent when I speak English is particularly easy to understand, but also in my circumstances I am not picking up on "in" phrases, which could be a reason.

Jane from Singapore
Oz spoken English is one of the most dreadful to hear. Probably second to lots of Asians pretending to be Americans.

Malcolm From London
I work in a office where the banter is merciless. If you think a regional or one typifying an ethnicity is a source of ammusement to others... you want to try being "posh" in an environment where it is unusual. I get teased more than everyone! What is noticable is that if everyone is proud of where they come from and who they are, Mickey-taking is not a problem and offends no-one.

Liberty from USA
My mum is originally from Lancashire (Mossside, near Wrea Green, specifically)and still has her accent after nearly 30 years here in the States. I don't notice it much since I'm used to it, but people in shops still ask her where she is from and how long she's lived here, thinking she's only been here for a few months. Both my sister and I have a bit of the accent too, despite being born over here. People ask us too where we're from, and then look puzzled when they find out we were born here. I wouldn't change my mum's accent for the world. The local paper in the town where my parents first lived in the States did an interview with my mum when she first moved here back in the '70's. They exaggerated everything and, sorry to say this, made her sound like she had a London accent. Everyone here seems to think that's the only English accent. I do prefer the English accent my mum has, but then again I may be biased since my boyfriend is from the same area too.

JK, London
Having lived in England for the past 8 years I learned to dislike heavy accents. Since I am a foreigner, it is very often almost impossible for me to understand them, expecially over the phone. I appreciate local accents and dialects and I think they should be cultivated, but I strongly believe that learning RP should be encouraged and used when necessary. I agree with Rosanna, it is a delight to listen to RP. I am saddened that it has become "unfashionable"...

Gerry Frankfurt
You don't really notice your accent until you work abroad. Germans with all their umlauts find the northern accent with the flattened vowels hard to understand.

peter in Baltimore originally from London
I definitely agree with the american perception of the london accent. I've been in the states for 5 months and it is the first thing that people mention when i talk. for the most part they actually ask if i'm from london, not from the UK which i found strange, but then realised they think most people in the uk talk a little bit like Hugh Grant! Although i dont have a very pronounced london accent, I was always made to speak properly by my mum, I am still asked to teach people cockney slang! In general the Americans I have met do not distinguish between my London accent and my housemate's Preston accent, they all come under the "British Accent" heading.

Scott in Taiwan
Very interesting and amusing to see how complex and contradictory attitudes are in the UK regarding regional accents of English. After agreeing that it's wrong to harbor predjudices against persons who speak with regional accents instead of RP, or to place one single accent abve all others, I see that many proceed to blame blame linguistic degradation in the UK on us North Americans. "...It comes across as a very lazy way to speak and loses all understanding, especially when the speaker ignores basic english proper pronunciation. I blame this on the education system and the wide variety of American programmes we are now bombarded with.." "...I spend much of my working day speaking with Americans and they don't understand plain English!" Will the public in the UK eventually demand that limits on American-language programming be legislated and imposed on broadcasters in the UK, similar to what is seen in France and Quebec? My question would be whether that kind of fear of cultural dilution derives more from attitudes of cultural superiority or inferiority. Another observation : I think people with years of experience in both the UK and the USA would agree that perceptions of regional accents have so much more to do with assumptions of a person's class, status, and education in the UK than in the USA. Why is that? from Scott, in Taiwan. (and spoken with west-Texas pronunciation)

Chris, Okayama, Japan
I was brought up in East London to parents from Ireland and Malta, one with a standard accent and one with a Birmingham accent respectively. Then I moved to Manchester to go to University and soon developed a soft Manchester accent. Our house is a muddle of intonations, with my brother having a disctinct Essex accent. I have always thought Northern accents sounded more friendly than Southern accents and are often less harsh (yes, there are exceptions).

Abraham Avendaño from Mexico City
I like all accents and believe every single variant of English accent in the UK is worth listening to!

Jennie (Kiwi living in Germany)
I have found it extremely interesting living in Germany as regard to the English language. Everyone here learns English at some stage as it is part of the schooling system. I often here if someone has learnt English from an American or someone from England as this is very distinctive. People often comment on my extremely clear speech and people can understand me very well. When it comes to my Aussie counterparts they have much more difficulty being understood. One of my friends here is German but has grown up in India and speaks very fluently in Deutsch, Hindi and English. There is one problem with this however. His English speech resembles that of and Indian speaking English such as it "It ain't half hot mum". Curious Huh!

David Hand from Portsmouth
I am originally from Portsmouth but have lived for about thirty years in California. Americans still pick me out as an Englishman (sometimes Austalian) but when I return to the UK I have a hard time convincing people that I am English. One store clerk even claimed he couldn't understand me. Americans seem to love English accents though and havn't a clue where they come from or if they are so called high class or not.

Lissandro from Brazil
I've studied english in London, and i remember i could understand some people easier than others..Im not judging anyone, but for "foreigners" a cleaner accent is much easier to be understood. Anyway, i wish i had any british accent, i LOVE it.