The BEST UK ACCENT | Easy English 90

Hello, welcome to Easy English.

So today, I want to find out which  UK accent the people of Brighton

love the most, let's go.

In your opinion, what is the best  or the nicest British accent,

to your ears? - Er… the nicest British accent’s

got to be the Irish accent.

So erm… yeah, could you tell me  what your favourite accent is,

British accent? - I think I really  like the Yorkshire accident,

because I grew up there when I was younger.

And I jut like the different tones of it,

is nice and familiar and it  just reminds me of childhood.

Could you tell me; what is your favourite accent?

My favourite accent is a West  Country accent. - Oh okay.

My aunt, who was born in Lewisham,

has the broadest West Country accent

and we have no idea where she’s picked it up from.

She has no right to have this West Country accent,

but she's had this since I  can remember her and yet,

she's never been anywhere  near the West Country accent.

And I love it, because it's just such a…

it comes across as such a  warm accent, such a welcoming…

it… it’s… it's a kind of accent  that sometime makes you feel…

it’s like, an accent with a cuddle.

What is your favourite British accent? - Geordie.

Really? - Absolutely.

Hmm… Welsh accent, I think.  - Really? Okay and why…

why is that, by interest? - Er… it’s  quite warm. It’s quite friendly.

Kind of, the pronunciation of the Welsh accent is…

Yeah, it’s… sort of, southern  Welsh and probably sort of,

the West Country. - I see. -  I think it's ‘cos I kind of,

associate it with holidays,  as much as anything else.

Interesting. - But er…. also quite warm friendly.

So there’s like, a romantic  feeling to this accent.

Reminiscent almost, of being away.

Yeah, especially the Welsh  accent, ‘cos it’s very sort of,

er… sing-song. - Yeah yeah, it’s quite rounded,

maybe you’d say, or something like that.

Any specific part of Ireland, like Northern?

I… I can’t distinguish the  difference. - And why do you say that?

‘Cos, I can’t. - How does it sound to you?

Like, why is it… why do you think it’s nice?

Oh, it's lovely, it’s soft,  it’s rolling. Um… its poetic.

How long did you grow up in Yorkshire?

Until I was about ten, or something like that.

Right and do you have a Yorkshire accent?

I do not have a Yorkshire accent, no.

Do you have any leftovers  from your Yorkshire accent?

I don't think so, but sometimes when  I spend more time with my family;

my dad’s still got a Yorkshire  accent, so I might pick up bits of it,

but not really, no.

And then out of interest, what accent  do you consider yourself having?

I tend to struggle, because I  tend to inadvertently pick up

other people's accents, very  easily. So, speaking now,

there’s no particular accent that you could say;

okay, he's from Glasgow or he's  from Liverpool, Birmingham.

It… it’s… it’s quite bland. -  But even, generally regional?

Generally, it’s… it's I… I can pitch high and low,

I do a lot of presentational work.

But there's nothing that  tends to… someone will say;

okay he's from such-and-such an  area, because it… it… it's quite a…

I wouldn’t say boring but it is  it's quite steady accent I’ve got.

I understand. - Which comes in handy

when you're doing presentations from work.

But sometimes, it lacks  the erm… spice of having a…

a regional accent that I can be  so proud of otherwise having.

I… I travelled to Newcastle quite a bit. - Right.

And, I find the people very friendly.

I think it's not an aggressive  accent. - Yeah yeah.

So, I associate it with a fun place and fun times.

Ah, this is interesting. It's  kind of got reminiscence to it.

Yeah, I think so. - But it's also  quite like, a nice sort of rounded…

I would ask you to do an  impression… it’s distinctive.

Yeah, would there be a way you…  is there a word you can think of

which is perfectly in place for  a Geordie accent? - Wey-aye!

Would you say you have an accent and what is it?

I do, I’m a south Londoner.  - Okay. - She puts it on;

I’m a south Londoner, that’s  how south Londoners talk.

Okay. - With those sort of, really  long vowels and it’s quite shrill.

Okay and do you think that  comes out of you more like,

if your a with more of the… more of your crowd,

do you think, or after a drink? - Definitely.

No, I didn't think I had one,  but then I worked in Surrey;

who are very posh, very well spoken.  Even when I was trying my best,

the long vowels like; south Londoner  came out, so I really noticed it.

Ah, that's a distinguishing  feature; the dropping of the vowels?

That sort of, Extending vowel;  the south. - South! - South.

Which isn't quite ''Eastenders'',  I’ve lived there, but yes.

Nice, you’re a good er… a  good impressionist, I think.

Can you do an Irish accent? -  Oh, to be sure!. - Of course.

What accent would you say you have?

I don't think I have an accent, I have a very,

what they’d say middle English  accent, so it's not really anything,

there’s no… nothing that you  can identify where I'm from,

from the way I speak probably.  - Right. - I would think.

Not too northern, not to  southern. - No, I don’t have an…

do you think I have an accent? -  Er… it's hard, how would you say;

the thing that you wash yourself  in, that’s not a shower.

Bath. - A bath. - Yeah, when  in Yorkshire it would be bath.

Yeah, I know that’s like, pronunciations.

But I would sort of, that would make me sort of,

think you tend towards the  southern accent, I guess.

Would you actually prefer that you had a…

I was going to say spice in your… in your terms?

Yes, I would love to have an accent

that gives me another layer to my being.

That says, when they look  at me, it's like; oh yeah.

And then I speak and then  it takes them by surprise.

Right, I see. - So, I… I would like  an accent that surprises people,

so they have to do a… double-take to  make sure that was me speaking it.

And it was me being genuine with it. - Yeah.

As apposed to me, mocking somebody else's accent.

It’s like, well where’s he picked that up from?

He’s… it’s… it's like I say, it's like my aunt;

I’d like to be able to just assume an accent

or have had one and then just  take everyone by surprise

by being able to use it.

But say, for someone who’s  never been to Great Britain,

would you sort of, say… if  you had to pick a region.

Like, I would… like, if I’m listening to you,

I would say you’re sort of, south-east  but not southeast of London.

Yes. - I’d say you’re sort  of, the Sussexey SLASH Kent.

Yes, I would say you’re probably  fair in that assumption.

But, we only moved to the Sussex  area in December. - Oh really?

So… - From where? - Croydon. Oh, okay.

Erm… and I’ve… I've lived  previously, in areas like Beckham,

but predominantly it’s been Bromley, so it’s…

it's all within the London  borough. - Suburbs of London.

So again, it… it’s like, there's  a… a bit of an accent, perhaps.

As you picked up in that respect. - Yeah.

But it's not the most obvious, once  you place where I've come from and…

and my origins, so to speak. - Right.

What accent would you… do you think you have?

London. - London. - I’m born  and bread in Cockney-land.

So, but it’s softened out, because you know,

I've been travelling all over the world.

So, I don't speak Cockney, except  where I've had too much to drink.

I don't particularly like it because I…

I actually think some strong… I’d say accents,

but London it… it’s bad English,

‘cos everything’s cut off. - Yeah yeah.

And I've been in the travel business  all my days and I have a theory,

you might like this. - Yeah,  go for it, I'm interested.

Is when people live in cities. -  Yeah. - everything’s speeded up.

So, Londoners go; alright mate?  you alright? Everything’s fast.

Right, I didn’t think of that. - In  Italy, I lived in Rome for a while.

Romans speak; it's very  quick Italian. In Hong Kong;

is very, very quick Chinese.  Because you're in a city,

so everything has to be  speeded up in the languages.

So bits are cut off at the end.

And that's what I think is bad about Cockney

‘cos it's not a lot of finishing the word like,

you know, everybody’s… it’s  like that; Yap, yap yap.

So, I wouldn’t say it's a  nice accent, at all, you know.

So er… - I really like your theory.

I never, ever considered that. - Really?

Oh, it’s true. - Is that why like…. - New Yorkers!

Is that why like, Leeds and  Yorkshire (accent) is so drawn out?

Yeah, ‘cos you got more time,

you got more time to spread out the word, full-on.

look at New York; New York,  Brooklyn is absolutely;

boom boom boom. - Wow, I'm  gonna be thinking of your theory

every time I’m travelling now. - It’s very true.

I'm sure you could go to other major cities,

around the world and it’d be exactly the same.

It's just that life is that much quicker,

so you don't really have time. - How funny.

To finish the word. - Yeah,  ‘cos now I'm thinking of like,

fruit vendors. - Yeah. - In my mind,

fruit or vegetable vendors always are Cockney.

is that just for the… for practicality?

No I think that they are. The  street markets in London are…

were predominately in the east end of London area,

so I think that's it. But  you know, it’s just that,

life’s that much quicker,  you know. - How Interesting.

Thanks for watching this week's episode.

Let us know in the comments below  your favourite British accent

and we'll see you next week, bye.