The Lancashire accent is dying out and could COMPLETELY disappear within ‘the next few generations’, research warns
It may not be long before you hear one of Britain’s most distinctive accents.
Celebrities such as Eric Morecambe, Jane Horrocks and Jim Bowen made the Lancashire accent famous, but scientists say it is now disappearing.
The Lancashire accent is unique because of its use of the ‘Arr’ sound in words such as ‘car’ or ‘father’.
However, researchers from the University of Lancashire say young people in the region are starting to drop these so-called ‘rhotic Rs’.
Worryingly, they say the distinctive accent could die out completely in just a few generations.
Accents with hard ‘R’s’ were common in 1962 (left), and included Cornwall, Newcastle upon Tyne and Lancashire. However, in 2016 (right) they have virtually disappeared from these areas. On the maps, red areas indicate places where the accent is common, while yellow and green areas indicate that the accent is less common
In the past, all of England would have sounded much the same as Blackburn does today.
However, since the 18th century the accent has slowly disappeared.
Dr. Danielle Turton, lead author of the study, said: ‘This is a good change that started a few hundred years ago, and was thought to have originated in London.
“The whole of England at one point pronounced the R this way, but then it dried up and there are remnants left in small, disparate areas,” Dr Turton said. The Sunday Telegraph.
Rhicity – using the rhotic R – is now most common in Cornwall, Scotland and North America.
However, a study published in the Journal of Phonetics found that the accent persists in parts of the Northwest.
Actor Jane Horrocks is known for her distinct Lancashire accent, but scientists say Lancashire’s hard ‘R’s could soon disappear
The researchers interviewed 28 people from Blackburn, Lancashire, to analyze how they pronounced the ‘R’ in words such as letter, beer, car and square.
Participants were also asked whether they thought the words ‘spa’ and ‘spruce’ should be pronounced differently.
The researchers found that Blackburn residents still use the hard ‘R’ sound, as do speakers in Cornwall and Scotland.
Similarly, native speakers said ‘spa’ and ‘spar’ had very different sounds, while many parts of the country wouldn’t see much difference between the two.
Dr. Turton says this shows that ‘rhoticity is certainly present in Blackburn, Lancashire.’
However, the authors also found that younger speakers had much softer Rs than the older generation.
The authors say this implies that rhoticism could disappear from the North within ‘the coming generations’.
The authors believe that Blackburn was able to maintain his rhotic accent for so long because of his isolation and self-sufficiency.
Dr. Turton said: ‘It has one of the highest manufacturing rates in Britain, so we may see fewer people commuting outside the area compared to other places in Britain.
Comedian Eric Morecambe (right), who took his stage name from the Lancashire town of Morecambe, had a very distinctive Lancashire accent
‘Geographically it is in a valley so we can imagine that historically it may have been more isolated, but even today the transport links to and from Blackburn are not as efficient as those in, for example, nearby Preston.’
These thick accents have often been a point of ridicule, with thick rhotic accents often mocked in films and television.
The researchers said: ‘Rhoticity is heavily stigmatized in England today, represents a national stereotype in rural areas and is used in the media representation of characters for ‘comedic effect’.’
However, the researchers say it is unlikely that social pressure is the cause of the disappearing accent.
Instead, experts say the decline is more likely driven by in-person contact with people outside the city.
“We have more face-to-face contact with people these days,” Dr Turton explained.
‘People travel further from work; people no longer live where their parents grew up.’