# Does Katty Kay sound silly to Brits? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 4, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725 "2012-03-04T14:37:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/1 "2012-03-04T14:37:04Z")
She’s the BBC rep in Washington DC, a frequent talking head, and she speaks with what sounds to me like an extreme uppah-clawss British accent. You know, she speaks of events happening “oveh hyah” as opposed to “beck huuuume.” Is this considered extremely silly to Brits, or is it just par for the course? ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/2 "2012-03-04T15:01:06Z")
[Link for those of use who’ve never heard of her](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsMWpYaqs6k). No, she’s not super-posh, just ‘standard’ RP with a very slight twinge of American (softened ‘t’ occasionally). My accent is similar. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/3 "2012-03-04T15:09:32Z")
Thanks for the link, **jjimm**. Do you really say “Wuuuuuuhld Nyews” like that? ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/4 "2012-03-04T15:22:25Z")
I’m American and I don’t think her accent sounds that strong, at least not from listening to that clip. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/5 "2012-03-04T15:33:00Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Thanks for the link, **jjimm**. Do you really say “Wuuuuuuhld Nyews” like that? Sounds normal to me. So, probably, yes. ---
**Author:** ![casdave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@casdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/casdave)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/6 "2012-03-04T15:57:09Z")
She does seem to disconnect each individual syllable, its almost like she is translating down a morse message. ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/7 "2012-03-04T16:03:17Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > [Link for those of use who’ve never heard of her](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsMWpYaqs6k). > > No, she’s not super-posh, just ‘standard’ RP with a very slight twinge of American (softened ‘t’ occasionally). My accent is similar. (while I’m not a Brit, I do see a lot of British TV) Not silly, bog standard “BBC English” accent - most UK newsreaders speak like this. Your average blerk on the street doesn’t. Unless he’s from Chelsea. If she went to a rough neighbourhood she might be mocked by the chavs ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/8 "2012-03-04T16:04:52Z")
Speaking as an American (so take this with a grain of salt) she doesn’t sound posh to me. She sounds middle class. And her accent seems considerably mixed with American features as well. ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/9 "2012-03-04T16:24:56Z")
From that clip she has a totally normal British RP accent, the same as the bloke talking about Greece right at the end. > [@Corcaigh](#): > > (while I’m not a Brit, I do see a lot of British TV) > > Not silly, bog standard “BBC English” accent - most UK newsreaders speak like this. Your average blerk on the street doesn’t. Unless he’s from Chelsea. > > If she went to a rough neighbourhood she might be mocked by the chavs No, a lot of people do speak like her if they’re from the South-East of England (and some from other areas). I do, and so does Jjimm, and loads and loads of other ordinary non-posh people. I don’t get mocked in the rough area I grew up in. ---
**Author:** ![Angua](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8baadc/32.png) [@Angua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Angua)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/10 "2012-03-04T17:18:20Z")
Add another one to the “she sounds completely normal” camp. There’s a soft American influence in there, but its essentially softened British RP. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/11 "2012-03-04T17:21:40Z")
Sounds pretty normal, typical RP BBC accent. Maybe a bit slow and deliberate, but she is a newscaster after all. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/12 "2012-03-04T17:35:00Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > Sounds pretty normal, typical RP BBC accent. Maybe a bit slow and deliberate Yes, this. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/13 "2012-03-04T17:40:57Z")
I like her. She’s very sharp. I’ve been meaning to look up the spelling of her name for years but I keep forgetting. “Katty”? _Fer reel???_ ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/14 "2012-03-04T17:53:12Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Thanks for the link, **jjimm**. Do you really say “Wuuuuuuhld Nyews” like that? What I’m hearing sounds like a BBC presented saying “World News”. If I say “Wuuuuuuhld Nyews”, it doesn’t sound like what I’m hearing - I suppose this is just another one of those “other people’s accents are weird” things. ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/15 "2012-03-04T18:32:33Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > What I’m hearing sounds like a BBC presented saying “World News”. If I say “Wuuuuuuhld Nyews”, it doesn’t sound like what I’m hearing - I suppose this is just another one of those “other people’s accents are weird” things. Well, I guess you’d think my Merikin way of pronouncing those words would sound something like “Wirrrld Noos.” I want to buy you guys a beer next time I get over there, just to hear you talk. ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/16 "2012-03-04T18:47:34Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > Well, I guess you’d think my Merikin way of pronouncing those words would sound something like “Wirrrld Noos.” I want to buy you guys a beer next time I get over there, just to hear you talk. “Wirlld Noos, live frahm Noo Yawk” ---
**Author:** ![spankthecrumpet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@spankthecrumpet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spankthecrumpet)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/17 "2012-03-04T18:49:11Z")
I would say entirely normal for what she is, yes. The OP may like to investigate the phrase “jolly hockeysticks” ---
**Author:** ![pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pseudotriton_ruber_ruber)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/18 "2012-03-04T18:51:00Z")
> [@PaulParkhead](#): > > “Wirlld Noos, live frahm Noo Yawk” You got a problem with that? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/19 "2012-03-04T19:03:09Z")
I thought you meant, does her _name_ sound silly, and yes it does 🙂 (I agree with other people about her accent.) ---
**Author:** ![PaulParkhead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@PaulParkhead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PaulParkhead)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2012, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725/20 "2012-03-04T19:05:24Z")
> [@pseudotriton\_ruber\_ruber](#): > > You got a problem with that? Well played, sir. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-katty-kay-sound-silly-to-brits/614725.md?page=2)