# UK Dopers: Which English accent carries the most prestige? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 21, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869 "2007-05-21T00:28:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/61 "2007-05-23T03:17:51Z")
Anyone see “Snatch?” Hell of some accents there especially on the “pikeys.” Almost unintelligible, although that was the main object, I think. ---
**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:** [May 23, 2007, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/62 "2007-05-23T11:52:11Z")
[QUOTE=Ellen Cherry] What is a council estate? Is it simiar to our public housing? [/QUOTE] I got halfway into writing a description of council estates and realised [this Wikipedia page](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_house) does a much better job than I could. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2007, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/63 "2007-05-23T16:24:49Z")
[QUOTE=chowder] “Dis tha fancy a newkie wi’ mi’ hin?” Newkie being Newcastle brown ale [/QUOTE] In the US the proper response to that would be, “No, I do not wish to have sex with your chicken.” ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/64 "2007-05-24T13:31:29Z")
Ah ha! Tha’s takkin fur thissen laddie. Tha’s oot fur thi hin, e’en in Amuricaa ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/65 "2007-05-24T13:39:06Z")
What sort of accent did the late Anthony eden have? he was a calssy speaker. Tony Blair is a mystery -i can’t place his accent as British at all-I would have taken him for an Australian. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/66 "2007-05-24T13:51:57Z")
Tony Blair does have a slight Australian twang. He lived in Australia for a few years as a child. Anthony Eden had a very posh RP accent, ISTR. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/67 "2007-05-24T15:34:07Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] What sort of accent did the late Anthony eden have? he was a calssy speaker. Tony Blair is a mystery -i can’t place his accent as British at all-I would have taken him for an Australian. [/QUOTE] Tony Blair is indeed a mystery, I would have taken him for a twat ---
**Author:** ![BMalion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e274bd/32.png) [@BMalion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BMalion)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/68 "2007-05-24T20:11:26Z")
Reading this Thread is akin to hearing Henry Higgins lecture, I love it. Or is that " 'earing 'enry 'iggins?" ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/69 "2007-05-24T21:41:14Z")
'oo? ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/70 "2007-05-25T07:21:11Z")
You aint 'eard of 'enry 'iggins? ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 9:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/71 "2007-05-25T09:28:32Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > Tha’s takkin fur thissen laddie. Tha’s oot fur thi hin, e’en in Amuricaa Okay, this is driving me mad. I think the first sentence means “You are speaking for yourself, sonny”, but I can’t figure out the second for the life of me, except that it ends “even in America”. (“You are out for your hen?” “You are hot for you, honey”? 😕 Help!!) ---
**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:** [May 25, 2007, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/72 "2007-05-25T09:52:22Z")
I’d place Tony Blair somewhere in the south east corner of England - south of London, east of Guildford, but it’s a bit of a mishmash and some of his mannerisms aren’t regional, they’re personal. ---
**Author:** ![Kal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9de053/32.png) [@Kal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kal)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/73 "2007-05-25T10:08:35Z")
[QUOTE=dahfisheroo] Anyone see “Snatch?” Hell of some accents there especially on the “pikeys.” Almost unintelligible, although that was the main object, I think. [/QUOTE] Saw it for the first time a month or so back. Pitt did a very good Irish Traveller accent. ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/74 "2007-05-26T06:09:15Z")
[QUOTE=Kimstu] Okay, this is driving me mad. I think the first sentence means “You are speaking for yourself, sonny”, but I can’t figure out the second for the life of me, except that it ends “even in America”. (“You are out for your hen?” “You are hot for you, honey”? 😕 Help!!) [/QUOTE] Translation: You got the first part right, we’ll make an Englishman of you yet. 😃 2nd part ..You’re really keen for women, even in America. I actually missed a ? in 2nd ---
**Author:** ![Martha\_Medea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/43a26b/32.png) [@Martha\_Medea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martha_Medea)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/75 "2007-05-26T15:06:40Z")
In some ways RP/BBC/Oxford might be said to be prestigious, but in practice many people treat you like you’re “too posh”. That’s why a lot of Brits who would speak that way adopt what they think is more of a “street” accent, like Tony Blair. I think this inverted snobbery started in the sixties. I personally like a well-spoken Scottish accent - very easy on the ear. As an educated colonial, my British accent is “more British than the British” and I have been made fun of for sounding posh. FTR I lived in Oxford for nine years and once-upon-a-time even worked for the BBC… ---
**Author:** ![chowder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/977dab/32.png) [@chowder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chowder)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/76 "2007-05-26T16:00:33Z")
\>\>points finger\<\<\< Laughs at **Martha** for sounding posh. \*bloody colonials ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [May 26, 2007, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/77 "2007-05-26T17:17:01Z")
> [@](#): > > In some ways RP/BBC/Oxford might be said to be prestigious, but in practice many people treat you like you’re “too posh”. That’s why a lot of Brits who would speak that way adopt what they think is more of a “street” accent, like Tony Blair. I think this inverted snobbery started in the sixties. Exactly. Many people wouldn’t consider an RP accent “prestigious” - personally, I find it rather grating, a horribly bland accent consuming local dialects and speech patterns. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2007, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/78 "2007-05-27T15:50:11Z")
I nominate Sascha Baron Cohen’s [Ali G](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ali_G) character’s accent as the zeitgeist and parallel of the Valley Girl accent. The fictional Ali G is from [Staines](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staines), a london suburb. What I wanna know is Ali G’s accent for real? Have any of the Londoners here come across anything like that in real life, or is it heavily embellished and made for TV like the portrayal of the [Valley Girl accent](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_girl) in The [film Valley Girl](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_Girl_%28film%29)? ---
**Author:** ![GorillaMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/50afbb/32.png) [@GorillaMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GorillaMan)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2007, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/79 "2007-05-27T21:38:58Z")
Ali G’s accent is widely perceived to be a caricature of white & middle class guys affecting an accent as part of a culture they want to belong to. [Tim](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Westwood) [Westwood](http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/westwood/index.shtml) is the oft-cited real-world example. Ali G gets mentioned in the Wikipedia article, and ‘born in Lowestoft, Suffolk’ is the first hint that Westwood is knowingly walking the tightrope between persona and caricature himself. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [May 27, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869/80 "2007-05-27T21:47:14Z")
> [@chowder](#): > > You got the first part right, we’ll make an Englishman of you yet. Not without one of those operations, you won’t. 😉 > [@chowder](#): > > 2nd part ..You’re really keen for women, even in America. Thanks! Huh. “You” as in “you American blokes”? So “tha” is second person plural as well as singular? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/uk-dopers-which-english-accent-carries-the-most-prestige/404869.md?page=5)