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New Zealand accent "most attractive" - BBC

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Admiral
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http://www.nzherald.co.nz/lifestyle/news/article.cfm?c_id=6&objectid=10602759

The kiwi accent has been rated the most attractive and prestigious form of English outside the UK in a BBC survey.
Respondents from throughout the UK completed an online survey rating the prestige and social attractiveness of 34 different English accents.
The kiwi "fush and chups" came seven places ahead of Australia's "sex and Seedney" - and nine ahead of the American accent in terms of attractiveness.
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Mmmm... fush n' chups...
 
I love the fact that it's the best "outside of the UK" - we Brits would never allow another countries accent to be better than ours!

The Kiwi accent is wonderful - it's definitely one of my favourites (even when it's not issuing from the mouth of Karl Urban ;) )
 
I wonder if the full results for this are anywhere. I'd like to know how Canada did (though probably not very well—let's face it, our accents are mostly pretty dull, outside of Quebec and Newfoundland).
 
Actually for the British I'd say Canadian accents would be rated pretty high (except the Newfie one because to my British ear it just sounds Irish :p ) - the whole oat and aboat thing can be very sexy... :alienblush:
 
^ Irish and Newfoundlander are actually pretty different, trust me. This guy has a very typical, rural Newfoundland accent (and even talks about the accent at first). The lilt is very similar, but the pronunciation and speech patterns are quite a bit different, I find. You can really hear it on words with "th" and "on" sounds, I find.
 
Canadave said:
^ Irish and Newfoundlander are actually pretty different, trust me. This guy has a very typical, rural Newfoundland accent (and even talks about the accent at first). The lilt is very similar, but the pronunciation and speech patterns are quite a bit different, I find. You can really hear it on words with "th" and "on" sounds, I find.
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He sounds like a combination of Cork, Dublin and Ontario!

Some Newfoundlanders I've heard interviewed sound like pure Cork, some like Belfast - maybe they're all recent immigrants like me but it's funny to hear!
 
Does any one know which American accents were on the list, as there are several based on regional differences..and sub accents as well....

so what was the "American" accent that came in 9th out of 34?
 
Elephants Graveyard said:
Canadave said:
^ Irish and Newfoundlander are actually pretty different, trust me. This guy has a very typical, rural Newfoundland accent (and even talks about the accent at first). The lilt is very similar, but the pronunciation and speech patterns are quite a bit different, I find. You can really hear it on words with "th" and "on" sounds, I find.
Click to expand...

He sounds like a combination of Cork, Dublin and Ontario!

Some Newfoundlanders I've heard interviewed sound like pure Cork, some like Belfast - maybe they're all recent immigrants like me but it's funny to hear!
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Yeah, he says in the video he lives on the mainland, so I think the "edge" on his accent has been dulled.

And yeah, to me, Newfoundland sounds very distinct to any Irish accent. ;) Belfast sounds closer than anything else, but there are still pretty clear differences. Of course, I've also lived in Canada all my life, so... :p
 
^^^ I remember a writer from The Ottawa Citizen who was an emigrant from the UK (but I don't remember where exactly) saying the only people who understood him were Newfies.
 
Elephants Graveyard said:
I love the fact that it's the best "outside of the UK" - we Brits would never allow another countries accent to be better than ours!

The Kiwi accent is wonderful - it's definitely one of my favourites (even when it's not issuing from the mouth of Karl Urban ;) )
Click to expand...
I love the Kiwi accent. When I made my first visit to New Zealand I listened to the local and national radio stations all the time, and picked up the accent slightly (I pick up accents quite quickly once listened to frequently over a shortish period of time). I've lost it now of course, but some words still have that slight twang when I utter them.

If we're talking from the UK, though, nothing beats a decent North Sea Scottish accent. :bolian:
 
Evil brain sucking bug said:
Does any one know which American accents were on the list, as there are several based on regional differences..and sub accents as well....

so what was the "American" accent that came in 9th out of 34?
Click to expand...

This. I would assume its the standard "TV newscaster" accent, but one would think the survey is utter bunk if they only included that.
 
I've heard plenty of English accents. And I have always found the most attractive of them to be listening to a woman from Virginia speak.

Swoon.
 
Time for a brief primer...how is the NZ accent (in a nutshell) different from, say, the Aussie one? I always got the two confused.
 
nevermore said:
Evil brain sucking bug said:
Does any one know which American accents were on the list, as there are several based on regional differences..and sub accents as well....

so what was the "American" accent that came in 9th out of 34?
Click to expand...

This. I would assume its the standard "TV newscaster" accent, but one would think the survey is utter bunk if they only included that.
Click to expand...
Right. If they used Boston, we would have come in first; on the other hand, if they used Alabama, we would have come in last. :rommie:
 
Oddly enough folks seem to manage to breed everywhere regardless of their accent.
 
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