The British accent, which is the sexiest in the world, according to a new poll. In the Time Out survey of 11,000 people in 24 cities, 26.7% said the British accent was the most attractive, while only 7.7% plumped for the French one. (The Week)
But which accent? Eliza Doolittle before she was schooled, or after? Posh or Glaswegian?
This is actually a highly fraught issue. My eldest son’s career took off when he decided to alter his accent and speak with an estuary (modified cockney) accent. Both my sons had difficulty finding jobs because of the way they spoke. Thus, they use one accent to me and another at work. Their fault, speaking as they naturally do? No! Stupid and classist, yes, but a product of British culture since the Normans appeared. The nicest thing I can say about the Normans is that they expanded the English vocabulary. Otherwise, they were a disaster.