Iconic accent spoken by some of UK’s best-loved comedians is dying out & could be gone ‘within next few generations’
THE Lancashire accent is dying out, researchers have warned.
They fear it could be gone within “the next few generations” as younger folk are less likely to speak with the distinctive tone.
Older Lancastrians — including Absolutely Fabulous actress Jane Horrocks, 59 — pronounce a “strong r” sound at the end of some words, such as “purr”, “car”, and “her”.
But linguistics expert Dr Danielle Turton of Lancaster University said the accent feature, known as rhoticity, is on the way out.
A study of locals in Blackburn found that younger people pronounce the “r” sound in words less frequently than older participants.
Even among the young who do pronounce it, it is phonetically “very weak” and often difficult for the listener to perceive, experts say.
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Dr Turton said the Lancashire accent’s disappearance is so gradual “that people don’t notice it”.
But she added: “Blackburn still retains many other vowel features that make it unique and changes like this often pave the way for further linguistic evolution in the future.”
A 2020 study found northern accents are becoming more similar, with the existence of a general northern English accent among "educated people" in the north.
"In recent years, there has been a lot of talk about the disappearance of traditional dialects and the linguistic homogenisation of regions in England," the researcher added.
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"Unfortunately, it seems that this is the case for the East Lancashire 'island of rhoticity'.
"In the next few generations, this traditional feature may be lost.
"That being said, Blackburn still retains many other vowel features that make it unique and changes like this often pave the way for further linguistic evolution in the future."