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1 month ago
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People living in Barrow–in–Furness and Lancaster have some of the most distinctive accents in the North of England.
Despite being just 35 miles apart, people living in these towns sound surprisingly different – and now scientists know why.
Researchers from Lancaster University analysed recordings of people in Preston, Lancaster, and Barrow–in–Furness, from the 1880s through to today.
Their analysis confirmed a stark difference between the 'rhoticity' – the pronunciation of R's – in these towns.
In words like 'arm', 'park', and 'car', people from Lancaster and Preston tend to speak with harder 'arr' sounds than those from Barrow.
According to the researchers, this difference can be traced to the intense mixing and rapid population change in Barrow in the late 1800s.
'We found very strong links between the growth of industry and the evolution of accent,' explained Professor Claire Nance, who led the study.
'This research allows us to celebrate accent as another aspect of our region's long–lasting and distinct cultural heritage.'
Researchers from Lancaster University analysed recordings of people in Preston, Lancaster, and Barrow–in–Furness, from the 1880s through to today. Their analysis confirmed a stark difference between the 'rhoticity' – the pronunciation of R's – in these towns
People from Lancaster, like comedian Jon Richardson, pronounce their 'R's' more – a traditional aspect of the Lancashire accent
From the approachable Geordie dialect to the instantly recognisable Liverpool lilt, England is home to some of the world's most distinctive accents.
In their new study, the team homed in on the accents across north Lancashire and Cumbria – specifically Preston, Lancaster, and Barrow.
'These settlements cover an area of north–west England where the change from rhotic to non–rhotic is still ongoing,' the researchers explained in their study, published in the Journal of Sociolinguistics.
'They have distinct social and demographic makeups as a result of differing patterns of development and settlement during the Industrial Revolution.'
To uncover when and why the accent divison happened, the researchers analysed an archive of interviews with working class people born from the 1880s until the 1940s.
The interviews covered a range of topics, including how to weave cotton, family life and death, and preparing food such as sheep's head broth.
'The archive recordings allow us to look back in time at the Victorian origins of contemporary dialects,' Professor Nance explained.
'Interviews from Preston, Lancaster and Barrow give us a fascinating insight into the development of dialects in northern England as they have very distinct social histories and settlement patterns.'
In their new study, the team decided to home in on the accents across north Lancashire and Cumbria – specifically Preston, Lancaster, and Barrow
What is a rhotic accent?
The Lancashire accent is distinctive due to the 'rhotic' or hard 'R' sound.
Speakers emphasise the 'Arr' sound in phrases like 'car', 'father', or 'beer'.
Rhoticity used to be widespread across the UK but has now all but vanished.
It is present but fading in parts of Cornwall and is the norm in Scotland and large areas of North America.
The researchers focused on the speakers' rhoticity – a feature of phonetics often used to distinguish between accents.
Their analysis confirmed that speakers born in Lancaster and Preston pronounce their R's more – a traditional aspect of the Lancashire accent.
To understand why this is the case, the researchers turned to historical census data, including information on population growth, occupation, and fertility rates.
This confirmed 'extremely high' population growth and fertility rates in Barrow between 1850 and 1880.
People moved to Barrow from Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland, and the Midlands – leading to the developement of a new dialect in the town.
'Much of this was driven by recruiting workers for the steel, shipbuilding and armament industries,' the researchers explained.
In contrast, in Preston, the population grew steadily over the same time period, but people mainly moved to the city from Lancashire to work in the cotton industry.
As a result, the local accent was maintained.
Accents with hard 'Rs' were common in 1962 (left), and included Cornwall, Newcastle upon Tyne, and Lancashire. However, by 2016 (right), they have all but disappeared in these areas. On the maps, red areas show places where the accent is common while yellow and green areas indicate that the accent is less common
Worryingly, experts have previously warned that the Preston and Lancaster accents could vanish entirely within 'the next few generations.'
These thick accents have often been a point of derision, with thick rhotic accents often mocked in films and television.
The researchers said: 'Rhoticity in England in the present day is heavily stigmatised, representing a national rural stereotype and employed in media representation of characters for "comic effect".'
HOW ENGLISH IS CHANGING
Backend ¿ Used instead of autumn that has vanished from the north of England
Shiver ¿ Once common in Norfolk and Lincolnshire but now replaced with splinter
Sliver ¿ Used in Sussex, Cambridgeshire and Kent but now replaced with splinter
Speel ¿ A regional word used for splinter found Lancashire and Carlisle but now no longer used
Spell ¿ The middle English for splinter, it was still being used across the North of England in the 1950s but has now vanished
Spile ¿ Used instead of splinter in Blackburn and Bolton but now replaced
Spill ¿ Seen in just a few places on the welsh border in the 1950s but now totally vanished
Spool ¿ Used by people in Huddersfield in the 1950s but now replaced by spliter
Fifteen per cent of people pronounce three with an f compared to just 2 percent in the 1950s
The southern pronunciation of 'butter' ¿ with a vowel as in put ¿ has spread north
