(photo source)
Whenever I’m in London, I’m amazed at how many accents I hear on a daily basis. Everywhere I turn, I hear Australian, French, Nordic, German, Indian, Middle Eastern, and more accents. London truly is a melting pot for all languages and nationalities, almost to the point that you forget you are in London at all. Many people would say this is one of London’s best qualities, to which I would partly agree. But, quite frankly – where are all the British accents?
The British accent – or more specifically, the English accent – is one of my favorite accents in the world. The unmistakable accent conjures thoughts of James Bond, Prince William, Colin Firth, and many other handsome Brits. Yet the accent alone can be quite charming even for an average looking British man, making him seem 10 times more dashing than he really is, and all because he can utter phrases like “It’s a bit cold. I think I’ll head back for my jumper.”
Although British accents in London are hard to find sometimes, hearing the accent anywhere in England, or the UK for that matter, is rather expected. It’s only when I’m in the US, going about my daily American business, that I’m thrown completely off-guard by the British accent. I could hear it at a restaurant, store, or even at the market and my head will turn quickly but subtly trying to find the owner of the melodic tone.
It’s not that I don’t enjoy a good Australian or French accent – on any given day I would greatly welcome them – but the British accent holds a special place in my heart. I know I am far from being alone in my love for the British accent. In fact, the British accent was voted as one of the top 10 sexiest accents in the world by OnePoll. Surprisingly, the British accent only ranked #6 in the poll, beat by it’s close relatives – the Scottish and the Irish accents – which just happen to be my next most favorite accents.
Don’t worry Mark Darcy, your accent will always be #1 on my list.
