A Tour of The Accents of England 

Hi all. I hope you enjoy this little romp around the map of England!

Basically the only person I've ever seen who's nailed every single regional accent. Absolutely insane

As a native Geordie i have NEVER heard someone nail my accent so flawlessly while not being from the city itself. You actually dropped my jaw! Well spoken sir

That was amazing. As an Australian it strikes me as mad how so much variation can occur in such a small area, as opposed to here, where there's only a little bit of difference over 1000km.

I love the depth you went into explaining the East Anglian accent. I feel it’s an often forgotten area of the UK but this made me realise how complex of an accent it really has! Being from Suffolk it always feels so nostalgic to hear it 🥹

Your ability to effortlessly transition between accents with such accuracy is mind-blowing. I appreciate how you avoided portraying us Brummies' in an overly cartoony manner.

It's truly amazing that such a small island nation can contain SO many different and unique accents.

Interesting thanks for subtitles I’m British but born always profoundly deaf and first language is BSL and can see there’s different mouth shapes of different accents but don’t know much about it. Tbh I don’t understand everything you said because it’s difficult to imagine but very interesting learning more about different accents. ♥️ 😊

This is so fascinating! As a Yank who watches a lot of British shows on PBS (not to mention growing up with the Beatles), I’ve heard many of these accents, but not all spoken by one person! Impressive! I’m always astounded when I realize how many variations there are in such a small place. Thank you for explaining each of them so clearly. And now I can feel even more justified in turning on the closed captioning when I watch some of those shows!

I'm from the UK and throughly enjoying this! You're skills are insane - how you managed to do MLE is beyond me 😂 Seriously, you deserve more views! Love the bit of history / storytelling too.

Did I miss the East Midlands? As an East Midlands guy working in Weat Midlands it always fascinates me how 50 short miles makes a huge difference to how we speak. Superb video, thanks

I'm from Leeds with Welsh, Salopian and southern English family, been in the Army where accents get scrambled together, worked as an actor where accent skill is highly valued, and lived in London, Edinburgh, Newcastle and Manchester. I *love* accents, have spent a lot of time playing with and working on them, and I am utterly floored by this video. You are my new hero sir.

I couldn't help clicking on this thinking "this'll be a laugh - watching someone try to switch between all the different accents, bet they're cringeworthily bad".... Came away with mind blown! To understand them all to that depth, AND be able to speak them so accurately is pretty phenomenal.

This video is BY FAR THE BEST video on regional accents I've ever seen. Dave really has an understanding of dialects and a talent for accents.

BTW Dave , in Yorkshire the accent will change every 3 miles and as a kid that could get you in trouble as I found out when visiting relatives in neighbouring villages ! It's still the same now 60 years later. Excellent work Dave.

Really enjoyed this ...you will have to do a midlands special Nottingham, Stoke, Leicester, Lincolnshire, Derby always get missed out even politically, as if we all are from Birmingham!!

Fantastic, but as a North Easterner I have to fight for our corner! The accents north of Yorkshire are so much more diverse than people realise. Darlington, Durham, Middlesbrough, mackem, pitmatic, Geordie, Northumberland are to my ears just as distinct from each other as they are to the rest. Another video on them? Never seen it done before. Great work all the same!

Here’s one Anglophile Californian who thoroughly enjoyed this, good sir! I love tracing the history of my speech patterns, especially with my English friends and via countless hours of British television. Many thanks to your work and content - Cheers!

I am an American fascinated with the accents of England and do a few of them myself... very imperfectly. This was a great video, my friend, well done!

What a tour de force! I can only imagine how long this took to prepare, record and edit.

i'm South African but my grandad was from West Yorkshire and i remember his accent being much broader (to my childish ears, at least) - he'd use these fascinating idiomatic phrases that were really confusing to me as a child - he would say things like "put wood in t'hole, son", and my dad would have to explain that he meant to shut the door...

I'm from the UK, grew up in London and Bournemouth. I hadn't been back for 25 years till a few months ago. I generally was always quite good at doing accents, but I had never really heard MLE, it's one that I found fascinating, as you can hear all the influences, especially Caribbean. I also noticed that the rural Dorset accent seems to have moved back in Bournemouth for younger working class people, compared to when I was a kid in the 80's and it was more cockney. It's astounding how fast this change has happened.

As an American my favorite accents from England are the northern ones, in particular Manchester and Yorkshire.

I'm Australian but apparently have an English sense of humour because the only thing I watch on TV are UK comedy panel shows. This is a wonderful and incredibly thorough break down of the mix of accents I hear on these shows. Thank you for helping me put a name to them all. By the way, I'd love to hear you breakdown the Australian accents one day. There are certainly not as many as you'll find in the UK but despite what a lot of folks think, there's more than one.

Wonderful tour of English accents, but having moved around the midlands a fair bit there are so many others that could be done, Nottingham, Derby, Leicester and Coventry accents are all distinctive. Your ability to be able to swap between the accents without appearing to have any difficulty is an amazing talent. I am looking forward to watching more of your videos.

Born in Sth Yorkshire, Dad was a Yorcsshireman, Mum a Geordie. But they were ten pound poms, had my 6Th birthday in Aus. married a Brit, moved back to UK in 2014. Still have trouble with some of the Accents. Remember sitting in our lounge in Brissy and wifey Traanslated George Gently for me.

Just coming back to add a comment because I love and appreciate this video so much. I’d like the algorithm to share it more

I'm sorry but how this video doesn't have more views is beyond me... they never taught us this in school but through life one was always curious as to why there were accents... BRILLIANT ❤ IVE SUBBED!

Love to hear Suffolk and Norfolk accent's broken down and the subtle differences explained.

As an Australian who has only hear MLE spoken by younger people on movies and TV it was awesome to see how easily you could mimic the accent. As a language teacher an phonology lover myself, your use of IPA made the whole video really educational, and now I can practice myself. Cheers.

I'm Polish and I moved to the UK a few years ago and I was SHOCKED when I found out how many different British accents there are. I was used to the really clear Cockney accent from films and TV shows (and that's English that we were taught at school). The first few months at uni in Wales were quite a challenge - so many people with so many accents. Now, after I got used to most of them, I want to be able to tell them apart so thank you!

I'd be very interested to hear you explain and attempt difference between Birmingham and Black Country accents. Very close together but the difference is tangible. Most outside of the West Midlands can't tell the difference.

Absolutely fantastic video. I'm from the West Country and always become frustrated when people can't tell the difference between our accent and East Anglians'. This explains it so clearly. Great stuff!

Thank you for fascinating lightning trip around English accents! I grew up in Sheffield and it was possible to distinguish the Barnsley variant of the South Yorkshire accent from the Sheffield although the two towns are so close that we shared a school. And the extraordinary adaptability of ordinary people to change accent, without even realising it, according to whether they are speaking to non-Yorkshire parents (as in my family) or local peers!

I loved hearing about the East Anglian accent. I feel like it's the least heard on TV, so I've always been curious how they speak over there.

I always find it surprising the variety of accents in the North West alone. You can go from a high pitched scouse in Liverpool; to a more reserved central Lancs in Preston; to a "roownd 'n doown" in Blackburn; to Wigan where a very short 'ur' sound is all over the place (think 'berserk' said more as bu'su'k); to a half Lancs, half Yorkshire moors accent around Burnley. All within 50 miles of each other!

As a Canadian I am amazed that Britain has so many different ways to pronounce the language we inherited from them. Awesome video and thanks for this tour of UK English.

This was ace, cheers for making and posting!

Thank you for this video!

I was born and grew up two miles from Ely in Cambs and went to school there. My father spoke with a strong fenland accent, and we could certainly tell Norfolk from Suffolk and so on, even the villages in each area. My mother, by contrast, spoke with received pronunciation and would not let us speak "like a yokel" at home, although I remember doing so with friends and at school! Sadly, I lost it when I went to college in London, as no one could understand me (one reason my mother I suppose, tried to get us to "speak properly") ! My brother who stayed locally, has now morphed into a softer Thames Estuary type of accent, as have most people I know there, maybe due to the large influx of incomers since the 1960s and proximity to London. I still, and always will, refute being a Southerner though, I will always be from East Anglia, and a fenland gal. As the area is little known, even within England, I do despair though, that plays, for instance, set in East Anglia in the past, have dreadful renditions of the accent. Strangely, by marriage and so on, I now live in the Scottish highlands, but even here the accent has faded in complexity from earlier decades.

I’m an Australian who had English parents and grandparents.. I’ve always been fascinated at how such a small country had so many distinct accents.. This was a brilliant explanation. I’d love to hear an explanation of the “traveller” accent as portrayed in the movie snatch. Keep up the good work

This was absolutely amazing! Learned so much!

Fascinating and brilliant. Can't wait for more.

Very good! I'm from Shropshire, where the accent changes every two miles (at least it did when I was growing up) and you could tell which village someone came from by their speech. In the middle and south of the county, a typical greeting might be "Owdo" (as in, "How do you do"), whereas in the north, bordering Cheshire, it's more likely to be "Ey up". I still can't get used to the Yorkshire greeting "Now then", which to me always preceded a dressing down from a parent or teacher!

This has got to be the best video on English accents on the Internet. Being a non-native English speaker but growing up and living in the US (first in quite accentless Connecticut), I naturally pick up the General American accent. Recently though, my favorite TV shows have all been set in the UK, and I want to be able to identify where the characters are from, and possibly pick up some of my favorite accents as a party trick (Cockney, Scouse, and Southern Dublin). Your explanations are beyond brilliant. I cannot thank you enough for making this video.

This was absolutely mesmerizing! 😍

This is absolutely amazing.

When I read "tour" in the title, I had no idea what to expect, but this is the most amazing thing I've seen in a long time! I'm not sure if you did it on purpose, but the transition between dialects made me feel like I was on a drive through the country listening to each word from a different speaker along the way. Simply amazing!

Your level of analysis and ability to perform the accents flawlessly are incredible. This is miles better than any accents video I’ve seen on RU-vid.

This is amazing!!!

Thank you! As an American who is an avid viewer of a lot of British television, I’m only just beginning to identify which accents belong to which specific regions, so this was really fun and educational. I wouldn’t embarrass myself trying to imitate one, but I do love hearing them all!

Absolutely smashing content. Really fun and informative. Keep it up!

Im a native Geordie ,during the years ive lived in Lancs/ East Midlands/ Southern England ( & now Wales ).When i went to college many friends used RP & i tried copying them .Accents are more interesting & my efforts didnt last long 😆.Thanks for adding the phonetic transcriptions up .I studied phonetics for 3 years & used it in my job for 25 years. .

.... gets even more interesting when you add different dialect to the accents. I went from the south coast to working in Stoke on Trent coal mines a bit over fifty years ago and had to rapidly learn what seemed to be a totally new language. There used to be some great little publications by a fellow called Alan Povey that were a really humorous way of getting your head round the dialect.... called if I remember correctly 'Ar fer towk rate' He also had a regular slot on local radio called 'Owd Grandad Piggot'... some are available on youtube.... Look them up.

I love this. So much. Thank you for all the work you put into this!!

Quite enjoyed this. Thank you!

"Far from comprehensive" yet still probably the most comprehensive break down I've come across on the topic. Great video Dave. You could do a series of videos focusing on the differences within each region. Although that would be a pretty big project. I'm from the Isle of Wight, where the traditional accent would come under West Country. No one really speaks with it anymore but I used to work with some older folks who still did and I remember how it differed from other West Country accents. More monotone, slurred. Most people here would say we collectively no longer have an accent but we definitely do, albeit subtle. I was in New Zealand some years ago where a Kiwi, a stranger, asked if I was from the Isle of Wight. He said he used to work with a girl from here and we had the same accent. I've also had many people from elsewhere in the UK who have met multiple people from here say the same and interestingly describe it as 'slurred'. It's odd because islanders will immediately think of and imitate a thick traditional accent at the mention of the 'Isle of Wight accent' while neglecting to acknowledge that we actually have our own newer one.

This is by far the most detailed, and the most entertaining, tour of English accents I've come across! My wife and I are Americans but we almost exclusively watch British programs and we're always playing the "guess where they're from?" game. The numerous subtleties you demonstrate will help greatly. BTW I've still not seen anyone satisfactorily explain how the various US accents came to be, but what I often hear is one particular US vowel appearing in one English accent (the rest of the vowels being different), a second particular US vowel appearing in a second English accent (ditto), and so forth, as if several people from different parts of England had got together in Colonial America and agreed "let's say bath like John does, goose like Mary does" etc.

Fantastic, thank you for this.

I'm not sure how I got here, but I'm glad I did.

This was really interesting - although I’m always a bit disappointed that Cumbrian never seems to feature in any of these kinds of videos despite having a quite distinctive accent and dialect! Would love to see a more detailed accent tour of Lancashire too!

Great video. Absolutely fantastic analysis of East Anglian accents, an often overlooked accent.

Amazing, well done!

I absolutely loved the content and the presentation. Awesome

Very well put together. You held my attention all the way through. Excellent!

This Australian really enjoyed your most informative video. Love the Birmingham, Liverpool, Wessex and North Yorkshire accents.

Really great overview! Looking forward to checking out your other videos.

I really admire your amazing attention to detail in the different accents of England! What a great educational video!

I've travelled around most of the UK and this demonstration of accents is amazing. It takes me back to places I once visited as if I was there again, even though in some cases it was many years ago, in a way that simply just thinking back never does. Music and smells sometimes do the same thing, transporting me back in time in a way like nothing else can. Thank you for this amazing demonstration and trip around England.

Thank you Dave. As a working actor of 40+ years I found this to be quite excellent, and well-researched. You have a good ear, perhaps two of them. I generally work by ear so the words Diphthong etc make me scramble, but this is a brilliant resource. I imagine you are a professional voice coach working with actors? I also assume you know the Dialects of English Archive resource which I use too. What a hugely enjoyable video you have created. best wishes, Ralph Brown

I thoroughly enjoyed the video!😊

Wonderful, Mr. Huxtable. Thoroughly enjoyed the tour. Thank you for recording this!

I watched this when you first posted it, and I just came back and watched it again because it was so interesting and entertaining. Amazing job, Dave!

Excellent video Dave! I was born and raised in The Potteries until I was 15, then South Wales for 10 years then South Africa for 28 years, where I learned to moderate and slow down my speech to avoid having to repeat everything. When people ask what accent I have I reply, "Mongrel."

Wonderful! Thanks so much!

Absolutely fascinating

Outstanding

As someone born and raised Hull, it’s bizarre to hear someone imitating it. Also you’re correct, certain sounds of our accent seem to stronger or more emphasised in younger women. You’ve got a talent here, really great content.

Bloody excellent!

Fantastic Dave! Not just a showcase of your phenomenal ability, but highly interesting and educational, too. Thanks.

The amount of effort in here is amazing. Incredible video

Incredibly enjoyable. I love your enthusiasm. Please continue to make more videos.

Incredible knowledge, phenomenal. Thank you for this amazing resource!

Fabulous. Technical unpacking of what we hear, know and love.

Very well done Dave. Educating, entertaining and most amusing all at the same time. With mass communication now on tap I greatly fear for our many dialects and accents.

this is top notch content. the best

Superb! Thanks.

Absolutely amazingly!

Very pleased that you had room for my native Hull accent.That is rare for surveyors to attempt.

I've such a lot of respect for the sheer work you put in David, although this is quite an old video, I think it's amazing.

Astonishing! So interesting, so rich - something to rewatch many times. Thanks 😍

This is fantastic thank you.

This is pure joy! You are a marvel, Mr Huxtable. Fun, clever, highly informative - and just fascinating! Thank you... now subscribed! :o)

I found it interesting that you brought up the Northern RP at the end. I found that I started doing this at work when serving customers and overtime naturally started speaking more like this. However, I find that when I go back to my hometown and see family my original accent comes back. So as you say, your accent really can change depending on situation and audience.

What a great video !Stumbled on it totally by accident and as many have previously said your ability to "nail "so many accents flawlessly is fantastic !!

Superb! Informative and entertaining.

Superb. The amount of preparation for this video is astonishing, not to mention the way the accents are so accurately demonstrated. Hats off to you 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

LOVED IT! Can't wait to hear you go for the sounds of Northern Irish!

Just brilliant 👏 Very enjoyable to watch and hear 😊

Fascinating!