Northerners are starting to sound the same, according to a new accent study
A new study has found that separate dialects in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield are beginning to lose their intricate differences and blur into a singular 'General Northern English' accent instead.
Bad news, Mancs. Our distinctive Mancunian twang is starting to sound a lot like other accents.
A new study has found that separate dialects in Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield are beginning to lose their intricate differences and blur into a singular ‘General Northern English’ accent instead.
Through the use of machine learning and vowel sound analysis, researchers at the University of Manchester found people are now struggling to differentiate between the accents from these three cities.
However, whilst dialects across Greater Manchester are beginning to sound similar to some neighbouring northerners, other accents in the top half of England – like Liverpool and Newcastle – remained recognisable.
Linguistics expert Dr Patrycja Strycharczuk led the research – with the results appearing to be driven by the rise in the number of educated city residents.
“I often hear statements like “I’m from Liverpool / Manchester / Sheffield, but I don’t have the accent” – however, there is very little systematic evidence that General Northern English really is a coherent variety, so that’s the question we asked ourselves,” said Dr. Strycharczuk.
Despite the data, researchers don’t believe that accents are disappearing entirely.
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Results showed that even the most highly-educated urban Northerns retained some northern vowels in their speech; and researchers believe a “new variety” of dialects are being established.
Whitworth Hall, University of Manchester
“I think its prestige has increased, and people are now less tempted to lose their accent if they’ve been to university or they do a lot of public speaking,” said Dr. Strycharczuk.
“The question is whether General Northern English also has the same status for those who don’t speak it – can a speaker be perceived as standard in London?
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“I don’t think we’re there yet, but the shifting attitudes in the North are a first step.”
The Manchester accent was voted as the “sexiest in the UK” in a poll conducted earlier this year.
Looks like it isn’t just us who’d prefer for it to stick around.
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Three men jailed after armed robbery in Trafford left teenage boy with ‘serious injuries’
Emily Sergeant
Three men have been jailed after an armed robbery and stabbing left in Trafford left a teenage boy with ‘serious injuries’.
The incident in question occurred shortly after 3am on Sunday 27 November 2022, when a 15-year-old boy – the victim, who cannot be named for legal reasons – was at a cash machine on Upper Chorlton Road, in Trafford, and he noticed a black BMW drive past him, before making a U-turn and pulling up on the other side of the road.
As the boy set off on his scooter, the vehicle sped past him and cut him off.
Before he knew it, three men jumped out of the car and then proceeded to rob him at knifepoint – during which the boy was stabbed twice, and £120 was taken from him, before the offenders made off.
The 15-year-old was rushed to hospital, where he was required to undergo emergency surgery before being stabilised.
Police described the incident as an ‘unprovoked attack on a young boy’.
Following a thorough Greater Manchester Police (GMP) investigation, led by DC Marie-Louise Knight of Trafford CID, the offenders were identified as Callum Henson and Harry Jackson, both from Manchester, and Bailey Mann from Northampton.
Henson was sentenced to five years and six months for robbery and Section 20 assault, and Jackson was sentenced to four years and 10 months for Section 18 assault, while Mann was sentenced to three years in a young offenders institute for robbery, due to being under 18 years of age.
Speaking following the sentencing of the three men, DC Knight said: “I am grateful that [Henson, Jackson, and Mann] have now faced justice for their actions, not only for ourselves from an investigation side, but also for the victim and his family who were left shaken following this incident.
“These sentencings show that we will not tolerate this type of violent crime.
“Knife crime has no place on our streets, and we will do all that we can to make sure offenders are punished, and our communities are safe.”
Featured Image – Google Maps
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Bolton man, 22, jailed after his ‘dangerous driving’ kills motorbike rider just days before Christmas
Emily Sergeant
A man from Bolton has been sentenced to more than a decade in jail after causing death by dangerous driving.
Cormac Sale, 22-years-old of Ina Avenue in Bolton, has been sentenced at Bolton Crown Court after pleading guilty to causing death by dangerous driving following a collision between a car and motorbike in Horwich, which saw another young man lose his life just days before Christmas (Saturday 14 December 2024).
At around 9:40pm that evening, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to an incident on Chorley Old Road in Bolton.
When they arrived, they found that a Skoda Fabia – belonging to Sale – had collided with a motorbike. Spencer Rothwell-Poole, also 22 and from Horwich, was riding the motorbike at the time and sadly died at the scene.
Following Sale’s arrest at the scene, further testing was conducted and he was found to be almost 10 times over the legal limit for ketamine whilst driving when the incident occurred.
Investigations by GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit led to ‘significant evidence’ being obtained of Sale ‘driving erratically’ throughout the evening, as spotted by multiple other drivers and CCTV footage, and he was also driving on the opposite side of the road when the collision took place.
Sale has been sentenced to 10 years and eight months in prison, as well as being banned from driving for 12 years.
“This sentencing reflects the devastating consequences of choosing to drive recklessly and whilst under the influence,” commented Detective Constable James Maskrey, who is GMP’s Roads Police Lead Investigator.
“Nothing can undo the loss suffered by Spencer’s family, but it is our hope that this outcome offers some measure of justice.
“When someone gets behind the wheel under the influence of ketamine, they have no control of their own judgement or body, and even a moment where drivers are dissociated or unaware on the road can be fatal.
“This case is a stark reminder that dangerous driving destroys lives, and I want to reassure the public that our officers remain absolutely committed to tackling dangerous driving and removing those who pose a risk to our roads.”
The Manc -
16th July 2020 
