A new study has claimed that people with proper Manchester accents live in the city centre, while those that live in the suburbs actually sound “posh”.
For the study – which is called Manchester Voices – researchers asked more than 350 people from Greater Manchester to describe the different accents and dialects on an online map.
They also as asking people to submit a recording of themselves speaking.
An ‘accent van’ was then taken on tour across all 10 boroughs in the summer of 2021, where members of the public were asked to reflect on where they live, the way they speak, and how it relates to who they are.
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The @VoicesMcr project, exploring how people speak across Greater Manchester, now has a permanent home online and at Manchester Central Library.
Alongside voice clips from the team's 'accent van', the collection maps the area's four distinct dialects.
The study – which was predominantly carried out during coronavirus lockdowns, and ended up featuring the contributions of a total of 421 local people – discovered that the so-called ‘Manc’ accent is usually found among residents living in the city centre, but residents from Levenshulme, Stretford and Moss Side are likely to sound “posh”.
They’re not the only ones to sound posh either, apparently, as the research also found that people in Trafford and Stockport are also likely to be considered this.
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Not only that, but people who live in Greater Manchester boroughs such as Bury, Bolton, Rochdale, and Oldham are more likely to have an accent that you’d expect to hear across Lancashire, according to the study.
Wiganers, on the other hand, apparently have a distinct dialect of their own too.
A permanent record of these findings, as well as a bunch of other findings from the Manchester Voices study are to be kept in Manchester Central Library in the city centre, on top of having also been uploaded to a dedicated website – alongside expert analysis, poems, podcasts, a quiz, and some historical archive recordings too.
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Dr Rob Drummond and the team behind the ‘Manchester Voices’ research project / Credit: MMU
“It’s been an absolute pleasure working on this project and learning so much about the voices and people of Greater Manchester,” explained Dr Rob Drummond – lead researcher on Manchester Voices and reader in Sociolinguistics at MMU.
He added that the MMU team is “extremely proud” of the research, and hopes that people will use it “for years to come” to find out more about local language in the 2020s.
You can check out the findings of the Manchester Voices study in full here.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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You can line dance to Lily Allen’s West End Girl in full right here in Manchester
Thomas Melia
After a fun way to kickstart the New Year? Some people might suggest hobbies like ‘Tennis’, but how about a line dancing class playing Lily Allen’s new album in its entirety – we know which we’d rather do.
Grab your nearest ‘Nonmonogamummy’ or take ‘Madeline’, if you know one, because there’s a line dance class where you get to line dance to Lily Allen’s West End Girl in full right here in Manchester.
Hosted by Red Rodeo Club, a queer line dancing group based in Manchester, who have hosted monthly artist-inspired events city wide including Chappell Roan, Beyoncé, Charli XCX and more.
This troupe even managed to line dance all the way to one of Manchester’s most reputable LGBTQIA+ nights of the year, performing on the Archive stage at Homobloc just last month.
Now, Red Rodeo is returning with another special night that is sure to interest all the West Endand North West girls across Manchester, as it prepares a Lily Allen line dance spectacular later this month.
If you’re ‘Ruminating’ about attending this event, there’s absolutely no pressure or dance experience needed as the group prides itself on providing ‘classic boot-scootin tutorials with a party vibe’.
You’ll definitely be in good company regardless of your dance partners, as hosting the event is Violet Blonde, known for their extraordinary outfits and love of Country icon Dolly Parton.
We’re already onto a winner…
Your dance instructor for the night is the remarkable Shanika Sunrise, a rapper and producer, who boasts a seriously impressive roster of acts they’ve opened for, including Chappell Roan, Cupcakke and Moonchild Sanelly.
Opportunities like this aren’t always feasible for everyone, which is something this line dance group is aware of as they’re offering a ‘Red Rodeo Club Low Income Ticket’, suited for students, unwaged and disabled attendees.
Red Rodeo Club is bringing the ‘Lily Allen edition’ line dance class to Fairfield Social Club in Manchester on Thursday, 29 January 2026, from 7-10:30pm.
If you’re interested in grapevine stepping or electric shuffling your way to the Lily Allen West End Girl line dance event in Manchester, you can find tickets HERE.
Serving as yet another fitting tribute from his beloved football club, who already honoured the late, great, Manc musician at Old Trafford, it’s rumoured to launch later this year.
Snapped alongside United’s current third kit for the 25/26 season, the rumoured ‘lifestyle’ jersey is apparently coming very soon.
This pair of images has seemingly confirmed the claims made by trusted online kit source, Footy Headlines, who specialise in sharing pictures of the football shirts, boots and more, who had already reported on the release in 2025.
As you can see, not only does the design feature a striking blue take on the band’s iconic album art style (expanded from an original painting by guitarist John Squire), but if you look closely, it also features the band’s iconic song and overriding slogan, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’, built into the crest.
You can see the rest of the existing Stone Roses collection in full down below.
We’re sure there are loads of other little details besides the twist on the badge still to be spotted, but for now, all we know is that the world-famous sporting franchise is continuing to capitalise even further on The Stone Roses connection.
Since the last batch of officially licensed adidas x Stone Roses merch quickly became collector’s items, we can only assume that this latest shirt won’t be the only new addition.
For instance, one user already commented, ‘Where’s the bucket hat?’
As for Manchester United, they’re no doubt looking to generate as much revenue as possible after having to pay another sizeable severance package following the sacking of Ruben Amorim – the question is, who is going to be next?
Emily Sergeant -
15th November 2022 
