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New study claims ‘proper Mancs’ live in the city centre and people in the suburbs sound ‘posh’

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 15th November 2022

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”.

Shortly after a recent study published last month found that the Manchester accent is considered to be one of the least well respected in the UK, now sociolinguists at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) have published the findings of a three-year research project investigating how people speak across the Greater Manchester region.

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 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.

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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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Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A warning has been issued to tailgaters and motorway middle lane hoggers urging them to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style.

Do you find yourself guilty of two of the biggest driving sins from time to time?

Well, according to the latest figures released by National Highways, one in three motorists have admitted to middle lane hogging in their lives, while one in four have committed acts of tailgating on some of the UK’s fastest roads.

These shocking survey findings – which were released back in early March as the Government-owned road management company launched a new campaign – showed that lane hogging was among the behaviours that are most likely to cause motorists and passengers to feel ‘frustrated’, and tailgating was most likely to cause feelings of unease, stress, and anxiety.

Nearly a third (32%) of drivers admitted to lane hogging ‘at least occasionally’ while driving on England’s motorways and major A roads, according to the survey – which polled 2,500 adults between the ages of 16-75.

On top of this, almost seven in ten adults in England (67%) said close following or tailgating is a ‘serious problem’ on these types of roads, but nearly a quarter (23%) admitted to doing it from time to time.

Tut-tut.

Tailgaters and middle lane hoggers have been warned to change their ‘dangerous’ driving style (Credit: IPTC/Ronald Hudson)

It’s these very statistics which have led National Highways to issue an urgent warning that calls on these motorists to “carefully consider” their driving habits, as “little changes can change everything”.

Lane hogging and tailgating both fall under the offence of ‘careless driving’ in England, with the country’s police forces having the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points to those who commit such offences.

“Middle lane hogging and tailgating are far more than mere annoyances for drivers,” warned RAC road safety spokesperson, Rod Dennis, adding that these actions “put everyone on the roads at risk.”

He continued in his reaction to the release of the latest National Highways figures: “Closely following another motorist could easily result in a serious collision should the driver ahead need to brake sharply for any reason, so the fact nearly one in four drivers admitted to doing so on some of England’s fastest and busiest roads is frightening”.

Mr Dennis said he understands that offenders “might find these habits hard to kick”, but that’s why the urgent calls for motorists to make changes are “so important”.

“By understanding that how we choose to drive affects others, we can each make a real difference to the safety of our roads,” he concluded.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – AA

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Paddy McGuinness admits he thinks Bolton is ‘still in Lancashire’ not Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Paddy McGuinness has admitted that he believes “Bolton still falls under Lancashire” and not Greater Manchester.

The famous comedian and TV presenter – who was born and raised in Farnworth in 1973, back when it genuinely was still categorised as Lancashire – made the somewhat controversial declaration to his millions of followers on Instagram this week as he shared some pictures of himself that are currently featuring as part of a photography exhibition.

McGuinness is one of dozens of local famous faces forming part of the ‘Greater Mancunians’ project by The Manchester College.

150 students have participated in the landmark photography project – which is currently on display down at Manchester Central Library’s Main Exhibition Hall – and it features images of some of Manchester’s most famous and influential people shot at numerous locations across the city.

Noel Gallagher, Johnny Marr, Ricky Hatton, Andy Burnham, Angela Rayner, Maxine Peake, Jonathan Warburton, and Professor Erinma Bell MBE are among the 100 contributors featured in the project, alongside McGuinness.

The 50-year-old, who is most well-known for his acting and presenting roles in Phoenix Nights, Max and Paddy’s Road To Nowhere, Take Me Out, and Top Gear, says it was “a real honour” to be featured in the exhibition.

McGuinness wrote on Instagram: “It was a real honour to take part in the Greater Mancunians project with the students at The Manchester College. The exhibition is full of people from music, comedy, politics, poetry, television, medicine and beyond.”

He then said it’s “well worth popping in if you’re in town”, before dropping the final Bolton-related bombshell: “PS, I’m still saying Bolton falls under Lancashire.”

In case you’re unfamiliar with the borough’s history, Bolton was considered to be a part of Lancashire until Greater Manchester was formally established all the way back on 1 April 1974 – but still to this day, the town is located within the historic county boundaries of Lancashire.

Paddy McGuinness admits he thinks Bolton is ‘still in Lancashire’, not Greater Manchester (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

After making the bold claim about Bolton’s geographical location, McGuinness has been met with praise and has received hundreds of comments from other Bolton and wider Greater Manchester residents agreeing with him and sharing their similar opinions under the post.

“I think they should redefine Lancashire back to its old borders, it would bring unity to the area and create a northern powerhouse,” one person commented.

Another fan wrote: “Bolton will always be in Lancashire for me”, while a third commented: “ALWAYS Lancashire. Can’t move land boundaries, they’re not pieces of paper,” a fourth shared a similar sentiment: “They can tell us we’re Greater Manchester, but I know Im a Lancashire lass,” and a fifth added: “Lancashire all the way lad.”

“BOLTON WILL ALWAYS BE LANCASHIRE,” another clearly strong-viewed comment reads.

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It’s always very ‘Stockport is Cheshire‘, isn’t it?

What’s your take then? Do you think Bolton is still in Lancashire, or is it part of Greater Manchester? What about the rest of the boroughs?

We know full well we may have opened a can of worms with this one but that’s all part of the fun.

Featured Images – BBC

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