A once-common feature of the Lancashire accent may end up vanishing “within the next few generations”, a new study has suggested.
If you’ve ever been to or met someone from Blackburn or Darwen, or even the more rural areas to the east of the North West region, then you may be familiar with the Lancashire accent’s distinctive ‘strong R’ sound that can sometimes be heard both within, and at the end of certain words.
Or, maybe you haven’t? Well, if it’s the latter you identify with, then you’re not the only one.
That’s because a new study by researchers at Lancaster University has found that this particular feature of the accent is dying out, and it may even have vanished all together in just a few generations’ time.
The ‘strong R’ – otherwise known as the rhotic R, rhoticity, or a feature of rhotic accents – means that words such as “car”, “park”, and “bird” are said with an emphasis on the R sound in east Lancashire accents, and this is not common among other English accents.
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A feature of the Lancashire accent may vanish “within the next few generations” / Credit: BBC | Manuel Harlan (via Curtis Brown)
Most English language accent varieties used in England are non-rhotic, which stems from a trend in southeastern England, and was accelerated in the very-late 18th century onwards.
Rhotic accents are still found in the West Country, some parts of the West Midlands and the East Midlands, particularly the Corby area due to migration from Scotland in the 1930s, and, you guessed it, several areas within Lancashire – most notably in towns and villages that are north and west of the centre of Manchester.
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Notable Lancastrians with the ‘strong R’ accent feature include comedians Eric Morecambe and Les Dawson, actress Jane Horrocks, and Bullseye presenter Jim Bowen.
The ‘strong R’ rhotic speech feature is prominent among older speakers in Lancashire, and while it can still be heard used by the younger generations nowadays, researchers have noted that it tends to be a much softer sound.
Comedians Eric Morecambe, and Les Dawson, and actress Jane Horrocks are famous for using the ‘strong R’ / Credit: BBC
“Accent change is often like a puddle,” explained Dr Danielle Turton, who is one of the authors of the new study.
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“It dries up in most places, and leave remnants around the edges.”
Dr Turton’s paper – which is titled ‘An Acoustic Analysis of Rhoticity in Lancashire’, and has been published in the Journal of Phonetics this week – is the first systematic acoustic analysis of a rhotic accent in present-day England, and has ultimately found that the disappearance of the Lancashire accent might be happening “so gradually that people don’t notice it”.
She continued: “For the youngest speakers in Blackburn, these Rs are very weak, which raises the question of whether future generations will even hear these weak Rs at all, and whether this distinction will eventually fade away.
“In the next few generations, this traditional linguistic feature may be lost.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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BBC cancel three hit shows, including legendary stand-up series, Live at the Apollo
Danny Jones
The BBC have reportedly cancelled three of their hit TV shows, including the long-standing Live at the Apollo.
With the company facing even more cuts and the television industry facing the ever-changing obstacles set about by increasingly dominant digital platforms, the hit live stand-up series, which has run for over two decades, is the latest big IP on the chopping block.
But that’s not all: joining them in cancellation after long stints on the box are Celebrity Mastermind and the most recently rebooted version of British favourite, Blankety Blank, brought back with Bradley Walsh as host back in 2020.
With roughly 65 full-length seasons between them, and literally hundreds of episodes under their belt, the unfortunate trio have fallen foul for varying reasons.
At first I read that as Celebrity Masterchef, but that show is immortal.
Really surprised to see Live at the Apollo go. It can't cost much and has been instrumental in giving many comedians their big TV breaks. https://t.co/BrT8k2hoYd
While Walsh announced that he was quitting the programme after three series (the fourth was set to begin recording later this year) largely due to scheduling conflicts, the driving force behind the decision is the aforementioned cutbacks.
In case you hadn’t heard, the BBC has seen an approximately £500 million reduction in annual spending, which has meant that one or more productions were always going to be hit hard as a result.
They are aiming to save upwards of £100m annually, which is set to come in the form of 100-150 hours less originally telly by the end of 2028.
Issuing an official statement, they say: “We are incredibly proud of all three of these much-loved shows and would like to thank everyone involved, both in front of and behind the camera, for bringing them to screen and making them such a success over many years.
“Unfortunately, we have to make some really tough choices in light of our funding challenges, and these savings have been identified from the entertainment genre.”
With Live at the Apollo, in particular, having served as an important proving ground and spotlighting stage for rising comics, the UK mainstay originally hosted by Jack Dee is sadly going the way of Mock the Week by being pulled after 22 years on the air.
As you can see, it’s already been heavily mourned by performers around the comedy circuit and fans alike. It goes without saying that those within the industry know all too well how important it’s been.
Unfortunately, more announcements and cuts are expected throughout the remainder of the year as the BBC‘s entertainment arm tries to regain profitability.
This means that these three likely won’t be the last to be axed; who knows? Given that even the biggest of IPs don’t seem to be safe, maybe even mainline Mastermind could be in trouble…
It’s also worth noting that this news comes not long after the media giants launched their big campaign to reassert their domestic significance and beyond, with more and more people straying away from the TV licence in favour of modern streaming.
You can read the full ‘savings’ update right HERE.
Co-op Live appears to tease major Mariah Carey Christmas gig sending fans into a frenzy
Emily Sergeant
All we want for Christmas… is Mariah Carey in Manchester.
And maybe, just maybe, our Christmas wish might come true very soon, as Co-op Live has taken to social media today to tease its next gig announcement with its hundreds of thousands of followers, and without jumping to conclusions, it does appear to be hinting at the queen of Christmas herself making an appearance.
Look, we know it’s only July and right in the middle of summer, but even if you think it’s too early to be talking about the festive season, you have to admit that the potential of Mariah Carey coming to Manchester is worth getting excited any time of the year.
The US pop powerhouse last performed in our city nearly a decade ago now when she brought her famous All I Want For Christmasshow to the UK for the first time ever, taking to sold-out Manchester Arena stage on 10 December 2017.
Mariah has not performed in Manchester since, but all that could be set to change as Co-op Live has hinted that an announcement is ‘coming soon’.
Taking to its official social media platforms today, Co-op Live posted a very festive-themed AI video of snow falling on the arena as the camera zoomed in and the instrumental of Mariah’s absolutely iconic hit ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’ playing in the background, and the caption hinting at the song’s title too.
Of course, we could be wrong, it might not be Mariah at all, but if the 300+ comments from fans in a frenzy thinking the same as us are anything to go by, it’s looking like we might be right.
“The countdown to Christmas is on,” Co-op Live said in its video, before letting fans know that they would be getting some form of confirmation soon.
Emily Sergeant -
29th December 2023 
