It is so sad to see that local children are no longer inheriting local accents, in fact they all (including my daughter ) speak with quite a fine southern twang to their voices. If local children were all born here, then why are they not picking up a local accent ? How could they possibly not inherit this ?
I think the answer lies in the fact that many couples have moved here from the south. Somehow their accents have become dominant. Of course this wouldn't lead to a complete loss of the northern accent, but I think the hammer blow has come from childrens TV channels. Children are obviously spending more time being exposed to these accents rather than their parents ones, of course if they have southern parents this will be by the bye. I still find it hard to believe either or both explanations have had such a drastic effect, and maybe there are other factors more complex ? Either way the result is the same. I will sound different to my own daughter. She will speak better and clearer than me. She will not for instance drop her " h " s from her sentences. She will sound more educated from the out set. Will she notice my different accent as she grows up ? She already corrects my speech at 4 years old. Something really has change with children. Exactly why this is fascinates me...
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