Birmingham (aka Brummie): least cool accent in Britain

Brummie accent voted least cool in Britain List of Cool Accents 2008/9 1. Queen's English 20% 2. Scottish 12% 3. Geordie 9% 4. Yorkshire 7% =. Cockney 7% 6. Northern Irish 6% 7. Welsh 5% 8. Scouse 4% = Mancunian 4% 10. West Country 3% 11. Brummie 2% (link via telegraph.co.uk) My husband and my sons have an English accent and it sounds very nice. I think so anyway! I don't really know what category it is. I guess it's a Hertfordshire accent. As well as the English accent (and all its variations), I love hearing the Welsh accent. I think it's lovely.

Video of Brit getting American accent lessons

The BBC News Magazine has an amusing article (with video) today called,How not to do an American accent, with British dialect coach Barbara Berkery giving the BBC's Stephen Robb an American accent primer. I think it's interesting how some people can "do" accents. I can't. My husband can - in fact he can do lots of different accents - Irish, Scots, Welsh, Australian and American. I also find it fascinating how some Americans come to live in the UK and immediately start picking up the local accent. I'm not one of them. In fact, my American accent has barely changed - despite living in England for 21 years!