‘Happy vowel’ is a key indicator of social class in Manchester accents, study finds
Key takeaways
- Researchers say some features of the city’s accent have remained remarkably stable, particularly in working-class speech.
- Prefer the Guardian on GooglePronunciation of the “happy vowel” is one of the key indicators of social class in Mancunian accents, researchers have found.
- A sociolinguistic study, led by Lancaster University, found that the final vowel in words such as happy, baby, chilly and city – known to linguists as “the happy vowel” – varies clearly by social class across Manchester.
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People in Manchester last week. Researchers say some features of the city’s accent have remained remarkably stable, particularly in working-class speech. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian View image in fullscreen People in Manchester last week. Researchers say some features of the city’s accent have remained remarkably stable, particularly in working-class speech. Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Manchester‘Happy vowel’ is a key indicator of social class in Manchester accents, study findsFinal vowel in words such as happy, baby and chilly varies clearly by social class across the city
Prefer the Guardian on GooglePronunciation of the “happy vowel” is one of the key indicators of social class in Mancunian accents, researchers have found.
A sociolinguistic study, led by Lancaster University, found that the final vowel in words such as happy, baby, chilly and city – known to linguists as “the happy vowel” – varies clearly by social class across Manchester.