Are British accents changing?

[AB Asks]

British accents are changing, apparently. London accents are spreading further and further out to give large areas of the country a slight 'estuary' English twang. Add to this the influence of immigrants' integration into today's society and you've got what's been called a patchwork of accents. The British Library has launched its 'Sounds Familiar' website in an effort to catalogue and understand more about the development of regional accents. . Do you think that accents have changed all that much? Have you found that over the years regional accents have faded, grown or stayed the same?

[jenstar]

Ee ba gum, ye dinna say, la'.

[fairkatrina]

British accents have been changing at an alarming rate ever since TV became compulsory and immigration became so easy. Eastury English is so prolific that the PM uses it constantly and even the Queen's English is slipping that way. RP is dead, the BBC English is now a multi-regional (but not too broad) smorgasboard and thanks to the increased mobility of the younger generations regional dialects are all but extinct.

[Lonnie]

English is an evolving language, always changing, don't forget, A good example would be the Americans and Australians, they both speak English.

[heathfield]

Fortunately, many education authorities in Scotland are now recognisint Scots as a language, and it's being taught alongside English in more and more Scottish schools.

[Octavius]

Aint English accents always changing??
And a good thing too, innit. If I started speaking as like what if I was in a BBC period drama and said things like, �Oh Mr Darcy, are the shades of Pemberley to be thus polluted?" �I am most seriously displeased." I�d feel a right twonk.

Its odd though that travelling around the world most Middle Eastern people, or Eastern European/Soviet people who have learn to speak English talk as though they were American and not cockernee, scouse or brummie.

This is a most unfortunate affair; and will probably be much talked of. But we must stem the tide of malice, and pour into the wounded bosoms of each other the balm of sisterly consolation

[crete]

ed,, do you get your info from the SUN or the MAIL ?