Public Invited to Aid Research on North East Accent Distinctiveness

Researchers are inviting members of the public to assist in determining the distinctiveness of various accents found in north-east England. Dr. Cong Zhang from the University of Newcastle will host a drop-in session for the public at the Farrell Centre on Saturday, from 10:00 GMT to 15:00 GMT. Participants will be requested to listen to audio recordings of individuals from different parts of the North East and attempt to pinpoint their geographical origin based solely on their vocal characteristics. Dr. Zhang stated that the research team anticipated participants would find the task challenging, though she noted her friends expressed significantly greater confidence in their ability. The researcher characterized the event as a celebration of the “richness and the diversity” of regional accents. “We want to find out using authentic audio data whether people can the differences between local accents,” Dr. Zhang explained. The team plans to evaluate vocal sounds at a county level from Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and Durham, in addition to examining different areas within Newcastle, Gateshead, North Tyneside, South Tyneside, and Sunderland at a more localized level. She added, “Compared with standard southern British English or general American English, there is still a lot more room for [studying North East accents].” This drop-in session forms a component of the university’s social sciences festival, which is scheduled to run until 9 November. For updates, follow BBC North East across X, Facebook, Nextdoor, and Instagram. Story ideas can be submitted to northeastandcumbria@bbc.co.uk. Copyright 2024 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC bears no responsibility for content found on external websites. Information regarding our external linking policy is available.