Accents

I wrote this up on Friday after a brief discussion we had my seminar. Someone asked why it was the Brits didn't always sound like Brits when they sing. Prof. Campbell gave a good answer and then I added in, without going on too much of a tangent. Because of the discussion though I had to write something on it, since I know more than I said. This is what I produced. Don't know how good or completely accurate it is, but here it is, nonetheless.

Accents in the UK
In 1066 the Normans invaded England through the south and gentrified the accent of the entire area. The northern part of the country, most of the west coast, Wales and Scotland were saved from this gentrification, retaining the more Anglo-Saxon/Celtic edge in their accents. In the south and south eastern areas of the country, the lower classes retained some of that edge, particularly in London where the cockney accent originated.
The Normans didn't care for anyone who couldn't give them power. Thus accents, even the largely gentrified areas, began to be divided by economic class, education, and birth place. The more education the more posh the accent. The difference in accents between a lord an commoner would be fairly obvious, even now. A Highland [the very northern part of Scotland] accent is thicker than a Lowland [southern half, closer to the England-Scotland border], just as someone from Manchester would sound quite different from someone who is from Leeds. Country is different from city and Wales is it's won country, and accent.
I'm not going to touch Ireland. Talking about that is asking for a trouble and a long winded speech about the country's history, which is incredibly long, depressing, and slightly confusing.
[This bit is all new, just to tie things up] Accents in the UK can identify someone just as well, if not better, than a driver's license. An accent call tell the listener where the person is from, their economic status, and even whether they went to University or not. And it all started with that Norman invasion in 1066.

I'm off to bed. I had a very long weekend, or actually a very long Saturday night, and I have a mid-term and a presentation tomorrow and I need my beauty sleep. Until next time mes petites.