The King’s English and Cockney speech are being replaced by three new accents in young people, according to a new study by Essex Univeristy.
Researchers analysed the voices of nearly 200 people aged 18 to 33 - which showed they have moved away from class-based accents like Received Pronunciation or working-class cockney used by celebrities like Barbara Windsor. The study, led by Dr Amanda Cole, discovered features from the three new accents were shared across different social groups, and geographical areas, showing they are being picked up fluidly.
The rise of new accents is due, in part to celebrities popularising the speech, which is being picked up by younger generations.Standard Southern British English SSBE was the most popular accent in the study, making up 49% of the people surveyed. It is defined as a modern, updated version of received pronunciation, or the way the King speaks. It involves dropping the letter T at the end of a word, but not in the middle of a word; like pronouncing 'what' as 'wha'. Celebrities such as Singer Ellie Goulding and Commedian Josh Widdicombe speak in this way. The research has suggested even Prince Harry uses SSBE.