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Chris Newbury
Born: 1964
Lives: Southminster, Essex
Time lived in area: More than 10 years
Occupation: Bus fitter
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Chris talks about how his wife Andrea changes the way she speaks when she's at her parents' house.
Language of interview: English
Duration: 0:32 (mins/secs)
The participants were asked to describe how they spoke in their own words.
How do you describe your accent: "Essex."
Have there been other influences on the way you speak: Not Given
Do you have skills in languages other than English?: No
Other languages: None
CHRIS: Well the thing with Andrea that she probably won't admit to but when you walk through your mum's front door, your voice change... changes and that's before they've uttered a word and you speak more like your mum and dad when you walk through their front door - and we could spend six weeks together without meeting your mum and dad and you would, I wouldn't hear you speak like that at all but when you walk through that front door then you change. And you don't even talk like it in our house when your mum and dad are there.
Jonnie Robinson, Curator, English accents and dialects, British Library Sound Archive, writes
Chris talks about our ability to change the way we speak as circumstances dictate. All native speakers adjust their speech patterns according to context and situation: from relaxed conversation in familiar surroundings to more formal settings. Most of us have been accused of having a 'telephone voice', for instance. In fact, we all have a range of different 'voices' - for talking to children, talking to friends in the pub, making a presentation or talking to a foreigner. In most cases these changes are extremely subtle, but nonetheless noticeable.
People often remark, for instance, that someone who has moved away from an area modifies their accent a little over time, but is immediately able to switch back into their regional accent when visiting home. This is a perfectly natural reaction as we all tend to adapt our speech to a certain degree in order to fit in with the people we are talking to - a process known as speech accommodation. In most cases this process is subconscious and in returning to their native accent when at home speakers are expressing their shared identity or group solidarity.
Chris uses a number of features that are typical of many speakers with an Essex accent. Listen, for instance, to the way he pronounces the vowel sound in Andrea, speak, weeks and meeting. Many speakers in much of the south-east of England also use a similar vowel sound to Chris in words in the following two sets: Andrea, dad and and; mum, front and uttered.
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