Understanding UK Regional Accents
There has just been a discussion about regional accents in the UK on Radio 5. Apparently a survey has shown that the Geordie accent is the easiest to understand and is often chosen as the voice in sat-navs.
That’s as maybe, but what bright spark put the call centre for the Child Support Agency for East Anglia in Northern Ireland. Suffolk people couldn’t understand a word that was said. My late wife, C, was a barrister and this caused her a lot of grief, as some of her clients couldn’t get their finances sorted at all.
The Anonymous Widower 
If you look at where many government agencies are situated, they are in places with difficult accents – taxation, customs etc is in Bootle, Child Benefits (and possibly other benefits) are in Washington, DVLC are in Swansea. I would say Liverpool is the easiest of those, but I grew up near there. But none are very easy, especially for people who perhaps are upset, angry or hard of hearing.
Comment by Liz P | August 5, 2010 |