Does my accent sound trustworthy? — Hits in the headlines #83
A popular TV show is taking over the UK, as it returns for its third season. The show pits contestants against each other, trying to find the few traitors amongst them, despite their hidden identities. It’s a cross between game-show, reality TV, and drama. Crucially, the programme brings people from all around the UK and you can hear a broad range of accents. One contestant shocked viewers when she revealed that her accent she uses with other players is completely fake. She told the audience that she chose a Welsh accent because it was deemed to be more “trustworthy” than her natural London accent. And this makes a lot of sense in the UK. As accents change so much from place to place, there are strong feelings and attitudes towards different ones. Some feel more friendly, some more serious, and some even feel untrustworthy. This, of course, is very connected to culture and history, but it is something that you have also experienced as an English learner. Does American English or British English sound more “professional” to you? What about Australian English? Indian English? In this first article, you can read a little bit about the show, and learn a lot about accents in the UK.
The second article is about a shifting trend in brand design. It wasn’t that long ago when some mascots were so famous and iconic that people knew more about them than the brands they represented. Now, it’s definitely not the popular branding choice that it once was. In the UK, a famous mascot for an insurance company became so iconic that now the brand even uses the face of the character in some of their logo designs – people know the image, even when they don’t really know what the brand does. And perhaps that is where the problem lies. Do mascots help or hurt a brand’s image?
Whether you play video games or not, you have almost certainly heard of some esports titles. The growing industry seems to make more and more headlines every year, but one of the rising games is not a game at all – and there’s a good chance you already have a lot of experience in it. The “game” in question is, of course, Microsoft Excel. That’s right, the spreadsheets programme that we all love to hate. It goes to show that anything can be turned into a competition, and while it sounds crazy, it is surprisingly popular. How do you think you would do in a spreadsheet competition?
Why not use this as a chance to learn some new language?
Try to note some new language that you see or hear in the articles or video and bring it to the class.
Remember, I always encourage you to send in your interesting articles, videos, or podcasts. You can message me directly, or email me here.
Have a great week.
See you in class!