{"id":2843,"date":"2014-11-17T12:56:05","date_gmt":"2014-11-17T12:56:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/?p=2843"},"modified":"2014-11-18T11:51:30","modified_gmt":"2014-11-18T11:51:30","slug":"the-worlds-sexiest-accents-what-gets-your-vote","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.listenandlearn.org\/blog\/the-worlds-sexiest-accents-what-gets-your-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"The World\u2019s Sexiest Accents \u2013 What Gets Your Vote?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sure, we all have our preferences \u2013 for some, the sultry sweetness of <\/em>fran\u00e7ais has them weak at the knees, for others it\u2019s the rich luxuriousness of <\/em>italiano that does the trick, \u00a0but for all of us, the sound of someone speaking our language in even a slightly different way can be astonishingly sexy.<\/em><\/p>\n

[socialpoll id=\"2232272\"]<\/p>\n

Image Designed by Freepik<\/a><\/em><\/address>\n

Even CNN featured an article<\/a> on the World\u2019s Sexiest Accents! It\u2019s clearly an oft-mentioned topic.\u00a0But what is it about foreign accents that make us swoon?\u00a0Is it the melodic lilt that dances across our eardrums? Is it the savoury sensation of rolled \u2018r\u2019s that we can almost taste on our own tongues?<\/p>\n

Nope.<\/i> Appar<\/i>ently,<\/i> it has little to do with the actual sound and far more to do with the cultural and social preconceptions we have.<\/i><\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about perception.<\/h1>\n

That\u2019s right! You might love the sound of espa\u00f1ol<\/i>, but your affection for the accent more likely stems from your affection for the people, country, or region that speak it. So, when you catch yourself subconsciously drooling over Antonio Banderas\u2019s dreamily deep Spanish accent, it\u2019s more likely a tall, bronzed and delectably dark-haired Spanish man you\u2019re envisioning \u2013 like this<\/a>!.\u00a0 (See if you can recognise his and countless other celebrity accents by playing our Celebrity Accent Game<\/a>!)<\/p>\n

But not all accents bring to mind positive associations. For instance, some adore the honeyed Southern accent from the United States \u2013 the lazy drawl reels them in \u2013 while for others it is truly disdainful.<\/p>\n

So what is it that so heavily influences our perceptions of the way people talk?<\/h1>\n

Geography<\/b><\/h2>\n

Geography is an important consideration with regards to accent and dialect. The physical location of a particular community (their level of isolation and the amount of contact they have with outside ethnic groups) greatly influences the way they speak. But it also plays a significant role in our perceptions of certain speakers. Southern American accents (there are many, but most often the Texan accent) are stereotypically considered \u201cless intelligent\u201d<\/a> across the United States.<\/p>\n

Socio-economic status<\/b><\/h2>\n

Like geography, socio-economic status is a huge player when it comes to accent perceptions. Posh British accents are frequently associated with being higher up on the proverbial socio-economic totem pole, and are thus frequently considered more likeable, whereas inner-city Baltimore accents (like on the Wire<\/a>!), bring to mind a very different image.<\/p>\n