I always thought Deanna Troi spoke with a very clipped english
accent, which she obviously picked up from her father. (For those who
don't know, Marina Sirtis originally came from England, and her normal
voice is nothing like the voice she uses for Deanna - she has a very broad
London accent).

Michael McMaster has a great theory about the universal Translator. That is clever thinking. It explains much, but there are a couple of
problems. Often, especially with Klingons, words which have meaning are left untranslated. I will expand it a little to say that some specific
words which have ritual meanings and actual meanings are left untranslated. For example, calling someone a Ptak (no idea how to spell
that) is not translated - that is like calling someone a "pig". A UT tanslating the term 'let's go to Mass' would not tanslate 'Mass' as a unit
of weight. That is why even translated Klingon comes with words which are immediatley explained, like "(fill in name)', the ritual of pain, instead
of not hearing the Klingon word, and just the meaning.

The second problem, is that I am pretty sure the DSN espisode with Worf and Dax serving with Genral Martok has some examples of Dax using Klingon
pharses at times and tranlated phrases at other time, where the dula meaning idea does not apply.

The theory is so good, that I have to chalk
this up to a nitpick mistake by the crators!

Even though I quite agree with Mr. McMaster's theory - it's one of the best, and most plausible, I've heard so far- I must point out that to a European (i.e. a learner of British English, not American), it sounds very strange to call an American accent "unaccented". For that matter, it's really strange that the UT equips all aliens with American accents (I know, I know, it doesn't translate into American English, it translates into native toungue, but ask the British members of the Guild what kind of an accent they hear when watching Trek) - to me, the English RP accent would have been more natural - but who knows, maybe American English is Terran standard in the 24th century.

A couple of problems with Mr McMaster's theory:

1. In the first episode where Lwaxana Troi appears, she says that Deanna picked up her accent from her father, who was not Betazoid but human.

2. In the episode "Face of the Enemy" (Troi is kidnapped by the Romulans and poses as a major in the Tal Shiar), Troi still has her accent (which to my American ears sounds like a cross between German and an Irish brogue), the sub-commander who is Troi's contact sounds American, and the warbird's commander sounds British.

Ont thing about the magic universal translator- however small it gets- sometimes possibly even just a communicator (i think there are episodes where this has to be the case) it uses holographic technology to alter how the lips move

Good point! Kudos!

American English standard? Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Encyclopaedia [profanity deleted]
colour
magasine
LEAVE US OUR WORDS!

Willingly, but it would be appreciated if you left such phrases as God d*** out.

I think Worf would be bilingual and not be taught just Klingon exclusively as a child, given he had human foster parents and was brought up on Earth. He probably had to go to a human school and learn English there but his foster parents made sure he stayed true to his heriatge and helped with the Klingon language at home.

damn is a swear word?

Take it easy, GBRULES, I'm a learner of British English - frankly, the American spelling freak me out. But face it, the American spelling *is* simpler than the British one... and I do believe that, one day, it will become the standard. I have no idea what will happen to the accents though... but judging by the UT, the American one will emerge victorious there, too.

Yes, GBrules, that *is* a swear word in that context. And since I see enough of that
on other BBS's, I would appreciate it if this one stayed G-rated.

Before you get too upset about the accents, please remember that Dr. Who, which ran for 27 years straight, had almost everyone with a British accent. Apparently, in that future, Britain was the main survivor, with the other countries (notably America) barely represented. I think the UT just translates Basic into whatever accent most viewers would hear (i.e. American English). But I love McMaster's idea. It sounds pretty good to me!

Mei,
What about Peri and Dr.Grace Holloway both of
which are American?(Even though Nicola Bryant is
English).
And since we're on the topic of Dr.Who English
what do we do with our favorite Aussie stewardess
Tegan?

BTW:Speaking of accents have you noticed that
even though he's from Georgia Dr.McCoy rarely
showed a trace of a Southern accen

Well, I don't think Tegan is too bad, as an Australian myself. My accent is not especially broad and I'm sometimes mistaken for being English. So maybe they just weren't playing to the stereotyped accent.

As long as the show is produced in America, and all the actors are American, the accents will follow suit. Anything else they felt was necessary for the character development at the time.

Basically this is how it is: the UT translates things into American English because the script writers, the producers, and the actors didn't think about it at the time. (But thats not HARDLY as interesting hehe)

Ok folks so what do we do with Picard when all
is said and done?
I mean we still have the basic problem of a
FRENCHMAN speaking with a decidedly ENGLISH
accent.
I mean shouldn't he at least sound something
like Jacques Cousteau?

Not necessarily, if the UT translates only the language itself and leaves the accent intact, as Michael McMasters suggested. *If* there is a French equivalent of the British RP accent, that is - otherwise, Picard's educated English accent is kind of a problem... (I have at least a smattering of French, but I don't know anything about French accents. Anyone?)

Speaking about accents have you ever watched
Xena and noticed whenever Xena says something
in an excited matter(like she does when she
meets Solan early on in Maternal Instinct)
Lucy's accent drops?

Personally my favorite is the way Jeri Ryan
does Seven in that wondeful monotone of hers.:)

I agree Scott. That Monotone makes the character

Did anyone see Patrick Stewart's interview in which he talks about the accent? He says that for one rehearsal the directors had him speak in a French accent, and he ended up speaking like Inspector Clousseau. (spelling?)

And then he proposed his theory on Picard's accent which is: "The captain is so brilliant and exceptional a man, albeit he is French... ::long laugh from audience:: Oh, I'm going to be living that remark down for the rest of my life. Nothing I say now can make any difference -- and right here on public television, too.. Urm... The captain is so brilliant and exceptional, that though he is French, and though English is his second language, he can speak it as a native."

I'm trying to imagine Picard talking like Inspector Clouseau. ROTFL!

Clouseau fans say 'ban the beumb'.

Sorry. Off-topic, I know.

What is a British RP accent? Really Posh?

Scott: I did say that MOST of the people had British accents. And actually, I was speaking of those in the future, as in the future is totally populated by British-speaking people. But the contemporary people can have all sorts of accents. Besides, even the aliens on Dr. Who had British accents.
For the record, Peri did NOT have an American accent. In fact, that was the first strike against her (well, beyond being with that idiot 6th Doctor). Her pseudo-American accent really annoyed me; I figured that there were enough American fans that they could have found someone with a real American accent.

So what is a British RP accent? Really Posh? Royal Person? Right & Proper?

RP stands for "Recieved Pronunciation" and it's the accent you acquire in Public Schools and the like - and it is the one we foreign learners (in Europe) are taught to use, since it isn't connected with any specific region. (Patrick Stewart has that accent, by the way.) But yes, it is considered a bit posh - or so I'm told. Since I'm not British, I have to rely on hearsay on that one...

UT Theory:
As I understand it, the UT takes in not only speech, but also thought. It then outputs thought. A truely remarkable device considering that the Federation hasn't mapped all of the humanoid brain yet. So, when you hear an untranslated Klingon word; the reason is because Worf (or whoever) didn't want it translated. The UT knew Worf didn't want it translated because it operates on thought. This theory also can be used to explain other communication workings. Keep in mind that the UT is intergrated into the communicator badges & the on-board ship communicator. Someone taps their badge to open a channel, but doesn't have to tap it to close the channel because the UT knows that they are finished. For example, Wesley was speaking w/ his mom through his badge, and then he said 'parents'. His remark wasn't meant for his mom, therefore the UT didn't send it to her.
Also, this device could be used to prove the non-existance of God...

The UT also translates thought, that sure would explain a lot of things...

Anyone here have a comment on Bashir's accent? I've always thought it was English, but my dad(who works with several British people--he imports stuff) says that it has a twist to it that he doesn't think is English. Might this have something to do with the fact that Alexander Siddig (or Siddig El Fadil) was not born in Britain, but was raised there?

Even though I've always taken a particular interest in English accents I'm not a native speaker, so I might be wrong, but Bashir sure sounds *very* English to me...

Julian does indeed have an English accent - the thing to remember is that England, dialect-wise, is a big place. A Liverpudlian accent, for example, sounds little like the RP accent above.
If anything, though, I've occasionally thought that Julian's accent sounds a bit...hmmm...I guess 'forced' would be the word, though it doesn't quite sound right. As if he's had rather a lot of speech therapy - or more likely, that he's very self-consciously not trying to sound like his dad!

I certainly agree with the above, an English (or BRITISH) accent as such does not exist, dialects here do vary greatly for example, I can go anywhere in England and my accent instantly identifies me as Welsh, however I can drive for 20 minutes up the road in Wales and people will say my accent is English. I think when Americans refer to an English accent they mean what I would describe as BBC english ie the way newsreaders talk with no regional bias. So for the record Bashir has an English Educated accent (ie he's been to Public school), and Troi's accent is not English (as an aside I have never heard anyone talk that perculiar Geordie/Cockney Cross that Daphine in Frazer uses)

Actual Picard as a cockney, I wonder how the UT would deal with rhyming slang?

Do you mean Daphne in Fraiser? Her character comes from Manchester so it's a Manchester (Mancunian?) accent. Interestingly enough, John Mahoney (Martin Crane) comes from Manchester and worked with her to get the accent right.

On the show Designing Women, 3 of the original four women were from the American South and spoke with their natural accents. Jean Smart (the blonde, kinda dumb one) came from Seattle, Washington, and spoke with a fake accent. Apparently a number of veiwers felt she was the only one who spoke with a real Southern accent.

I've lived in New York (Queens, near the border with Brooklyn) almost all my life, and people still ask me when I moved to NY as I don't speak like I'm from here. But one of my friends, who grew up a couple of blocks away, speaks like a typical Brooklynite. But when I was in the south over New Years, I could fake an excellent Southern accent, better than some of the people I was with.

By the way, nobody around here speaks like Fran Drescher!!!!!

When I was in college, my roommate's girlfriend was from Lawn Guyland (Long Island), and boy did her accent show!

Interesting anecdote...

Also, when I was in college, I had a roomate from Arkansas and a roommate from Oklahoma. And they had very nasty drawls. In addition, I was in St. Louis at the time, so I was hearing it elsewhere too, so I kind of picked one up. When I moved back to California, I dropped it.

Anyways, a few years after I graduated, I had to go to Oklahoma on a business trip. The interesting thing is that as soon as I started hearing the regional accent, I started talking with a drawl again. The second I got off the plane in California, it stopped.

This was an unconscious thing, I wasn't doing it deliberately... The human ear and human mind are interesting things, no?

Having heard Picard in the early TNG seasons, I'm finally convinced that Yorkshiremen have taken over France by the 24th Century.

(What next? Picard's long-lost cousin played by Geoffrey Boycott?!)

"Make it so, by gum!"

When Voyager started Genevieve Bujold (sp?) was supposed to play Captain Janeway. IIRC the actress has a French/French-Canadian accent. I thought it would have been a funny twist if they said she was English.

I wonder why, when an English actor plays an American, do they try to do some kind of generic American accent instead of going for more of a Regional (Southern, New York, Boston) style accent?

I'm curious about East Asian accents in the Star Trek universe. Very few of the Japanese, Korean, or Chinese personnel (Ogawa, Kim, Sulu, etc.) have recognizable accents. Opinions?

Also, except for Hikaru, they all have anglicized(?) first names. In your examples, Alyssa and Harry.

I should also say that their given names come first.

KAM, I think it's because Brits most often hear the 'standard' or 'generic' US accent over here, on satellite news and in film and TV, etc. So that's the only form of US English they know. By the way take a look at this:

http://www.geocities.com/CollegePark/6174/BOSTON-TALK.HTM

Those are all English pronunciations!

Morgan (the Welsh one): Actual Picard as a cockney, I wonder how the UT would deal with rhyming slang?

I believe the UT wouldn't have a Scooby's. Maybe it would benefit from this page?

I have a similar problem with accents myself - to other Scots I sound English, but to English people I sound Scottish. About 12 years ago when I was down in England visiting my cousins (who lived near London) by the time I came back, 2 weeks later, I had developed an extremely strong Home Counties sound to my voice. Today, bizarrely, to most others (including my own course organiser) I sound Welsh (I've only ever been to South Wales once in my life) yet since University, depending on the company I share, I've sort-of picked up North England and Northern Ireland twangs too. I found that I could mimic a lot of the British regional accents this way.

ScottN: Anyways, a few years after I graduated, I had to go to Oklahoma on a business trip. The interesting thing is that as soon as I started hearing the regional accent, I started talking with a drawl again. The second I got off the plane in California, it stopped.

A similar thing happened to me when I last visited New Zealand, about two years ago. I heard the distinctive Kiwi accent mostly from listening to local radio stations, and very quickly I had picked it up, clipped vowels and all. To avoid offending anyone, I quickly suppressed this new accent and used an accent that Michael Palin might have used on his TV travels (the exasperated upper-middle class English traveller-type accent, if you will).

You know, Sven, you're gonna have to put a recording of yourself online so we can hear for ourselves. I personally would love to hear what a Scottish-English-Welsh-Northern English-Northern Irish accent sounds like. Hey, why don't you go down to Devon for your next holiday and pick up some West Country? And maybe you could stop for a sojourn in the West Midlands on the way, add a bit of Brummie to spice it up with? And of course you haven't looked into all the US regional accents yet.

Well, it's certainly more interesting than my own bland Mr. BBC Newsreader voice.

Just you wait until I add Aussie/Kiwi (and even a hint of South African if I can help it) to that list when I come home!

Yeah...and then, just to confuse everybody completely, you could come visit Canada and start adding 'eh' to the end of all your sentences, eh?

(Actually, now I'm interested - 'aboot' jokes aside, what do Canadians sound like to American ears?)

Meanwhile. It's an interesting question, this lack of recognisable Oriental accents/culture in Trek. (Then again, it could be argued that we're also still waiting to hear a recognisable Russian accent...)
Seriously, though, you'd think that given the population ratio and other factors there should be a virtual medley of Asian lilts audible in Starfleet corridors - to say nothing of the rest of Eastern Europe, Middle Eastern, Indian and Spanish.

Well, to English ears, Canadians usually sound American. Pishes them off a lot.

I wonder, have any of you Americans/Canadians ever had trouble understanding any of our vast repertoire of regional accents here in England? I know some have....read customer reviews of Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and The Full Monty...the comments by Americans saying they can't understand what the characters are saying crack me up!

And on the same note as your question, kerriem, what does the 'standard' English accent sound like to North American ears? Clipped? Raspy? Drawly?

To me at least, it sounds clipped. However, I'm so used to British accents that I have stopped noticing when I hear one on the radio or television.

IIRC, there was a pretty darn good Russian accent in Generations by the navigator.....

(Actually, now I'm interested - 'aboot' jokes aside, what do Canadians sound like to American ears?)

Generally "American". However, it depends on the part of Canada they're from, eh?

For example, the figure skater (Sale?) had a definite "aboot" accent.

And on the same note as your question, kerriem, what does the 'standard' English accent sound like to North American ears? Clipped? Raspy? Drawly?

Have to go with 'clipped', I think. In a nice sort of way - rather as if someone had set the multiplication table to music.

I'm actually getting to be pretty good with UK accents, thanks to the TV editions of my favourite 'regional' authors (and an elderly Scots friend). Inner-city London (Cockney?) James Herriot's Yorkshire lilt, Catherine Cookson's North Country rasp, Lovejoy's East Anglian, etc. are all starting to sound familiar.

...the comments by Americans saying they can't understand what the characters are saying crack me up!

Mm. I was reading the ER thread at jumptheshark.com the other day and came across a poster complaining they couldn't understand a word Alex Kingston was saying, which struck me as a tad extreme.
I do remember watching a TV series called Press Gang, though, that focussed on a group of what I think were supposed to be suburban-London teenagers...and I really, really had to strain to catch every word for the first few eps. All those slightly off-kilter pronunciations going by very low and fast, teen-style, took some getting used to.

For example, the figure skater (Sale?) had a definite "aboot" accent.

Which is interesting, considering both he and his partner are Quebecois! The separatistes are NOT gonna be happy to hear this one.

My cousin kept asking me to repeat what the English characters in "Reign of Fire" (A movie whose soul reason for being was to have dragons and helicopters in the same scene, IMHO) were saying. Some people just aren't used to other countries' accents. Some northerners (thats U.S.) can't understand southern accents and vice-versa. Again, its what your used to.


"BTW:Speaking of accents have you noticed that
even though he's from Georgia Dr.McCoy rarely
showed a trace of a Southern accen[t]"

Actually, when he played McCoy, DeForrest Kelley usually spoke with a very realistic mild southern accent. Which makes sense, since both character and actor are from Atlanta, Georgia.

I definately noticed that he had the southern drawl going whenever McCoy would talk. Especially when he was agitated. But it did sound like someone who had travelled a bit and not the jeff Foxworthy "Deep Southern" sterotype you might find on another show.

Where I am at the moment there are actually a lot of Canadians (as well as Indians, Sri Lankans, South Africans, English Brits, and oh yes, Kiwis - just in time for the Cricket World Cup too...), and the Canadian accent sounds like a cross between Scottish and American. One Canadian nurse I have met, from B.C., definitely has this twang to her speech floating aboot.

Is it true that some of the British movies in the late 90s/early 2Ks required subtitles for the regional accents when shown to English-speaking international audiences? I think last year's "Sweet Sixteen" by Ken Loach needed this.

Regarding my first post today: for comparison there's also an American doctor over here - from New Jersey - which makes the Canadian accent stand out a whole lot better.

In fact, it's a lot like the difference between the slight AustrAlien drawl (which almost sounds like Cockney Londoner) and the blunted New Zealand vowels. The Kiwi accent is very distinct from Aussies, especially among the Maori people - strongly blunted vowels are the order of the day over here. (By the way, do NOT make the mistake of calling a New Zealander an Australian! )

>> Is it true that some of the British movies in the late 90s/early 2Ks required subtitles for the regional accents when shown to English-speaking international audiences? I think last year's "Sweet Sixteen" by Ken Loach needed this. <<

Yes, it has been known. I think there was a film (or should that be 'fillum' ) set in Newcastle made recently - can't remember the title - and they lightened the accent to make it comprehensible to Yanks and Canks. Mind you, there are some accents which cause trouble even within the UK - did you ever get Rab C Nesbitt in North America? The Scottish Highland accents in that were inpentetratable most of the time!

There was an American TV show (Frank's Place, IIRC) that had a supporting actor with such a thick Southern accent that they actually put English subtitles up in some episodes so the audience could get the jokes.

As a Brit with friends in America I always have to record their answerphone messages when I am over there as they like the "Butler" sound to the outgoing message!

An interesting story from comedian Eddie Izzard about accents - Eddie does passable impressions of Sean Connery and James Mason in his act, and also does his entire act in French when performing in France. At first puzzled about why French audiences didn't respond in the same way to his impressions as English speaking audiences, he was soon informed that all films with Connery or Mason in them were dubbed, so they had no idea what their respective accents sounded like!

Mad Max & Gregory's Girl had to be redubbed on their American releases, due to trouble with test screenings. Billy Elliot was a recent film with some tricky accents. Rab C Nesbitt in Glasgow, firmly in the Lowlands. I can normally tell a Glasgow accent from a Highland or Edinburgh one.

Funnily enough, I always thought John F. Kennedy was from the South, having heard him in docu-footage. Don't know why, it must have been the way he dropped his 'r's and drew out his vowels that was throwing me. I can't really tell the differences between Scottish accents. Probably lack of exposure - I'm yet to visit Scotland.

Are you from Quebec or English Canada, kerriem?

Southern Ontario, actually - our New England, the very heart of Loyalist propriety.
(In the course of a discussion on this topic a couple days ago my aunt reminded me of the time she was vacationing in Arizona and got into an argument with a native who insisted she must be English.)

I can understand how a New Englander might be mistaken for English, but a Canadian? Anyway, isn't Ontario closer to the Midwest?

According to a guidebook I read when holidays in Florida became affordable to most Brits there was some confusion becuase their accents were not as expected. They were assumed to be either Australian or Canadian becuase they didn't sound at all like the 'Hollywood Brit' sort of voice voice that all british characters in the Simpsons seem to have.

Actually, I can imagine how a person with a West Country accent (post-vowelic 'r's, drawn out vowel sounds) could be mistaken for American/Canadian by someone unfamiliar with UK regional accents. Same with Cockney/Australian.

Richard: I can normally tell a Glasgow accent from a Highland or Edinburgh one.

Yes, I have a little bit more difficulty with that one, but I find West Scots have a slight Irish twang to their accents compared to us East Scots. I once was on attachment in Dumfries - almost the very south-west of Scotland - and most of the accents were either strong English (from across the border), Northern Irish (from across the Sea), or West Scots (from, er, Glasgow).

Slightly off-topic, but when I read all your posts I hear different 'voices' for each of you. Callie doesn't sound like Kerriem who doesn't sound like Constanze, etc., etc. Oddly enough none of the voices have accents. No English/Canadian/German/etc. and I was just wondering if that's true of the rest of you? Does someone's writing voice sound accentless, or do you imagine it with an accent, and has a writing voice changed when you met the writer?

Maybe we shud typ mesijiz ver way we say vem.

Wot du yu heeuh faw mee, Kay Ay Em? Eye awlwayz imajund yu wud sound Amerrikun, iz that r-eye-t?

I don't actually imagine different voices - but I do imagine different faces. Not sure if I want to share my imaginings with you, though

Same here, sorta. I have a distinct impression of each of you...but it's not quite vocal and not quite visual, so I can't describe them in more concrete terms.

I definitely have differet mental voices and images of the people who post here. But then again, I do that for whatever I read. Of course, there is a slight disconnect whenever a novel or a comic series I read gets adapted for the big or little screen. Very rarely does the actor's voice match the voice of the character I've read.

The problem with that Joe, (or is it Yoe, or even Hoe) is that different cultures pronounce the same letters differently. A V can be pronounced as a V or W. A W can be pronounced by some as two Os. A double L might be pronounced as a Y.

Paul, outside of saying you 'sound' American I'm not really good at describing it. I'm not good at describing people I hear in real life let alone the voices in my head.

I would guess that I do sound American. I've heard that the English heard on American national news broadcasts is supposed to sound similar to people from western Washington. Although the first time I heard my voice on a recording that I couldn't dismiss as being a faulty recording I thought it was some 19 year old football jock talking instead.

It's always a joke that your voice never sounds like you think it does.

In 'Frasier', have you noticed that our favourite radio psychiatrist pronounces some words the British way? ('choon', 'n-yoo', etc) I'm assumed this is just Frasier acting all posh by using Britisms, but it's a bit odd.

Richard wrote "It's always a joke that your voice never sounds like you think it does."

This is sometimes due to the recording equipment. My voice usually doesn't sound right to me when recorded with cheap mics. The one time I heard myself after being recorded with a decent quality microphone, I thought it sounded like what I hear myself.

On accents: I speak 2 accents fluently. Those being US Southern and Northern/Yankee. This is the result of a Mom from Tennessee and a Dad who grew up mostly in Michigan, plus I was also an Air Force brat and was exposed to a variety of accents as a result. It can seem a bit odd to people who don't know me since I switch back and forth without thinking about it.

Another example of "subtitled British" was some of the interview footage in the Behind the Music episode about Oasis. I didn't have trouble understanding the Gallagher brothers, but then again I've seen more than my share of Cornation Street, so that probably helped.

Canada has a number of accents, the Newfoundland accent being one of the more noticeable. Quebec has a number of different accents, and they are different from those of France, which sometimes leads to Americans playing Quebeckers not sounding right, as they use accents from France. "Aboot" is an Ontario, and perhaps Southern Ontario, thing. If someone says "aboot" out here in Saskatchewan they're talking about footwear. And I think that accents have changed over the years. Reporters in old news footage from the '40s and '50s sound different to my ears than current ones.

As for Picard having a British accent its not impossible. Quebec politician Jacques Parizeau studied at the London School of Economics and is said to be quite the Anglophile. His impeccable English has more than a trace of a British accent to it.

Parizeau's no longer a politican... he's a mere private citizen now who writes lots of letters to newspapers.

In any case, no one says "aboot" in Ontario, but the sound in question is common to most varieties of Canadian English. As for French, there are three main groups: Acadian, "urban" Quebecois, and "rural" Quebecois, the former existing primarily in New Brunswick, but also to some extent in Nova Scotia and PEI, and the second distinguished from the latter by its being more "elite" and closer to Continental French.

Accents in English generally revolve a "standard" Ontario/BC/urban one and various rural/regional groupings, including the following:
Newfoundland
Cape Breton
Maritime
Ottawa Valley
Toronto/Hamilton
Alberta (very slight)

And it gets even more specific - there is an Annapolis Valley accent within Nova Scotia, in addition to the aforementioned Cape Breton and a more "urban/cosmopolitan" among others.

For people like me, however, who have moved a fair bit, the "standard" accent is the norm.