THE YOUNGSTERS ARE SPEAKING BRITISH THESE DAYS

Someone has noticed that kids today – Generation Z – are using fake British accents a lot. “Fake British accent” videos have over 188,000 views on TikTok, where young people say they use the voice whenever they feel uncomfortable. For example:
– 21-year-old Asher Lieberman says, “I was on a date recently ordering something, and the name of what I wanted came out wrong when I asked for it. So I just talked in a British accent for the rest of the order. It’s a defense mechanism, a kind of buffer from my actual personality.”
– In 2019, American parents on Twitter reported that their children were developing British accents because of all the Peppa Pig they watched.
– Thanks to streaming hits like The Crown and Bridgerton, and reality shows like Love Island, The Only Way Is Essex and Too Hot to Handle, young Americans feel a connection with the accent when their own lives feel awkward, and they break out the accent.
* Well, looks like they’ve run out of news, innit?
* Feed these kids some jellied eels. They’ll stop the accent real quick.
* At least they’re not talking with an Australian accent. (* Or, phonetically, “en Aww-stryle-yeen eck-sint.”
* If you’re going to speak British, you have to know the words. Here are some British words, and what they mean in American English.
– wardrobe: closet
– waistcoat: vest
– fringe: bangs
– cot: crib
– torch: flashlight
– bonnet: hood of a car
– aubergine: eggplant
– courgette: zucchini
– flannel: washcloth
– trolley: shopping cart
– banger: sausage
– trainers: sneakers
– underground: subway
– noughts and crosses: tic-tac-toe