Researchers from Lancaster University have found that the pronunciation of the 'happy vowel'—the final vowel in words such as happy, baby, chilly, and city—varies clearly by social class across Manchester. The study, published in the journal Language Variation and Change, reveals that middle-class speakers tend to say 'happ-ee' (a tenser vowel), while working-class speakers are more likely to say 'happ-eh'.
Stability of working-class speech
Despite significant social, economic, and cultural changes in Manchester over recent decades, some features of the city's accent have remained remarkably stable, particularly in working-class speech. However, the study found variation across ethnicities: working-class south Asians are more likely to say 'happ-ee', whereas black and white Mancunians from the same social class typically say 'happ-eh'.
Implications for social mobility
Danielle Turton, senior lecturer in sociolinguistics at Lancaster University, said: 'I think it’s important because it shows that local working-class speech is not just being washed away by social change or redevelopment' in Manchester, 'a city changing at a rapid speed.' She added that 'looking at how accents are distributed tells us a lot about society.' Turton noted that some students claim class no longer matters, but the data show 'the different socioeconomic brackets speak differently in different ways.'
Changing accents across social classes
Turton explained that people can and do change their accents when moving between social classes, but this is not always the case. 'More commonly this is felt by people with regional or working-class accents,' she said, citing pressure at university or in professional settings. However, some people retain their accent throughout life due to strong attachment.
Difficulty of accent change
Not all accent features are equally easy to change. While shifting from 'happ-eh' to 'happ-ee' may be simple, other features are deeper in the linguistic system and below conscious awareness. Turton gave an example: 'For many of us from northern England we would rhyme words like strut and foot, but if you’re from the south those are two different vowels... That’s really bloody hard to change if you don’t grow up with it.' She emphasized that 'adolescence matters' and that language acquisition after a certain age makes native-like pronunciation difficult.
Future of accents
Turton noted that the 'prestige form' of English is still based on those with money and power, but she is hopeful: 'with things like more diverse voices on TikTok and podcasts and social media... people are hearing different accents and they love them.' She added, 'I think when we don’t pre-judge... then we actually love it.'
