Welsh has been deemed the most calming of all Britain's regional brogues, study reveals
It's official: Welsh voices are proper lush.
The soothing accent heard from the likes of Richard Burton, Rob Brydon or Catherine Zeta-Jones has been deemed the most calming of all Britain's regional brogues.
In a survey, 38 per cent of people said they found Welsh tones relaxing, more than any other part of the UK.
Yorkshire and Cornish accents came joint second, at 36 per cent each, followed by Northern Irish.
Towards the bottom of the table, Liverpudlian was one of the least relaxing, even though the phrase 'Calm down, calm down,' will forever be linked to Scousers, thanks to Harry Enfield's comedy characters.
Just 23 per cent ranked the accent as relaxing, above only Brummie, Cockney and bottom-placed Essex.
Pictured: Actor Rob Brydon attends the Los Angeles Premiere of Prime Video's 'My Lady Jane'
The soothing Welsh accent heard from the likes of Richard Burton (pictured)
Pictured: Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones attend the 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards
Welsh singer Tom Jones pictured in 1978 in Los Angeles, California
Charlotte Church performs on the Left Field stage during the Glastonbury Festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset
Dr Chris Montgomery, senior lecturer in dialectology at Sheffield University, said: 'We know people find some accents more pleasant to listen to than others so it has been great to quantify this.
'We associate people from different places with different characteristics so the accent associated with each place will also be linked with these characteristics.
'For instance, received pronunciation ['the King's English'] is often seen as 'posh' or associated with those who are highly educated, which can trigger certain emotions and feelings.'
He also noted: 'The three accents, that are ranked as most relaxing in the UK are from places people might have travelled to on holiday, and might have fond memories of, which may naturally lead them to be perceived as more relaxing.'
Dr Montgomery also said that 'there aren't any 'better' or 'worse' accents', and that perceptions of voices depended on where the listeners are from.
'In other words, people from Lancashire are likely to have different opinions of accents to those in Cornwall, due to the influence of their local environment,' he said.
Cerys Matthews attending the press day for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2023 in London
Pictured: Windsor Davies as Sergeant Major Williams in 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum'
Researchers also looked at foreign accents, with Italian topping the list, followed by Australian Canadian and French.
The poll of 1,502 people by SpaSeekers.com found the most soothing British accents, in order, are: Welsh, Yorkshire, Cornish, Northern Ireland, received pronunciation, Scottish, West Country, Geordie, Lancashire, Norfolk, Manchester, Scouse, Birmingham, Cockney and Essex.
And for overseas accents: Italian, Australian, Canadian, French, New Zealand, Spanish, Caribbean, Californian, Latin American, South African, New York, Texan, Boston, Cajun, Indian, German and Chinese.
