Reason why Glasgow’s accent is still flourishing

IT is distinctive and, for those not well-versed in the gravelly burr, at times impenetrable.

Now it appears the Glasgow accent is also rather stubborn.

While many traditional English accents are being diluted, and in some places dying out, Glaswegian tones are as strong as ever.

Glasgow University academics have found that although the city’s voices are evolving, they are staying true to their roots.

In fact, instead of being tamed, linguists believe the speech of Scotland’s biggest city may be becoming even more distinct.

Professor Jane Stuart-Smith, director of the Glasgow University Laboratory of Phonetics, who led the study, said: ‘The assumption is traditional dialects across the UK are being eroded and some are dying out, but Scots accents – particularly the Glasgow accent – are flourishing.’

However, small changes have occurred, and Professor StuartSmith said watching TV shows such as EastEnders could be a cause. She added: ‘In Glasgow it’s “mooth” instead of “mouth” but we now have people saying “shut your moof”. They don’t sound like Londoners, they are just picking up little bits.’

The Sounds of the City study used advanced processing programmes to examine the speech sounds of Glaswegians from each decade in the 20th century, including the voices of soldiers recorded in German First World War prisoner of war camps.