Middle-class angst now spreads to eradicating children’s accents

Some have blamed it on the depressed state of the jobs market. Others said they just wanted to be taken more seriously. Whatever, the reason, elocution lessons are on the up and regional accents on their way out.

The first sign that flat vowels and glottal stops were falling out of fashion came at the start of the year when research showed increasing numbers were trying to lose their accents in the hope of boosting their career prospects.

Then came the story of the Middlesbrough primary school head who sent a letter home to pupils advising parents how to correct their children’s Teesside accents. While many thought the days when only those who spoke the Queen’s speech got the top jobs were long gone, parents are now so concerned that their offspring might be held back that they are contacting elocution teachers before their child is even out of nappies.

Unsurprisingly the demand is being fuelled by middle class professionals. It’s the same people who enrol their children for Japanese lessons when they can only just say please and thank you in English.

“I do regularly have calls from parents of children as young as two who don’t like the way their son or daughter sounds, but children should be at least seven before elocution lessons are considered,” says elocution teacher Robin Wooldridge, who believes the correct way to say the word “glass” is so it rhymes with “farce”.

“I’ve tried desperately to get established in economically and socially deprived areas, and it just failed. Within working-class areas there’s a belief that if children get the right exam results, that’s sufficient to get them into a top university or a top job. But the interviews are vital – you have to sound confident and articulate, that plays a huge part.”

It all comes down to class (with a long “a”) and it seems those who betray where they come from through their accent may end up losing out.

“While the concept of class isn’t as important as it once was, it’s still the case that one is easily stereotyped,” says Andre Gottshalk, who runs the websites Elocutionlessonsforkids.co.uk and AccentSoftening.com.

He says children often use abbreviation and slang, and when a young person is entering the adult world, bad speaking habits have been formed, and this can make it more difficult for them to fit in when studying for a university degree or pursuing a professional career. Speaking properly, he says, is not about getting rid of accents, but about enunciate vowels, consonants and other sounds as well.

“This then makes it possible to communicate in a much more dynamic and persuasive manner,” he explains. “Speaking properly can also help with spelling, as a child is much more attuned to identifying how certain sounds are spelt. This may be particularly useful for children who have learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

“Speaking with a neutral accent requires forming a new speaking habit, so repetition is very important. Children pick things up very quickly, so parents don’t have to annoy them with constant enunciation practice. One good idea is for parents to listen to BBC Radio Four programmes, so their child subconsciously learns how to speak properly.”

With Education Secretary Michael Gove also keen for children to be taught correct pronunciation at school, we could soon be turning out a new generation of Eliza Doolittles.