In a UK-wide ‘Voices Project’ poll conducted by the venerable and much-loved BBC, Edinburgh-born Sir Sean Connery has been named as having “the most pleasant voice” from a range of celebrities.  While results further down the list showed some disagreement and regional variation (the ‘least pleasant voice’ belonged to Ian Paisley or among Northern Irish respondents, Janet Street-Porter, with David Beckham and Cilla Black faring poorly too), Sir Sean’s trademark baritone was found soothing and seductive across the board, consistently getting top marks from English, Welsh and Northern Irish voters as well as Scots. Second place overall went to veteran newsreader Sir Trevor McDonald, born in Trinidad and Tobago. 

In a more detailed look at the results, many people showed a preference for relatively local accents - so Scots would rather listen to Ewan McGregor’s proudly Perthshire tones while the Welsh prefer Richard Burton, Hugh Grant is popular in England and the Irish can’t get enough of Terry Wogan’s avuncular Limerick lilt. 

Other questions in the poll delved into people’s attitudes and reactions to certain accents, minus the celebrity factor. In this section Scotland’s capital won out again: a standard Edinburgh accent stood out for most people as being both ‘pleasant’ and ‘prestigious’. A few other voices scored highly on one, but not both of these counts - so a London accent was deemed an asset to the speaker’s career or social standing, but not nice to listen to, while our neighbours to the south in Newcastle got the opposite results. People like to hear Geordie accents but don’t associate them with high status or education. It’s a poor show for speakers from Liverpool and Birmingham, with low scores in both categories!

Sociolinguist Peter Trudgill commented that most people’s attitudes to regional accents are (consciously or otherwise) coloured by their ideas about the class and culture of the area, not just the sounds themselves. For example, the Republic of Ireland is, in many people’s minds, loosely associated with a friendly, laid-back outlook on life, calming green scenery and pleasant things like whisky and tea. It’s no coincidence that many listeners express a preference for Southern Irish voices. A speaker from Belfast, which is only 85 miles from Dublin, might find their accent is not quite so well-received; memories of the bloody and long-lasting sectarian ‘Troubles’ conflicts are fresh in the minds of most people across the British Isles and, sadly, it’s still one of the first things that people think of in relation to the region. 

This cultural connectionism may also add to the popularity of Scottish voices, as again, we’re often seen as a warm (temperament, not temperature!), beautiful little nation with a long, proud history and oodles of art, music and other cultural capital. Having the accent spread across the globe by famous, and rather dishy, ambassadors like Sir Sean (never mind that nobody else from Edinburgh sounds anything like him!), Alan Cumming, David Tennant, Ewan McGregor and James McAvoy doesn’t hurt either…

But what do you think, dear readers? If you’re Scottish, what reactions do your accent and dialect get, at home and abroad? And Americans: to what extent do you hear and notice the difference between various Scottish, or even British, accents? After all, this article won’t have made much sense if you don’t know your Glaswegian from your Gloucestershire. Does dialect baffle you - ken what I’m meaning? Do you find our voices sexy, classy… or just incomprehensible? Comment and let us know!