Well, speaking as a gal who finds the Brit-speak absolutely ENTHRALLING... *ahem* ...I've wondered about that myself, why it is that it's so far beyond sexy you'd need a telescope to research it.
This goes out to each and every one of you fine British fellows. Region is NOT withstanding... Wales, Cornwall, Yorkshire, I don't care, this is for all of you.
I think it may be the notions around the edges of it, honestly, the essence of linguistics and human nature. In language we communicate, and we find familiarity, which of course breeds comfort, but also contempt, laziness and stagnation. In America, most people speak American English, in some flavor or fashion. Different states and directions have grown to produce a slightly different twist on the language over time, as have different sub-cultures and ethnicities. The southern drawal and ebonics are good examples of versions of the same language spoken, with different inflections and phraseology but as we're more used to these unusual turns of dialect, they aren't particularly interesting. We even have cultural and in some instances, physical stereotypes come to mind at just the thought of them.
Now, as to "The Brits"... The accent by itself takes the language we are used to hearing and adds something unusual, a seasoning of sorts, a tone, almost musical, we aren't familiar with. Thus, our curiosity is piqued, a touch of something new and unusual adds the notion of interest, mystery and a sense of something to be learned. Women tend to like a little mystery to their men, and this gets the ball rolling. Now, the language spoken also tends to come at a different pace. It's less perceptible, but definitive, the product of a different location with a different culture. The average American working-class-Joe and the average British working-class-...person... (dunno if 'Joe' would be appropo) lead different lives, with different places of interest and pacing to their day. Even with some similarities, general mealtimes and such, they value certain aspects of culture at different levels and this results in different emphasis in words and a different pace to speech. This draws in our attention, like new music playing on the car stereo during a trip you've never heard before, your ears focus in and you listen more intently, if for no other reason because you want to figure out what you're hearing. Now, add in new terms and phrases. Using different words than what we are normally used to hearing to express similar emotional response can have a dramatic effect on the people around you. As American girls, we're used to calling someone we don't like by specific terms and with specific inflections. We call someone an "a-hole" in traffic and place some pressure into the word, gravel, it's grating and irritating, an expression of emotion due to the person's interaction with us. We hear the British fellow, who seems to be speaking the same language as us, just a bit smoother, more musical, suddenly get gravelly, a bit angry as he spits out "Burke" at some guy in traffic. "Burke"? We wonder... "Is that the guy's name? Does he not like this Burke guy?" But we learn that this is just another way to basically state an assessment of character. Our Brit friend does not like that guy, and he was saying so. Now, we've heard cursing all our lives, and it's always looked down upon as cultural stigma. "bad words" and "bad language" carry with them the notion of violent thought, poor vocabulary and even low intelligence and these notions increase in magnitude with their use. The concept of expressing these same notions of negativity without resorting to "foul" language subconsciously shows a sophistication, a leap in intellect and culture which is disarming and alluring to us.
This is a bit of what I've figured up.
Again, British accent? Sexy as hell-hades on a terrace by the moonlight in a tank-top with a rose in it's teeth.
This goes out to each and every one of you fine British fellows. Region is NOT withstanding... Wales, Cornwall, Yorkshire, I don't care, this is for all of you.
I think it may be the notions around the edges of it, honestly, the essence of linguistics and human nature. In language we communicate, and we find familiarity, which of course breeds comfort, but also contempt, laziness and stagnation. In America, most people speak American English, in some flavor or fashion. Different states and directions have grown to produce a slightly different twist on the language over time, as have different sub-cultures and ethnicities. The southern drawal and ebonics are good examples of versions of the same language spoken, with different inflections and phraseology but as we're more used to these unusual turns of dialect, they aren't particularly interesting. We even have cultural and in some instances, physical stereotypes come to mind at just the thought of them.
Now, as to "The Brits"... The accent by itself takes the language we are used to hearing and adds something unusual, a seasoning of sorts, a tone, almost musical, we aren't familiar with. Thus, our curiosity is piqued, a touch of something new and unusual adds the notion of interest, mystery and a sense of something to be learned. Women tend to like a little mystery to their men, and this gets the ball rolling. Now, the language spoken also tends to come at a different pace. It's less perceptible, but definitive, the product of a different location with a different culture. The average American working-class-Joe and the average British working-class-...person... (dunno if 'Joe' would be appropo) lead different lives, with different places of interest and pacing to their day. Even with some similarities, general mealtimes and such, they value certain aspects of culture at different levels and this results in different emphasis in words and a different pace to speech. This draws in our attention, like new music playing on the car stereo during a trip you've never heard before, your ears focus in and you listen more intently, if for no other reason because you want to figure out what you're hearing. Now, add in new terms and phrases. Using different words than what we are normally used to hearing to express similar emotional response can have a dramatic effect on the people around you. As American girls, we're used to calling someone we don't like by specific terms and with specific inflections. We call someone an "a-hole" in traffic and place some pressure into the word, gravel, it's grating and irritating, an expression of emotion due to the person's interaction with us. We hear the British fellow, who seems to be speaking the same language as us, just a bit smoother, more musical, suddenly get gravelly, a bit angry as he spits out "Burke" at some guy in traffic. "Burke"? We wonder... "Is that the guy's name? Does he not like this Burke guy?" But we learn that this is just another way to basically state an assessment of character. Our Brit friend does not like that guy, and he was saying so. Now, we've heard cursing all our lives, and it's always looked down upon as cultural stigma. "bad words" and "bad language" carry with them the notion of violent thought, poor vocabulary and even low intelligence and these notions increase in magnitude with their use. The concept of expressing these same notions of negativity without resorting to "foul" language subconsciously shows a sophistication, a leap in intellect and culture which is disarming and alluring to us.
This is a bit of what I've figured up.
Again, British accent? Sexy as hell-hades on a terrace by the moonlight in a tank-top with a rose in it's teeth.
Having said that, I dont know how anyone, anywhere, can find a full on Brummie accent sexy.
