An American voice coach has revealed that many of his clients are taking lessons before travelling to Ireland – just so they can understand the locals when they get here.!
Jim Johnson, associate professor of voice and dialects at the University of Houston, Texas, runs an online service to help people master over 40 different accents. The majority of his clients are, as you would expect, actors wanting to expand the possible roles they can apply for. But an increasing amount are tourists preparing to come to Ireland – and single men hoping to improve their chances with the ladies.
The materials on Irish accents have also been used by men who want to increase their chances with the girls and also by tourists who are about to take a vacation in Ireland and want to be able to understand the locals.
This revelation about why single American men want to learn the accent comes just days after the Northern Irish accent was voted sexiest in the world.
Jim says his clients find the Dublin and Northern Irish accents most difficult to master, but have relative ease in getting their tongues round the more lilting southern brogues, common in Cork and Kerry.
If you know anyone who is planning of travelling soon and needs to pick up some accent tips this video might help.
