It's only been a few months since Prince Harry and Meghan Markle stepped back as
senior royals and moved to the United States, but it seems that Prince Harry is already
starting to lose his English accent. It's not exactly an American accent,
but it's definitely shifting in that direction according to one expert.
Prince Harry's new accent can be heard in a promotion for Rising Phoenix,
a Netflix documentary which dives into the history of the Paralympic Games. To promote
the documentary, the royal participated in a Zoom call with several Paralympians.
While Prince Harry still sounds quite English, Judi James, a body language analyst, told Express
that the Rising Phoenix Zoom call shows that he has, quote, "adopt[ed] the traces of an American
accent when he pronounces 'matter' as 'madder.'" This, according to James, is proof that the Duke
of Sussex is adjusting to his new life in America and, quote, "shows signs of his immersion."
"My biggest hope is that people watch this film and go, no matter how my life is"
"This is what I aspire to."
Interestingly, Meghan's accent was also said to be shifting when she moved to the
U.K. to be with her husband. In 2018, E! News reported that royal watchers
on Twitter believed that she seemed to be starting to lose her American accent.
Phonetics and pronunciation specialist Dr Geoff Lindsey told the BBC,
"There does seem to be something in the idea that Meghan Markle's speech has changed a bit,
at least in some settings. There are occasional vowels which sound a bit more British."
Sociolinguist and professor Paul Kerswill, on the other hand, noted that what people thought was a
shifting accent may have actually been an illusion based on Meghan's wardrobe. He told the BBC,
"It's been proved that appearance, ethnicity and age all influence what we think we hear,
even when there's no difference in what is being played back in the audio."
Whether or not Meghan's accent actually shifted,
if you believe the British tabloids, her staff in the U.S. have reportedly
observed that living in the U.K. changed her vocabulary - and they are supposedly amused
that she has retained some of what she picked up in the U.K. since moving back to America.
A source told The Sun,
"Meghan was the all-American girl before she met Harry, but since living in the U.K. she's adopted
certain phrases. Her staff think it's amusing to listen to an American celebrity using Britishisms.
She's often heard saying, 'Oh dahling,' to people at home. They do have a giggle about
it and sometimes they do impressions of her but only in a light-hearted way. It's funny to them."
Still, Meghan never completely adopted an English accent, and it's unlikely that Prince Harry will
ever sound fully American. It's normal, though, for accents to shift a little,
at least. A 2017 study published in Language found that it's common for adults' accents to
change depending on who they interact with. The study by the Department of
Linguistics at McGill University observed accent shifts on the show Big Brother UK,
which houses contestants together in isolation for three months. The study found that
"Accent change over the medium term is ubiquitous: large daily fluctuations in each sound variable
are the norm, while longer-term change over weeks to months occurs in a minority of cases."
As Setter told the BBC, this phenomenon is known as "accommodation," and many people
adapt how they speak based on who they're speaking to.
"We all do this to some extent – speak differently with different people."
Sociolinguist Dr. Ella Jeffries also told the BBC that people who are trying
to fit into a new environment are more likely to experience a shift in accent.
"Someone who has a strong affiliation with the region they grew up in and
is very proud of their heritage for example, might not change the way
they speak much — even if they move to another part of the country, or even abroad. However,
someone with lots at stake in trying to 'fit in' or sound like they belong to a new
in-group [...] might find accommodation happens quite naturally and quite quickly."
So you heard it here first: Harry and Meaghan will be sounding like true
California natives in no time at all.
"You belong here with me, in southern California!"
"You make me so happy!"
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