“The Merseyside accent was first identified in the late 19th century, and it has been argued that it came about from a blending of Lancashire and Irish speech varieties,” said Dr Andrew Hamer, from the University’s School of English.
“If this theory is correct, we might expect Scouse to have been at its most distinctive at the time when having an Irish background was at its height among the people of Merseyside,” he continued. “This has not been the case, however: instead of becoming less distinctive as our kinship with Ireland decreased, the accent has become stronger.”
Researchers will be looking at how the accent developed and how it is represented in music, novels and film. Part of the event will see local composer John McHugh present his new piece, The Big Voice, based on Merseyside speech.
For The Big Voice, John interviewed and filmed more than 100 Merseysiders of all ages, from schoolchildren to football fans and pensioners, then set their speech patterns to music.
“We will also be discussing issues of identity,” said Andrew. “Merseysiders claim that different areas of the region have slightly different Scouse accents, and that they can identify where someone comes from based on this accent.”
Celebrating Scouse is a free event. To book a place contact Cathy Rees on 0151 794 2728 or email reescm@liv.ac.uk.
